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Reuben James Sank
US ship sunk by a torpedo attack from German submarine U-552. -
Nazi Germany Invaded Poland
Germany invaded, breaking their agreement, so Britain and France declared war, starting World War II. After signing the non-aggression pact Hitler had a surprise attack, German tanks and troops rumbled across the Polish border -
Congress Instituted the Draft
During the Civil War the U.S. Congress passes a conscription act that produces the first wartime draft of U.S. citizens in America. -
Sitzkrieg
the eight month period at the start of World War II -
France Fell to Germany
German forces occupied Paris unopposed on June 14th after a chaotic period of flight of the French government that led to a collapse of the French army. -
Destroyers-for-Bases Deal
Fifty Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson class US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions -
America First Committee Launched
U.S. non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II. -
Battle of Britain
When the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by the German Air Force. -
Lend Lease
The Lend-Lease Act was the principal means for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during World War II. -
USS Kearny Attacked
a US Navy warship during World War II torpedoed by a German U-Boat before the US had entered the war -
Battle of Bataan
forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded Luzon along with several islands in the Philippine Archipelago. The Filipino commander-in-chief consolidated all his units to fight at Bataan against Japanese invaders. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. It killed more than 2,300 Americans. -
Battle of El Alamein
British General Montgomery attack El Alamain with help of American tanks -
Battle of Stalingrad
Stalin gained about two thirds of land back from Germany -
Bataan Death March
U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II, the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. -
Manhattan Project Began
a secret military project created to produce the first US nuclear weapon. Fears that Nazi Germany would build and use a nuclear weapon during World War II triggered the start of the Manhattan Project, which was originally based in Manhattan, New York. -
Battle of Coral Sea
major naval battle between the Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the US and Australia in the Pacific Ocean. -
Battle of Midway
naval battle in the Pacific Ocean, the US defeated an attacking fleet of the Japanese Navy causing a lot of damage. -
Casablanca Conference
conference used to plan the strategy for the next phase of World War II. -
Tehran Conference
agreement on broad plans especially those for launching Soviet attacks on Germany from the east. -
D-Day
the first day of the Normandy landings which started the invasion of Western Europe and liberated France from the Germans -
FDR Elected for a 4th Term
Washington's two-term limit became the unwritten rule for all Presidents until 1940. In 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt won a third term. ... Roosevelt was the first and only President to serve more than two terms. The amendment was passed by Congress in 1947. -
Battle of the Bulge
On this day, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. -
Yalta Conference
brought together the Big Three Allied leaders. During this conference, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt discussed Europe's postwar reorganization. The main purpose of Yalta was the re-establishment of the nations conquered and destroyed by Germany. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
One-third of all Marine losses during World War II happened at Iwo Jima; it was the only large engagement of the war in which Allied forces suffered more casualties (dead plus wounded) than their Japanese counterparts. By 1945, the Allies were gaining ground in the Pacific theater. -
Island Hopping Campaign Begins
A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against Japan and the Axis powers during World War II. -
MacArthur Returned to the Philippines
That day, he made a radio broadcast in which he declared, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!” In January 1945, his forces invaded the main Philippine island of Luzon. -
FDR Dies
Franklin Delano Roosevelt passes away after four momentous terms in office, leaving Vice President Harry S. Truman in charge of a country still fighting the Second World War and in possession of a weapon of unprecedented and terrifying power. -
VE Day
was the day Hitler killed himself and Nazi Germany declared an end to the war. People called the day V-E Day, for it was a celebration for their victory. -
Battle of Okinawa
The battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, took place in April-June 1945. It was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific theater of World War II. It also resulted in the largest casualties with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the Allies. -
VJ Day
it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.” -
Potsdam Conference
At the Potsdam meeting, the most pressing issue was the postwar fate of Germany. -
Little Boy Dropped on Hiroshima
atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II by the Boeing B-29 -
Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki
"Fat Man" was the code-name for the atomic bomb that was detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki by the United States -
Nuremberg Trials
Judges from the Allied powers—Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States—presided over the hearings of twenty-two major Nazi criminals. Twelve prominent Nazis were sentenced to death. -
Japanese War Crime Trials
a military trial to try the leaders of the Empire of Japan for "Class A" crimes, which were reserved for those who participated in a joint conspiracy to start and wage war.
