Germany invades Poland, opening the European war

A military clash near Beiping (Beijing) escalated after Japanese and Chinese forces mobilized. The incident became the opening of full-scale Sino-Japanese War, following years of Japanese encroachment...

After taking Nanjing, Japanese troops carried out mass killings, sexual violence, looting, and destruction. The Nanjing city archives preserve investigation files, residents' petitions, burial...

German troops crossed into Austria after Hitler coerced the Austrian government and forced the cancellation of a planned vote on independence. The annexation was followed immediately by terror against...

Germany, Britain, France, and Italy signed an agreement to transfer the Sudeten territories from Czechoslovakia to Germany. The Czechoslovak government was not represented in the negotiations. The...

A state-orchestrated pogrom on the night of 9-10 November destroyed synagogues, shops, homes, and community institutions; Jewish people were murdered and tens of thousands arrested and sent to...

When Britain declared war on Germany, Viceroy Linlithgow announced that India was at war without consulting elected Indian representatives. Indian soldiers, workers, taxpayers, and resources would...

German forces occupied Denmark and invaded Norway to secure strategic sea routes and access to Swedish iron ore. Occupation brought collaboration, resistance, and coercion into northern Europe. This...

Mussolini declared war on Britain and France as Italy’s fascist regime sought territorial expansion in Europe and Africa. Italy’s existing colonies in Libya, Eritrea, Italian Somaliland, and...

British forces attacked French warships anchored at Mers-el-Kébir near Oran, Algeria, after France’s armistice with Germany. More than a thousand French sailors were killed. The port’s North African...

Italian forces crossed from Libya into Egypt, then a British-controlled strategic corridor, in an effort to advance toward the Suez Canal. The campaign turned North African territory and its...