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German Blitzkrieg
1.5 million German troops invade Poland in September. German U- boats and warships attacked the Polish naval forces. Hitler thought if they conquered Poland, that they would have more land. Germans came up with the "blitzkrieg" strategy. In June, Hitler attacked the USSR which resulted in him breaking the nonaggression that he signed with the Soviet Union. The Soviets established a communist government in the nation. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
Germany Invades France & Captures Paris
Germans goal was to conquer France. The German forces went through two places, the Netherlands and northern Belgium. On May 14th, the German air forces bombed Rotterdam. Over 800 civilians were killed and the Netherlands surrendered. Germans had then made their way to France. In June, France signed an armistice with Germany. France failed at the end of this because they did not take much action and made the wrong assumptions. http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/ww2/section2/page/2/ -
Battle of Britain
During this the Germans had severe issues like, no navy left after the expensive conquest of Norway, their army was not prepared for any operations, and they suffered heavy losses in the west. In July German bombers struck a British convoy. The British produced great quality of aircraft. At the end, Germans suffered from poor intelligence. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-britain-begins -
Lend Lease
The purpose of the Lend-Lease Act was going to help provide the U.S. military aid to foreign nations. It gave Roosevelt the power to to lend arms to Britain. Because of this, it brought the United States closer to war. By the end of the war, the United States gave more than $50 billion in armaments and financial support to Britain. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/lend-lease-act -
Germany Invaded the Soviet Union
Germany named this "Operation Barbarossa". This was known as the largest German operation in World War II. Germanys intentions were to pursue a war of destruction against the Communist state and the Jews of the Soviet Union. Germany had 3 army groups ready which consisted of more than 3 million soldiers with 650,000 troops from Germany's allies. The Germans failed to prepare for winter and would starve to death by their calculations. Operation Barbarossa had failed.
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Operation Barbarossa
Adolf Hitler's plan was to invade the Soviet Union. He sent 3 army groups that contained over 3 million German soldiers. This invasion covered over 2 thousand miles from The Cape to the Black Sea. The German's underestimated who they were up against. Their expectations were very high. They came to exterminate the Jews and enslave the Slavic population. The Germans struggled throughout the winter and eventually Operation Barbarossa had failed.
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Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan and the U.S. had being going at it for decades. The attack was a surprise for the United States.Once Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, it brought United States into World War II. Once Japan dropped the bomb, the ship exploded and sank more then 1,000 men that were still inside. The Japanese attack destroyed 20 ships and more than 300 airplanes. Almost 2.500 men were killed and 1,000 were wounded. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
United States Declares War on Japan and Germany
The United States wants to get back at Japan for the damaged they caused to Pearl Harbor Japanese nationals were transported and held custody on Ellis Island. Japanese Americans wanted to prove their loyalty to the United States by paying for space in the newspaper. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-united-states-declares-war-on-japan -
Bataan Death March
The Japanese invaded the Phillipines the day after Japan had bombed the U.S. Within a month, the Japanese had captured the capital of the Phillipines, Manila. They also captured the American and Filipino defenders. They combined the U.S. and Filipino army, but lacked naval and air support. The U.S. General surrendered his 75,000 troops at Bataan. Manila was then liberated in March and the commander of the Japanese forces was held responsible for the death march and was executed.
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United States victory in the Battle of Midway
When the United States was planning to attack Japan, everyone thought the Japanese would be prepared to beat them. Instead of this, the United States thought like the Japanese. On June 4th, the Americans found the Japanese. Japanese torpedo bomber became separated from American dive-bombers. The Japanese carriers were found refueling their planes. Only 2/3rds of the Japanese air crew survived. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto uprising began after German troops went to the ghetto to deport survivors. The surviving ghetto residents were sent to concentration camps or killing centers. The units killed up to 7,000 Jews during this uprising. They deported almost all of the 42,000 survivors to concentration camps. After the uprising, Jews that continued to hide still attacked German patrols. The Germans only lost a couple hundred men during the uprising.
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D-Day
156,000 American, Canadian, and British forces landed on five beaches. This invasion was marked as one of the largest military assaults in history. Towards the end of August, northern France had been liberated. After that, the Allies had defeated the Germans. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler's objective was to split the Allied armies. On December 16, three German troops that contained 250,000 soldiers started the deadliest battle of the war. Weather conditions helped the Germans push the Americans into retreat. Germans played tricks on the U.S. by speaking English, using U.S. uniforms, and trucks. This caused outrage to the Americans. The battle went on for three weeks that killed many American civilians. At the end of the battle, 19,000 American soldiers have died.
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Liberation of Concentration Camps
The Soviet soldiers were the first to liberate concentration camp prisoners. In Auschwitz, there was hundreds of sick prisoners. The Germans were forced to leave these prisons suffering in this camp. The Germans tried to attempt to destroy the camps so they can hide evidence of a mass murder. Survivors of these camps had no idea how to feel. Some felt relieved and others felt alone. Some prisoners came home to their families, but others had left their family back in Auschwitz.
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Battle of Iwo Jima
The Americans invaded Iwo Jima during World War II. Three U.S. marine divisions arrived at Iwo Jima in February. Iwo Jima had about 23,000 army and navy troops. The Japanese focused for inland rather than the beach line. The Japanese had underground installations, but it was difficult for the Americans to find and destroy. After a month, the marines wiped out Japanese forces.The Americans had lossed nearly 6,000 and 17,000 were wounded. www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6th, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Hiroshima had nearly 300,000 civilians. After the bomb was dropped, 80,000-166,000 people are believed to have died. This bomb wiped out 90% of Hiroshima. Just three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. This bomb killed around 40,000 people. Japan's emperor was forced to surrender in World War II. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
