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Germany's invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland with their "blitzkrieg" strategy. This strategy included extensive bombing which was then followed by a land invasion. This strategy used force to conquer the land. The Germans did this because they looked to regain their lost territory and for overall power. This event then led to tension between Germany and Great Britain, and three days later, Britain began to send bombing raids over Germany.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
Battle of Britain
After Germany had conquered most of Europe, they saw Great Britain as their main threat. Germany attempted to invade but failed due to Britain's Royal Air Force. Germany attempted to weaken their Air Force with bombings, but Britain had developed the use of radar which allowed them to prepare for Germany's attacks. Hitler saw that they would be unsuccessful in defeating Britain. This is important because Britain still posed a threat, and they established their Air Forces power.
ducksters.com -
German Blitzkrieg
The German blitzkrieg which means "lightning war" in German, is used to describe a quick and forceful style of war. The Germans used this style of fighting to first invade Poland, and eventually, they stomped through all of Poland, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and France. This was important because while other nations fought long wars through trenches, the Germans were able to quickly defeat enemies with this style of war.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa is code-named for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. Hitler looked east in look for lebensraum, or "living space." Germany invaded, looking for a quick victory, but due to harsh weather and strategic failures, the German forces fell. This eventually led to the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943 which evidently turned the favor in the war to the Allied Powers.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a surprise air bombing attack from Japan on the United State's naval base. Japan saw this to be a good time to damage the United State's Pacific fleet so they wouldn't interfere with Japan. This is important because it caused problems between the two nations and the US declared war on Japan which finally brought them into WWII.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was when 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war had to forcefully march to a prison camp near Cabanatuan. This was caused after the battle of Bataan which was one of America's largest defeats. This was important because it was The United State's first land battle of WWII and it was a devastating defeat. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bataan-death-march-begins#:~:text=The%20day%20after%20the%20surrender,a%20prison%20camp%20near%20Cabanatuan. -
Battle of The Coral Sea
This battle was between the US and Japan. It was a naval and air engagement fought at the coral sea. This battle happened because Japan was attempting to invade Port Moresby in New Guinea. This battle was important because it was the first time Japan had failed in a major operation. It also stopped Japan from invading Port Moresby. https://anzacday.org.au/ww2-the-battle-of-the-coral-sea -
Battle of Midway
The battle of midway was a fight between the United States and Japan. This battle was a naval battle fought nearly entirely with the use of aircraft. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the US had a reason to join WWII and this is when they declared war on Japan, which eventually led to this battle. This battle was important because the US began to use its navy offensively in the Pacific and Japan began to use theirs less.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a battle between Russia and Nazi Germany. This battle is known as one of the bloodiest in history, with almost 2 million people either killed or injured. Prior to this battle, Germany had gained territory in Ukraine and Belarus which led them to this offensive campaign in Russia. It was so important because it is known to have marked the turning point in the war in favor of the Allies.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Allied Invasion of Italy
This invasion happened when the allies decided to use their strong military in the Mediterranean to invade Italy. Their goal of this was to remove Italy from the war and to secure the Mediterranean Sea. Italy ended up surrendering to the allies. This was important to the allies because they were able to clear out Axis forces and they were able to control the Mediterranean Sea which was important for their merchant ships.
https://www.historycrunch.com/allied-invasion-of-italy.html -
D-Day
D-Day, also known as the invasion of Normandy, was an allied forces invasion of the beaches of Normandy. This happened because the allies knew they would have to land their forces on German-occupied areas in order for them to defeat Germany. This day was important because it was the start of the allied operations which would eventually lead to the overtaking of Western Europe and the defeat of Germany.
https://theddaystory.com/discover/what-is-d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
The battle of the Bulge happened because Germany and Hitler wanted to make one last attempt to overtake France. This battle was in the winter which led to a very high casualty rate. This battle got its name due to the "bulge" that Germany made in the line between France and Germany. This battle was important because it marked the last German offense on the Western Front.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The liberation of Concentration camps began with Majdanek. As allied forces moved throughout Europe, they found sites of Nazi crimes, including these camps. The camps were liberated by the allies. This showed the allies what Germany had been doing and they began to free more and more camps. This was important because it was towards the end of the war and eventually freed Jews from much of the anti-semitism they had been receiving. https://www.ushmm.org/teach/fundamentals/holocaust-questions -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle was caused because the United States wanted to use the island as an airbase to attack Japan. The Americans relied heavily on tanks and flamethrowers to clear out enemy forts. These were very effective due to the close quarters on the island. This was important because it gave America a huge advantage and eventually led to the invasion of Okinawa.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/iwo-jima-fact-sheet.pdf -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
This event, mainly the event of Hiroshima, was when the United states dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. This was caused because the US had wanted to bring their war with Japan to an end quickly and to save American lives. This event was important because it destroyed Japan's population and evidently lead to a new level of warfare.
https://www.npr.org/2015/08/06/429433621/why-did-the-u-s-choose-hiroshima