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China falls to Japan.....
China fought Japan, with some economic help from Germany, the Soviet Union and the United States. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the war would merge into the greater conflict of World War II as a major front of what is broadly known as the Pacific War. When China fell to Japan it was a great victory for them. -
Invasion of Manchuria
In 1931, the Japanese Kwangtung Army attacked Chinese troops in Manchuria in an event commonly known as the Manchurian Incident. This was an attempt by the Japanese Empire to gain control over the whole province, in order to eventually control all of East Asia. The Japanese established a puppet state called Manchukuo, and their occupation lasted until the end of World War 2. -
Blitzkrieg into Poland
1.5 million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. While, the German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields and German warships. U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the invasion was a defensive act, but Britain and France didn't believe him. Blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization in enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. -
Battle of the Atlantic
This was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Germany in 1945.The Battle of the Atlantic took place throughout the northern region of the Atlantic Ocean. Once the United States entered the war the battle spread all the way to the coast the United States and the Caribbean Sea. -
German invasion of France
In six weeks, starting May 10, 1940, German forces defeated Allied forces by mobile operations and conquered France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The British and French commanders had believed that German forces would attack through central Belgium as they had in World War I. This attack brought land operations on the Western Front to an end until June 6, 1944. -
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of British and Allied forces in Europe. The advancing German Army trapped the British and French armies on the beaches around Dunkirk. 330,000 men were trapped here and they were targets for the Germans. Admiral Ramsey formulated Operation Dynamo to get off of the beaches as many men as was possible. -
Battle of Britain
German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom, locked in the largest sustained bombing campaign to that date. The Battle of Britain was a combat of the Second World War, when the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) attacks from the end of June 1940. -
Germany takes Greece
The German air force launches Operation Castigo, the bombing of Belgrade, on this day in 1941, as 24 divisions and 1,200 tanks drive into Greece.The attack on Yugoslavia was swift and brutal, an act of terror resulting in the death of 17,000 civilians–the largest number of civilian casualties in a single day since the start of the war. The invasion ended on April 30, 1941 when Germans reached Greece's capital. -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union: three great army groups with over three million German soldiers, 150 divisions, and three thousand tanks smashed across the frontier into Soviet territory. Barbarossa was the crucial turning point in World War II, its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war against a coalition possessing immensely superior resources. -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes attacked the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans.The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. Congress approved his declaration with only one opposing vote. -
Philippines Campaign 1941-1942
The invasion of the Philippines by Japan and the defense of the islands by Filipino and United States forces during WW2. The islands were a strategic location for the Japanese as they lie between Japan and the South Pacific. The importance of this location forced the United States to call Army General Douglas MacArthur, who had retired in the Philippines, to serve in the Filipino Army as a field marshal. It ended on May 8, 1942. -
New Guinea campaign
The campaign on New Guinea is a very forgotten event. Allied operations in New Guinea were essential to the U.S. Navy's drive across the Central Pacific. The campaign resulted in a crushing defeat and very heavy losses for Empire of Japan. Most Japanese troops never even came into contact with Allied forces, and were instead simply cut off and subjected to an effective blockade by the US Navy. 97% of Japanese deaths in this campaign were from non-combat causes. -
Bataan (battle and march)
It was a battle that represented an intense phase of Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines during WW2. The battle ended on April 9, 1942 the U.S. surrendered, the Bataan Peninsula. Approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made walked in intense heat and got harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands died in what became known as the Bataan Death March. -
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid was an air raid by the United States of America on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on the island of Honshu during World War II, the first air strike to strike the Japanese Home Islands.The now-famous Tokyo Raid did little real damage to Japan but it did hurt the Japanese government’s prestige. Believing the air raid had been launched from Midway Island, approval was given to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s plans for an attack on Midway. -
Battle of Coral Sea
Battle of Coral Sea was a major naval battle in the Pacific in WW2 between the Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. This four-day World War II skirmish in May 1942 marked the first air-sea battle in history. Although both sides suffered damages to their carriers, the battle left the Japanese without enough planes to cover the ground attack resulting in a strategic Allied victory. -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese fleet commander chose to invade a target close to Pearl Harbor to draw out the American fleet, calculating that when the United States began its counterattack, the Japanese would be ready to crush them. Instead, Americans solved the Japanese fleet codes, enabled Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz to understand the exact Japanese plans. The Japanese carriers were caught while refueling and rearming their planes, making them especially vulnerable. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. This monumental battle is justly considered a turning point in the war on the Eastern Front and one of the most crucial engagements of World War II. In subsequent days the invaders fought their way into Stalingrad against fierce resistance. This was urban street fighting of the bitter sort, it had big losses on both sides. The Soviet Union won. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
The World War II Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific. With Japanese troops stationed in a section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack and took control of an air base under construction. In the end the Japanese had lost two-thirds of the army troops committed to the island. The U.S. Marines and the U.S. Army had lost less than 2,000 soldiers of about 60,000 deployed. -
Second Battle of El Alamein
Montgomery began a 5-hour bombardment of the Axis lines. Behind this, 4 infantry divisions from XXX Corps advanced over the mines with the engineers working behind them. Though their advance was shut down, the British defeated these assaults and the first major tank engagement of the battle was fought. As dawn approached, the German defense was hampered by the loss of Rommel's replacement, Gen. Stumme, who died of a heart attack. Allied forces succeeded in evicting the Axis from North Africa. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign. Allied ships were fired upon by French shore batteries while approaching Casablanca. The French were driven back. Eventually the French were overcome and American forces tightened their grip on Casablanca. By November 10, the city was surrounded and the French surrendered. Operation Torch was the first time the British and Americans had jointly worked on an invasion plan together. -
Battle of Kursk
With the Soviet line at Kursk protruding into enemy territory, the Germans tried to attack from different directions. It was an unsuccessful German offensive against Soviet forces. Their Ninth Army, after a win, became shut down in its attack from the north. In the south the Germans enjoyed greater success. But even here German armor failed to gain operational freedom; instead, Soviet defenses tied the Germans into a massive battle of attrition not only on the ground but also in the air. -
Allied invasion of Sicily
After defeating Italy and Germany, the U.S. and Great Britain looked forward to the invasion of occupied Europe and the final defeat of Germany. The Allies decided to move next against Italy, hoping an Allied invasion would secure the central Mediterranean and divert German divisions from the northwest of France where the Allies planned to attack in the future. After 38 days of fighting, the U.S. and Great Britain successfully drove German and Italian troops from Sicily. -
Allied invasion of Salerno
Salerno had been chosen as the first site for invasion because it was the northern-most point to which the Allies could fly planes from its bases in Sicily. Rockets launched from landing craft gave cover, and the beach landings went mostly smooth. It wasn’t until two days later that the Germans, with some Italian troops coerced into service, mounted a heavy counterattack on the beachhead. But Clark called in the 82nd Airborne for support By September 15th, Salerno was in Allied hands. -
Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
The Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign were a series of battles fought from November 1943-February 1944 between the U.S. and Japan. The purpose was to establish airfields and naval bases that would allow air and naval support for upcoming operations across the Central Pacific. In the Gilbert's, the Americans emerged victorious, but were caught unprepared.There was 2,459 dead and 2,286 wounded.The Marshall's were a much easier landing. Americans outnumbered the enemy defenders almost 6 to 1. -
Battle of Anzio
The 1944 Battle of Anzio stemmed from the Allied attempt to draw German troops off the Gustav Line during Operation Shingle. A succession of attacks resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, though no budge in the stalemate for four months. British and American losses totaled 7,000 killed, 36,000 wounded or missing, and 44,000 hospitalized from various non battle injuries and sickness. The battle of Anzio finally ended on May 23, 1944, when the Allies launched a breakout offensive. -
D-Day
On D-Day 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on 5 beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe. -
Battle of Guam
The Second Battle of Guam was the American recapture of the Japanese-held island of Guam. On 21 July the American forces landed on both sides of the Orote Peninsula on the western side of Guam. By nightfall, the U.S. Marines and soldiers had established beachheads about 6,600 feet deep. Japanese counterattacks were made throughout the first few days of the battle, mostly at night. Several times the Japanese penetrated the American defenses, but the U.S. won this battle. -
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the code name for the Allied invasion of Southern France on August 15, 1944. The operation was initially planned to be executed with Operation Overlord, the Allied landing in the Normandy, but the lack of available resources led to a cancellation of the 2nd landing. The goal of the operation was to get the vital ports on the French Mediterranean coast and increase pressure on the German forces by opening another front. Operation Dragoon was a success by the Allied forces. -
Philippines 1944-45
This was the American and Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Japanese forces occupying the Philippines in WW2. The Japanese Army overran all of the Philippines during the first half of 1942. The United States and Philippine military forces were progressing in liberating territory and islands when the Japanese forces in the Philippines were ordered to surrender by Tokyo on August 15, 1945, after the dropping of the atomic bombs on mainland Japan. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
This WW2 battle followed the Allied landing at the Philippine island of Leyte in October 1944. The Japanese wanted to converge 3 naval forces on Leyte Gulf, and successfully diverted the U.S. Third Fleet with a decoy. At the Suriago Strait, the U.S. Seventh Fleet destroyed one of the Japanese forces and forced a 2nd one to withdraw. The 3rd successfully traversed the San Bernadino Straight but also withdrew before attacking the Allied forces at Leyte. This battle was concidered a Allied Win. -
Battle of the Bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. American units fought desperate battles to stop the German advances. As the Germans went deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to get vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving the battle it's name. Gen. Patton’s successful maneuvering of the 3rd Army to Bastogne was vital to the Allied defense. The Allies won. -
Siege of Bastogne
The Siege of Bastogne was between American and German forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge.The goal of the German offensive was the harbour at Antwerp. In order to reach it before the Allies could regroup and bring their superior air power to bear, German mechanized forces had to seize the roadways through eastern Belgium. The siege ended December 27th, when the American forces were relieved by elements of General George Patton's Third Army. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was the second wartime meeting of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During the conference, the three leaders agreed to demand Germany’s unconditional surrender and began plans for a post-war world. Although most of these agreements were at first kept secret, the promises of the conference became controversial after Soviet-American wartime cooperation degenerated into the Cold War. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American water invasion of Iwo Jima during WW2 stemmed from the need for a base near the Japanese coast. Following elaborate air and naval bombardment, 3 U.S. marine divisions landed on the island in February 1945. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, who fought from caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. Despite the hard conditions, the marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting. The U.S. proudly won this battle. -
Battle of Okinawa
The last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of WW2, the Okinawa campaign. It involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. The battle was over air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan. By the end of the 82-day battle, Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties, including 14,000 dead. This battle eventually ended in a Allied win. -
Hitler’s Suicide
Adolf Hitler killed himself by gunshot on April 30, 1945 in his underground bunker in Berlin. His wife Eva committed suicide with him by taking cyanide pills. It is believed that both he and his wife swallowed cyanide pills, but just in case Hitler shot himself with his service pistol. The bodies of Hitler and Eva were cremated in the chancellery garden by the bunker survivors and later recovered in part by Russian troops. -
German Surrender
On this day in 1945, the German High Command signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces, East and West, at Reims, in northwestern France. At first, General Jodl hoped to limit the terms of German surrender to only the forces still fighting the Western Allies. But General Dwight Eisenhower demanded complete surrender of all German forces, those fighting in the East and in the West. Fighting would still go on in the East for almost another day. But the war in the West was over. -
Potsdam Conference
The Big Three: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and U.S. President Harry Truman met in Potsdam, Germany, from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to negotiate terms for the end of WW2. The leaders arrived at various agreements on the German economy, punishment for war criminals, land boundaries and reparations. Although talks primarily centered on postwar Europe, the Big Three also issued a declaration demanding “unconditional surrender” from Japan. -
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
In August 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90% of the city and immediately killing 80,000 people. Tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan surrendered soon after this. -
Surrender of Japan
By the summer of 1945, the defeat of Japan very apparent. The Japanese navy and air force were destroyed. The Allied naval blockade of Japan and intensive bombing of Japanese cities had left the country and its economy devastated. At noon on the 15th, Emperor Hirohito went on national radio for the first time to announce the Japanese surrender. The United States immediately accepted Japan’s surrender. The official surrender signing was held off to September 2nd so the Allies could be there too.
