> CHRONOLOGY

1938

  • Hitler annexes Austria.

1939

  • German troops occupy Czechoslovakia.

  • Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact formed.

  • Germany's attack on Poland begins World War II.

1940

  • Germany invades Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

  • British and French troops evacuate from Dunkirk.

  • Battle of Britain fought.

  • Tripartite Pact formed.

1941

  • Lend-Lease Act passes.

  • Germany invades Soviet Union.

  • Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.