-
Period: to
German Invasion of Poland
click here for more Hitler intended to wage war, which would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy. Once Hitler had a base of operations within the target country, he immediately began setting up “security” forces to annihilate all enemies of the Nazi. By the 27 September 1939, just 26 days after invasion, Poland surrendered to the Nazis. Following the surrender, the Nazis and the Soviets divided Poland between them. -
Period: to
Fall of France
click here for more The Battle of France, also known as The Fall of France, was a battle that took place during the Second World War in May of 1940. German forces invaded areas of France pushing the British Forces and French forces back to the sea in Operation Dynamo. Some records claim that about 27,074 German soldiers were killed during the Battle of France which saw some 580,000 French army men lose their lives. Some have survived. -
Period: to
Attack on the Soviet Union
click here for more Operation Barbarossa, original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The Soviet Union had twice or perhaps three times the number of both tanks and aircraft as the Germans had, but their aircraft were mostly obsolete. By the end of the year, German troops had advanced almost 1,000 miles to the outskirts of Moscow. -
Doolittle’s Raid on Japan
click here for more Doolittle Raid was a surprise attack on Tokyo, Japan, by U.S. bombers during World War II. Little damage resulted, but the raid was a boost to American morale at a low point in the war. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt demanded that the U.S. military find a way of striking back directly at Japan. Soon the aircraft were lost but only three crew members were killed, while eight were captured. -
Period: to
Air War Over Japan
click here for more This isolated raid, led by Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle, came less than five months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Soon the final blow came in August 1945. On 6 August a B-29 dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and the second atomic bomb was dropped 9 August on Nagasaki. On 15 August, beset on all sides, Japan capitulated. -
Period: to
Battle of the Coral Sea
click here for more This four-day World War II marked the first air-sea battle in history. The first air-sea battle in history led to the role played by aircraft launching fire power to ships at sea, this battle resulted from Japanese efforts to make an amphibious landing at Port Moresby in southeast New Guinea. Without air cover, the Japanese invasion force fallback, leaving the victory to the Allies. -
Period: to
Surrender of Corregidor and the Philippines
click here for more Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright surrenders all U.S. troops in the Philippines to the Japanese on May 6, 1942. The island of Corregidor remained the last Allied stronghold in the Philippines after the Japanese victory at Bataan. Constant artillery shelling and aerial bombardment attacks took out the American and Filipino defenders. He soon gave up. -
War over Germany – the Bombing of Cologne Air
click here for more An armada of no less than 1,046 RAF bombers was approaching. They passed over the city at the rate of a second, dropping a total of 1,500 metric tons of high-explosive and incendiary bombs, one bomb every other second, for what seemed, at least to the victims. About 600 acres of Cologne had been flattened, including 90% of the central city. B-17s dropped bombs on Germany in areas. -
Period: to
Battle of Midway
click here for more On June 6, the skies cleared, and U.S. aircraft resumed their assault, sinking a cruiser and damaging several other warships. On June 4, a flying boat shot a Japanese tanker transport. At the Battle of Midway, Japan lost four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft, and suffered 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Hammann, 145 aircraft, and suffered 307 casualties. -
Period: to
Operation Torch
click here for more Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French Morocco and Algeria during the North African Campaign of World War II. Around 480 allies killed and 720 wounded. Operation Torch resulted in, Adolf Hitler ordering Operation Anton, to have German troops occupy Vichy France. Allied troops advanced into Tunisia trapping Axis forces. The Allies finally drove the Axis from North Africa in May 1943. -
Period: to
The Casablanca Conference
click here for more At this meeting, Roosevelt and Churchill focused on coordinating Allied military strategy against the Axis powers over the course of the coming year. On the final day of the Conference, President Roosevelt announced that he and Churchill had decided that the only way to ensure postwar peace was to adopt a policy of unconditional surrender. The policy of demand for surrender was an outgrowth of Allied war. -
Period: to
Battle of the Bulge
click here for more The Battle of the Bulge was a major battle in Europe during World War II. It was Germany's final attempt to drive the Allies off of mainland Europe. Most of the troops involved on the Allied side were American troops. It is considered one of the greatest battles ever fought by the United States military. The Germans broke through the U.S. line and advanced killed thousands of American troops. -
Surrender of Germany
click here for more After heavy fighting, Soviet forces neared Adolf Hitler's command bunker in central Berlin. On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide. Within days, Berlin fell to the Soviets. German armed forces surrendered unconditionally in the west on May 7, 1945. The German High Command, signed a document surrendering all German military forces, which results in World War II ends in Europe. -
Period: to
Potsdam Conference
click here for more The Potsdam Conference was the last of the World War II meetings held by the “Big Three” heads of state. Truman and the U.S. had deep suspicions about Soviet intentions in Europe. In the end, the Big Three agreed to divide Germany into three zones of occupation, and to defer discussions of German reunification until a later date. The other notable issue at Potsdam was one that was virtually unspoken. -
Period: to
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
click here for more In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, most victims died without any care to ease their suffering. In the years that followed, many of the survivors would face terrible side effects from the radiation. Some of those who entered the cities after the bombings to provide assistance also died from the radiation. By the end of 1945, the bombing had killed about 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and a further 74,000 in Nagasaki. -
Surrender of Japan
[click here for more](https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/education/008/expertclips/010] Nuclear weapons surprised Japan into surrendering at the end of World War II, except they didn’t. Japan actually surrendered because the Soviet Union entered the war. Japanese leaders said the bomb forced them to surrender because it was less embarrassing to say they had been defeated by a miracle weapon. Americans wanted to believe it and the myth of nuclear weapons was born.
