World War II
September 1, 1939
Germany invades Poland, triggering World War II. Two days later, Great Britain, France, Australia, and New Zealand declare war on Germany.
Fig. 1. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, and Axis gains in pink; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 0:15.
September 17, 1939
The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east.
Fig. 2. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, the Soviet Union in dark green, Soviet occupations in green, and Soviet gains in light green; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 0:18.
May 26-June 4, 1940
Approximately 198,000 British Expeditionary Force (BEF) troops and 140,000 French and Belgian troops are evacuated from Dunkirk, France.
Fig. 3. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, Finish gains in light purple, the Soviet Union in dark green, Soviet occupations in green, and Soviet gains in light green; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 1:03.
June 22, 1940
France signs an armistice with Germany, ending the Battle of France.
Fig. 4. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, Finish gains in light purple, the Soviet Union in dark green, Soviet occupations in green, and Soviet gains in light green; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 1:08.
June 22, 1941
Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union.
Fig. 5. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, and Finish gains in light purple; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 2:13.
December 7, 1941
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. The next day, Canada, the Dutch government-in-exile, the United States, and Great Britain declare war on Japan.
Fig. 6. A map of the Pacific showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Allied Powers not at war with Japan in gray-blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, China before joining the Allies in green, and Chinese occupations before joining the Allies in light green; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in the Pacific: Every Day," YouTube, 0:11.
April 18, 1942
Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle leads 16 B-25 bombers launched from the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Hornet in a surprise attack on the Japanese home islands, known as the Doolittle Raid. Although it causes little damage, it boosts Allied morale and shows that the Japanese are not invincible.
Fig. 7. A map of the Pacific showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Allied Powers not at war with Japan in gray-blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, and Axis gains in pink; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in the Pacific: Every Day," YouTube, 0:36.
June 3-6, 1942
The United States destroys Japan’s best carriers and most of its best naval pilots at the Battle of Midway, turning the tide of the war in the Pacific.
Fig. 8. A map of the Pacific showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Allied Powers not at war with Japan in gray-blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, and Axis gains in pink; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in the Pacific: Every Day," YouTube, 0:44.
February 2, 1943
The Battle of Stalingrad in Russia ends in a Soviet victory with the surrender of the remaining German Fourth and Sixth armies. Both the Soviet and German armies there suffered around 2 million casualties, and the battle is widely regarded as the most significant engagement of World War II.
Fig. 9. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, and Finish gains in light purple; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 4:00.
July 9-10, 1943
The Allies invade Sicily, prompting the fall of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on July 25.
Fig. 10. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, and Finish gains in light purple; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 4:28.
September 3, 1943
The Allies invade southern mainland Italy, and the Italians surrender almost immediately.
Fig. 11. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, and Finish gains in light purple; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 4:38.
November 28, 1943
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and General Secretary Joseph Stalin meet during the Tehran Conference, where they will agree on final plans to defeat Germany.
Fig. 12. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, and Finish gains in light purple; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 4:53.
June 6, 1944
Commonly known as D-Day, 160,000 Allied troops invade Normandy in a massive assault.
Fig. 13. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, and Finish gains in light purple; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 5:28.
December 16, 1944
German forces launch their last major counteroffensive, starting the Battle of the Bulge.
Fig. 14. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, Finland in dark purple, Finnish occupations in purple, and Finish gains in light purple; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 6:02.
April 30, 1945
Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his bunker in Berlin.
Fig. 15. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, and Axis gains in pink; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 6:27.
May 8, 1945
The Allies celebrate Victory in Europe (VE) Day following Germany’s unconditional surrender.
Fig. 16. A map of Europe showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue and Allied gains in light blue; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in Europe: Every Day," YouTube, 6:28.
August 6, 1945
The United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Fig. 17. A map of the Pacific showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Allied Powers not at war with Japan in gray-blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, and nuked cities marked with a radiation symbol; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in the Pacific: Every Day," YouTube, 4:25.
August 9, 1945
The United States drops one more atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
Fig. 18. A map of the Pacific showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, Axis Powers in maroon, Axis occupations in burgundy, Axis puppet states in red, Axis gains in pink, and nuked cities marked with a radiation symbol; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in the Pacific: Every Day," YouTube, 4:25.
August 15, 1945
The Allies celebrate Victory over Japan (VJ) Day after Japan accepts Allied surrender terms.
Fig. 19. A map of the Pacific showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, surrendered Axis Powers in brown, and nuked cities marked with a radiation symbol; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in the Pacific: Every Day," YouTube, 4:27.
September 2, 1945
Japan formally surrenders aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
Fig. 20. A map of the Pacific showing Allied Powers and occupations in blue, Allied gains in light blue, surrendered Axis Powers in brown, and nuked cities marked with a radiation symbol; screenshot from EmperorTigerstar, "World War II in the Pacific: Every Day," YouTube, 4:32.
Bibliography
Ray, Michael. "Timeline of World War II." Encyclopedia Britannica. February 11, 2026. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Timeline-of-World-War-II.