-
Was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. It followed the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95.
-
Was a joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany that marked the beginning of World War II in Europe. The German invasion began one week after the signing of the Molotov Ribbentrop Pact. German forces invaded Poland from the north, south, and west
-
Blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland in before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands and France.
-
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes.The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan; Congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote.
-
Was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies.
-
After U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65 mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the travel in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards.
-
Was a decisive naval battle in the Pacific. It was a Japanese operation and took play 6 months after Pearl Harbor. The victor was sought to be a super power and show dominance in the Pacific. The event ended in a victory for the US.
-
The Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. The Germans had crushed the uprising and left the ghetto area in ruins. Surviving ghetto residents were deported to concentration camps or killing centers.
-
More than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. The Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high.
-
Last major German offense campaign of World war II. The surprise attack completely caught the allied forces off guard. The battle also severely depleted Germany's armored forces on the Western Front, and they were largely unable to replace them.
-
As Allied troops moved across Europe in a series of offensives against Nazi German. They began to encounter tens of thousands of concentration camp prisoners. Many of these prisoners had survived forced marches into the interior of Germany from camps in occupied Poland. These prisoners were suffering from starvation and disease.
-
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the U.S. Marines landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. This battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the War. After the heavy losses in the battle, It was useless to the U.S. Army as a staging base and useless to the U.S. Navy as a fleet base.
-
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a series of battles fought in the Japanese Ryukyu Islands, centered on the island of Okinawa, and included the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War during World War II
-
Public Holiday Celebration in Europe to mark the formal acceptance of the allies of world war II.
-
A statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. United States President Harry S. Truman, United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Chairman of China, Chiang Kai-shek issued the document, which outlined the terms of surrender for the Empire of Japan. This ultimatum stated that, if Japan did not surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction.
-
Attempt to invade Japan would result in horrific American casualties, ordered that the new weapon be used to bring the war to a speedy end. On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five-ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
