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Battle of Tarawa
In the Battle of Tarawa, which lasted from November 20-23 of 1943, U.S. troops had landed in the Japanese- held island of Betio in the Gilbert Islands. While the tiny island was expected to be an easy victory, many problems arose. Low tides prevented U.S. crafts from clearing the reefs of the island, which caused the Marines having to swim towards shore. Meanwhile, Japanese troops were firing at these Marines. However, after 76 hours of fighting, the U.S. troops finally defeated the Japanese. -
Battle of Kwajalein
In January of 1944, a combination of U.S. Marines and soldiers landed on three islets of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshal Islands. Here, the Japanese had contained the most powerful defensive perimeter around the island. After the U.S. forces had defeated the Japanese during the Battle of Kwajalein, the U.S. had an easier way to advance towards the Philippine Islands and Japanese home islands. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944, the Allies hit Germany in force along several beaches including Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword beach in Normandy. While the landing on several of the beaches were light and easy, Omaha beach was a tough landing spot. Although both sides had suffered tremendous losses, the Allies had eventually defeated the Axis powers along the several beaches, giving the Allies a toehold in France, which was a step in the direction of gaining Berlin. -
Attack on Hitler's Headquarters
After countless losses that Germany had faced, a sense of hopelessness fell over the country. Many had blamed Hitler for the loss of hope and planned to overthrow him. On July 20, 1944, an officer had planted a bomb in Hitler's headquarters, resulting in 20 wounded or dead citizens; however, Hitler had survived. -
Allies Liberate Paris
In August 1944, after the devastating loss from D-Day, Hitler had ordered his troops to destroy Paris, the French capital. However, his troops had disobeyed him and refused to attack. Meanwhile, the Allies kept advancing. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a counterattack on the U.S. by Germany. English speaking German soldiers, who had dressed in U.S. uniforms, were going around cutting telephone lines, changing signs, and spreading confusion. The goal of the Battle of the Bulge was to drive a wedge between American and British forces. However, instead, the Battle of the Bulge crippled Germany tremendously. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg, was the very last major battle of World War 2, but also was the most deadliest. In April of 1945, more than 180,000 U.S. troops landed on the island of Okinawa. Near the time these troops had landed on the island, the European Front was becoming very weak, weakening Japanese forces along the island. After about 3 months of fighting, the Allied forces finally defeat the Japanese, gaining one more territory for the Allies. -
Hiroshima Gets Bombed
After Manhattan Project had proved success, the question of whether using the atomic bomb or not was swarming. In 1945, President Truman had finally come to the decision to drop the bomb to protect the people, which he knew was his job. He believed that other nations were attempting to create an atomic bomb themselves, and didn't want these nations to use that to kill U.S. citizens. In August of 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, killing thousands. -
Nagasaki Gets Bombed
Exactly three days after the first atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, the U.S. dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. This resulted in thousands of people losing their lives and would later result in Japan finally surrendering. -
Victory in Japan Day
The two nuclear weapons that had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had pushed Japan over the edge; it was time the second Great War came to an end. On August 15, 1945, the allies celebrated V-J Day, Victory in Japan Day, and on September 2, Japan had signed to officially end the war.