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Invasion of Manchuria
This is when Japan took Manchuria. Japan wanted their empire to be bigger than the empire of the Allied Powers. This is a significant event in WWII because after they took Manchuria, China spent a lot of time and effort trying to get Manchuria back. -
Blitzkrieg into Poland
This was when the Germans took Poland. They had a deal with the Soviets to split Poland between the two of them and neither would attack it. Because of this deal, the Soviets weren't expecting the Germans to attack and that is how they took it so easily. This is significant because it is what turned the Soviets against the Germans. -
Battle of the Atlantic
This was a battle that was won by the Allied powers. It was an extremely deadly battle and that is because it last 6 years. This battle happened because the Axis Powers wanted control of the Sea routes. This was significant because many people believe if the Axis Powers won, they would have won the war. -
German Invasion of France
This was when Germany pushed into France. They Captured France and it left Britain all alone. The reason that this event was so significant is because Britain had to completely change up their strategy and they were all on their own without their ally the French. -
Dunkirk
Dunkirk is a city in France. During WWII hundreds of thousands of British troops had to be Evacuated from Dunkirk because they were being attacked by the Axis troops. they retreated and somehow managed to get a lot of troops safely out of Dunkirk. This was significant because if they hadn't evacuated, it might have been the end for the British and this would made it a lot harder for the Allied Powers to win the war. -
Battle of Britain
This was a battle that only the British and the Germans fought in. They fought using only their air force. The British ended up coming out on top. This was significant because it showed that the British could fight off the Germans even though they were all alone out there. -
Germany takes Greece
This is when the Germans and the Italians attacked the British in Greece. There were a lot more Axis troops then there were Allied troops and that was the reason that the British had to retreat os quickly. This was significant because taking Greece was very important to the Axis Powers because it helped them control almost all of Europe. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was the secret plan that Germans had to attack the Soviets. It was not a very smart move because they were allies with the Soviets and it isn't a good idea to turn the Soviets against you. They lost to the Soviets. This was significant because it was a major turning point in the war and it put the Soviets in with the Allied Powers. -
Pearl Harbor
This was a U.S naval base in Hawaii. Japan dropped a whole bunch of bombs on it and took out almost all of our ships. Luckily, our Aircraft Carriers were out doing training and they were not hit by the bombs. This was significant because this is what made us decide to join the Allied Powers and fight in WWII. -
Bataan
This was a battle between the Japanese and the U.S. The Japanese won this battle and then they forced the U.S troops and the Filipino troops to march 65 miles. Many people died on this march. This is significant because it showed how far Japan was willing to go to win the war. -
Doolittle Raid
This was an attack on the Japanese which was launched by the U.S. We used special bomber planes that we made just for this attack on Japan. This was significant because it gave us the upper hand on Japan and it made U.S citizens more hopeful that we could defeat Japan. -
Coral Sea
This was when Japan wanted to stop us from getting to Australia. they set up ships in between us and Australia and it started a naval battle. This was significant because the battle was between the U.S and Japanese Navies but it was fought almost only in the air. -
Philipines 1942
This is about when Japan invaded the Phjilipines. The U.S had to go in there and defend the Philipines. General MacArthur was in charge of our troops and because he did a good job, he became Supreme Allied Commander. This was significant because the Philipines were important to Japan and it made General MacArthur the Supreme Allied Commander. -
Midway
Japan decided to attack midway. They believed that Midway was very important because once they captured it, they would have troops stationed a lot closer to Hawaii and Hawaii would be more accessible. We intercepted one of their codes and figured it out. Because we figured it out, we stopped them at Midway. This is significant because they probably would have been able to capture Hawaii if they got Midway. -
Guadalcanal
This is when the U.S launched a surprise attack on a Japanese Air-force base. This started the Battle of Guadalcanal. When the Battle ended, we took over the Air-Force base and won the battle but a lot of U.S troops were sacrificed in the process. This was significant because we used the Air-force base to communicate with Australia. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This was when the Axis Powers decided to attack the Soviets. They lost after a very tough battle. The reason that they lost is because they were not prepared for the harsh, freezing temperatures that modern day Russia had. This was significant because it left a huge hole in the German army, they lost a huge part of their army and it is a huge part of the reason that the Axis Powers lost the war. -
Stalingrad
This was a huge battle in the Soviet Union. The Germans fought against the Soviets which was a big mistake because Stalin and the Russians should not be messed with. This was significant because Germany and the Soviets both lost a lot of troops. -
El Alamein
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Operation Torch
This was the idea that Winston Churchill came up with to attack the Axis Powers. He showed Stalin a picture of the map with a crocodile on it and he explained how the Axis Powers could only be stopped from the South or the Belly of the Beast. They came through Africa and attacked in the South. This was significant because it is a huge part of how we took down Germany and Italy. -
Kursk
This was the second major battle between the Soviets and the Nazis. This battle was fought in Kursk which is on Soviet soil. The Soviets won it and got a whole bunch of land. This is significant because it got even more land for the Soviet union. -
Anzio
This is a battle that took place in the city of Anzio in Italy. Anzio is on the West Coast of Italy. In this battle, the Allies won after a long hard fought battle. This was significant because winning this battle lead to us capturing Rome. -
D-Day
This is the day that we attacked Normandy. The Germans expected us to bring our ships to where they had ports because it would be easier to pull up to the ports. We actually pulled up on the beaches of Normandy directly on the beach. They had hedgehogs to stop our tanks but we didn't bring any tanks. This was significant because this battle was the start of us pushing in on Germany. -
Philippines 1944-1945
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Battle of leyte gulf
This is a battle that occurred between the Japanese and the U.S. It was the largest Naval battle in all of WWII. Some people beleive that it was the largest Naval battle in all of History. This was significant because the number of troops that were lost from the Japanese side and from the U.S -
Battle of the Bulge
This was a last ditch effort from the Germans to stop the Allied push from the North. They took almost all of their troops and pushed through a weak spot in the Allies troops and they created a bulge attacking out. This was significant because we stopped the Axis' desperate attempt -
Yalta conference
This is when Roosevelt, Stalin, and Winston Churchill (The Big Three) met together at a conference. They met to discuss what they would do after the war. This was significant because it decided who would get what after the war and it effects how the maps look today. -
Iwo Jima
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Okinawa
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Hitler's Suicide and German Surrender
This is when Hitler realized that the Germans were going to lose the War and he wanted to keep his Pride. Him and his wife took cyanide pills to kill themselves so that the Allies couldn't capture them. This is significant because after Hitler died, it did not take long at all for Germany to surrender. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
These are the two cities that we dropped Atomic Bombs on. The Japanese were so shocked that we managed to cause that much devastation with just two bombs. This was significant because it was the first time atomic bombs were ever used in war. Also, it got Japan to give up and surrender in WWII. -
Japaneese surrender
This is when the Japanese Surrendered and it finally caused the end of WWII. The Japanese fought very long and very hard and they were not willing to give up no matter what. Finally, after we dropped Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they surrendered.
