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Rape of Nanking
Japanese arms brutally murdered hundreds of civilians in Nanking, China. The soldiers looted many stores, killing people and animals in their way. They didn't show any remorse for anyone in their way and killed many people.
https://www.history.com/topics/japan/nanjing-massacre -
Germany Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. It was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war. Would eventually become the Blitzberg strategy. The Germans attacked them from the air and from land. The Polish military tried to fight back but was undersupplied.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg was a military tactic they used to conquer more land. It was calculated to create a physiological shock. It was also used to create resultant disorganization. They did this through the employment of surprise, speed, and superiority in firepower.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/blitzkrieg -
Battle of Britain
It was a major air campaign. It was fought mostly over Southern England. Germany planned to gain air superiority in preparation for an invasion of Great Britain. It was won by the Royal Air Force. This was a big deal because the victory blocked the possibility of invasion and ultimately the defeat of Nazi Germany.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Britain-European-history-1940 -
Pearl Harbor
A surprise attack by the Japanese on a US naval base. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attack naval ships, battleships, airplanes, and people. It was a reaction to the US trying to stop Japanese expansion efforts. Their only goal was to destroy the pacific fleet of America so that they could continue to expand over the South Pacific.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was considered one of the most decisive battles on the Eastern Battle Front in WWII. It is also known as one of the bloodiest battles in Modern Warfare. It stopped the German advance into the soviet union. It also marked the turning of the tide of war in the allies' favor.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad -
Battle of the Coral Sea
US naval airplanes thwarted Japanese planes to Occupy Port Moresby, New Guinea. It was the first opportunity for the US to challenge the Japanese naval ships with almost equivalent equipment. The US had trained many hours in the inter-war for this. Unfortunately, the Japanese won.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Coral-Sea -
Wannsee Conference
It was a meeting of Nazi officials in Wannsee, Berlin. They used this conference to figure out what they wanted to do with the Jews. They created a "final solution" towards the Jews which was basically killing them. This was a turning point in how the Nazis treated the Jews and led to many deaths.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Wannsee-Conference -
Battle of Midway
This battle was the US trying to defend a major military base in Midway from Japan. It was an air-sea battle. It was successful for the US and ruined Japan's hopes of neutralizing the US as a naval power. It effectively turned the war in the Pacific and Japan could never fully recover.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Operation Gomorrah
In July 1943, the Allied forces unleashed a fiery attack on Germany's second-largest city. Named Operation Gomorrah after the Biblical city that God destroyed with fire and brimstone, the brutal bombing campaign was designed to destroy German morale and end the war.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-bombing-of-hamburg-foreshadowed-the-horrors-of-hiroshima -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
This invasion marked the turn of the tide for the control maintained by Nazi Germany. It resulted in the allied liberation of Western Europe. many countries stormed the beaches at the same time trying to bombard them. The main goal was the liberation of Nazi control.
https://www.chron.com/news/article/D-DAY-CHANGED-THE-WORLD-13940845.php -
Battle of the Bulge
German forces launched a surprise attack on Allied forces. They launched this attack in the forested Ardennes region in Belgium, France, and Luxemburg. It was the last major german military offense in western Europe. The allied forces forced the Germans to withdraw.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As Soviet troops marched across Poland they came across multiple concentration camps. They didn't really know what they were at first but they came across many dying people. They helped them gave them food and liberated them as they came across more and more.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation-of-nazi-camps -
Battle of Iwo Jima
American forces invaded the island. The battle lasted for 5 weeks. The American forces wanted this land because it meant the US could run bombing strategies from their airfields. They also wanted to prove to the Japanese that they can beat them and by taking this land they thought they could do that.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
The US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. One of these was in Hiroshima and one was in Nagasaki. President Harry S. Truman was the one who decided to do these attacks in hopes of ending the war quickly. These bombs were devastating for Japan. They killed around 214,000 people combined. It did make Japan surrender.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki