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Japanese Invasion of China
The original invasion took place in 1931. However, another form of the invasion occurred again in 1937 which is when the war between these two countries began. China gave in quite easily and without much of a struggle. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/china_war.htm -
Rape of Nanking
This event was tragic. After the city of Nanking was taken over by the Japanese, soldiers began to come in and rape anyone and everyone they could. They are unsure as to when the actual rappings began, but reports of the incident started in December of 1937. Hundreds of thousands were brutally raped and murdered.
www.history.com/topics/nanjing-massacre -
The German Blitzkrieg
This was more of a tactic. Blitzkrieg or "lighting war" is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland in 1939 before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. -
Germany Invades Poland
One of Adolf Hitler's first major foreign policy initiatives after coming to power was to sign a nonaggression pact with Poland in January 1934. This move was not popular with many Germans who supported Hitler but resented the fact that Poland had received the former German provinces of West Prussia, Poznan, and Upper Silesia under the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. He wanted the land back that he felt belonged to Germany.
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World War II
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The Fall of Paris
Paris was taken over by German forces on this day. When German troops crossed over into France, the french had no shot at being able to take the Germans. Germany was better equipped and better prepared for victory. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/fall_france_01.shtml -
Operation Barbarossa
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 failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52772/Operation-Barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941 planes were launched by Japan forces towards the island of Oahu, HI. Japan's attack on our great nation, ultimately is what sent the United States into war.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm -
Wannsee Conferece
On January, 20, 1942, Reinhard Heydrich, Himmler's second in command of the SS, convened the Wannsee Conference in Berlin with 15 top Nazi bureaucrats to coordinate the Final Solution (Endlösung) in which the Nazis would attempt to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe, an estimated 11 million persons.
http://www.holocaust-history.org/short-essays/wannsee.shtml -
Bataan Death March
They are unsure of the exact date that the march began. This march consisted of about 76,000 prisoners being marched along a 60-mile path by the Japanese. -
Kasserine Pass
The Kasserine Pass was a 2 mile wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia. Many battles were fought in this area. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
In the summer of 1942, about 300,000 Jews were deported from Warsaw to Treblinka. When reports of mass murder in the killing center leaked back to the Warsaw ghetto, a surviving group of mostly young people formed an organization called the Z.O.B. The Z.O.B., led by 23-year-old Mordecai Anielewicz, issued a proclamation calling for the Jewish people to resist going to the railroad cars. The Jews were going to fight back. -
Operation Gomorrah
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D-Day Normandy Invasion
This particular invasion was the largest one in World War II, and probably in histoty. This invasion of Normandy led to a chain reactions of invasions. -
Battle of the Bulge
On December 16, with the onset of winter, the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor. The battle that ensued is known historically as The Battle of the Bulge. The courage and fortitude of the American Soldier was tested against great adversity. Nevertheless, the quality of his response ultimately meant the victory of freedom over tyranny. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, who fought from an elaborate network of caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. Despite the difficulty of the conditions, the marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting, and the battle earned a place in American lore with the publication of a photograph showing the U.S. flag being raised in victory. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa started in April 1945. The capture of Okinawa was part of a three-point plan the Americans had for winning the war in the Far East. Okinawa was to prove a bloody battle even by the standards of the war in the Far East but it was to be one of the major battles of World War Two.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_okinawa.htm -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day was on May 8th 1945. VE Day officially announced the end of World War Two in Europe. On Monday May 7th at 02.41. German General Jodl signed the unconditional surrender document that formally ended war in Europe.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ve_day.htm -
Potsdam Declaration
Held near Berlin, the Potsdam Conference (July 17-August 2, 1945) was the last of the World War II meetings held by the “Big Three” heads of state. Featuring American President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, the talks established a Council of Foreign Ministers and a central Allied Control Council for administration of Germany.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/potsdam-conference -
Hiroshima Breaks Out
In Hiroshima almost everything up to about one mile from X was completely destroyed, except for a small number (about 50) of heavily reinforced concrete buildings, most of which were specially designed to withstand earthquake shock, which were not collapsed by the blast; most of these buildings had their interiors completely gutted, and all windows, doors, sashes, and frames ripped out. http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/MED/med_chp9.shtml -
VJ Day
Germany has surrender, and the war comes to a close with VJ Day being announced. Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which Japan surrendered, in effect ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event.
time.com/3517476
