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Japan invasion of Manchuria 1931-1945
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria came as a great shock to the league of nations. Japan was trying to gain resources for their growing industries. This led to Japan extracting itself from the league of nations that affected all the countries in the league of nations. It was considered as Japanese aggression and fell into the definition of war.
https://www.lermuseum.org/interwar-years-1919-1938/japanese-invasion-of-manchuria-1931
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/manchuria.htm -
Nuremberg laws are enacted
The Nuremberg laws in Germany were created against the Jews. When Hitler came to power, he and the Nazi ideology came to power too. His ideology was against Jews, claiming that they were somehow inferior to Ariens and should, therefore, have no relationship with Ariens. They also allowed Jews little freedom. The Nazis were fascists, with the dictator Hitler leading them all into WWII. The Nuremberg laws were a true awakening.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nuremberg-laws -
Italy invades Ethiopia 1935-1941
Mussolini invaded Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) as a follower of Hitler, as he too was a Fascist Dictator. Mussolini thought that invading Ethiopia would boost the countries moral and prestige making him more likable and powerful. This was an important event as it was the last African country not colonized by a European one. It also was a step further in fascism. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wxak5DCqpuRx06xgofUcDCJCI8TgTqEMryPAFAq9T3s/edit -
Kristallnacht 9-10 November 1938 Link-https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht
Kristallnacht or the night of broken glass happened as a wave of hatred. The Jews were blamed for killing a German embassy official. It happened to be on an important date in the National Socialist calendar. With all the accusations by important and well-spoken people caused a commotion, and soon the crowd had started to hunt Jews and their homes. Once these houses were found, they were burned down and destroyed in every possible way. This was important as it left homeless Jews very vulnerable. -
Germany invades Poland
Germany bombarded Poland from above. Hitler wanted to regain lost land. He also wanted complete control over Poland. More territory meant more wealth and power, which was all Hitler wanted. It also meant that other countries would fear Germany as showed superiority to Poland. It also was a way to show that they were against the world and wanted to abolish all Jews, with or without the consent of the league of nations.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939 -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was mainly because Hitler wanted back his land as land meant power. Hitler wanted back the land Germany had lost after losing in WW1. Finland and Romania gave troops for the operation. Later on, Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, and Hungary joined the fight. This was important as it gave courage to the allies that Germany was beatable. It reversed the fortune of the third Reich. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wxak5DCqpuRx06xgofUcDCJCI8TgTqEMryPAFAq9T3s/edit -
Auschwitz concentration camp opens
Auschwitz concentration camp was created to imprison Jews and German enemies, to increase the economy and provide laborers, even if they were unwilling, and to kill groups of injured unable to work, as they were useless. That is why they had gas chambers, to mass murder multiple people at a time. In Auschwitz, they also started to experiment on people. This was important as it was the major concentration camp. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wxak5DCqpuRx06xgofUcDCJCI8TgTqEMryPAFAq9T3s/edit -
Battle of Britain 10 July 1940-31 October 1940 Link-https://www.military-history.org/articles/the-battle-of-britain-a-brief-guide.htm
The Battle of Britain was very important because it was one of the first battles to revolve around the air force. The Germans fought against the British. It was mostly because Germany wanted to invade Britain. It was also partially to take control and beat the British RAF(Royal Air Force). As the main force of Britain was RAF, it would mean that taking over would be easier. It was known by the German as Operation Sealion. Britain won because of its air force. -
Japan attacks pearl harbor
Japanese planes flew over Pearl Harbor and bombed it killing 1500 soldiers and destroying a lot of their weapons and ammunition. This was a vital event as it was how the USA joined the fight. This way, it became a world war, and not simply a European war. The Allied powers were losing. The Lend-Lease-Act wasn't enough to have the Allies win. The USA joining in the fight was great for the Allies. It made the Allies win. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/wwii/jb_wwii_pearlhar_1.html -
Battle of Stalingrad August 1942-February 2 1943 Links-https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/battle-of-stalingrad-significance/ https://socratic.org/questions/what-was-the-significance-of-the-battle-of-stalingrad
The Soviet Union(USSR) beat Germany(the sixth Reich). The battle of Stalingrad was the largest battle of World War 2. The Germans were looking for supplies, as after their defeat in Operation Barbarossa, they were in need of resources. The Volga River would be crucial. The Germans were unsuccessful as at the end of 1942, they had 90% of the city conquered, but still no dominance over the necessary parts. Germany only ended up losing many of its troops and gaining almost nothing. -
Battle of Midway-June 4, 1942 – June 7, 1942 https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-midway https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/jun4/battle-midway-begins/
The battle of Midway was started because Japan(Imperial Navy) wanted to gain territory in the Pacific. The Japanese knew that they would need to either defeat America(Navy) or put it in a position where they had to agree to the Japanese' terms. American codebreakers were able to determine where the attack would be. The Japanese were able to sink Yorktown, but the Americans were able to sink all but one of the Japanese ships. It was the first time Japan had lost a naval battle in over 50 years. -
Operation Gomorrah-Bombing of Hamburg 24 July 1943-1 August 1943 https://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/05/the-carpet-bombing-of-hamburg-killed-40000-people-it-also-did-good/
The bombing on Hamburg lasted around a week, first the 50-minute air raids, then after three days, continuos bombing for the duration of 2 more overnight raids, and America bombing the ports in the daylight. After this, there was a huge firestorm for ten days. This caused a million citizens to flee and around 40000 deaths, not including the earlier deaths from the bombing. This was fatal to Germany. Hamburg housed many energy resources, and without it, the Allies gained power ever so slightly. -
D-day(Battle at Normandy) 6 June 1944-30 June 1944 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wxak5DCqpuRx06xgofUcDCJCI8TgTqEMryPAFAq9T3s/edit
D-day was when the Allies gathered troops from all around the world to gain the territory they had lost. They landed on the coast of Normandy, where they started to gain back the land they had lost. Apart from the territory, they wanted to capture Caen, which was a strategic advantage. The Allies won. D-day brought the freedom of France. D-day brought new hope to the Allies and weakened the Axis. It also helped the USSR defeat Germany in the North-Eastern regions. D-day was very important. -
The Battle of the Bulge(Wacht am Rhein or “Watch on the Rhine”)December 16, 1944-January 18, 1945 Link-https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wxak5DCqpuRx06xgofUcDCJCI8TgTqEMryPAFAq9T3s/edit
The Battle of the Bulge, also known by the Germans as Watch am Rhein or Watch on the Rhine was a surprise attack by the Germans. It came as a shock as it was right after Germany's race to defend France known as D-day. The Allies were unprepared. The Germans were able to push westward. However, Allied reinforcement cam, the bad weather left, and so the Allies were able to attack with their airforce. The Allies won. It was important because it was the fall of Berlin. -
Battle of Iwo Jima February 19 1945- March 26 1945 (Links-https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/the-pacific-war-1941-to-1945/the-battle-of-iwo-jima/ https://www.nationalww2museum.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/iwo-jima-fact-sheet.pdf)
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a victory to the Allies(USA). Japan, the Empire of Japan and the USA. According to the WW2 Museum, "In thirty-six days of fighting on the island, nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. The island was finally declared secure on March 26, 1945." It was very bloody, but also important as it later saved the life of 24000 US airmen. It was a place to land in an emergency. -
Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima
The atomic bomb on Hiroshima killed 90% of physicians, 42 out of 45 hospitals. Https://www.icanw.org/hiroshima_and_nagasaki_bombings
says "All the dedicated burn beds around the world would be insufficient to care for the survivors of a single nuclear bomb on any city." However, even if the bombings on Hiroshima were incorrect, it was important to end the second world war. Japan was refusing to surrender or end the war in any way. It was the fastest way to end the war. That doesn't justify it. -
Atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki bombings-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-1945
The Nagasaki bomb was not intended to be dropped on Nagasaki. The people were evacuated because of previous bombings. The aim of the atomic bomb was Kokura, where there were one of the largest munition plans. The fumes in the air fro the bomb they had dropped near Yawata. They were unable to. The next target was Nagasaki. There, there were also fumes. For a second, the bomber was able to see, but he missed the target by 1.5 miles. Some of the city was protected. It still ended the war.
