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WW2

By LANDENR

  • Japanese invasion of China

    Japanese invasion of China
    Japanese invasion of China (1937-1945)
    —What happened: There was a Japanese invasion in order to get more space and resources in what is presently known as China.
    —Why it happened: For instance, Japan desired to become a pre-dominant power in east part of Asia by achieving hegemony as well as exploiting natural sources.
    —Effects/Impact: The invasion saw unprecedented killings such as the Nankin massacre that increased hostilities in Asia and expanded World war.

  • German Blitzkrieg

    German Blitzkrieg
    German Blitzkrieg (1939)
    -What happened: Germany utilized a number of quick and simultaneous military attacks, such as the attack in Poland.
    -Why it happened: This was a technique known as the Blitzkrieg, which targeted fast overcoming of opposing forces using new technologies that resulted in the rapid acquisition of territories.
    -Effects/Impact: However, this technique turned out to be very productive, impacting on the rest of military approaches that led to the fall of European countries.

  • Fall of Paris

    Fall of Paris
    Fall of Paris (1940)
    -What happened: The victory of the Axis Powers became evident when German forces occupied the French capital city, Paris.
    -Why it happened: This included the blitzkrieg that the Germans managed to carry out with such ease, enabling France to surrender.
    -Effects/Impact: The conquest of Paris resulted in shifts in the balance of European powers as Germans occupied a major geographical and culture center.

  • Operation Barbarossa

    Operation Barbarossa
    Operation Barbarossa (1941)
    -What happened: The German attacked the Soviet Union, which breached the nonaggression pact.
    -Why it happened: He wanted to eliminate the assumed ideological and geopolitical threat and obtain resources in the East.
    -Effects/Impact: It marked the beginning of bloody fights with enemies in the East front, which eventually led to the downfall of the German Empire.

  • Pearl Harbor

    Pearl Harbor
    Pearl Harbor (1941)
    -What happened: Japan’s bombs hit the American naval base at Pearl Harbor.
    -Why it happened: The country also intended to gain access for Japanese companies in Southeast Asia and neutralize the danger from the Pacific fleet of the USA.
    -Effects/Impact: This led to US’ involvement in WW2.

  • Wannsee Conference

    Wannsee Conference
    Wannsee Conference (1942)
    -What happened: Senior Nazis assembled for discussion about the “Final Solution,” to plan systematically to exterminate European Jews.
    -Why it happened: It involves elimination of millions of innocent Jews and other categories of people who were labeled as undesirable.
    -Effects/Impact: It was a turning point during the Holocaust that set stage for mass extermination camping and the killing of millions.

  • Warsaw Ghetto uprising

    Warsaw Ghetto uprising
    Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943)
    -What happened: In return, most Jewish inhabitants at the Warsaw ghetto fought the Nazis.
    -Why it happened: The rebellion was very courageous as it took place days before they were set for deportation which would in the end have led them to the gas chambers.
    -Effects/Impact: The rebellion may have been finally quelled but it represented a stubborn stance against persecution that went on to inspire other resistance movements.

  • D-Day

    D-Day
    D-Day (1944)
    -What happened: The allies stormed the beaches of Normandy in an enormous amphibian assault.
    -Why it happened: It marked an important stage in the liberation of western Europe from Nazi rule thereby creating the second front against Germany.
    -Effects/Impact: The Battle for Normandy on June 6th resulted in a great victory that liberated France and eventually brought about the downfall of Nazi Germany.

  • Liberation of concentration camps

    Liberation of concentration camps
    Liberation of Concentration Camps (1944-1945)
    -What happened: Liberating concentration and extermination camps in German-occupied territories was done by advanced allied forces.
    -Why it happened: This led to liberation as a result of the allies’ victory and the realization of the level of Nazi crimes.
    -Effects/Impact: World was terrified with the disturbing scenarios from the camps as it magnified the enormity of the holocaust and affirmed intentions to punish Nazi war perpetrators.

  • Battle of Iwo Jima

    Battle of Iwo Jima
    Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)
    In fighting their way, through the entrenched Japanese defenders’ positions in Iwo Jima.
    -Why it happened: Capturing Iwo Jima had strategic importance in taking airfields and bombing Japan.
    -Effects/Impact: * It had high number of causalities on all its parties and after the airfields were captured, they were instrumental in subsequent battles of the Pacific.

  • VE Day

    VE Day
    VE Day (1945)
    -What happened: The defeat of Nazis and victory in Europe or VE day symbolized the end of the war in Europe.
    -Why it happened: This is the reason Germany was defeated by the efforts of the Allied sides and breakdown of the Nazi regime.
    -Effects/Impact: Celebration occurred after VE Day that ended the war in Europe and ushered in the era of post-war reconstruction.

  • Potsdam Declaration

    Potsdam Declaration
    Potsdam Declaration (1945)
    -What happened: There were three declarations that the allied leaders issued, on the conditions for Japanese surrender.
    -Why it happened: Japan faced a final ultimatum known as the “Potsdam Declaration” which demanded an unconditional surrender or instant annihilation.
    -Effects/Impact: It declared war on Japan that paved the way for later nuclear blasts above Hiroshima and Nagasaki that brought an abrupt ending to the war in the Pacific.

  • Dropping of the atomic bombs

    Dropping of the atomic bombs
    1. *Dropping of the Atomic Bombs (1945): *
    2. *What happened: America bombed Japanese cities, including Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with nuclear bombs.
    3. *Why it happened: Nuclear bombs destroyed cities intending to compel the Japanese to surrender by demonstrating the power and consequences of such technology.
    4. *Effects/Impact: These bombings caused an ultimatum that led them to surender. The events created moral arguments as well as defined and shaped the world’s political atmosphere.

  • VJ Day

    VJ Day
    VJ Day (1945)
    - *What happened: VJ day which symbolized defeat of Japan became a formal indication to end World War.
    - *Why it happened: The USSR’S entrance into the Pacific War, coupled with the atomic bombings in Japan led to its defeat and consequent surrender.
    - *Effects/Impact: End of the war, it was World war 2 which had come to an end with vj day; this initiated the post-war period when Japan set off for its reconstruction process.

  • Battle of the Bulge

    Battle of the Bulge
    Battle of the Bulge (1944-1945)
    - German forces conducted a counter-offensive attack known as ‘Battle of the Bulge’ attacking the Allied forces and trying to split them.
    -Why it happened: It was important for the Germans in slowing down an Allied move and perhaps, negotiate a separate arrangement with them
    -Effects/Impact: Initially, the attacks by the Allied forces were pushed back but eventually they gathered more strength and pushed back the attack.