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German invasion of Poland which officially began WWII. "Blitzkrieg"
Hitler wanted to take over Poland to bring Lebensraum, "or living space", for the German people. 1.5 million German troops invaded Poland, bombing Polish airfields and attacking Polish naval forces.
Afterward, Britain and France would, being on Poland's border, would declare war 2 days later.
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German invasion of France and the capture of Paris.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had tried for days to convince the French government to hang on, not to sue for peace, and that America would enter the war and come to their aid. Hitler went after France, because France declared war against Germany after attacking Poland. Hitler hoped they would make peace after appeasement to one another. This caused the evacuation of Dunkirk, when the France's main army got trapped between German forces. After this France fell.
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Germany bombed London: The Battle of Britain.
German and British air forces fought in the skies over the U.K.. German forces wanted to take over Europe, so they targeted London. Britain defeated the Germans, which saved their country from a ground invasion and occupation of Germany. They also proved defeat could occur by using the air/sky to win battles.
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Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.
Code name: "Operation Barbarossa". Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22nd, 1941. Hitler used the German-Soviet nonaggression pact as his maneuver against the them, breaking it. More than 3 million German soldiers, supported by 650,000 troops from all of Germany's allies attacked the soviets. The soviets pushed German forces back to Berlin. This caused Soviets to gain power and Germany to see their failure.
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Japan bombing of Pearl Harbor
Before 8am on December 7th, Japanese fighter planes attack the American Naval base at Pearl Harbor, which is near Honolulu Hawaii. The attack was a surprise from the Japanese, although Japan and the U.S. were getting closer to war. Japan's plan was to destroy all of the Pacific Fleet, so the U.S. wouldn't be able to fight back when their armed forces spread across the South Pacific. This caused the U.S. to declare war and enter the war the following day.
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The internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.
2 months after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which ordered all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the west coast. 120,000 people went to 1 of the 10 internment camps located throughout the U.S.. Congress rewarded restitution payments to each survivor of the camps. This caused them to leave the camps, and attempt to start a new life, but they still were fearing what would happen next from what they had been put through.
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The Bataan Death March
After the U.S. surrendered the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese, approximately 75,000 troops on the peninsula were forced to march 65 miles leading them to prison camps. They marched in heat and were given harsh treatment by Japanese guards. This occurred the day after the bombing of Pearl harbor, and Japan's attempt to take out the Pacific fleet to expand to the South Pacific to take over. Many were lucky if they made it to the camp alive.
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The D-Day invasion
The Battle of Normandy resulted in the allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. 156,000 troops landed on 5 beaches that were within a 50 mile stretch. Allies managed to land 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy, and were determined to continue marching across France. The invasion began to turn against the Nazi's, preventing Hitler to build up his army against the Soviets. This caused the surrender of Nazi Germany, and Hitler to commit suicide.
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The United States victory in Battle of Iwo Jima
The American invasion of Iwo Jima grew from the need of a base near Japan's coast. 3 marine divisions landed on the island after air and naval bombardment. Iwo Jima was being defended by about 23,000 Japanese troops. They fought using the systems of caves, dugouts, tunnels, and underground installations. U.S. marines managed to wipe out the defending Japanese forces after a month of fighting. This caused Americans to see how far Japan would go in the war- fighting to death.
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The Manhattan Project
President Roosevelt saw neither the necessity or the utility for such a project, but he proceeded slowly anyways. The manhattan project was the American effort to design and build an atomic bomb. It received a code name which was "the Manhattan Project".
This caused the war to enter "the nuclear age."
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