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WORLD WAR II

What were the key dates of World War II?

World War II started 80 years ago with the German invasion of Poland and drew in several countries before it ended six years later with Japan's surrender.

What were the key dates of World War II?
Soldiers of the German Wehrmacht tore down a red and white barrier at the German-Polish border on September 1st, 1939. Archive photo: DPA.

It was the world's deadliest conflict, estimated to have killed 40 to 60 million people, more than half of whom were civilians.

Here are key dates in the war.

Nazis invade Poland

Adolf Hitler's Nazi forces invade Poland from the west on September 1st, 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Berlin two days later.

Soviet forces attack Poland from the east on September 17th, under a secret pact with Germany, and the city of Warsaw surrenders 10 days later.


Archive photo shows Adolf Hitler in Poland. Photo: DPA

Northern France occupied

After occupying Denmark and Norway, Hitler launches a major offensive against Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and France in May 1940.

France's wartime leader Philippe Petain on June 17th announces its capitulation; on June 22nd he signs the armistice that allows Nazi forces to occupy the north of the country.

On June 18th French General Charles de Gaulle calls from London for resistance.

Petain sets up a government headquartered in the central spa town of Vichy that collaborates with the occupying German forces.

Battle of Britain

On August 13th, 1940, the Battle of Britain begins with German bombers carrying out massive attacks on cities such as Coventry and London, the raids continuing for nine months.

Faced with British resistance, Hitler abandons his planned invasion of Britain and declares, later in August, a blockade of the British Isles with his submarine fleet.

Soviet Union attacked

On June 22nd, 1941, Berlin turns east and launches an attack against the Soviet Union.

The German army is halted at the gates of Moscow in December by a Soviet counteroffensive. However its siege of Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, will last nearly 900 days until January 1944.

Pearl Harbor

On December 7th, 1941, Japan — allied with Germany — attacks the US military base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, destroying most of the US Pacific fleet.

The Americans, led by Franklin D. Roosevelt, enter World War II the next day.

US ships sinking after severe damage during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Archive photo: DPA

Extermination

On January 20th, 1942, Hitler ramps up at a Berlin conference his “Final Solution” plan to exterminate Jews, in particular by mass killings in concentration camps.

Some six million Jews are slain, as well as many political prisoners,
including resistance fighters, homosexuals and gypsies.

North Africa defeat

In October 1942 British troops defeat the German Afrika Korps in Egypt, handing the Nazi army its first major setback.

In November thousands of British and American forces land in North Africa,
leading to the surrender in 1943 of German-allied troops in the region.

Battle of Stalingrad

On February 2, 1943, the five-month Battle of Stalingrad ends with Soviet victory over the Nazis.

It is the first Nazi surrender in Europe since the war began, and costs the German army half a million men.


The battle for Stalingrad, now renamed Volgograd, was the first devastating defeat for the German Wehrmacht in the war against the Soviet Union in 1943 and became a turning point on the Eastern Front. Archive photo: DPA

D-Day in France

In November 1943 the Allies agree to attack Germany via occupied France.

D-Day is on June 6th, 1944, when more than 156,000 mainly American, British and Canadian troops land on the Normandy beaches. They overwhelm the Germans and liberate Paris on August 25th.

Germany surrenders

The Soviet army arrives in Berlin in April 1945 and captures the city by early May.

Hitler commits suicide on April 30th. On May 8th Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending the war in Europe.

Japan capitulates

On August 6th and 9th US aircraft drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively.

On September 2nd, 1945, Japan officially surrenders. World War II is over.

Member comments

  1. The timeline displayed about the Battle of Britain is not entirely accurate. While the initial bombing campaign against England was started by Hitler, the Nazis did not target London itself initially until after a British bomber had accidentally bombed Berlin due to navigational errors. Am I right on this??

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WORLD WAR II

How France will mark VE day on May 8th

Saturday's commemoration of the date that marks the end of World War II in Europe will be happening under strict Covid-19 health rules, but there will be events in France.

How France will mark VE day on May 8th
French President Emmanuel Macron and some military will be attending this year's commemoration in Paris, as they did here, in 2019. Photo: Martin BUREAU / various sources / AFP

Why do we mark May 8th?

First a brief history. May 8th marks the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces in 1945.

Popularly known as VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), it marks the date when World War II ended in Europe.

Some fighting continued around the world, however. The United States dropped its atomic bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki months later, in August, and all hostilities officially ceased on September 2nd 1945.

But in Europe, May 8th brought the end of the Nazi threat and a promise of brighter times ahead.

How is May 8th commemorated in France?

France is one of the few European countries that have made May 8th a public holiday and most people get the day off work when it falls on a weekday (this year it will be on a Saturday, so unfortunately no extra day off).

READ ALSO The French holiday calendar for 2021

In normal times, without Covid-19, May 8th is majestically marked with a large ceremony in Paris and smaller celebrations in towns and cities across the country.

Last year’s event, although it marked the 75-year-anniversary, was a small-scale one compared to other years, as France was still under its first nationwide, strict lockdown. 

President Emmanuel Macron did go ahead with the wreath-laying ceremony at the Champs-Elysées, keeping with the tradition for French heads of state. 

What’s on this year?

The 2021 commemorations will also be less grand than other years as several Covid-19 restrictions remain in place in France.

IN DETAIL: France’s new calendar for reopening after Covid restrictions

As last year, Macron will lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe, which stands at the top of the Champs Elysées, in the presence of “a restricted number of public officials and military,” the French Defence Ministry said a press statement.

The ceremony will be closed to the public, though it will be possible to watch it live on television.

Regional authorities – the préfets – have permission to organise ceremonies in their areas, though “in a restricted format and while strictly respecting social distancing measures,” the statement read. These ceremonies will also be closed to the public.

Mayors can also lay wreath at war memorials in their communes, in ceremonies that, again, have to be in line with health rules and be closed to the public.

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