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Annexation of Sudetenland
Hitler recognized that millions of Germans were living in Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia. He demanded that Czechoslovakia annex Sudetenland to Germany. Sudetenland became part of Germany and this started the German invasion on Czechoslovakia. https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-german-annexation-of-sudetenland.html -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor(US island). A deliberate attack by Japan in order to weaken the US and also to keep them from getting into World War II. US Pacific Fleet was severely damaged and people were killed. Led to US resentment/discrimination against any people of Japanese descent. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/distance-learning/k-12-distance-learning/video-archive/clip-why-did-japan-attack -
The Philippines
10 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan launched their invasion on the Philippines. Japan won and occupied the Philippines until 1945. The Philippines was a strategic point for Japan, in order to be closer tom Australia and the US. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpVJB1XWWLg -
Island Hopping
A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Axis powers (most notably Japan) during World War II. It entailed taking over an island and establishing a military base there. The base was in turn used as a launching point for the attack and takeover of another island. Mostly used by the US and it helped them recover land slowly, while also getting closer to Japan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBgxW3H_tsI -
Guadalcanal
The first major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater. With Japanese troops stationed in this section of the Solomon Islands, U.S. marines launched a surprise attack in August 1942 and took control of an air base under construction. Ended on February 1943. Was ultimately a major turning point for the US. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VzCTvSQ4JY -
Japanese Internment Camps
Japanese internment camps were established during World War II by President Franklin Roosevelt through his Executive Order 9066. From 1942 to 1945, it was the policy of the U.S. government that people of Japanese descent would be interred in isolated camps. They were enacted as a reaction to Pearl Harbor. People had hate/resentment towards Japanese people. https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/japanese-american-internment -
Battle of Midway
Major air-sea battle between the US and Japan Navy/Army. Turned the tide in favor of the US after winning the battle. Halted the Japanese advance towards the US. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HkBW7X7LaU -
Stalingrad
A battle between Germany and the Soviet Union which lasted an arduous 5 months. Germany lost due to bad climate, sabotaged supply lines, and overall not being used to the terrain. Was significant because it was Germany's first major loss in WWII and it marked the end of Germany's advances into Eastern Europe and Russia. Lastly, was an allied victory and turned the tide of the war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHkELWFqGKQ -
D-Day
The battle lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, and resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. One of the largest amphibian invasions to date. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3P11ENBZyc -
Meeting at Yalta
The Yalta Conference was a meeting of three World War II allies: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. The trio met in the city of Yalta along the Black Sea Coast of the Crimean Peninsula.
The three discussed the post-war fate of defeated Germany and the rest of Europe, the terms of Soviet entry into the ongoing war in the Pacific against Japan. https://www.c-span.org/video/?468623-1/united-newsreel-yalta-conference -
Fall of Berlin
The last major battle between the Soviet Union and Germany. The Soviets broke through different sides of German occupied Berlin and ended up surrounding the entire city within a short time. April 30, Hitler and his commanders committed suicide and by May 2 the battle was over, Germany having been defeated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNCiHGcJzFg -
Death of Hitler
Hitler committed suicide in his bunker along with his commanders and later also his wife. This was after losing Berlin to the Soviet Union. Hitler knew the war was lost and he did not want to be captured. Really marks Germany's defeat. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/death-of-hitler-video -
Los Alamos
A town in Los Alamos County, New Mexico where testing and research developed in order to create the atom bomb. Testing began in 1942 and by 1945 the atom bomb was ready. Atom bomb was tested here before being used on Japan. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/ben-bederson-manhattan-project -
Meeting at Potsdam
Last of the Big Three meetings during WWII, held near Berlin. It was attended by Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, the new American president, Harry S. Truman, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain (replaced on July 28 by his successor, Clement Attlee). On July 26, the leaders issued a declaration demanding ‘unconditional surrender’ from Japan. The rest of the meeting was about postwar Europe. https://www.britannica.com/video/180248/Overview-Potsdam-Conference -
Hiroshima
The first atom bomb dropped ever, happened in Hiroshima, Japan. The US went along with the use of nuclear force because they did not want to suffer a lot of casualties by fighting on land. Was also meant to demonstrate that the US was not messing around and wanted the Japanese to surrender already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wxWNAM8Cso