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Japanese invasion of China
On July 7, 1937 a disagreement between Chinese and Japanese troops occurred causing the Second Sino-Japanese War. China was a divided country however the KMT and the CCP agreed to fight together against Japan. Stalin encouraged the communists to negotiate with the KMT and began supplying arms to China. By 1940, the war came to a stalemate however western intervention against Japan changed the nature of the war, this is why Japan decided to attack the US at Pearl Harbor and began World War II. -
Ribbentrop / Molotov Pact
On August 23, 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed a non-aggression pact called the Molotav-Ribbentrop Treaty. Secret agreements of the treaty detailed the territorial spheres of influence Germany and Russia would have after they successfully invade Poland. The agreement states that Germany would have control over Lithuania and Danzig, while Russia would have control over Latvia, Finland, and Estonia. This allowed Hitler to invade Poland without worrying about being attacked by the Soviet Union. -
Germany's invasion of Poland
On sept. 1st, Germany began the invasion of Poland to gain “living space” for German people. Poland requested military assistance from Britain and France, and they declared war on Germany, initiating WWII. Poland had been overrun in four weeks, long before any Anglo-French military aid could reach them. The Red Army crossed the Polish border on September 17th, seizing a third of all Polish territory. Warsaw surrendered September 27th.
(http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/poland) -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a German term for “lightning War”, its a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower such as tanks and planes. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland in 1939 before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands and France in 1940.
(https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437) -
Operation Barbossa
On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the USSR. Operation Barbarossa was the code name for that invasion. Hitler believed that German citizens should seek lebensraum in the east. Planning for Barbarossa began a year previously but Stalin refused to believe that an invasion was being planned, so his armies were unprepared. Germany was 90 miles into the capital when heavy rain slowed the advance. As the Russian winter set in, Operation Barbarossa was abandoned. -
Pearl Harbor
In an attempt to preserve its stance of isolation the US only committed to sending supplies to the Allied forces. Since Japan was apart of the Axis Powers and was at war with china, the US sent sanctions to China. Because of these sanctions, Japan decided to attack America at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The next day America declared war on Japan. Three days later Japan’s allies, Germany and Italy declared war on the US. This cause America to officially join WWII. -
Battle of Midway
The U.S defeated Japan 6 months after the attack on pearl harbor in the most decisive naval battles of WWII. This was an important turning point in the Pacific campaign as the victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position. This was caused by Japan’s intention to sink the American aircraft carriers that had survived the attack on pearl Harbor.
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway) -
Bataan Death March
After the U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese, 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps.The surrendered troops were rounded up into groups of 100. Each group took 5 days to complete the march.They faced extreme heat and were mistreated by Japanese guards.After the war,an American military judge tried Lieutenant General Masaharu.He was held responsible for the death march and was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946. -
Manhattan Project
America’s fear that Nazi Germany would create and use a nuclear weapon led to the start of the Manhattan project, a secret military project created in 1942 to produce the first US nuclear weapon. Two of those weapons Little Boy and Fat Man, were used against Japan in August 1945. The Manhattan Project officially ended in 1946 when it became part of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
(http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/history/pre-cold-war/manhattan-project) -
Battle of Midway
The U.S defeated Japan 6 months after the attack on pearl harbor in the most decisive naval battles of WWII. This was an important turning point in the Pacific campaign as the victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position. This was caused by Japan’s intention to sink the American aircraft carriers that had survived the attack on pearl Harbor.
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway)
(Photo same link) -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising
The most famous attempt by Jews to resist the Germans in armed fighting was in the Warsaw ghetto. This inspired other revolts in extermination camps. A small group of the Jews (ZOB) have managed to smuggle a small supply of weapons. When the Nazi entered the ghetto to transfer the group to a camp, a ZOB unit attacked them. Himmler sent forces to clear the Warsaw ghetto. They managed to fight the Germans for nearly a month. On May 16 the Nazi took control of the ghetto. -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was a bombing campaign that occurred in Hamburg, Germany. This was the first operation to feature coordinated bombing between the Royal Air Force (bombing at night) and the US Army Air Force(bombing at day. It destroyed over 16,000 apartment buildings and reduced ten square miles of the city, killing 50,000 civilians. This damage led Allied commanders to believe that Operation Gomorrah was a success.
(http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched) -
D-Day
D-Day is June 6th 1944, the day which Allied forces invaded northern France by crossing the English Channel and landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. The Allied chose this spot because the Normandy region wasn’t defended as the area around Calais and the length of the sea crossing made it an unlikely landing spot for the Allies. Despite the complexity of D-Day, it was a huge success, the invasion had taken the Germans by surprise.
http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/d-day -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American invasion of Iwo Jima during WWII happened because they needed a base near the Japanese coast. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, however the marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting. American losses included 5,900 dead and 17,400 wounded.
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima)
PHOTO: (http://www.nationalww2museum.org/focus-on/iwo-jima.html?referrer=https://www.google.com.kw/) -
Battle of Okinawa
The Okinawa battle was the last and biggest battle of the Pacific island of WWII. Okinawa was needed as a base to prepare for the planned invasion of Japan. The Allies won the battle and occupied Okinawa. The battle began on April 1st 1945, and ended on June 22, 1945.
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa)
PHOTO: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa) -
VE Day
On May 8th 1945, Europe celebrated VE Day, which stands for Victory in Europe Day. On this day Germany had surrendered, officially announcing the end of World War Two in Europe. Hitler knew that he was going to be defeated so he committed suicide, leaving Karl Donitz to carry out the surrender of the Nazis.
(http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe) -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
On August 6th, 1945,an American bomber drops the world’s first atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, killing 80,000 people directly.The bomb was called “Little Boy” and was dropped over a hospital, exploding 1,900 feet.On August 9, 1945, the atomic bomb "Fat Man" dropped on Nagasaki U.S. President Harry S. Truman made the decision to use the atomic bomb to end the war in order to prevent a much greater loss of life.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-is-dropped-on-hiroshima -
VJ Day
VJ Day is the day Japan officially surrendered unconditionally to the Allies aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay, effectively ending World War II. VJ Day stands for “Victoryover Japan Day”. Emperor Hirohito urged his people to accept the surrender saying that if they continue fighting, it would lead to the ultimate collapse of the Japanese nation.
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day)
PHOTO: (http://www.wokingnewsandmail.co.uk/?p=11889) -
Potsdam Declaration
On August 10th,1945 the day after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan agreed to surrender unconditionally under the terms of the Potsdam Conference terms. This ended WWII.Tokyo released a message formally accepting the Potsdam Declaration.When the news reached Washington President Truman ordered to stop atomic bombing.
(http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japan-accepts-potsdam-terms-agrees-to-unconditional-surrender)
PHOTO:(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2015-07/27/content_21416358.htm) -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge began on December 16 1944; it was the last major Nazi offensive against the Allies. Hitler wanted to break up the Allies so he ordered a massive attack against them. The Germans were successful at the beginning of the battle as the Allies were surprised by the attack but they began to lose the quantity of fuel required to maintain their attack and lost the battle. The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle fought by the US in WWII.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk -
PHOTO LINKS PART 2
(http://america.pink/second-sino-japanese-war_3962997.html)
(https://awritersendlessjourney.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/today-in-history-invasion-of-poland/)
(http://ww2today.com/german-aircraft-support-their-army)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor)
(http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/05/09/the-real-reason-america-dropped-the-atomic-bomb-it-was-not-to-end-the-war)(http://bergenbelsen.co.uk/pages/Timeline/TimelinePUHamburg.html) -
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PHOTO LINKS
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/11407621/VE-Day-70th-anniversary-to-be-marked-with-three-days-of-national-celebration.html)
(http://io9.gizmodo.com/photographs-of-atomic-bomb-tests-are-like-science-ficti-1502569044)
(http://www.rferl.org/media/photogallery/history-world-war-soviet-union/26538932.html)
(http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bataandeathmarch.htm)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Ghetto_Uprising) -
LINKS
(http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/sino-japanese-war)
(http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/barbarossa)
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march)
(https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/ww2/molotovpact.html)
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising)
(http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/pearl-harbor)
