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Japanese invasion of China
The Sino- Japanese war started in 1937 and ended in 1945. This war was a conflict that broke out when the Chinese decided they didn’t want Japan to expand its territory into their territory. Japan tried to unseat the Chinese government and occupied large areas of eastern China from 1937 to 1938. When Japan was defeated in 1945 by the Allies and that is what ended its occupation of China. This didn’t leave China in a very good state. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-polandGermany invaded Poland on September, 1st 1939. The German Luftwaffe bombed the airfeilds and the warships and U-boats attacked from Sea. Hitler said it was an invasion needed for defensive reasons. Britain and France took this as the last straw though and decared war on Germany on September 3rd 1939. Hitler ad hoped that he would be able to take Poland without conflict from the other countires, but he was mistaken. -
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German Blitzkrieg
http://olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_ops_battles_1940blitzkrieg.phpThe Lightning War was a concept that was a solution to trench warfare from WW1. It is a military tactic that is used a lot throughout WW2 by the Germans. It is very significant because Germany won many of its battles with Blitzkreig and it changed military warfare greatly. Germany used it to attack; Poland, France, Norway, Denmark, and the lower countries. Blitzkreig was one of the biggest things to come out of WW2. -
Fall of Paris
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-parisOn June 14th 1940 Germany invaded France, a larger and important move in the war. Germany invaded the countries around France, then closed in on them. France didn't have any other countries to help them except Britain. The U.S. wasn't going to get involved in European affairs because that may be seen as a declaration on War. France did not get independence back until the end of WW1 when Britain crossed the English Channel and went to war with Germany at the Battle of the Buldge. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was a massive invasion on the Soviet Union. On June 22nd 1941 three armies with over three million German soldiers inavded the Soviet Union from the North Cape to the Black Sea. The Germans lost this battle, which was a major point in WW2 for the allies. Since Germany failed it caused them to fight a war against the Allies who had much more superior resources. -
Pearl Harbor
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harborOn December 7th 1941, Pearl Harbor near Honolulu was attacked. The Japanese did devestating damage, with more than 2,000 American soilders dead, 1,000 wounded, 20 naval vessels gone, and 200 airplanes also destroyed. Japan completley bombed Pearl Harbor, which caused a huge turning point in the war. After this inccedent America declared war on Japan and joined WW2. -
Wannsee Conference
Fifteen of the German officials and Nazi Party gathered in Berlin on January 20, 1942 to discuss the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question.” The “Final Solution” was the code name for the deliberate annihilation of the European Jews. Heydrich, chief of the Reich Security Main Office, called together the Wannsee Conference secure support from government ministries and other interested agencies relevant to the implementation of the “Final Solution,” and to disclose to the participants that Hitle -
Wannsee Conference
Fifteen of the German officials and Nazi Party gathered in Berlin on January 20, 1942 to discuss the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question.” The “Final Solution” was the code name for the deliberate annihilation of the European Jews. Heydrich, chief of the Reich Security Main Office, called together the Wannsee Conference secure support from government ministries and other interested agencies relevant to the implementation of the “Final Solution,” and to disclose to the participants that Hitler -
Battle of Stalingrad
July 17, 1942-February 2, 1943 was a very successful time for the Soviet Union during WWII. It is known to be the “greatest battle of the entire conflict.” The Soviets stopped the Germans from advancing, which caused a major turning point in the war; especially for the allies. There were 2 million casualties in this battle. It is considered the bloodiest battle in history. -
Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, Hitler tried to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by a surprise attack called Blitzkrieg. The Americans were caught off-guard. When the German’s drove deeper into the Ardennes, the Allied line “took on the appearance of a large bulge.” The Battle of the Bulge was the costliest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army. There were over 100,000 casualties. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
July 22-September 12, 1942, the Germans deported or murdered around 300,000 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. On July 28, 1942, many Jewish underground organizations created an “armed self-defense Combat Organization.” There were around 200 members. The German forces originally decided to liquidate the Warsaw Ghetto on April 1943. When police forces entered the ghetto early that morning, the streets were deserted with no Jews in sight due to them hiding.
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Operation Gomorrah
On July 24, 1943, at nighttime British bombers raid Hamburg, Germany while the Americans bomb it by day during their “Blitz Week.” The British aircraft dropped 2,300 tons of bombs in Hamburg in just a couple of hours. More than 1,500 Germans were killed due to the first British raid. Because of the new radar jamming system called the “Window,” the British only lost 12 aircraft. The British attacks lasted un</a>til November of that year. <a href='http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operati -
Allies invade Italy
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainlandOn September 3rd 1943 the British started from Africa and went through the "toe" of Italy and invaded.The Italian dicator Benito Mussolini was a Fascist and nobody like that. So, they captured Mussolini, shot him, and hung him upside down in Milan for all to see. With Mussolini dead, Italy dropped out of WW2 after agreeing with Allies to surrender. This is a very important date in WW2 because if Italy drops it means Germany is less gaurded and the Axis powers are less of a threat. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
June 6, 1944, the Allied Forces attacked German Forces on the coast of Normandy, France. With 150,000 soldiers, the Allies attacked and gained victory, causing a turning point for World War II. The reason for this battle was mainly because Germany had invaded France and was trying to take over all of Europe. Right before the invasion, 1,000 bombers a day were hitting German targets. -
Operation Thunderclap
The plan for the Allied Command was to “bomb the eastern-most cities of Germany to disrupt the transport of infrastructure behind what was becoming the Eastern Front.” This plan was set out on the date February 13, 1945. The Allied Powers decided to keep the city of Dresden undamaged with very little bombing so when the Administrative Centre occupied Germany, there wouldn’t be much damage. In total, “796 Lancasters took part in two raids on the night of the 13th and 14th with only 6 aircraft los -
Battle of Iwo Jima
On Feb. 19 1945, American soldiers made their first strike on the Japanese Home islands at Iwo Jima. America needed a base near the Japanese coast for planes to land without returning to the Marianas. The Japanese army and navy tried to defend the islands, but failed. The U.S. won gaining the needed base.http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima/videos -
Battle of Okinawa
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa/videos/battle-okinawa?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false Last and biggest of the pacific Island Battles of World War Two. It lasted from April 1-June 22, 1945. It was fought so that the Allies could have a better hold in the pacific. The Allies won the battles. Japan lost more than 77,000 soldiers. The allies lost around 14,000. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
An American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It 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. This one killed an estimated 40,000 people. The Bombs purpose was to make japan surrender, which they did -
VE Day
VE Day
This event took place on May 8th 1945. On this day, Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in these nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. The eighth of May spelled the day when German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms: In Prague, Germans surrendered to their Soviet antagonists, after the latter had lost more than 8,000 soldiers. -
VJ Day
Japan had surrendered to the Allies, therefore, ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory over 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. Coming several months after the surrender of Nazi Germany, Japan’s capitulation in the Pacific brought six years of hostilities to a final close.
