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Pearl Harbor
Japan sent 6 aircraft carriers and 360 planes to attack the main US navy base at Pearl Harbor. Their objective was to prevent the US from influencing their war efforts in SE Asia. The attack killed 2402 people and 1282 were left wounded. It stopped the US for only 6 months. However, on December 8th, FDR asked congross to declare war on Japan- entering the war. -
Doolittle Raid
US planned a surprise night attack on Tokyo. However, when the Japanese got wind of it, American troops moved the raid forward to the day. Unfortunetely, the bombs dropped only killed 50 civilians and damaged 100 buildings. Although it had little military gain, it boosted the morale of US soldiers. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
When Japan moved to take New Guinea, it left a perfect opportunity for Americans to attack Japan. US sent 2 aircraft carriers in the sea and it was a fully-naval battle. The battle ended with no one winning. However, the Japanese called off their attack of New Guinea, which is what the US were wanting. With this, the US finally was ahead in the war. -
Battle of Midway
Midway was the most important naval battle in WWII. The American naval base at Midway was crucial to the defense of Hawaii and war in the Pacific. Loss of this would push American troops back to the California coast. Since US knew Japan was coming, they were prepared. They sank 4 aircraft carriers and destroyed 250 planes. This battle turned the war in the Pacific in favor of America. -
Stalingrad
One of the biggest battles in WWII, the Germans fought the Soviet Union for control of Stalingrad. It was one of the bloodiest battles and nearly 2 million soldiers died. The Nazi troops were pushed out and had to retreat back to Germany. Stalingrad was the main turning point of the war. It ended all realistic plans of Hitler winning the war. -
D-Day Invasion
The D-Day invasion was the largest invasion in World War II. 11,000 planes and 4,400 ships and landing crafts prepared to attempt destorying German communication. The troops were split to attack at five different beaches: Utah, Juno, Omaha, Gold, and Sword.Omaha cause the largest number of casualties. Within a month, more than 1 million Allied troops had landed at Normandy to help with the take-down of Hitler. -
The Battle of the Bulge
Hitler knew that he needed a counter attack. In a desperate attempt to drive a wedge between America and Britain, he gathered his troops and suprised the Allied forces by creating a "bulge" on the American line. They pushed the forces back, only one troop held the line in Bastogne, Belgium. They continued to pust for about 2 weeks until Allied bombers attacked and pushed the Germans out of France. This failed attempt hurt the Germans severely. -
Hitler Died
Hitler commited suicide to avoid his public, torturous death. He was an emotional wreck because of the immense stress he was under. He was on many drugs, constantly paranoid and having nighmares that were impairing his sleep. Hitler's troops began ignoring his orders. He, his collegues, his children, their children, and his dogs all took cyanide capsules and their bodies were burned. -
Germany Surrenders
The Third Reich finally ended. With Germany fighting a two-front war, they knew it was over. And without their leader, the other people of high power decided to throw in the towel. Germany surrendered in a French schoolhouse. American were so elated about the surrender. They celebrated VE Day, Victory in Europe Day. -
Hiroshima Bomb Was Dropped
The Unoted States was extremely advanced with their creation of the atomic bomb. Fearing the loss of American life, Truman okayed the use of the bombs. Within two minutes of the bomb dropping, 60,000 Japanese lives were lost. This was a large devastation for Japan. They considering surrendering, but they opted to go with their original motto to fight to the last man.
