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France Surrenders
The surrender of France was the eye-opening point of the war for the Allies. Germany had many victories and had acquired a vast territory, but they hadn't faced a true test. France was supposed to be the first true force Hitler would face; however, France fell in only three weeks. Hitler used his Blitzkrieg war tactics to easily take France. This is when the Allies realized Hitler was actually a threat to take over all of Europe. -
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WWII
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Pearl Harbor
On this date, Japan surprise attcked the U.S. naval base in the Hawaiin Islands. Japan's first wave attacked early in the morning with 6 aircraft carries carrying 360 plans; 28 plans in total with several submarines. The first wave targeted the aircraft carriers and battleships and the second wave was intended to finish what was left. The Japane's goal was to end the U.S. war influence in the Pacific. The attack ended up killing 2,402 Americans while also wounding another 1,282. -
Doolittle Raid
The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR asked congress to declare war on Japan. Many Americans were now supporting entering the war. The plan to revenge the lives lost at Pearl Harbor began immediately. The Americans devised a plan to take bombers into Japanese territory on aircraft carriers and launch a bombing raid. Lead by General Doolittle, many brave pilots set out in the Pacific. The plan was essentially a suicide mission because there was no way for the crew to go to Japan and back. -
Battle at Midway
The Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. The Americans had been in the defensive for most of the war, but after this victory the Americans took the offensive and began the push towards Japan. Midway was an important naval base for the Americans in the Pacific. If they had lost it, they would have been pushed back to the California coast. The Americans sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and 250 planes. The Americans only lost one ship. -
Stalingrad
Stalingrad is the battle in which Russia took the offensive in the war. In the midst of one of the coldest winters in Russian history, the ill-prepared Nazis tried to take Stalingrad. Many German soldiers were freezing and starving to death. Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles of WWII, but Hitler wouldn't let his army surrender. Finally, 91,000 German soldiers surrenderd, but only 5,000 would return home. After this battle, all hopes of a Nazi dominated Europe were over. -
D-Day
After Russia had pleaded the U.S. and Great Britain to enter the war on the Western front, Operation Overlord took affect. D-Day was a raid of 5 different beaches in Normandy, France. The Americans were assigned the toughest beach - Omaha Beach. This was the only beach where the Germans offered stiff competition. Many soldiers were mowed down by German machine guns or blown up by mines. Numerous Americans died but they pushed through and took the beach. The Germans now had a two-front war. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler's last desperation to keep control of Europe. The plan was to create a wedge between the American and British forces. Hitler sent English-speaking soldiers into Allied bases in an attempt to disrupt Allied communication lines. The plan almost worked because it caught many Aliied soldiers off guard, but the Americans held their line at Bastogne. On December 23, the skies cleared and Allied bombers were able to rip the Germans and push them out of France. -
Iwo Jima and Okinawa
Following their island-hopping strategy, the Americans finally ended up on the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The Americans showed up at Iwo Jima in Feburary and found the Japanese dug in the 5 mile island that was only 650 miles away from Tokyo. This was the fiercest battle in the Pacific as the Japanese would fight to the death. 23,000 marines died but the Americans took the island. The Americans then took a vital air base at Okinawa, which was crucial for the planned invasion of Japan. -
Hitler Dies
The Third Riech was abruptly coming to an end, and Hitler's riegn was finally over in Europe. With the Red Army storming in from the East, and the Americans and British coming from the west, there was no way out for the Germans. It was only a matter of time before the Allied forces would control Berlin and achieve total victory over the Nazis. Many saw the end coming after the failure at the Battle of the Bulge. Hitler committed suicide and showed the world that he had truly been defeated. -
The Atomic Bomb
After achieving total victory in Europe, it was now time for the Americans to achieve victory in the Pacific. The Americans had new development of the most destructive bomb ever made - the atom bomb. President Truman decided that in the sake for American lives, he was forced to make Japan surrender. On August 6, the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima killing 60,000. As Japan contemplated surrender, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing 35,000. The Japanese then surrendered.
