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Holocaust
The Holocaust was the murder of 11 million people in Germnay under the command of Adolf Hitler. Jews, homosexuals, the menatally disabled, the physcially disabled, and roman gypsies were the people killed during this time period. Hitler belived that the 'Ayran" race was superior, and therefore he wanted his country to be made up of soley this kind of people. -
Japan Invades China
The Japanese Army turned a small incident into a full blown war. Chinses forces were not able to resist Japanese forces. The Japanese army was both better armed and more organized. The Japanese army was also extremly brutal, which led to the rape of Nanking. This event held the title for some of the most horrific atrocities that took place in WWII. -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conferance resulted in an agreement signed by Great Britian, France, Italy, and Germany that gave the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Germany. The resolution was signed in attempt to avoid war. However, Hitler continued to invade territories after the conferance, which eventually led to the outbreak of WWII. -
Non-Agression Pact
The Non-Agression Pact was signed by repersentatives from Nazi-Germany and the Soviet Union. The pact stated that the two would not attack eachother, saving Germany from having to fight a two-front war. The pact was ended with Operation Barbarossa, als known as the invasion of the Soviet-Union. -
Germany Invades Poland
The invasion of Poland began the start of WWII. Germany invaded Poland just days after signing the Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression pact. Two days after the invasion began, France and Britian declared war on Nazi-Germany. -
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg, also known as "lightening" warefar, was used by Gernany to attack Britian. Blitzkrieg means a very quick, violent attack by one armed force against ones enemy. This method of warefare was very succesful due to its high destruction/death rate. -
Battle of Britian
In the summer of 1940, German and British air forces fought in the skies above the United Kingdom. This battle was a significant turning point in WW II. The war came to an end after Germanys "Luftwaffe" failed to gain control over the Royal Air Force. The Luftwaffe made efforts to gain control by attacking air bases, military bases, and eventually British citizens. This however, was unsuccesful and Britian won the battle. -
Lend-Lease Act
When Great Britian ra out of funds while fighting the war, Roosevelt came up with this idea. The act allowed the US to lend arms to any country that was helping in some way, shape, or form defend the United States. In return for lending the weapons, Britian was obligated to either return or pay rent for them after war. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was the code name that Germany gave thier plan of invading the Soviet Union. This plan ended in total failure and eventually led to Hitler losing his power followed by Germany losing the war. -
Pearl Harbor
Just before 8am on December 7, 1941; Japanese fighter planes attacked Pearl Harbor, an American Naval Base. After two hours of attack; 20 American naval vessels, battleships, and almost 200 airplanes were destroyed. 2,000 American soilders and sailors also lost thier lives in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the attack, Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. This was the event that pushed America into joining WWII. -
Wannsee Conference
On January 20,1942; 15 high ranking Nazi-party and German goverment met to discuss the strategy to completly wipeout the Jewish population in Germany. It was reffered to as the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." Hitler would later go on to approve thier plan and the Holocaust would begin. -
Bataan Death March
After the U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese, the estimated 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to walk 65 miles to prison camps. If a troop were to survive the intense heat and harsh treatment by the Japenese during the walk, they most likely collapsed and perished when they arrived at the prison camp. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely thought of as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of WWII. Prior to this battle, Japan held naval superiority over the US. After Midway, the two opposing fleets were regarded as equals. This led the US to soon began to switch to the offensive side. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad took place between the German and Soviet troops in WWII. It was fought during the harsh Russian winter of 1942. The German army was not prepared and ended up being bled dry of supplies. The entire German army was forced to surrender and Russia was not captured. -
D-Day
D-Day was the day that western Europe was invaded by allied forces. Bristish, American, Canadian, and other Allied troops advanced onto the shore of Normandy, France and defeated the Nazi's (who had taken over France). The invasion was a success and is still celebrated today. -
Battle Of the Bulge
The Battle of Buldge took place in the Ardennes mountains of Belguim, from the middle of December 1944 to the end of January 1945. Thousands of American, British, Belgian, and French forces fought against the German army. The Allied powers eventually won, but it took six weeks of fighting resulting in the death of thousands. Hitlers "final major offensive' ended up being a failure. Troops advanced almost 50 miles into allied territory, forming a bulge and giving the battle its name. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima on Febuary 19, 1945. It was conquered after intesne and eventually desperate fighting. The capture of Iwo Jima was part of a three point strategy Americans had for winning the war with Japan. There were two airfeilds on the base that under American control could be used as emergency landing spots for planes during bomber raids. -
Battle of Okinawa
The last and largest battle of the Pacific side in WWII, it was an ultimate failure for Japan. The death toll for Japan was 10 times higher of that for the US. This battle is also regarded as one of the bloodiest in WWII, for both Japan and the US. -
V-E Day
V-E day is considered the day on which the Allies announced the surrender of German forces in Europe. This holiday is stil celebrated in Europe, as well as in the United States. -
The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, during WWII an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb over Hirosima, Japan. The explosion wiped out 90% of the city immediately. It also killed thousands and caused radiation problems that would last much longer then expected. Three days after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, another bomb was dropped. This bomb was dropped on Nagasaki and it ended up killing an estimated 40,000 people. -
V-J Day
Victory over Japan day, better knwon as V-J day was noted as a time for celebration and remeberance. After word spread that Japan had surrendered chaos broke out. Booze, fights, alcohol, and kissing were all portrayed in a large portion of the US on this day. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw pact was seen as a sign of communist dominace, boldly opposing American capitalism. This pact comprised Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the U.S.S.R for defense under a joint military comand.
