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German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
Blitzkrieg was a German term for “lightning war” which was a military tactic that was created to disorganized the enemy forces through firepower and mobile forces. Blitzkrieg happened or was created to help the execution of German military tactics of taking over Europe for more than two years. The success of Blitzkriegs resulted in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Fall of Paris (1940)
German forces occupied Paris after the flight of the French government and the collapse of the French army. The fall of Paris occurred because the French army could not defend against the German fleet occupying Europe. As a result of the Germans took over Paris, French government was governed by the Germans.There was also a curfew set for the citizens for nine to five. Rations of food was also imposed as well.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/france-to-surrender -
Pearl Harbor (1941)
Pearl Harbor was a U.S. naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii, that was victim of a devastating surprise attack by the Japanese forces. On that Sunday hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base and managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels including battleships, and airplanes. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor to destroy important American fleets. This attack resulted in president FDR asking congress to declare war on Japan.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference (1942)
The Wannsee Conference was a German conference that consisted of 15 high ranked Nazi party and German government officials who all gathered at a villa in the suburb to discuss and coordinate the implementation of what they called the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question.” As a result of the conference Nazis received full backing from participants to carry out the extermination of the European Jews.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/wannsee-conference-and-the-final-solution -
Bataan Death March (1942)
On April 9, 1942 the U.S surrendered the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island to the Japanese. There were approximately 75,00 Filipino and American troops on Bataan that were forced to make a 65 mile march to a prison camp. As a result of the Bataan Death March the american government feared that if they told people the Japanese forces would revolt.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/wannsee-conference-and-the-final-solution -
Battle of Midway (1942)
The battle of Midway was the turning point of the pacific war. The Japanese fleet commander hoped to smash what remained of the U.S navy's Pacific fleet. But instead was ambushed by three U.S carriers that had steamed north and west from Hawaii. As an result of the Battle of Midway marked a turning point in the war in the Pacific campaign.
https://warontherocks.com/2013/09/the-importance-of-the-battle-of-midway/ -
Battle of Stalingrad (1942)
The Battle of Stalingrad was an successful soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad. The Russians stopped the German advance into the Soviet union and marked this battle of the turning of the tide of the war in favor of the allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was a big factor that supported the allied victory during WWll. The Soviet army spent most of the war getting the territory that they had lost back from Germany.
https://warontherocks.com/2013/09/the-importance-of-the-battle-of-midway/ -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising (1943)
The Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghettos to deport the surviving members. At least seven hundred and fifty of them fought the heavily armed, well trained Germans. As a result the Germans ended the revolt slowly, more than 56,000 jews were captured, 7,000 were shot and the rest were deported to camps. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion - 1944)
On June 6, 1944 the allied forces of America, Britain, Canada, and France attacked the German forces on the coast of Normandy, France.To prepare for the invasion the allies assembled troops and equipment in Britain. The first wave of the attack is with paratroopers. Their job was to destroy key targets in order to maintain the land on the beach. As an result of the D-Day over 150,000 troops had landed in Normandy and pushed their way inland.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/d-day -
Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a epic military battle between U.S Marines and the imperial army of Japan.The island has three airfields that could serve for a potential invasion of mainland Japan. American forces invaded the island on February 19,1945 and lasted for five weeks. As an result of this it is believed that all but 200 or so of the 21,000 Japanese forces on the island were killed, as were almost 7,000 Marines.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
-VE Day (1945)
V-E Day is victory in Europe celebrated on May 8, 1945 to mark the formal acceptance by the allies of world war ll of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. Commemorating the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the allied forces. Million were relieved that the intense war was finally over. But it was not the end of the conflict not was it the end of the impact war had on the people.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-ve-day -
Dropping of the atomic bombs (1945)
The American bomber dropped the five ton bomb over Hiroshima. The blast was equivalent to the power of 15,000 tons of TNT in a reduced space of four square miles of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people. President Harry S. Truman was warned that any attempt to invade Japan would end in many horrific American casualties and ordered that the new weapon of the bomb be used to bring the war to an speedy end. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima -
VJ Day (1945)
VJ Day was the day they announced that Japan had surrendered to the allies officially ending the war. Since this day august 14 and 15 have been known as the victory over Japan. This term was also used when the Japanese formal surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri that was anchored in Tokyo Bay. The coming several months after the surrender of the Nazi Germany, Japan's run in the Pacific brought six years of hostilities to an final close.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
Liberation of concentration camps (1945)
The British forces liberated concentration camps in northern Germany, including the Neuengamme and Bergen-Belsen. They enter the concentration camps in Bergen-Belsen in mid April of 1945. 60,000 prisoners, many of these prisoners survived forced marches and were suffering from starvation and disease. As a result of the liberation of the camps many prisoners were freed and able to find there family members after the war.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation-of-nazi-camps -
Battle of the Bulge (1945)
This battle was the very last major German launch of there offensive attempt of the war. It was an attempt to push the allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge is called this because the Germans created a bulge around the area of the forest in order to push the Americans. The battle raged for at least three weeks resulting in an massive loss of American and civilian life.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-the-bulge
