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Japanese Invasion of China
The Japan-China War started in July 1937 when the Japanese claimed that they were fired on by Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. Using this as an excuse, the Japanese launched a full-scale invasion of China. The invasion was a seccess alothough. Japan couldn't expand into the massive land of China. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
On this day in 1939, German forces bombard Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. The Germans have a great attack due to their much better weapons than Poland. Although, Great Britain will join 3 days later to attck along side of Poland. -
German Blitzkrieg
A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. 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. -
Fall of Paris
Germany marched into Paris and took over after over 2 million citizens of Paris fled the city. On this day, President Roosevelt froze the American assets of the Axis powers, Germany and Italy. -
Operation Barbarossa
Germany pushed into the Soviet Union with a massive invasion, but due to a large underestimation of the Soviet Union, Germany suffered their first long defeat, showing that they weren't the impenetrable force that they were thought to be. -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese soldiers bombed the U.S. Naval Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. This was the first attack on the U.S., officially bringing them into the war. -
Wannsee conference
This conference was held between high ranking Nazi Officials and German government officials to determine the final plan of action against Jews. This was where Hitler legalized the scheme for Jewish mass murder. -
Warsaw ghetto uprising
This was a major revolt because it caused the death of 12 German soldiers at the hands of Jewish prisoners. This ghetto was then demolished three days later by the German army. -
Operation Gomorrah
This was known as "Blitz Week" in which British bombers bombed Hamburg, Germany during the night while Americans bombed it during the day. This was the beginning to the stop of Germany's invasions. -
D-Day Invasion
Allied invasion of France led by American forces. -
Battle of the Bulge
This was the last German offensive of WWII, resulting in the retreat of German forces toward Germany. -
Operation Thunderclap
This operation was under Allied consideration for a long time before execution. The Allieds bombed the German city of Dresden that killed over 60,000 people. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The island of Iwo Jima was a key spot in the ocean for a navy base, and the U.S. went to battle Japan for it. However, this ended up being the battle with the largest number of casualties the U.S. faced in the war. In this battle is where the famous flag raising photo came from. -
V-E Day
V-E day was the day of Allied victory over the forces of Europe. This was the day of surrender for the German forces. -
Battle of Okinawa
The battle was fought over a key area of land for air bases for a pending attack on Japan. Both sides suffered extreme casualties as well as losing the commander of each side. -
Potsdam Decleration
This decleration, or procclamation, defined the terms for Japanese surrender of all forces in the war. -
V-J Day
The Japanese finally surrendered and the Americans had claimed victory over them. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bomb
The United States used atomic bombs on Japan's city Hiroshima, decimating the place, later forcing the Japanese surrender.
