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Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack on the Americans by the Japanese. This attack was a result of growing tensions between the US and Japan. Because of the attack, the US joined the war. -
Bataan Death March
75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps. This happened after Filipino and American troops were forced to surrender to the Japanese. After this though, America invaded the island of Leyte and recaptured the Bataan Peninsula. -
Battle of Midway
Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. Because of advances in code breaking, the United States was able to counter Japan's planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers. The victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The Allies invade Western Europe in the largest amphibious attack in history. The Battle of Normandy resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. The result of the Battle changed the tide of the war and delivered a psychological blow to Hitler and the Nazis. -
Battle of the Bulge
A major German offensive is launched against the Allies in the Ardennes Mountains region on the Western Front. The purpose of the attack was to split the Allied armies by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. Allies were able to hold off the Germans, but the battle resulted in over 100,000 casualties. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As the war is dwindling down, German soldiers are fleeing and close to surrendering. This leaves the Allies a perfect opportunity to liberate all of the concentration camps. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
American soldiers make their first strike on the Japanese Home Islands at Iwo Jima. Attacked because the US needed a base near the Japanese coast. The Americans were able to defeat the Japanese and -
VE Day
In German troops throughout Europe, soldiers laid down their arms. Germans surrendered because they didn't want to be taken prisoners by the Soviets. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States dropped two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The US bombed Japan because Japan was becoming even more powerful and wouldn't surrender the war. After the bombs were deployed, 90% of the city was wiped out and Japan officially surrendered. -
VJ Day
It is announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II.