World War II

By CFriesen11
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    The Battle of the Atlantic

    A naval battle on the Atlantic Ocean took place over the course of 6 years. German U-Boats (Submarines) began sinking unprotected ships, including allied merchant ships, which began a large retaliation and war.

  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    Pearl Harbor was an American Army Base stationed in Oahu, Hawaii. It was attacked by the Japanese Air Force, resulting in 2400 deaths, 1178 wounded, and 18 ships and 350 planes destroyed or damaged. The United States declared war on Japan, and the Axis Powers, because of this attack.
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    The Battle of the Coral Sea

    Japan was winning every battle they went into and quickly taking over the Pacific Ocean. The USA and Australia went to war with Japan and lost, but successfully prevented a devastating invasion.
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    The Battle of Midway

    Admiral Chester Nimitz intercepted a Japanese coded message and launched an attack on them. Japan lost 4 carriers, 3 destroyers, 275 planes, and at least 4800 men.
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    The Battle of Stalingrad

    The Germans broke the nonaggression pact and invaded the Soviet Union. Hitler's hopes were to capture Stalin's oil fields, and eventually occupied 90% of Soviet lands. However the winter of 1943 hit and Hitler ordered the German army to stay put. Stalin took this to his advantage and won the battle. Due to the breaking of the pact, the Soviet Union began to push Westward and into German territory. This was the turning point of the war.

  • France freed from Nazi control

    Following the end of the battle on Omaha beach, France was freed from the control of the Nazis and taken back by the Allied Forces.

  • The Normandy Invasion (D-Day)

    The Soviet Union continued to push into Nazi-Controlled Poland, and the Allied Forces, 150000 strong, continued to push into Italy. During this, the battle on Omaha beach known as D-Day was held. It was labelled one of the most dangerous ares to inhabit.
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    The Battle of the Bulge

    German piloted tanks broke through American lines, and made an attempt to capture Antwerp, Belgium. Germany was close to winning, having killed 80000 American soldiers. But they lost in the end, having 120000 deaths.

  • Yalta Conference

    Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill met in Yalta to discuss what post-war changes would be made. This created the famous United Nations.

  • Potsdam

    Truman, Churchill, and Stalin met in Potsdam, Germany to discuss how to deal with the surrendering German country. They created a blueprint to disarm Germany and eliminate the Nazi Regime. Germany was divided up into 4 sections, and trials were set up to persecute Nazis. Japan was ordered to unconditionally surrender.
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    The Occupation of Japan

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    The Nuremberg Trials

    Trials were held for Nazis who were captured. 121 of 22 defendants were sentenced to death and 200 others were found guilty but given lesser sentences.
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    Iwo Jima

    Japan-controlled Iwo Jima was critical for the success of the USA. They launched an attack and were successful.
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    The Battle of Okinawa

    This was Japan's last defensive stronghold and they were willing to die for it. Japan was unsuccessful, having killed off several of their planes using Kamikaze techniques.

  • The Death of Franklin Roosevelt

    FDR was beginning his 4th term as USA President when he passed away. The feeling of loss and grievance swept through the USA at the news of his death. Harry Truman, acting Vice-President, took over his role as President.

  • The Death of Adolf Hitler

    German Fuerher, Adolf Hitler, commits suicide by gunshot and cyanide. This took a huge shot at the Nazi army, but they vowed to continue the war on the world.

  • V-E Day

    General Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted the surrender of the Third Reich. This day went down in history as Victory in Europe Day. As of then, the 1st half of the war was over.
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    The Manhattan Project

    Two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. One named "Little Boy" was dropped in Hiroshima, destroying the entire city in 43 seconds. The other named "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki, which leveled half the city.

  • Japan's Surrender

    This was the day that Japan offered their unconditional surrender to the Allied Forces, following the Manhattan Project.

  • V-J Day

    This was the formal surrender of Japan, named Victory in Japan Day.