Historic Headlines: World War II

This week is the anniversary of the beginning – and, arguably, the end – of World War II, which began on September 1, 1939, and ended virtually exactly six years later.

In commemoration, below are links to nearly 40 original New York Times front page images and articles reporting on World War II milestones, from our On This Day in History archive.

Ideas for using this collection include the following:

• Use one of the articles as primary source material for a document-based question (DBQ) assignment.
• Compare the news coverage with the content in the course textbook.
• Mine the articles to develop projects about the war, such as creating infographics or scrapbooks.
• Hold a debate on the question of when the war actually ended.

What other ideas do you have for using these articles with students? Please share them in the comment box below.

And for more resources, see our Teaching Topics page on the Holocaust and our World War II student crossword.

---

1939

• September 1
  In 1939, World War II began as Nazi Germany invaded Poland.

1940

• June 22
  In 1940, during World War II, Adolf Hitler gained a stunning victory as France was forced to sign an armistice eight days after German forces overran Paris.
• July 10
  In 1940, during World War II, the 114-day Battle of Britain began as Nazi forces began attacking southern England by air. By late October, Britain managed to repel the Luftwaffe, which suffered heavy losses.
• September 7
  In 1940, Nazi Germany began its initial blitz on London during World War II.
• December 29
  In 1940, during World War II, Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London.

1941

• July 19
  In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill launched his “V for Victory” campaign in Europe.
• March 11
  In 1941, President Roosevelt signed into law the Lend-Lease Bill, providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.
• December 7
  In 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked the home base of the United States Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, an act that led to America’s entry into World War II.
• December 8
  In 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• December 11
  In 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States; the U.S. responded in kind.
• December 26
  In 1941, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress.

1942

• March 17
  In 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II.
• June 11
  In 1942, the United States and the Soviet Union signed a lend lease agreement to aid the Soviet war effort in World War II.
• November 12
  In 1942, the World War II naval Battle of Guadalcanal began. The Americans eventually won a major victory over the Japanese.
• November 26
  In 1942, President Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing, beginning December 1.

1943

• January 14
  In 1943, President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill opened a wartime conference in Casablanca.
• February 2
  In 1943, the remainder of Nazi forces from the Battle of Stalingrad surrendered in a major victory for the Soviets in World War II.
• February 9
  In 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.
• May 12
  In 1943, during World War II, Axis forces in North Africa surrendered.
• November 23
  In 1943, during World War II, United States forces seized control of the Tarawa and Makin atolls from the Japanese.
• November 28
  In 1943, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran during World War II.

1944

• June 6
  In 1944, the D-Day invasion of Europe took place during World War II as Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France.

1945

• February 11
  In 1945, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin signed the Yalta Agreement during World War II.
• February 19
  In 1945, during World War II, some 30,000 United States Marines landed on the Western Pacific island of Iwo Jima, where they encountered ferocious resistance from Japanese forces. The Americans took control of the strategically important island after a month-long battle.
• April 1
  In 1945, American forces invaded Okinawa during World War II.
• April 12
  In 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga., at age 63. Vice President Harry S. Truman became president.
• April 25
  In 1945, during World War II, United States and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, in central Europe, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany.
• May 2
  In 1945, the Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria.
• May 7
  In 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II.
• July 30
  In 1945, the USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Only 316 out of 1,196 men survived the sinking and shark-infested waters.
• August 6
  In 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, killing an estimated 140,000 people in the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare.
• August 9
  In 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people.
• August 14
  In 1945, President Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II.
• August 25
  In 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation.
• September 2
  In 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II.
• November 20
  In 1945, 24 Nazi leaders went on trial before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.

1946

• December 31
  In 1946, President Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.