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German Invasion of Poland
The Germans, led by Adolf Hitler, started upon a defensive action (as he called it) by taking over Poland and enslaving the native people. By attacking the Polish defense stations, and later marching in the ground troops to clean out the rest. This event sparked the beginning of World War II. -
German Blitzkreig
This new war tactic was implemented by the German army. first brought to the front at the Polish invasion, the Germans new tactic caught the enemy by suprise and knocked them out of their element with no backup plan to defend themselves with. This new war tactic changed the way not onloy the Germans fought, but allso all those who faced them had to come up with new strategies. -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launches his armies into a full out invasion on the Soviet Union. Three great army groups covered the frontier from the North Cape to the Black Sea. This battle against the top-nothc Germna army was a crucial turning point for World War II, because losng it would force Germany to fight a two front war. Though Germany started off strong, they soon faced a hars winter and lost the battle. -
Pearl Harbor
Early in the morning, hundreds of Japanese kamikazee pilots attack the naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii. this attack was completely suprising and killed many servicemen. Shortly after, we declared war upon Japan. Then its allies Germany and Italy declared war upon America. After two years, america was finally forced to join World War II. -
Battle of Midway
Six months after Pearl HArbor, Amerricans intercepted a Japanese plan to attack one of our few remaining Battleships. They thought they could calculate an attack close enough to land that when we pushed forward they would destroy us. INstead the american fleet came up and a ferocious air battle began; the first battle ever that did not take place on land. Americans prevailed and it was a a descisive battle that helped americans wiht their campaign in the Pacific theater of the war. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
ABout 150,000 American and British forces launch one of the largest amphibious attacks upon the 50 mile stretch of beach in the Normandy region of France that ws fortfied by German forces. After a gruelling and comepletely destructive journey up the beach, the American forces pushed the Germans out and started the beginnong of the end of war in Europe. Later in August, Northern France was liberated, and the following spring Germany was defeated by the allies. -
Battle of the Bulge
The costliest battle interms of causualties for the american forces, the Battle of the Bulge was a suprise blitzkreig by the German forces in hopes that they would the allied armies in Europe and secure vital bridgeheads. Luckily the counteroffensive launched by American army ws able to nuetralize the German attack. The lack of materials hurt the Germans again. Stopping the Germans helped Allied forces becasue it stopped the Germans from holding a very vital bridgeheads. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Many concentration camps were still working. Soviet soldiers were the first to discover these camps. On this date they discoverd Aushwitz. By discovering these places, they saw all the misery and horrble conditions, as well as the dead. It was terrifying. By discovering these camps, the soldiers saw the horrible reality of Hitlers plan. Hundereds of thousands of jews were freed but many more laid dead. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Another amphibious attack by the americans came out of necessity of a land base near Japan. The Japanese soldiers fought hard but after a month the MArines fought through the soldiers and raised the flag upon the land in victory. This land was important becasue it allowed for a place to renew resources for the americans woithout traveling across the entire Pacific Ocean -
VE Day
The United States and Great Britain defeated the Nazi machine in Europe on this day. German soldiers all over lowered their weopons and signed a ceasefire. Thi is importnat because it marks the end of the second world war. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
American forces dropped the very first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in hopes to make Japan surrender. The destructive power of the bombs ws unknown and the whole city suffered from the blast or the radiation sickness. Many deaths occured and a few days later, another one was dropped on Nagasaki. These bombs forced Japan into surrender. -
VJ Day
This is the day that Japan officially surrenderred to the allies, and officially the end of World War II. Japans capitualtion was a much prolonged end to a six year deadly war.
