-
Rape of Nanking
The Japanese invasion of China started with Nanking. The Japanese invaded the city, raped the women, and continued to kill everyone in sight. Men, women, and children alike were subject to horrible deaths at the hands of the Japanese. The initial order was to destroy the capital of China, so they lotted and burned one-third of the city's buildings and many surrounding towns. Was one of the starting events of the war between Japan and China -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
This was an agreement signed between The USSR and Nazi Germany. A non-aggression act between the two countries that further agreed that they would split up Poland evenly. It was made to make allies and permitted the two forces to take over land quickly, but Germany does betray Russia in the end. -
Germany's invasion of Poland
The first attack in WW2 was in Poland because the Germans wanted to take down the French as quickly as possible and to do that they had to take Poland. Germany used Blitzkrieg or lightning war to overwhelm the Polish forces. Poland's military force still used cavalry and muskets, they were quickly overwhelmed by the new technology and advanced war tactics of the German forces. Poland is split between the Russians and the Germans per their alliance. -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg (lightning war) is a military tactic used by Germany in WW2. It's a quick-paced, rapid attack with massive force. The objective is to overwhelm the enemy with such force and speed that they submit and Germany gains ground quickly. It was used in almost every German attack in WW2. -
Battle of Britain
The battle of Britain was a precursor to the Germans taking the country, which never happened. An aerial bombardment of Great Britain from August-September 1940. Germany used their air force Lufluaffe, but Britain was successfully able to defend itself due to the use of radar and the superiority of the Royal Air Force. Britains resistance and counterattacks forced Hitler to call off the attack on Britain. This weakened Hitler because he had finally failed and resulted in him turning on his ally. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan wanted the right to the resources in the Indochina islands, but the US threatened to cut off all supplies and trade with them if Japan tried to take the land. They launched a surprise air attack on the forces stationed in Pearl Harbor. This attack pushed the U.S. into the war. -
The Battle of The Coral Sea
Japan wanted control over Australia and surrounding islands for the exploration of resources to support their empire and conquest. But the U.S. and Australia fought back with heavy naval attacks and the use of island hopping to take down the Japanese empire. Eventually resulted in the U.S. getting closer and closer to taking down Japan. -
Battle of Midway
A major turning point in the Pacific Theatre was the discovery of the idea of island hopping. A naval and aerial battle was the reason most of Japan's navy was gone by the end of the war. The naval battle and further assaults on islands were led by Douglas MacArthur. This got the Allies even closer to taking down Japan. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Germans changed their focus to Stalingrad, a major industrial hub in Russia. The German air force made multiple airstrikes on the cities, and once inside they forced captured citizens into slave labor for internment camps. Eventually, after the city was almost empty Russia sent in troops and surrounded the German forces within the city, cutting off all supplies and forcing them to surrender. This was a turning point in the war because Germany was stuck with no allies and now on the defense. -
Battle of the Bulge
This was the last German offense in the war, it was named after the bulge it made in the allied lines. The battle was fought in below-zero temps. and had the highest of US causalities in the war. The German forces cut off some of the allied forces and created what we call a bulge in the line, but ultimately pushed the Germans back into their territory. This was the end of the war in Europe. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This island was only attacked because it had a runway for planes. The most heavily defended place in the war, over 20,000 Japanese soldiers were positioned inside the mountain. The American soldiers rolled up onto the beach expecting to immediately be under fire, but the Japanese were only inside the mountain. As the American troops came up the Japanese mowed down the force. 6,000 American troops died but only 200 Japanese soldiers survived. An allied victory. -
Battle of Okinawa
An island just off the coast of the Japanese mainland. the Japanese used 1,900 kamikaze attacks to sink 30 American ships. The Americans made an assault on the island and succeeded, resulting in Japanese Generals losing hope and hey committed suicide. This was the final island takeover before the U.S. attacked Mainland Japan. -
VE day
Victory in Europe, the German forces surrendered, Hitler had committed suicide and the German generals had surrendered. It resulted in celebration around the world, and some people still celebrate today. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The U.S. decided that rather than risking the lives of 1 million soldiers that they would try out their new weapon. they dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, completely destroying both cities for miles around. This ultimately lead to the surrender of Japan. -
VJ Day
The day when the Japanese forces surrendered, this surrender wasn't as on as good circumstances as the European surrender. The Japanese surrendered out of fear and because they had been decimated by the power of two atomic bombs.