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Japanese invasion of China
The Japanese invaded China proper, launching the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese Kwantung Army turned a small incident into a full-scale war. Chinese forces were unable to effectively resist the Japanese. The Japanese military was not only better armed and organized, they were also incredibly brutal. The rape of Nanking was some of the most terrible atrocities of World War II.
The Japanese moved south, seizing control of most of China. and major ports broke out in Europe. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany troops invade Poland all along its 1,750- mile border with German-controlled territory. In Poland, German forces advanced at a dizzying rate. Employing a military strategy known as the blitzkrieg, or “lightning war,” armored divisions smashed through enemy lines and isolated segments of the enemy, which were encircled and captured by motorized German infantry while the panzer tanks rushed forward to repeat the pattern. Meanwhile, the sophisticated German air force–the Luftwaffe–destroye -
German Blitzkrieg
A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland in 1939 before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands and France in 1940. -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked teh American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack lasted two hours but it was decastating: the Japanese manged to destory nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died.
The attack was intended to neutalize the U.S Pacific Fleet, and hence protect Japan's advance into Malaya, where it sought access to natural resources such as oil and rubber. -
D-Day
The day the Allied powers crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II. Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the invasion force would be preparing to enter Germany, where they would meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east. -
The Battle of Iwo Jima
The Japanese had dug all sorts of tunnels and hiding places all over the island. They were waiting quietly for more marines to get on shore. Once a number of marines were on shore they attacked. Many US soldiers were killed. The battle went on for days. The Japanese would move from area to area in their secret tunnels. Sometimes the US soldiers would kill the Japanese in a bunker. They would move on thinking it was safe. However, more Japanese would sneak into the bunker and attack from behind. -
Battle of Okinawa
Japanese forces changed their tactics of resisting at the water's edge to a defense in depth, designed to gain time. The Japanese navy and army mounted mass air attacks by plane on a one-way "suicide" missions. The net result of the attack was it made Okinawa a mass bloodletting both on land and at sea. -
VE Day
The main concern of many German soldiers was to elude the grasp of Soviet forces, to keep from being taken prisoner. About 1 million Germans attempted a mass exodus to the West when the fighting in Czechoslovakia ended, but were stopped by the Russians and taken captive. The Russians took approximately 2 million prisoners in the period just before and after the German surrender. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bomb
An american dropped the first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 80,000 people and many later died due to the radiation from the bomb. About three days later, a second bomber dropped another bomb on Nagasaki killing 40,000 people. -
VJ Day
On September 2, 1945, Japan annouced that they have surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II. Japan had supposedly surrendered because America had unveiled a new weapon dropping bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
