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Japanese Expansion
The Japanese started by expanding into Indochina and in 1940 and then China later in 1941. Both times the US told Japan to get out and they started cutting off their oil supply. In November before Pearl Harbor Japan sends diplomats to the US to try and talk it out, but at the same time, the ships to attack Pearl Harbor. At this time the US had cut off all oil to Japan. -
Germany invades Poland
Hitler launches an all out attack on Poland. Brittain and France declared war two days later. -
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World War II
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Soviets invade Poland from the East
By the end of the first month of WWII, the Polish army was in shambles and the victors had dividedd the country according to the Nazi-Soviet Pact. -
Germany continues Blitzkrieg
Germany had crushed both Demarck and Norway. the battles of Belgium, Netherlands, and Frace followed in May and June. -
Winston Churchhill as Prime Minister
Brittain blamed GErmany rapid victories on Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. Winston Churchhill replace him. He rallied the nation by radio while being bombed by Germany. He poured his resources into anitaircraft weapons to protect the nation. -
North African Campaign Begins
This is when the fighting started in North Africa between the Allied and Axis powers. Italy was important because they had had control of Libya before the war. Both sides also wanted the area because of the Mediterranean and beause of the Suez Canal near Egypt. -
Mussolinin gets involved
Italy invaded Frace from the southeast in the hope that they would gain land in the future. France couldn't handle the German onslaught. -
France Surrenders
Both the German and Italian forces pushed the French resistance to the banks of of Dunkirk in northern France. The government of Freance surrendered leaving it for Germany to control the country. -
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Germany invades USSR
This broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Three million German troops penetrate the Soviet lines. By July the German army rolled to within two hundred miles of Moscow. German troops killed 4.5 million Soviet Soldiers. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
The Japanese surprise attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This was a huge loss for the U.S. because they were not expecting it, and lost many ships due to it, which hurt their navy in the Pacific. This also caused the U.S. to enter the war on both fronts. -
US and Britain declare war on Japan
This is the date when the United States and Britain had officially declared war on Japan. This was right after the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. They would mainly be fighting Japan because Britain was busy with the war in Europe. -
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Coral Sea
This was a battle between Japan and America that included both the navy and the airforce. The Japanese wanted to expand their fight,and the U.S. didn't want this to happen in New Guinea. Technically the Japanese sunk more ships, but it was the first time the US was able to hault the Japanese advance. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
It was a batttle between Germany and the USSR. The Soviet army was succussful. Germany suffered many deaths, and it was a turning point in the war towards the allies. -
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Midway I
The Japanese wanted to attack the US in the Pacific so that they would have total control, but the US stood up against this attack. This was a major turning point in this front of the war because the United States won the battle, which was Japans first loss in a while, and the momentum was beginning ot change. -
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Guadalcanal
This was fought on what is now the Solomon Islands. This was a key island for control of the Pacific, and the Japanese and Americans fought this one out over a long period of time. The Americans eventually won which gave them control of the island. -
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El Alamein
This battle was important because the victor would have control of Egypt and the Suez Canal, which would connect them to Asia and the MIddle East. the Allies were able to stop the Axis powers here and were able to defeat them in this battle, which allowed them to remain control of the city and region. -
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Kasserine Pass
This battle took place in Tunisia. It was also one of the first times that th American and German armies fought in North Africa. The Americans lost a lot of men in the beginning,but the British came to stop the German advances. Eventually the Allies for the most part won and were able to have power in North Africa. -
D-Day
The Allied Forces atteck the heavily fortified French beaches of Normandy. They fought they way through German defences. This led to the liberation of Paris. -
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Leyte Gulf
This battle was fought near the Phillipines and it was the largest naval battle of the war and some consider it to be the largest of all time. The US wanted to isolate Japan from other countries. The Japanese used the Kamikazee tactic, but they did lose, and the Americans liberated the island and cut Japan's oil supply by doing this. -
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Battle of Manila
This battle was part of the Phillipine campaign. The battle took place in the city of Manila and it destroyed the city. It was also the worst urban fighting in the Pacific Campaign, and when the Americans won, the city was freed and the Japanese no longer occupied the Phillipines. -
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Iwo Jima
The Americans wanted to capture this island from the Japanese because although it ws small it was an important part of the refueling of ships and it had three airfields. The Americans did end up winning, but there were a lot casualites and it was a long battle. -
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Okinawa
The battle was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. The United States wanted to occupy these islands that were near the mainland of Japan. This was because the war was coming to an end and they needed an air base to launch their attacks on the mainland of Japan. -
Germany surrenders
He claimed that his German soldiers were unworthy of his greatness and refused surrender. This led to extra unnecessary deaths. Hitler commited suicide with his wife, and Germany surrendered. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Japan was not going to surrender the war until all of their troops were dead. The U.S. decided that they needed to do something drastic to end the war, so this was it. With the dropping of this bomb and the next, the war was ended. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
This was the second bomb that was dropped on Japan. The people were greatly hurt and the city completely destroyed, but the war was ended. This was the first atomic bomb used in war, and it ended WWII. -
Japanese Instrument of Surrender
This was when Japan signed a writted agreement to surrender in World War II. The signing took place on the USS Missouri and it was in Tokyo Bay. This was Japan's official surrender of the war.