-
Period: to
German Blitzkrieg
The blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. 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. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
pearl harbor
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base that was the scene of a devastating attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Just before on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
The Wannsee Conference
1941,Herman Goering, writing under instructions from Hitler, had ordered Reinhard Heydrich, SS general and Heinrich Himmler’s number-two man, to submit “as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative, material, and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired final solution of the Jewish question.” On this day, Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the “Final Solution."
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
Operation Gomorrah
1943, British bombers raided Hamburg, Germany, by night in Operation Gomorrah, while Americans bomb it by day in its own “Blitz Week.” Britain had suffered the deaths of 167 civilians Now the tables were going to turn. The evening of July 24 saw British aircraft drop 2,300 tons of bombs on Hamburg in just a few hours.. More than 1,500 German civilians were killed in that first British raid.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising
The Warsaw ghetto uprising was a violent revolt that occurred from April 19 to May 16, 1943, during World War II. Residents of the Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, Poland, staged the armed revolt to prevent deportations to Nazi-run extermination camps. The Warsaw uprising inspired other revolts in extermination camps and ghettos throughout German-occupied Eastern Europe.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
Allied invasion of Italy
The British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery begins the Allied invasion of the Italian peninsula, crossing the Strait of Messina from Sicily and landing at Calabria–the “toe” of Italy. On the day of the landing, the Italian government secretly agreed to the Allies’ terms for surrender, but no public announcement was made until September 8.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland -
D-Day
During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
1944, Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. American units fought battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was an epic military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan in early 1945. Located 750 miles off the coast of Japan, the island of Iwo Jima had three airfields that could serve as a staging facility for a potential invasion of mainland Japan. American forces invaded the island on February 19, 1945, and the ensuing Battle of Iwo Jima lasted for five weeks https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
VE Day
On this day in 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
On August 6, 1945, during World War II, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
VJ Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.” The term has also been used for September 2, 1945, when Japan’s formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of World War II, and one of the bloodiest. On April 1, 1945—Easter Sunday—the Navy’s Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. The invasion was part of Operation Iceberg, a complex plan to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
Potsdam Declaration
Held near Berlin, the Potsdam Conference (July 17-August 2, 1945) was the last of the World War II meetings held by the “Big Three” heads of state. Featuring American President Harry S. Truman, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (and his successor, Clement Attlee) and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, the talks established a Council of Foreign Ministers and a central Allied Control Council for administration of Germany. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/potsdam-conference -
Liberation of concentration camps
1945, German negotiators stated that as the camp had 9,000 sick inmates, many of them with typhus, but neither water nor medical supplies, they were prepared to surrender the camp and the neighbouring area. Their stated motive was to prevent the epidemic contaminating the soldiers deployed in the vicinity. Consequently, on 15 April the British took the surrender of the camp. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-liberate-auschwitz
