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Japan invades China
Japan's military was intensified during this time period which gave them an opportunity for world leadership. They began this reign by attacking China. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/china.htm -
The Rape of Nanking
In December of 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army decided to parade into the capital city of China (Nanking) and proceed to induce several weeks of bloody carnage by murdering half of the population. This would later be known as the Rape of Nanking, or one of the most brutal atrocities of WWII. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/nanking.htm -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
The German-Soviet Pact, also known as the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact after the two foreign ministers who negotiated the agreement, had two parts. An economic agreement, signed on August 19, 1939, provided that Germany would exchange manufactured goods for Soviet raw materials. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005156 -
Germany Invades Poland
Some may say that Germany's invasion of Poland was one of the main reasons that the second world war was spurred, and they may be correct in assuming so. By doing this, Germany directly annexed those former Polish territories along German's eastern border: West Prussia, Poznan, Upper Silesia, and the former Free City of Danzig. This caused the diminishing of alliances, or even trust among certain countries. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070 -
The Fall of Paris
On this day in 1940, German troops rolled into Paris to simply attempt to completely take over the country to gain a higher ranking in WWII. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris -
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Blitzkrieg Madness
The word 'blitzkrieg' derives from the term, "Lightning War". This was the perfect way to describe international relations between 1939 and 1940. This was thought to be phase one of WWII. It involved Germany's new military tactics which focused its attention on concentrated offensive weapons.
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Pearl Habor
The U.S. naval base couldn't have predicted this surprise attack. About 360 planes in total were launched that day, which killed over 2,300 people, and left more than 3,400 military casualties. Many say that this was the affair that launched the United States into the second World War. https://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack -
The Bataan Death March
The Philippine island of Luzon surrendered the Bataan Peninsula in April of 1942, which forced both Filipino and American troops to head out for the prison camps on the peninsula itself. The intense weather conditions on the way were considered to be deadly in some instances, awarding it the name of the Bataan Death March. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
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The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The so called uprising occurred after German troops entered the ghettos in which many Jews resided. Their main goal was to deport any survivors to concentration camps. Many of the inhabitants fought the armed men who wanted to tear them away from their last bit of freedom, and this led to a major stir which contributed to WWII. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007745 -
Allied Invasion of Italy
With North Africa secured and Sicily conquered, the Allied forces launched their invasion of Italy. It began with British forces skipping across the Strait of Messina to Calabria. A few days later, more British and American forces landed north at Salerno. Their main goal was to overall strengthen Germany. http://www.shmoop.com/wwii/invasion-italy.html -
D-day
On this day in 1944, over 160,000 armed French troops were ready and willing to fire at Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy.They wished to completely take out Hitler's crack troops. By the end of this altercation, certain allies gained possession of a military station in Continental Europe, which caused the sacrifice of over 9,000 lives. https://www.army.mil/d-day/ -
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The Battle of the Bulge
In December of 1944, the German army launched a counteroffensive that was made to cut through allied forces, causing the war to turn out in Hitler's favor. His response overall meant that the freedom of victory holds a higher priority over tyranny. -
Operation Thunderclap
In February 1945, the Allies launched Operation Thunderclap, a series of maximum efforts against cities in eastern Germany, partly to pave the way for the Red Army that would soon be overrunning that territory. These deep-penetration raids would tax the bomber crews immensely, as well as bring new devastation to cities yet untouched by U.S. air-power. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10737921 -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, after months
of naval and air bombardment. Approximately 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers took part in the battle.
Nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were
wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. The island was declared secured. This was to be known as one of the bloodiest battles in Marine corps history. http://www.nationalww2museum.org/focus-on/iwo-jima-fact-sheet.pdf -
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The battle of Okinawa
This battle was also known as 'Operation Iceberg'. It was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific theater of World War II. The fact that America had planed to capture the small island in order to be victorious in the war, is what spurred the battle in the first place. It resulted in a high casualty count for both Japan and the allies. http://www.historynet.com/battle-of-okinawa-operation-iceberg.htm -
V-E Day
"V-E", in turn, stands for victory in Europe. It was called this simply because this day commemorates the surrender of Nazi Germany back in 1945. This, of course, meant glory for the allies. http://www.historynet.com/v-e-day-1945-the-celebration-heard-round-the-world.htm -
Liberation of the Jews
One of the main aspects of the holocaust was obviously the entrapment of Jews in concentration camps. They were kept here for years and were forced to establish back-breaking labor against their own will. They were separated from their loved ones and in general were not happy at all. However, during the final stages of the war, Soviet soldiers came across these horrible camps and immediately put an end to the suffering. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007724 -
The Potsdam Declaration
This declaration was one simply written in order to define the terms for Japanese surrender of all armed forces during the war. http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Hiroshima/Potsdam.shtml -
Atomic trouble
On August 6, 1945, during World War II, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people. This would lead to the dropping of another bomb on Nagasaki just a mere three days later. Japan would soon surrender due to these actions. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
V-J Day
This stands for national "Victory over Japan" day. After Japan's surrender caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, America rejoiced for days on end. The war was officially over, and the country's morale was, in turn, boosted. http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/v-j-day.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
