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Japanese invasion of China
The Lugou Bridge incident marked the beginning of a full scale war between Japan and China. The Lugou Bridge, "Marco Polo" was the only way to access the city of Wanping. The Japanese asked for permission to cross the bridge to go into Wanping to look for a missing soldier. China refused, so Japan forcefully took on the bridge and China was forced to fight back. China succeeded in holding the bridge -
Germany invades Poland
The German-Soviet Pact stated that Poland was to be partitioned between teh two powers and enabled Germany to attack Poland without fear of Soviet intervention.Germany broke through Polish defense which resulted to the surrender of Warsaw on Sept. 27, 1939. France and Britain a declared war on Germany. -
German Blitzkrieg
a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. It was developed by the German army. A successful execution resulted in short military campaigns, which perserves human lives and and limits the waste of artillery. -
Atlantic Charter
It was a joint declaration released ny Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill following a meeting of the 2 heads of state Newfoundland. It set out a vision for the postwar world. It is considered one of the 1st key steps toward the establiishment of the United Nations in 1945.8 principles: U.S and Brit. can't seek territorial gains from war, opposed any territorial changes made against the wishes of people concerned, support restoration of self-govt. to those that lost it during war.. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan launches a suprise attack on American soil at Pearl Harbor. The goal was to destroy the U.S. forces before they could be used. The attack lasted 2 hours and the Japanese destroyed 20 navy vessels, 8 battle ships, and 300+ airplanes. 2,000+ were killed and 1,000 wounded. As a result the U.S. declared war on Japan. Germany and Italy, Japan's allies, declared war on the U.S. -
Bataan Death March
After Pearl Harbor, Japan invade the Philippines. The American- Filipino troops defending Manila, were captured by the Japanese. They were forcede to walk 65 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando. Thousands died due to starvation, dehydration, brutality, and being bayoneted. Survivors were taken to POW camps were thousands more died of disease, starvation, and mistreatment. February 1945, peninsula was recaptured by American-Filipino forces. Japan commander executed on April 3, 1946 -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The Soviet defended Stalingrad (now Volgograd) i the U.S.S.R during WW2. It is believed to be the greatest war.It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning point of the war in favor of the Allies. One of the bloodiest battles in history with a combined military and civilian casualty count of almost 2 million. Germany wanted to capture Stalingrad because it was essential to their campaign in Russia, from this point they could launch further assualts on Causcasus. -
D-Day
Allies invade Western Europe in the largest attack in history. Around 156,000 American, British, and Candaian forces landed on five beaches that surrounded 50 miles of France's Normandy region. Many tactics were used to deceive Germany and give them false information of the attack point.By August 1944, northern France had been liberated and in the spring the Allies defeated the Germans. This was the beginging of the end of war in Europe. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The Soviet Union forces were the first to liberate camps. British, Canadian, American, and French troops followed soon after and each was responisble for certain camps. Germans were forced to leave prisoners behind in their retreat from the camp. Allied troops, physicians, and relief workers provided nourishment for the survivors nut many were too weak to digest anything and couldn't be saved. Despite efforts, many survivors died. 1/2 of Auschwitz's survivors died within a few days of being free -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
Major battle in which the U.U. Marines landed and eventually captured the island of Iwp Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during WW2. This attack happened because the U.S. needed a base nerar the Japanese coast. Iwo Jima was protected by around 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, but eventually failed. U.S. victory. -
VE Day
Stands for Victory in Europe Day. It is a public holiday celebrated to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of WW2 of Nazi Germany's surrender of its armed forces. -
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Battle of Okinawa
A.k.a "Operation Iceberg".Allied forced in vade Okinawa and engage the Japenese in the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. The Allies were searching to capture and island near Japan to serve as a base for air operations.Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies suffered more than 65,000 casualties- including 14,00 dead. Okinawa quickly became a key military asset for the Allies as it provided a key fleet anchorage and troop staging areas. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bomb
Pres. Harry S. Truman was warned that any attempt to invade Japan would result in horrific American casualities. He wanted the war to quickly end so he ordered Enola Gay,an American bomber, to drop a 5 ton bomb over Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb wiped out 90% of the city and killed 80,000 people, tens of thousands others died due to radiation exposure. 3 days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing about 40,000 people. Japan surrendered the War on August 15th -
VJ Day
Stands for Victory in Japan.National holiday, declared by Pres. Truman. The news of the surrender sparked spontaneous celebrations over the final ending of WW2. Sept. 2, 1945, a formal surrender was held in Tokyo Bay on the USS Missouri.
