Iwo jima flag raising

The Story of Us: World War II

  • Britain and France Declare War on Germany

    Britain and France Declare War on Germany

    On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declare war on Germany in response to Hitler’s invasion of Poland. The United States does not join the war yet, however, they need to be careful due to their allies joining.
  • Non-aggression Pact

    Non-aggression Pact

    Representatives from the Soviet Union and Japan signed a five-year neutrality agreement on April 13, 1941. The treaty called for the two nations to observe neutrality when any one of the two signing nations was invaded by a third nation.
  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    Attack on Pearl Harbor

    A surprise attack that damaged all 8 United States battleships and killed 2,403 Americans. This attack caused America to declare war on Japan.
  • Battle of Midway

    Battle of Midway

    The Battle of Midway was the major naval battle between the United States and Japan that took place six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. As a result of the U.S. victory in this battle, Japan abandoned its plan to expand in the Pacific/eastward.
  • B-17 Bombers

    B-17 Bombers

    High altitude precision bombing throughout the day. The planes fly to Rouen -- German's biggest railway marshaling yard in northern France -- to clear it from the map. The mission was successful and proved that precision daylight bombing is possible.
  • Segregation in World War II

    Segregation in World War II

    Although old prejudices remained in the war, the army was the first place that whites and blacks stood together and represented the same idea, despite them being segregated in the barracks. World War II led to the Civil Rights Movement of the '50s and '60s.
  • D-Day

    D-Day

    70,000 American troops invade Germany and over 1,000 died on the first day, June 6th (D-Day). 877,000 troops since June 6th have been unloaded onto German soil. This was the key to Hitler's defeat.
  • Manhattan Project

    Manhattan Project

    The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. The advent of nuclear weapons not only helped bring an end to World War II but helped in the atomic age and determined how the Cold War would be fought.
  • Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    On August 6, 1945, the United States becomes the first and only nation to use an atomic weapon during wartime when it drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and later on, Nagasaki. The two bombs destroyed most of the city -- in an effort to hasten the end of World War II.
  • World War II Ends

    World War II Ends

    The surrender of Imperial Japan was announced by Japanese Emperor Hirohito on August 15 and formally signed on September 2, 1945, bringing the hostilities of World War II to a close.

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