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Invasion of Poland
This was the beginning of WWII in Europe. The German army marched across the 1,250 miles of the Polish border and they began a Blitzkrieg against Poland. -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler broke the nonaggression pact and attacked the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union then joined the Allies, however, Stalin was unable to stop the blitzkrieg.The German attack slowed with the onset of the Russian winter -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
This attack was not warned and it was unkown to the U.S. The attacking planes came in two waves with he first one hitting its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. -
The Battle of the Atlantic
Germany wanted to prevent food and war materials from reaching Great Britain and the Soviet Union. The first 4 months of 1942, Germany sank 87 ships. About 7 months into 1942, German wolf packs destroyed 681 Allied ships. -
The Doolittle Raid
16 American bombers attacked Tokyo but it did not do major damage to Japan. It did give Americans something to celebrate to increase their hopes. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Allies had stopped Japan’s attempt to invade New Guinea. The U.S. had lost one carrier in this battle, which was the U.S.S. Lexington. The British and U.S naval force stopped the Japanese from advancing on Australia. -
The Battle of Midway
This was a two way attack. One of the attacks was in the Aleutian Islands near Alaska and the other one was Midway, 2 small islands NW of Hawaii. Japan hoped to lure the U.S. fleet into the open and destroy it during these attacks. -
Guadalcanal- Island Hopping
Guadalcanal - August 7, 1942 – February 9, 1943
1st US offensive where the Marines used the navy in order to launch an assault on one of the Solomon Islands. The Japanese still do not surrender and they will fight to the end. The U.S. had a victory after six months -
The Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the last German offensive on the eastern front. This was an important Soviet city because of its location on the Volga River and closeness to the Soviet oil fields. -
War Going On in Italy
The Italian Government forced Benito Mussolini to resign and Mussolini was stripped of power. Germany rushed to stop the Allies who were attacking Italy. The fighting had slowed near Rome but there was a near amphibious attack at “Bloody Anzio” - 40 miles from Rome. They were unable to break beachhead and after months of fighting, the Allies entered Rome in June 1944. Rome was the first Axis capital to fall. 300,000 Allied troops were killed or wounded fighting in Italy. -
The Battle of the Bulge
Hitler would not give up. This was the counterattack near the Ardennes region of Belgium & Northern France. Germans created a large bulge in Allied lines, but the offensive eventually failed. -
D-Day
160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile long French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in where “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” Thousands of ships and aircrafts supported the D-Day invasion. By the end of it, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Normandy. -
Yalta Conference
FDR, Churchill, & Stalin meet to discuss plans for postwar peace. They agreed on the following terms: to divide & occupy Germany, to divide Berlin, Stalin promised to hold elections in Eastern European countries after the war and the Soviets will join war on Japan 3 months after German surrender. -
Iwo Jima
This was a battle on a volcanic island 750 miles south of Tokyo
They used a cave Network and that resulted in very bloody Fighting. The flag raising on top of Mount Suribachi is one of the most iconic war photos of all time. -
Battle of Okinawa
Only 350 miles from Japan and was one of the largest invasions in the Pacific. Also one of the boodiest battles in the Pacific. This was an American victory. -
Victory in Europe
The official surrender of German forces to the Allies after Hitler's death. -
United States Warning
The United States had demanded the Japanese to surrender or “prompt and utter destruction”. However, the Japanese had refused once again to surrender. So, the United States had warned the citizens of possible bombings. -
Hiroshima Bombing
This was the first attack on Japan. It was bombed with the first atomic (uranium) bomb ever seen on the warfront. The U.S. bomb was named Little Boy. -
Nagasaki Bombing
The second bombing on Japan. This bomb was larger and even more powerful than Little Boy. This bomb was named Fat Man. -
Japan Surrenders
The Japanese, who were aboard the USS Missouri, officially surrendered.
