Europe, Pacific and Africa · 1933–1945
World War 2 timeline: 26 key dates
The Second World War began in Europe when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 and ended when Japan signed its surrender on 2 September 1945. Around 60 million people died, about 15 million in battle and 45 million civilians, though estimates vary widely; six million of them were Jews murdered in the Holocaust. These are the dates that shaped it, from Hitler's rise to the last surrender.
30 January 1933
Hitler becomes chancellor
President Hindenburg appoints Adolf Hitler chancellor of Germany.
BerlinMarch 1938
Germany annexes Austria
Nazi Germany absorbs Austria in the Anschluss.
Austria29 September 1938
The Munich Agreement
Germany, Italy, Britain and France agree that Czechoslovakia must hand the Sudetenland to Germany.
Munich23 August 1939
The Nazi–Soviet Pact
Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact with a secret protocol dividing eastern Europe.
Moscow1 September 1939
Germany invades Poland
The invasion starts the Second World War in Europe.
Poland3 September 1939
Britain and France declare war
Both declare war on Germany two days after the invasion of Poland.
London and Paris22 June 1940
France signs an armistice
After a six-week campaign, France signs an armistice with Germany in the forest of Compiègne.
Compiègne, FranceJuly–October 1940
The Battle of Britain
The Luftwaffe's air campaign against Britain fails.
Southern England22 June 1941
Germany invades the Soviet Union
Germany and most of its Axis partners invade the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.
Soviet Union7 December 1941
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the US Pacific Fleet; the United States declares war on Japan the next day.
Hawaii11 December 1941
Germany declares war on the United States
Germany and its Axis partners declare war; Congress answers the same day.
Berlin20 January 1942
The Wannsee Conference
Fifteen senior Nazi and German officials coordinate the "Final Solution", the murder of Europe's Jews.
BerlinJune 1942
The Battle of Midway
The US Navy sinks four Japanese aircraft carriers and stops Japan's advance across the Pacific.
Midway AtollOctober–November 1942
El Alamein
British forces defeat the German and Italian armies in Egypt and drive them back across North Africa.
Egypt2 February 1943
Surrender at Stalingrad
The last German troops in Stalingrad surrender to the Red Army.
Stalingrad, USSR5 July 1943
The Battle of Kursk
Germany launches its last great offensive in the east, a huge tank battle it loses.
Kursk, USSR8 September 1943
Italy surrenders
Italy's surrender to the Allies is announced, five days after the armistice was signed.
Italy6 June 1944
D-Day
Allied land, sea and air forces launch the invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious invasion in history.
Normandy, France25 August 1944
Paris is liberated
Free French forces, supported by Allied troops, enter the capital.
Paris16 December 1944
The Battle of the Bulge
Germany launches its last offensive in the west, in the Ardennes.
Belgium and Luxembourg27 January 1945
Auschwitz is liberated
Soviet troops free about 7,000 remaining prisoners. About 1.1 million people were murdered there.
Oświęcim, Poland4–11 February 1945
The Yalta Conference
Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin plan the shape of postwar Europe.
Crimea30 April 1945
Hitler dies by suicide
Hitler kills himself in Berlin as Soviet forces close in.
Berlin7–8 May 1945
Victory in Europe
Germany surrenders unconditionally, at Reims on 7 May and again in Berlin on 8 May.
Reims and Berlin6 and 9 August 1945
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States drops atomic bombs on the two cities; the Soviet Union declares war on Japan on 8 August.
Japan15 August and 2 September 1945
Japan surrenders
Emperor Hirohito announces the surrender by radio; Japan signs it aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
TokyoFor the causes in depth, read how World War 2 started and what happened on D-Day.
Frequently asked questions
When did World War 2 start and end?
In Europe it started on 1 September 1939, when Germany invaded Poland, and ended with Germany's surrender on 7–8 May 1945. The war ended with Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945.
How many people died in World War 2?
Around 60 million by the National WWII Museum's figures, about 15 million in battle and 45 million civilians. The museum notes that estimates vary widely, and civilian deaths in China alone may have been far higher.
What were the turning points of World War 2?
Historians usually point to Midway (June 1942) in the Pacific, El Alamein (late 1942) in North Africa, and Stalingrad (surrender in February 1943) on the Eastern Front, after which the Axis was mostly on the defensive.
Sources & further reading
Every fact and date on this page was checked against the sources below on October 13, 2026. Each link was opened and is live:
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — World War II: key dates
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Hitler comes to power
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — The Wannsee Conference and the Final Solution
- Eisenhower Presidential Library — D-Day, the invasion of Normandy
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Auschwitz
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum — Documenting numbers of victims of the Holocaust
- German History in Documents and Images — The armistice at Compiègne, 22 June 1940
- The National WWII Museum — The Battle of Midway
- The National WWII Museum — Worldwide deaths in World War II
- History.com — The Battle of Stalingrad ends
- U.S. Office of the Historian — The Yalta Conference, 1945
- Nippon.com — The emperor's surrender broadcast, 15 August 1945
- U.S. National Archives — Surrender of Japan, 1945
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