World War 2- History in an Hour:

By; Rupert Colley

Page Number: 75

Originally published: 2019

"During the 2,194 days of the conflict, a thousand people died each and every hour it lasted"(p. 4)

This publication by Rupert Colley is an easy-to-read, 70-page book that discusses the events of World War 2. It covers the basics of the era that began with the German invasion of Poland and ended with two nuclear bombings of Japan. Colley's brief and pertinent way of writing make the book a good starting point to learn the essential facts about the Second World War.

1939:

• 1 Sep: Germany invades Poland: Non- Aggression Pact: the agreement between the Soviets and Germany that took away the risk of Russian threat of interference to Germany's ambitions in Eastern Europe

• 3 Sep: France and Britain declare war

• Nov: Winter War: Finland vs. Soviet Union: Soviets expected an easy victory, however, the Finnish resisted

1940:

• -May: Germany's invasion of Holland (Netherlands) and Belgium

• May- June: German invasion of France: Germans went through the north of the Maginot Defense Line, from Ardennes Forests

• May- June: Dunkirk Evacuation: transportation of Allied soldiers to safety

• June: Italy joins the war

• July: "Vichy Government": Creation of a French puppet government by Germany

• September: Tripartite Pact: governing the relationship between Japan, Germany, Italy

• October: Italy attacks Greece, gets defeated

1941:

• November: Lend-Lease Act: 50 million dollars of aid from the US to Allied Powers

- F.D. Roosevelt took an isolationist approach where he did not send troops but only sent financial aid to Allies: "Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars."

• June: Germany invades Greece and Yugoslavia

• June: Operation Barbarossa: German invasion of Soviets at the Eastern front: 3 million Axis troops on a 900-mile front

• December: Pearl Harbor: Attack of the Japanese navy on an American military base in Hawaii:

- Roosevelt: "A date that will live in infamy"

- US joins the war

• 1941: Throughout 1941 Japan took control over Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Dutch East Indies

1942:

• 1942- 43: Battle of Stalingrad: the turning point of the war:

- Soviets end up victorious after a bloody battle with the Germans

- "a soldier's life expectancy was three days if lucky"

1943:

• January: Casablanca Conference: Churchill and Roosevelt planned an invasion of Sicily as a way to open up the gates for an Italian invasion

• Jul- Aug: Battle of Kursk: German loss in Kursk battle with the Soviets: Hitler orders withdrawal of troops

• November: Teheran Conference: the first meeting of the big three: Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin:

- Stalin discusses that neither Britain nor the US was fighting as hard in the war as the Soviets, he demands more expanded opposition to the Nazis from the West

- (1945: Yalta, Crimea: the second meeting of the big 3 to discuss the post-war world)

1944:

• December1944-1945: Battle of the Bulge: Germany's last offense: Allies win the battle: German troops pushed back to the Reich

• September: V1 & V2 rockets used by Germany to attack southeast Britain

• January: Soviets take back Kharkow, Smolensk, Kyiv, Leningrad

• June: Operation Bagration: USSR counter-offense against Nazis till near Berlin

1945:

• May: Berlin surrenders

• August: Hiroshima & Nagasaki bombing

personal rating of the book: 8/10