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Japanese Invasion of China
Japan invaded China in 1937 due to Japan's desire to be an imperial power like the U.S. and Russia. They needed more resources and land and China had just that. This began the Second Sino-Japanese War which then led to WWII.
Source: http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/sino-japanese-war -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
This was a non-aggression pact signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. It stated that there would be no belligerence by each party towards the other and that neither party would ally itself to, or aid, an enemy of the other party. After it was signed, Hitler broke it. This led to conflicts between them in WWII.
Source: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany invades Poland and the Polish army is deafeated within weeks of the invasion. Hitler claimed this invasion was for more living space and a defense action.The remaining polish army joined the Western Allies and it was the start of WWII in Europe.
Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg was a military tactic that the Germans tried out on Poland and succeded. It was used by the Germans because they wanted to overrun Europe and used this tactic to do it. They then used it with other invasions (Belgium, France, Netherlands). This affected the Germans because they felt undefeatable.
Source:
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437 -
Fall of Paris
The battle of France, also known as the Fall of Paris. Europe had been at war for nine months but they hadn't really experienced any fighting (the Phony War). Germans gave them something real. They defeated France with two main operations. This eventually lead them to the conquest of France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Source: http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/fall-of-france -
Operation Barbarossa
The invasion of Russia by Germany. This went against the pact between Hitler and Stalin but Hitler wanted Soviet territory. About 4 million soldiers invaded but failed despite the bad conditions of the Russians. It was the largest invasion in the history of war because of the number of men involved and the number of men that died. It benefited Britain because Germany ran out of resources in time for the war with Britain.
Source: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor Attack
Japanese planes bombed the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and killed more than 2,300 Americans. The Japanese did this as a preventive strategy but they were also angry because the U.S. banned trade of oil with them and it set them back. They also wanted to become the strongest naval power but America held them back. The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II.
Source: http://www.enkivillage.com/why-did-japan-attack-pearl-harbor.html -
Wannsee Conference
Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior officials in Germany. The plan to kill off jews was presented. The meeting was set up to talk and coordinate the implementation of what was called the Final Solution of the Jewish Question. This meeting affected the Jewish population because it stated that they would execute them.
Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
Bataan Death March
This was a forced march by the Japanese. They made 60,000–80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war transfer to their new prison camps. Many of them died before they could reach their destination. It happened because of the U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese.
Source: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Stalingrad
This was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad. Soviet forces surrounded and crushed an entire German army. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked it changed the game in favor of the Allies. It had civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. Stalin gained confidence in his military and remained largely on the offensive for the rest of the war.
Source: http://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The act of Jewish resistance that started within the to oppose the German's attempt to take them to prison camps. They refused to surrender to the police who then ordered that the ghetto be burned block by block, 13,000 Jews died, either suffocated or burned alive. All Jews were being executed at the time so the remaining Jews did this to try to bring an end to it. The site of ruins became a prison camp as well.
Source: https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/mobile/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005188 -
Operation Gomorrah
This was a codename for an attack on Germany by Britain and America. Britain bombed Germany by night while America bombed it by morning. It was done because Germany killed 167 British civilians and Britain wanted to turn the tables. More than 1,500 Germans were killed. It caused many casualties and even affected Hitler because looking at the ruins made him feel as if it were the end of the war for him.
Source: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
Allied Invasion of Italy
Allies invade Italy. The allies wanted the next step after their victory to be the invasion of Italy hoping an Allied invasion would divert German divisions from the coast of France where the Allies planned to attack later. They drove German and Italian troops from Sicily and prepared to assault the Italian mainland.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/invasion-of-sicily -
D-Day
American, British and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of France's Normandy region and attacked. They did this to end the Nazi domination of Europe. This was the beginning of the Allied invasion of Europe and a turning point in WWII. This invasion was significant for the victory of the allied forces and paved the way.
Source: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/d-day-index/june-6th-1944/ -
Battle of the Bulge
This was Germany's attack on America. It happened because of Hitler's desperate attempt to salvage victory and recapture Antwerp in Belgium. Because the allies were unprepared for the attack, the Germans made initial progress, creating a bulge in the allied line. It was a bloody war for Americans and more than 100,000 of their troops were killed or injured.
Source: http://www.army.mil/botb/ -
Operation Thunderclap
This was a codename for the bombing of Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, and Chemnitz. The original plan was to bomb Berlin but the idea was shelved. It was revisted when the Allies wanted to see a way of harming the Soviets. Many properties were destroyed and 305,000 to 600,000 civilians died. Germany used this event for propaganda purposes.
Source: http://ww2today.com/13-february-1945-operation-thunderclap-raf-start-firestorm-in-dresden -
Battle of Iwo Jima
A battle where the U.S. captured the island of Iwo Jima. The U.S. needed to capture Iwo Jima to be able to defeat Japan. They wanted to capture the island and its three airfields to use the area for attacks on the Japanese main islands. Many Japanese soldiers were killed and even more Americans were killed. The island was used as emergency landing strip for the air force because it was useless because of all the casualties.
Source: http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of Okinawa
A battle between the United States and Japan and it lasted 82 days. The U.S. needed a base to invade mainland Japan so they had to capture Okinawa because it was just that. More than 12,000 Americans were killed or missing in action. Japan was defeated and American bases remained.
Source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/pacific-civilians-okinawa/ -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day. This was a day that celebrated the end of WWII in Europe. It marked the conclusion of the six years of misery of the country. This was important because it meant that the war was coming to an end for every country.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/events/ve_day -
Potsdam Declaration
This was a document that called and outlined the terms of surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. It said that if Japan didn't surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction." This marked the end of the war.
Source: http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Hiroshima/Potsdam.shtml -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
America drops the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was done to make japan surrender quicker and not kill any more Allies soldiers. 80,000 people were killed and out of 90,000 buildings in only 28,000 remained. Japan surrendered a few days later and WWII ended.
Source: http://atomicbombmuseum.org/4_ruins.shtml -
VJ Day
Victory over Japan Day. News of the surrender was announced to the world. President Truman declared September 2 to be VJ Day. Many celebrated the final ending of World War II.
Source: http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/September/vjday.htm
