WWII History Hub – Tides of War

This Day In History

1943: World War II: The German 117th Jäger Division destroys the monastery of Mega Spilaio in Greece and executes 22 monks and visitors as part of reprisals that culminated a few days later with the Massacre of Kalavryta.
1941: World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "a date which will live in infamy", after which the U.S. declares war on Japan.
1941: World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Shanghai International Settlement, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies. (See December 7 for the concurrent attack on Pearl Harbor in the Western Hemisphere.)

Quote of the Day

I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.
— Harry S. Truman

Invasion of Poland

Germany invades Poland, marking the beginning of WWII.

Battle of the Atlantic

Longest continuous military campaign in WWII.

Winter War

Soviet Union invades Finland.

Battle of France

Germany invades France and the Low Countries.

Battle of Britain

Air campaign waged by the German Luftwaffe against the UK.

Operation Barbarossa

Germany invades the Soviet Union.

Siege of Leningrad

One of the longest and most destructive sieges.

Pearl Harbor Attack

Japan attacks the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor.

Battle of Midway

Turning point in the Pacific War.

Guadalcanal Campaign

First major Allied offensive in the Pacific.

Battle of Stalingrad

Major turning point in Europe as Soviets halt Germans.

Battle of El Alamein

Turning point in North Africa.

Battle of Kursk

Largest tank battle in history.

Allied Invasion of Sicily

Allies invade Italy via Sicily.

D-Day

Allied invasion of Normandy.

Warsaw Uprising

Polish resistance uprising against Germany.

Liberation of Paris

Allies liberate the French capital.

Battle of the Bulge

Germany's last major offensive in the west.

Battle of Iwo Jima

Critical Pacific battle between U.S. and Japan.

Battle of Okinawa

One of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific.

Battle of Berlin

Final major offensive in Europe.

Germany Surrenders

Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

Hiroshima Bombing

First use of atomic bomb in warfare.

Nagasaki Bombing

Second atomic bomb dropped by U.S.

Japan Surrenders

Victory over Japan (VJ) Day.