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Pearl Harbor Attack
The location of a U.S. naval base, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Two attacks wer performed that morning, the first at 7:51 when 183 Japanese ships attacked military airfields. The second was at 8:30, when 170 Japanese bombed the fleet in Pearl Harbor. -
Battle of Coral Sea
A naval battle in the Pacific theater between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces. This occurred after Japanese forces invaded Tulagi and entered the Coral Sea with the intention of finding and destroying the Allied naval forces. -
Battle of Midway
Important naval battle in WWII. The U.S. navy defeated an Imperial Japanese Naval attack and inflicted heavy damage on the Japanese Fleet. The battle was set against the Midway Islands in the Pacific Campaign. -
D-Day
The Normandy landings where conducted in two phases. The first was an airborne assault landing of 24,000 American, British, Canadian, and free French troops and the second attack was an amphibious landing of the Allied infantry and armored divisions on the coast of France at 6:30 AM. -
Battle of the Bulge
A German offensive in which their main goal was to force the Allies into a peace treaty. The Allied forces were taken by surprise during the attack, but, with fierce resistance, they managed to throw the German timetables behind. Allied reinforcements and air attacks on the German forces sealed the German failure. -
U.S flag raised on Mt. Suribachi
One of the first U.S. objectives was the taking of Mt. Suribach. At the second raising of a flag on the peak, Joe Rosenthal photographed six Marines: Ira Hayes, Mike Strank, Rene Gagnon, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley, and U.S. Navy corpsman John Bradley raising the U.S. flag on the fourth day of the battle. -
Truman becomes President
Served under President FDR as vice-president and succeeded him after Roosevelt died in office. -
Hitler commits suicide
Adolf Hitler commited suicide by gunshot in his bunker in Berlin along with his wife, Eva. Later in the afternoon, their remains were carried outside and burned. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day when the WWII Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. -
Hiroshima
A Japanese city of some industrial and military significance, with military camps located nearby. This was the primary target of the first nuclear bombing on August 6th. The Enola Gay was the U.S. aircraft that dropped the bomb over Hiroshima. -
Nagasaki
This had been one of the largest sea ports in southern Japan during WWII. The bombing occurred on August 9th, carried by the B-29 Bockscar and nicknamed “The Fat Man”. -
Formal Surrender of Japan
Japan formally announced their surrender and effectivley ended WWII. -
VJ Day
Voctory over Japan Day. The offical announcement from Japan occured on August 15th, but the signing of the document occurred in September and offically ended WWII.
