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Fall of Paris
Germany broke through the French lines and invaded France. Germans spied, held interrogations, and made arrests. Paris fell, and the French government fled to Bordeaux, while German forces occupied much of northern and western France. -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched his armies in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, with over 300 million German soldiers and 3,000 tanks into Soviet territory. Germany's goal was to enslave the Slavic population and exterminate the Jews, however, Germany underestimated the Soviet Union, and struggled with deficiencies in logistical preparations and industrial preparations. It was the turning point in the war, for its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war against immensely better resources. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on a U.S. naval base, Pearl Harbor. The U.S. had been angry with Japan for declaring war on China and put a bunch of economic sanctions and trade embargoes on Japan. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes destroyed and damaged almost 20 naval vessels. More than 2,400 Americans died and over 1,000 were wounded. -
D-Day
About 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on the coast of France's Normandy region. The allies had planned to have a major invasion after America joined the war. As a result, all of northern France had been liberated from Nazi Germany's control. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler had planned to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by launching a surprise thrust through the Ardennes. The Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes to try to secure vital bridgeheads, giving the appearance of a bulge. There were over 1,000 casualties and a draw between the Allies and Germany. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Americans invaded Iwo Jima, an island of the coast of Japan. They wanted to have a place where bombers damaged in Japan could land that wasn't that far away. Troops in Japan no longer defended at the beach line, and 5,900 Americans were killed, with 17,400 wounded. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
American army units discovered the horrors of concentration camps in early 1945. In early April, they liberated the camp at Ohrdruf, Germany, and a week later, other camps at Buchenwald and Nordhausen. Later, camps such as Bergen-Bergen and Auschwitz were liberated. -
VE Day
The day when German troops throughout Europe finally surrendered after Hitler committed suicide. Great Britain and the U.S. celebrated it as Victory in Europe day. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
An American bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb over Hiroshima, a Japanese city, trying to get Japan to surrender. Three days later, they dropped another bomb over Nagasaki, resulting in the Japanese surrendering, and killing over 100,000 people. -
VJ Day
On August 14, Japan surrendered to the Allies, after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This resulted in VJ day, or Victory over Japan day.
