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German Invasion of France
When Germany invaded Poland in 1939 France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. France and their citizens believed the Maginot Line would protect France from a Germany ground invasion. This was a mistake as Germany launched a mobile attack called Blitzkrieg using tanks and airplanes going through Luxembourg and bypassing the Maginot Line. -
Fall of Paris
The French capital of Paris fell to the Germans on June 14, 1940. On June 22, 1940, France signed an armistice with Germany which went into effect on June 25, 1940. The German army occupied northern and western France and administered this occupied zone under the leadership of a military commander. The remainder of France was governed by the Vichy France government which collaborated closely with Germany. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The following day, the United States declared war on Japan, entering into World War II. In December 1941, Guam, Wake Island, and Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, followed in the first half of 1942 by the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), Malaya, Singapore, and Burma. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the turning point in the Pacific war. The American naval victory in the Battle of Midway came in June 1942. After decoding the Japanese messages, the United States was able to determine that the Island was going to be the next target for a Japanese invasion. The American naval fleet set up an ambush and when they discovered the Japanese fleet they attacked. The Japanese fleet sustained heavy losses and was turned back. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a high-level meeting of German officials to discuss and implement the so-called “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”. The "Final Solution" was the code name for the systematic, deliberate, physical annihilation of the European Jews. The SS had estimates that as many as 11 million Jews from across Europe would be eradicated under this plan. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The western Allies chose to invade the island of Sicily after pushing Germany out of North Africa. This opened a second front in the under belly of Europe instead of in France because they viewed that as a smaller risk. After the Italian Government surrendered to the Allies German troops stationed in Italy seized control of northern Italy, and continued to resist until they surrendered on May 2, 1945. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Wannsee Conference was a high-level meeting of German officials to discuss and implement the so-called “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”. The "Final Solution" was the code name for the systematic, deliberate, physical annihilation of the European Jews. The SS had estimates that as many as 11 million Jews from across Europe would be eradicated under this plan. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The first major Nazi camp to be liberated was Majdanek, located in Lublin, Poland. Auschwitz was the largest Nazi killing center and concentration camp complex. Among personal items found at Auschwitz when liberated by the Soviets were hundreds of thousands of men's suits, more than 800,000 women’s garments, and more than 14,000 pounds of human hair. As Allied troops launched offensives within Germany, they encountered tens of thousands of concentration camp prisoners. -
D-Day
D – Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy, France. It marked the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany and the opening of the Western front. The operation involved the largest amphibious landing in history, with over 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops landing on the beaches of Normandy. It helped relive the pressure on the Eastern front assisting the Soviets. -
Battle of the Bulge
On Dec. 16, 1944, more than 200,000 German troops and nearly 1,000 tanks launched Adolf Hitler's last bid to reverse what had begun when Allied troops landed in France on D-Day. Seeking to drive to the coast of the English Channel and split the Allied armies the Germans struck in the Ardennes Forest, held by four battle-worn American divisions stationed there for rest. The United States rushed reinforcements to stop the German penetration. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army. The American invasion had the goal of capturing the two airfields South Field and Central Field. The Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and tunnels. The five-week battle saw some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. It marked the official surrender of all German military operations. Upon the defeat of Germany, celebrations erupted throughout the Western world, especially in the United Kingdom, in North America and in USSR. More than one million people celebrated in the streets throughout the UK to mark the end of the European part of the war. -
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration was an ultimatum issued by the heads of government of the United States, China, and the United Kingdom, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan. The declaration threatened "prompt and utter destruction" if Japan refused to comply. The main objective was to end World War II and prevent further bloodshed. The declaration set the stage for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ultimately led to Japan's surrender. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. After Japan refused to surrender the United States dropped a second bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki three days later. Estimates vary, but at least 120,000 civilians died as a result of the two blasts. Japan agreed to surrender on August 14, 1945. Japan formally signed the papers of surrender to the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union on September 2, 1945. -
VJ Day
V-J Day, is the date marking the formal surrender of Japan to the Allies in World War II, effectively ending the war. On August 14, 1945 Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and agrees to surrender. The news of the Japanese offer began early celebrations around the world. American soldiers in occupied Berlin shouted "It's over in the Pacific", and hoped that they would now not be transferred there to fight the Japanese.