1. World War II Axis vs. Allies 1939-1945

2. Headed Towards War Hitler protested the fairness of the Treaty of Versailles. He created a new air force, Luftwaffe. Increased army to over 550,000. Occupied the Rhineland. He allied with Mussolini, who dreamed of acquiring more land. Created the Rome-Berlin Axis. United with Austria, called Anschluss. Gained control of the Sudetenland at the Munich Conference. Hitler promised no more territorial demands in Europe. Most thought this would be a time of peace.

3. Hitler and Stalin Fearing that Great Britain and France were to make an agreement with Stalin, Hitler made the first move. Hitler and Stalin signed the Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. The two nations promised not to attack one another. Germany would then attack Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France would declare war on Germany two days later.

4. Japans Path to War

5. Europe at War September 1939 – Germany attacks Poland. April 1940 – Germany attacks Denmark and Norway. May 1940 – Germany attacks Netherlands, Belgium, France. Germany moved around the Maginot Line and trapped the Allies. The rescue of the Allied troops became known as the Miracle of Dunkirk. U.S. remained neutral but provided food, ships, planes, and weapons to Britain.

7. Japan at War On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. On that same day, they attacked the Philippines and began moving towards the British colony of Malaya. Japan occupied a number of islands in the Pacific Ocean. By the spring of 1942, much of Southeast Asia and much of the western Pacific had fallen into Japanese hands.

8. The U.S. Enters the War

9. World War Two Timeline Using pages 600-604, create a timeline highlighting the major remaining events of World War II. Your timeline should begin with the German takeover of Egypt and highlight important events until the conclusion of the war in 1945. Be sure to include the Axis defeat at Stalingrad, the Battle of Midway, D-Day, and the attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.