CAT 3: Key Battles and Events of WWII (The therate of war is embedded in text. Was unable to highlight text).
By sashas
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Germany invades Poland
On September 1st 1939, Germany forces to invade Poland as Adolf Hitler wants to regain his lost territory and rule over Poland. From then World War II has commenced. One of Adolf Hitler's first main foreign policy jobs after taking power was to sign a nonaggression pact with Poland in January 1934. This pact was not familiar with many Germans who supported Hitler. -
Germany invades Poland
Hitler disliked the fact that Poland received the former German territory of West Prussia, Poznan and Upper Silesia under the Treaty of Versailles after World War II had occurred. -
Germany invades Poland
Even though, Hitler perused the nonaggression pact in order to counterbalance the chances of a French- Polish military alliance against Germany before Germany had the possibility to rearm a new supply of weapons. The theatre of war the Invasion of Poland was Europe. The Invasion of Poland was significant because it was the last chance France and England to take power over Adolf Hitler. The Blitzkreig is the strategy that Germany first used in Poland. -
Britain and France declare war on Germany
On September 3rd 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Britain and France invaded Germany in payback to Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Britain and France. The theatre of war was Europe. Both of allies of the overpowered nation declared war on Germany. -
Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain
On the 10th May 1940, Churchill became Prime Minister of Britain. In 1938, Chamberlain, the Prime Minister at the time signed the Munich Agreement accompanying Adolf Hitler. The theatre of war was Europe. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
The Dunkirk Evacuation occurred on the 27th May, 1940. This was the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force, (the BEF), and also Allied troops from the French seaport of Dunkirk to England. Naval vessels and hundreds of civilian boats were used in the evacuation when commenced on the 26th May, 1940. The Evacuation of Dunkirk ended on June 4th, 1940 and around 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgium troops were saved. The theatre of war was Europe. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis Powers
Italy enters war on side of Axis Powers on the 23rd May 1915. World War II was fought between two major groups of nations. These two nations became known Axis Powers and the Allied Powers. The major Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan. This was the forming of the Axis Powers. This alliance began to form in the year of 1936. On October 15, 1936, Germany and Italy signed a ‘friendship’ treaty that later formed the Rome- German Axis. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis Powers
After this treaty, an Italian dictator Benito Mussolini used the term Axis to refer to their alliance. A little bit after this occurred, on November the 25th, 1936, Japan and Germany both signed the Anti- Comintern Pact (which was a treaty against communism). A stronger alliance was signed between Germany and Italy on the 22nd May, 1939, this was called the Pact of Steel. -
Italy enters war on side of Axis Powers
This particular treaty was later called the Tripartite Pact (when Japan signed this alliance ond the 27th September, 1940.
The three main Axis Powers were allies in World War II. The theatre of war was Europe and the Pacific. -
France signs armistice with Germany
On June the 17th, 1940, the German conquest of France reaching its end, Marshall Henri Petain replaces Paul Reynaud as Prime Minister and announces his goal to sign an armistice with the Nazis. The theatre of war was Europe. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain commenced on July 10th, 1940. It lasted for many months as the Germans continued to bomb Britain. The battle of Britain name comes from the speech by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill. After Germany had overrun France, he said that “the Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin.” -
Battle of Britain
Adolf Hitler became frustrated at how long it was taking to defeat Great Britain. He soon changed his tactics and commenced bombing large cities including London. The theatre of war was Europe. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Germany was in need to prepare for the invasion of Britain, so they first attacked towns and army defences on the southern coast. Although, soon after they found out that Britain’s Royal Air Force was a formidable opponent. So the Germans decided to focus their efforts on defeating the Royal Air Force, this meant Germany bombed airport runways and British radar. Even though the German bombings continued, the British did not stop fighting back at Germany. -
Operation Sealion
Operation Sealion was a WWII German plan to invade Great Britain, but was never carried out. Operation was meant to occur on Septmber 17th 1940, but was postponed by Adolf Hitler. Prepartions for the Operation Sealion event was soon to commence after the Fall of Fame, when the Germans felt they had already won the war. However, Britain refused to begin the peace talks so talk was going around on decreasing British resistance were discussed. The theatre of war was Europe. -
The Tripartite Pact
The Tripartite Pact signed on the 27th September 1940. On this particular day, the Axis Powers were formed as Germany, Italy, and Japan became allies with the signing of the Tripartite Pact that occurred in Berlin. The Pact gave assistance for if anyone who signed the pact suffered an attack by any nation not already involved in WWII. The theatre of war was Europe and the Pacific. -
Siege of Tobruk
The Nazi propagandist Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) portrayed the Australian soldiers and defenders as ‘rats’, which the Australian soldiers enjoyed being described as. The theatre of war was Europe and Australia. -
Siege of Tobruk
Tobruk, a small town on the Libyan coast, was the center for the fighting and defending that took place in the Western Desert during WWII. It was originally created by the Italians during their colonisation of Eastern Libya during the early decades of the 20th century.The Siege of Tobruk occurred between April and August 1941. -
Siege of Tobruk
Around 140,000 Australian soldiers were besieged in Toberuk by a German-Italian army commanded by General Erwin Rommel. It was very important for the Allies’ defence of Egypt and the Suez Canal to hold the town with its harbour, due to this forcing the enemy to carry most of their supplies overland from the port of Tripoli. They had to carry their supplies across 1500 km of the desert. -
Operation of Barbarossa
On June the 22nd, 1941, Adolf Hitler launched his armies eastward in a huge invasion of the Soviet Union. There were 3 army groups with over 3 million German soldiers, 150 divisions, and 3,000 tanks smashed across the frontier into the Soviet territory. This invasion covered a front from the North Cape to the Black Sea, which was a distance of 2,000 miles. The theatre of war was Europe. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbour
On December the 7th 1941, just before 8:00am, 100’s of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack lasted for 2 hours, but terrible consequences occurred. The Japanese destroyed 20 American naval vessels, and 8 battleships and 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died in this attack, and another 1,000 were injured. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbour
The day after the attack occurred, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked the Congress to declare war on Japan, the Congress approved his declaration with only one vote. Three days later, Japanese allies, Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States, and again the Congress approved to this statement. More than 2 years into this dispute, the United States finally joined WWII. The theatre of war was America and Asia. -
Britain and US declare war on Japan
On December 8th 1941, America’s Pacific fleet lay in ruins at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt requests, and received, a declaration of war against Japan. The United States of America was instantly and intentionally attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. -
Britain and U.S declare war on Japan
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” Said in the White House by many people applauding at his great speech. In an hour, the president had his declaration of war, with only one vote that was from a pacifist in the White House. -
Britain and U.S declare war on Japan
Franklin Delone Roosevelt signed the declaration at 4:10pm, wearing a black armband, symbolising mourning for those lost at Pearl Habour. The theatre of war was Europe, America and the Pacific. -
Japan takes Singapore
On the 15th February 1942, the Battle of Singapore occurred. From early in the morning on the 15th February 1942, the Japanese started the battle on the positions of the 18th, 19th and 20th, and also the 18th Battalion was in the centre. ”At one time we were in the silt trench all day because you couldn’t get out. The company commander with me said, ‘Let’s see if we can count,’ and we used our watches, and we counted 78 shells in our little area alone, in a minute. -
Japan takes Singapore
So, you can see that the concentration of shellfire was tremendous. And it's a wonder any of us survived at all.” The most important defence items they had on the island was their naval guns. The naval guns that were defending the harbour were facing the ocean, expecting that any invasion of Singapore would come from the sea. -
Japan takes Singapore
So, you can see that the concentration of shellfire was tremendous. And it's a wonder any of us survived at all.” The most important defence items they had on the island was their naval guns. The naval guns that were defending the harbour were facing the ocean, expecting that any invasion of Singapore would come from the sea. -
Japan takes Singapore
The naval guns the Japanese had the ability to be turned 360 degrees, but they could not be pointed upwards to fire over the wall behind them. The Japanese invaded Singapore not from the sea but from the land. -
Japan takes Singapore
The Japanese crossed the strait and invaded Singapore on the evening of the 8th February, 1942. 2 days after the invasion occurred, the Japanese seized one-third of Singapore. Bombing raids were constant, the Singapore city was covered with smoke and dust. The Japanese attacked the cities in an air raid throughout Singapore. The theatre of war was Europe and the Pacifc. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was one of the most important battles of WWII. The battle took place over 4 days between June 4th and June 7th in 1942. The Midway was located in an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which was half way between Asia and North America, which is why the battle is called ‘Midway’. It lies around 2,500 miles from Japan. The Midway was considered an important strategic island for Japan in World War II. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle began by the Japanese creating a plan to track down the U.S forces. They were hoping to trap a number of the U.S aircraft carriers, and then destroy them. The Japanese were led by Admiral Yamamoto. He was the same leader who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States were led by Admirals Chester Nimitz, Frank Jack Fletcher, and Raymond A. Spruance. The theatre of war the was Europe, America and Asia. -
First battle of El Alamein
Opposing him was the British Eighth Army commanded by General Claude Auchinleck. The army included British, Australian, New Zealand, South African and Indian troops.By the end of June, Rommel forced the Allies back to Egypt, and the capture of Cairo and the Suez Canal was a possibility for the troops to travel to. The theatre of war the was Europe, Africa and Australia. -
First Battle of El Alamein
Three major battles occurred around El Alamein between July and November 1942. The Australian 9th Division was led by Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, played a key role in two of these battles. The Axis forces included German and Italian troops and were known as Panzerarmee Afrika, which was led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel,”The Desert Fox”. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad occurred on July 17th, 1942 to February 2nd, 1943. It was a successful Soviet defence of the city of Stalingrad, now called Volgograd, in the U.S.S.R during World War II. The Russians think this battle was the best battle of their Great Patriotic War. The Battle of Stalingrad stopped the Germans having a greater opportunity into the Soviet Union. The Battle of Stalingrad was a very bloody battle throughout history. There were 2 million military and civilian casualties’. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The theatre of war was Europe, Africa and Australia. -
Second battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein occurred on the 23rd October to 4 November 1942. The second battle was located around the Egyptian town of El Alamein, which was 100lm (60 miles) west of Alexandria. The outcome of this battle was the Allies out coming in victory, forcing Rommel to retreat into Tunisia. The Allies involved in this battle included; General Bernard Montgomery’s 8th Army, with 30th Corps, 13th Corps and 10th Corps (British, Australian, South African, Indian and French troops). -
Second battle of El Alamein
The Axis included Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s Panxerarmee Afrika (German and Italian troops). The theatre of war was Europe, Africa and Australia. -
D-Day Landings
World War II occurred from 1939 to 1945. The Battle of Normandy, lasted from 6th June 1944 to August 1944. It ended in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. The Normandy battle began on June 6th, 1944, and is also known as D-Day. This was when 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on 5 beaches that were all spread along 50 miles of France's Normandy region. -
D-Day Landings
Hence, being called The Battle of Normandy. The Normandy Invasion was one of the largest military battles ever recorded in history. Before D-Day occurred, the Allies carried out a big campaign created to deceive the Germans about the invasion target. By late in August 1944, all of northern France had been free, and by the next few months, the Allies had defeated Germany. -
D-Day Landings
The Normandy landings have been named the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. The theatre of war was Europe and America. -
D-day Landings
The D-Day landings was a very successful military campaign in history. It was the largest military operation by sea in history. The Normandy invasion began to create a fight with the Nazis. This prevented Hitler from sending his troops from France ro build up his Eastern front to have an advantage in the war and advance the Soviets. On May 8th,1945, the Allies accepted to surrender Nazi Germany. Hitler then committed suicide a week earlier, on April 30th. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge occurred from the 16th December 1944 to the 25th January 1945. In December 1944, Adolf Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe. The Battle of Bulge was a major battle in Europe in World War II. It was Germany’s last chance to get rid of the other Allies of the mainland in Europe. -
Battle of Bulge
Most of the troops that were involved on the Allied side were American troops. The Battle of Bulge was known to be one of the greatest battles ever fought by the United States military. After the Allies had freed France and defeated Germany at Normandy, many people thought that World War II in Europe was going to end. -
Battle of Bulge
However, Adolf Hitler had different insights. In the morning on December 16th, 1944, Germany created an attack. The battle lasted for 4 weeks as American forces fought back and kept Germany’s army powering over Europe. The Battle of Bulge actually took place in the Ardennes Forest of Belgium. -
Battle of Bulge
When Germany attacked, they pulled back the centre of the Allied forces’ line. In the map of the Allied army front, you are able to notice a ‘bulge’ where the Germans attacked. When the Germans attacked they had over 200,000 troops and 1,000 tanks to tear apart the US lines. The battle took place in winter and the weather was snowy and cold. -
Battle of Bulge
America was not ready for the battle. The Germans broke through the line and killed 1,000’s of American troops, and tried their best to overpower rapidly. The theatre of war was Europe and America. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was significant because it was the last battle in which the German had the chance to change the outcome of the war. If the Germans won this battle, they might not have been able to If they had won this battle, they might have been able to negotiate an armistice instead of having to surrender uncinditonally. -
Mussolini captured and executed
In 1943, Mussolini was removed from power of being Dictator of Italy and sent to prison. However, German soldiers were able to break Mussonlini free and Adolf Hitler put Mussonlini in charge of Northern Italy, which was in fact controlled by Germany at this time. By 1945, the Allies had taken over all of Italy and Mussonlini fled. The theatre of war was Europe. -
Mussolini captured and executed
On the 28th April, 1945, Bentio Mussonlini, and his mistress, Clara Petacci, are shoot by Italian partisans who had capture the couple as they attempted to flee to Switzerland. In 1940, Italy entered WWII as an ally of Germany and declared war on the Allies. However, Italy was not prepared for a huge war. The early victories became defeats as the Italian army became spread out across several fronts. Soon after this occurred, the Italian people wanted to be out of World War II. -
Hitler commits suicide
On April 30th, 1945, Hitler committed suicide in his headquarters in Berlin by consuming a cyanide tablet and shooting himself in the head. After Hitler committed suicide, Germany surrendered to the Allied forces, which ended Hitler’s dreams of a “1,000 year” Reich. Since 1943, it was obvious to see that Germany would be put under pressure of the Allied forces. In February 1943m Germany’s 6th Army, came together into the Soviet Union, and were part of the Battle of Stalingrad. -
Hitler commits suicide
At this time, Germany hoped for a win in this battle. The theatre of was Europe. -
German forces surrender
If this demand was not met, Eisenhower was prepared to seal off the Western front, preventing the Germans from fleeing to the West in order to surrender, meaning this left them with the Soviet forces. The theatre of war is Europe. -
German forces surrender
On May 7th, 1945, the German High Command, and General Alfred Jodl, signed the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northwestern France. General Jodl hoped to limit the terms of German surrender to only these forces still fighting the Western Allies, but General Dwigt Eisenhower demanded complete surrender of all German forces, those fighting in the East as well as in the West. -
V.E Day
On the 8th May, 1945, both Britain and the United States celebrated Victory in Europe Day. The cities in both nations, were both occupied cities in Western Europe and were celebrating the defeat of the Nazi war machine. On this day, Germans troops throughout Europe laid down their arms; in Prague, Germans surrendered to their Soviet oppositions. They lost more than 8,000 soliders and maybe even more. The theatre of war was Europe. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
On the 6th August 1945 to the 9th August 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. This was the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan’s surrender. At 1:56am on the 6th August, a B-29 bomber, which Is called “Bock’s Car”, after the commander, Frederick Bock, took off from Tinian Island under the command of Maj. Charles W. Sweeney. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
On August 6th 1945, the United States became one of the first and only nation to use an atomic weapon during wartime when an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Even though dropping the atomic bomb on Japan marked the end of WWII. The atomic bomb on Hiroshima ended on the 9th August, 1945. The theatre of war was Europe, United States and Japan. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
Nagasaki which was a shipbuilding centre, was the centre for destruction. The bomb was dropped at 11:02 am, 1,650 feet above the city. The explosion wad 22,000 tons of dynamite. The bomb killed 60,000 to 80,000 people. The theatre of war is the Pacific. -
The Soviet Union declares war on Japan
On August 8th, 1945, the Soviet Union officically declares war on Japan, More than 1 million Soviet soldiers into Japanese- occupied Manchuria, Northeastern China, to fight 700,000 strong Japanese armies. The dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima by the Americans did not know that their actions would turn out that way. The theatre of war was America and Asia. -
Japanese Surrender- End of WWII
On September 2nd 1945, Aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan surrenders to the Allies, which brought an end to World War II. By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan came to an end. The Japanese navy and air force were destroyed. The Allie naval siege of Japan and intensive bombing of Japanese cities had left the country and its economy horrified. -
Japanese Surrender- End of WWII
At the end of June, the Americans captured Okinawa, which is a Japanese island from which the Allie had the ability to launch an invasion of the main Japanese home islands. The theatre of war is Asia. -
United Nations is born
On the 24 of October 1945, the United Nations Charter, which was adopted and signed on June 26th, 1945, was now effective and ready to be implemented. The United Nations was born and this meant a more efficient international conflict and negotiating peace than the old League of Nations. -
United Nations is born
WWII became the real momentum for the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union to commence constructing the original U.N. Declaration, signed 26 nations in January 1942, which was a formal act of the opposition to Germany, Italy, Japan and the Axis Powers. The theatre of war is Europe and Asia.