15 August 1945: Japan surrendered, known as VJ day (Victory in Japan Day).: German occupation of the Channel Islands officially ends, with signing of the Instrument of Surrender.: Germany surrendered, known as VE Day (Victory in Europe Day).16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945: The Battle of the Bulge - the last major Nazi offensive of WWII.25 August 1944: Allied troops liberate Paris.6 June 1944 - D-Day: British and US troops land on the beaches of northern France to push German troops back.8 December 1941: US declares war on Japan and sides with the Allies.
7 December 1941: Japan attacks American Naval Base at Pearl Harbour.22 June 1941: 'Grand Alliance' formed between the UK, the US and Soviet Union.10 July - 31 October 1940: The Battle of Britain begins.June 1940: German forces invade the Channel Islands before beginning occupation of the islands.10 June 1940: Italy declared war on Britain and France.26 May - 4 June 1940: More than 350,000 British and French troops were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk, France.: The Home Guard was created (then named Local Defence Volunteers), made up of those ineligible for frontline service.: Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister.3 September 1939: UK and France declare war on Germany.Key Moments Involving Britain During World War Two On the other hand, the UK realised its army was too small and in April 1939, amid the threat of Nazi Germany, the conscription law was introduced.Īll fit and able British men aged 20-21 were required to train with the military for six months, but when war broke out, the British Army was still much smaller (879,000 personnel) than Germany's and allies like France.Ī subsequent act was introduced to boost the numbers further, meaning all men aged 18-41 could be called up.īy the end of 1939, more than 1.5 million extra personnel had been conscripted into the British military with around 1.1 million going to the Army and the rest split between the Navy and RAF. However, the UK had invested in the RAF - both the Hurricane and Spitfire were brought into service before the outbreak of war and proved key in the UK's Battle of Britain win. The UK immediately deployed the British Expeditionary Army to France over fears of a German invasion.įor years before the war, Germany had rearmed and restrengthened its military greatly, something the UK had not. In 1938, German troops annexed Austria, followed by the UK, France and Italy all agreeing to Germany occupying the Sudetenland, a part of German-speaking Czechoslovakia. Hitler had already violated many of the agreements signed in the Treaty of Versailles, including the rebuilding of Germany's military and the remilitarisation of the Rhineland.īritain was one of the nations that signed the treaty but also played a role in allowing Germany to return as a European powerhouse.ĭuring the mass rearmament of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, Britain agreed to a policy of appeasement - allowing Hitler to expand German territory. The Beginning Of Warīy 1939, the Nazis had made huge strides in their aim of making Germany a world power. This instability and anger opened the door for Adolf Hitler, who wanted to claim back land Germany had lost, take control of Europe and ultimately reverse the terms agreed to in the Treaty of Versailles. Germany's economy was crippled post-World War One and many were furious with the country's government for agreeing to the terms of the treaty. Germany was perhaps the most affected - the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919 saw them take the blame for starting the war.Īs a result, they were punished with huge fines, their military was shrunk to a fraction of its size and 13% of its territory, including east Prussia and Alsace-Lorraine, was removed.