WW2 Germany outline

Rearmament (1933–1935)

Secret military buildup by Germany in violation of the Versailles Treaty.

Withdrawal from the League of Nations (1933)

Germany's departure from the international organization aimed at preventing wars.

Non-Aggression Pact with Poland (1934)

Diplomatic agreement to avoid war between Germany and Poland, aimed at preventing a two-front war.

Reoccupation of the Rhineland (1936)

Germany's re-militarization of the Rhineland, violating the demilitarized zone without resistance.

Rome-Berlin Axis (1936)

Military and ideological alliance formed between Germany and Italy.

Anti-Comintern Pact (1936)

Alliance against communism between Germany and Japan, later joined by Italy.

Pact of Steel (1939)

Formal military alliance established between Germany and Italy.

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact (1939)

Non-aggression treaty with the Soviet Union that included a secret protocol for dividing Eastern Europe.

Annexation of Austria – Anschluss (March 1938)

Germany's peaceful annexation of Austria with minimal resistance.

Sudetenland Crisis and Munich Agreement (Sept 1938)

Dispute over Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland resulting in UK and France's appeasement of Hitler.

Occupation of Czechoslovakia (March 1939)

Full military occupation of Czechoslovakia, violating the previous Munich Agreement.

Invasion of Poland (Sept 1, 1939)

Germany's attack using blitzkrieg tactics, leading to the start of WWII.

Invasion of Denmark and Norway (April 1940)

Germany's military campaigns to control Denmark and Norway.

Fall of France (May–June 1940)

Germany's rapid victory over France, bypassing the Maginot Line.

Battle of Britain (July–Oct 1940)

Failed German aerial campaign against the United Kingdom.

Balkan Campaign (1941)

Invasions carried out by Germany in Yugoslavia and Greece.

Operation Barbarossa (June 22, 1941)

Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, breaking the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.

Battle of Stalingrad (1942–43)

Major Soviet victory considered the turning point on the Eastern Front.

Allied Invasion of Normandy – D-Day (June 6, 1944)

Successful Allied operation that opened the Western Front against Nazi Germany.

Fall of Berlin (May 1945)

Capture of Berlin by Soviet troops, marking a significant end to the war in Europe.

Germany surrenders (May 8, 1945 – VE Day)

Date marking the official end of WWII in Europe with Germany's capitulation.