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Japanese Invasion of China
In 1931, Japan, eager for the vast natural resources to be found in China and seeing her obvious weakness of political dividence, invaded and occupied Manchuria. This caused Japan to sign the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, thus entering the military alliance known as the "Axis." http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/sino-japanese-war -
Rape of Nanking
This was a genocide in the 20th century, this caused 300,000 recorded deaths, but there could be many more unrecorded. The Chinese were stubborn and had the battle dragging on through the summer into late fall. This infuriated the Japanese and whetted their appetite for the revenge that was to follow at Nanking.the Japanese Imperial Army marched into China's capital city of Nanking and proceeded to murder 300,000 out of 600,000 people http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/nanking.htm -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact http://www.fact-index.com/m/mo/molotov_ribbentrop_pact.html
This is sometimes called the Hitler-Stalin pact. They basically did this to protect themselves. It caused many people to find this surprising because they were arch-rivals who came together in this non-aggressive treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soveit Union. The pact caused many to become supporters of communism, many of whom found Soviet dealings with their Nazi ideological enemy incomprehensible. http://www.fact-index.com/m/mo/molotov_ribbentrop_pact.html -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
German leader Adolf Hitler wanted to conquer all of Europe, so to do this he must neutralize Poland as well. He invaded the border of Poland and took over part of the land and got them on his side. This had the effect of advancing warfare for people all around the world. Now we have been introduced to a new tactic called Blitzkrieg which will play a big part in ww2. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
German Blitzkrieg
A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. This caused an advancement in warfare, and also mass-destruction.Also European generals adopted this method. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Operation Barbarbossa
This was the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was throught that the Axis powers- through surprise, strength, and use of blitzkrieg- could reach and capture the Soviet capitol of Moscow in roughly 8 weeks, because Hitler wanted full world power. This caused Germans to gain soviet territory and the German Army tremendous gains. http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/operation-barbarossa-the-drive-on-smolensk.asp -
Pearl Harbor http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Iwo+Jima
Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor. The attack severely damaged the American fleet and prevented serious American interference with Japanese military operations. In response, the United States declared war on Japan. This happened because the United States shortened Japan's trade with them, so Japan was having severe shortages and displaced the United States as the dominant Pacific power, decided to attack the United States and British forces -
Wannsee Conference
Himmler's second in command of the SS, convened the Wannsee Conference in Berlin with 15 top Nazi bureaucrats to coordinate the Final Solution (Endlösung) in which the Nazis would attempt to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe, an estimated 11 million persons. This caused the beginnings of the Holocaust. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-wannsee.htm -
Bataan Death March
After the U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. It caused many Filipino deaths and suffering. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Kasserine Pass
This was the Afrika Corps fighting the Allied forces. This was caused because German General Erwin Rommel suffered a defeat against British General Bernard Law Montgomery at the battle of El Alamein and the Allies' fighting spirit was bolstered by the arriving American forces during Operation Torch. It effected the population because many died. http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/kasserine.asp -
Operation Gomorrah
British bombers raid Hamburg, Germany, by night in Operation Gomorrah, while Americans bomb it by day in its own “Blitz Week.” This caused with each raid as the Germans became more adept at distinguishing between Window diversions and actual bombers, Operation Gomorrah proved devastating to Hamburg—not to mention German morale. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
Battle of the Bulge
This was a gamble of war on which Hitler enacted his Ardennes Offensive and drove a wedge into the Allied lines towards Antwerp. This caused 88,000 of Germany's soldiers while American paid the price of 77,000 soldiers dead. http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/battle-of-the-bulge.asp -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising
This was a heroic and tragic 63-day struggle to liberate World War 2 Warsaw from Nazi/German occupation. Undertaken by the Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK), the Polish resistance movement, at the time Allied troops were breaking through the Normandy defenses and the Red Army was standing at the line of the Vistula River. http://warsawuprising.com/ -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
This was the Allied invasion of France. Germany wanted complete world power. In all, operation overlord involved 175,000 land personnel, 195,700 navy personnel, and 6,939 surface vessels causing it to be the largest amphibious assault in recorded history. It also caused many deaths. http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/d-day-the-allied-invasion-of-france.asp -
Liberation of concentration camps
This is when the Soveits ended the major killing center for the Jews, known as Auschwitz. Why they wanted to end this was for humane reasons, people should not be discriminated and killed due to this discrimination. This caused the extinction of the jews to not be as dangerous, and saved many but could not save all. And many died afterwards due to malnutrition. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005131 -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American amphibious invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II stemmed from the need for a base near the Japanese coast.(The cause) And if was Americans attacking the Japanese at Iwo Jima. This caused the Japanese to fight from network of caves, dugouts, tunnels, and underground installations that were difficult to find and destroy. Except for 1,083 prisoners the entire garrison was wiped out. Americans: 5,900 dead and17k wounded. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of Okinawa
Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II, this involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. This caused Japan to lose more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties—including 14,000 dead. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
VE Day
This is now a celebration date (Victory in Europe day) for Great Britain and the U.S. The main concern of many German soldiers was to elude the grasp of Soviet forces, to keep from being taken prisoner, but they ended up surrendering instead of fighting more. This day caused the defeat of Nazi, and the age-long struggle of the Slav nations has ended in victory. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
An atomic bomb is composed by splitting the atom and causing a great explosion that will kill many and harm the area in which it is dropped. They wanted this for more advanced warfare and to kill more people in battle. The first bomb was dropped on a Japanese city called Hiroshima, causing 80,000 to die. This bomb has effects of chemicals remaining in the air as well as many many immediate deaths. The people who created it, regret http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/atomic-bomb -
VJ Day
This is known as Victory Over Japan Day. U.S. vs. Japan. This caused Allied supreme commander General Douglas MacArthur, along with the Japanese foreign minister, Mamoru Shigemitsu, and the chief of staff of the Japanese army, Yoshijiro Umezu, signed the official Japanese surrender aboard the U.S. Navy battleship Missouri, effectively ending World War II. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
