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The Imperial Japanese Army forces brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of people and sexually assaulted between 20,000 and 80,000 women in Nanking, China. Taking place during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the massacre occurred over a period of six weeks. To break the spirit of Chinese resistance during the war, Japanese General Matsui Iwane ordered that the city of Nanking be destroyed. https://www.history.com/topics/japan/nanjing-massacre -
Germany and the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact a few days before the beginning of World War 2. The agreement gave Adolf Hitler a free hand to attack Poland without fear of Soviet intervention. The Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact is also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact. https://www.britannica.com/event/German-Soviet-Nonaggression-Pact -
During an 8 month period, Nazi Germany held a bombing campaign against the United Kingdom. The attacks were authorized by Germany’s chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a night air raid on Berlin. Germany used the element of surprise and speed to carry out their plan. https://www.britannica.com/event/the-Blitz
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In a surprise attack against the US, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes destroyed the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan planned the attack to prevent US intervention in their planned military actions. They were planning to take over South East Asia, and having to fight against the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of Nazi officials that took place to discuss the "Final Solution". The "Final Solution" was the plan to mass murder and annihilate the Jewish people. The conference marked a turning point in Nazi policy toward the Jews. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-wannsee-conference -
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle between the US and the Japanese. This was one of the most important American naval victories in WWII. Code-breakers were able to decipher Japanese naval code, allowing American leaders to anticipate Japanese maneuvers. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/jun4/battle-midway-begins/
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Residents of the Jewish Warsaw Ghetto, staged an armed revolt to prevent deportations to the Nazi-run extermination camps. A year before, over a quarter of a million Jews were deported from the ghetto to Treblinka and murdered. So, the remaining Jews began to build bunkers and smuggle weapons and explosives into the ghetto. It was the largest single revolt by Jews during World War II. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising
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To try and remove Italy in WWII, the Allied leaders decided to use their massive military resources to launch an invasion of Italy. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called Italy the "soft underbelly of Europe.” The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group and was successful. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/italian-campaign
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The Battle of Normandy began when 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. It was the largest seaborne invasion in history, and was codenamed, Operation Neptune. Prior to D-Day, the Allies deceived the Germans into misjudging their arrival location. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Lasting six brutal weeks, the Battle of the Ardennes was Hitler's last major attempt against the Western Front. Hitler’s aim was to split the Allies in their drive toward Germany. The Germans failed, leaving Britain, France, and America victorious. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge
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In a military campaign against the Japanese, the US marines and navy captured the island of Iwo Jima. The purpose of capturing the island was to obtain its two airfields: South Field and Central Field. This battle required many strategies from the Americans, and they came out with a victory. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima
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The US Army liberates Dachau, the first concentration camp established by Nazi Germany. As they neared the camp, the Americans found more than 30 railroad cars filled with bodies in various states of decomposition. Inside the camp, there were more bodies and 30,000 survivors, which were emancipated. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dachau-liberated#:~:text=On%20April%2029%2C%201945%2C%20the,by%20the%2042nd%20Rainbow%20Division. -
Germany surrendered its arms to the Allied Powers on Tuesday, May 8, 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Their surrender was unconditional and was celebrated throughout Europe. More than one million people celebrated in the streets throughout the UK to mark the end of the European part of the war. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
The US became the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime, when it dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people. The US wanted to swiftly end the war with Japan and send a message to the Soviet Union. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-bomber-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima -
Japan officially signed the formal surrender documents to the US. At first, Japan did not agree to surrender, but after the dropping of the atomic bombs, they signed the papers. The formal surrender occurred aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/v-j-day#:~:text=on%20Pearl%20Harbor.-,Victory%20over%20Japan%20Day%20(V%2DJ%20Day)%20would%20officially%20be%20celebrated,light%20of%20the%20war's%20destructiveness.