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Start of the war in Atlantic/European Theater
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Battle of Britain
In the sky over the United Kingdom, British and German air forces clashed together. This was a significant turning point of WWII because by Britain's victory it saved the invasion of the Germans and potentially the Germans occupation of Britain. It also proved that air power alone could win a battle. -
Start of the war in Pacific Theater
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U.S. joins the war
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Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes began attacking the American naval base, Pearl Harbor, near Honolulu, Hawaii. Although this event only lasted roughly 2 hours, it killed nearly 2,000 American sailors and soliders. The day after this tradegy, President FDR declared war on Japan because he didn't want his men to die and for the japanese to take over. -
Bataan Death March
Just after the United States surrender the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippine Island of Luzon to the Japanese, nearly 75,000 American and Filipino troops were forced to walk the 65-mile path to Japanese concentration camps in harsh conditions. Thousands could not make the march and ended up dying. This put the Japanese in the lead to win the war. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
This being the first air-sea battle in history, the Japanese were hoping to make an amphibious landing at Port Moresby in southeast New Guinea. However, as Allied codebreakers were learning more about the enemy and its plans, the efforts were shortlived. With the Allies and Japanese losing ships, the Japanese loss more and the victory went to the Allies. This battle helped Allies win the Battle of Midway because the Japanese had fewer forces. -
Battle of Midway
After many months of planning on behalf of the United States, a U.S. naval victory was made against the Japanese. Americans were able to counteract the Japanese plans severly damaged the Japanese Navy. With this victory, the Allies and the United States were able to have a offensive position. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This was the successful Soviet defense in Stalingrad in the USSR. This it considered by many to be the greatest battle of the Great Patriotic War because it stopped the German advancement into the Soviet Union. It also turned the war into leaning towards the Allies to win it. This battle is known to be one of the bloodiest battle known to history. -
D-Day
More than 160,000 Allied troops lined up in Normandy, France to fight the Nazi Germans. With Dwight D. Eisenhower leading the way, he would accept nothing less than a victory for the Allies. By the end of the battle, the Allies gained a foot-hold of Normandy, taking it away from Germany. Although many soldiers were killed, 100,000 continued on their march in Germany to defeat the Nazies and Hitler. This event is called the beginning of the end of the war because it began to put a hault to Hitler -
Battle of the Bulge
Three German armies launched a deadly and powerful battle in Ardennes. As Germans continued on to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allies began to form a protusion or a bulge. The battle ended with a draw but it costs nearly a hundred thousand lives for the Americans, damaging their chances of winning the war. -
V-E day
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Hiroshima
To put an end to the Japanese, an American B-29 bomber dropped the first ever atomic bomb over Hiroshima in Japan. Instantly killing 80,000 people, the bomb wiped out nearly 90 percent of the city. Later, thousands died from radiation exposure.Hirohito, Japan's Emperor, declared that Japan was offcially out of the war on Augst 15 because of the bombs. -
Nagasaki
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V-J day
