1939
Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war and officially beginning World War II.
1940–1941
Germany conquered much of Western Europe, while Operation Barbarossa and the attack on Pearl Harbor expanded the war into a global conflict.
1942–1943
Allied victories at Midway, El Alamein, and Stalingrad shifted the momentum of the war away from the Axis powers.
1944
The Normandy landings on D-Day opened a Western Front in Europe as Allied forces advanced toward Germany from both east and west.
1945
Germany surrendered in May, followed by Japan’s surrender in September after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing World War II to an end.
Decode the timeline
World War II chronology cipher
World War II began on 1 September 1939 when Germany invaded _______.
The invasion of Poland triggered declarations of war by Britain and France, transforming a regional conflict into the Second World War.
Decoded
Timeline unlocked. Explore the defining events that shaped World War II from 1939 to 1945.
