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Germany invaded Poland using the strategy of Blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg was the concept of taking the country by surprise and attacking extremely fast. This was the first time it was used by Hitler against another country and it helped him take Poland in about a month.
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Hitler went through Belgium and Holland, which were neutral, to attack France. He took an important military base in Belgium on the way and began the attack on May 10th. It only took about 6 weeks to take control of the country.
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It began with German bombers and fighters striking a British shipping convoy. The British had superior aircraft, but were outnumbered and being bombed constantly. The British were also in need of supplies yet were stuck without them,
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This allowed the U.S. to provide Allies with weapons without being fully involved in the war. Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and Brazil were some of the countries that received support from the U.S. through this act.
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This was Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. Over 3 million soldiers were part of the grievous mistake that left Germany fighting a war on 2 fronts. This decision was a crucial point in the war where Germany's opposition had the advantage.
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This was the German invasion of the Soviet Union territory. It was a grave mistake to make as it left Germany fighting a war on 2 fronts against enemies with superior resources.
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Japan bombs and sinks most of the U.S. Pacific fleet. It is a complete surprise attack and is the reason the U.S. finally gets directly involved in the war.
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Because of Japan bombing Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan. Germany also declared war on the U.S. and the U.S. declared war on Germany in turn.
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Shortly after the events of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. They eventually captured the American and Filipino troops stationed there and they were forced to march to San Fernando. Thousands died on this march due to the brutality from their captors.
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The U.S. defeats Japan in the Battle of Midway. This is the turning point in the war. It allowed the U.S. and the rest of the Allies to move to an offensive position.
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Germany invaded the Soviet Union, but they lost in the battle of Stalingrad. The Soviets won, but at great cost. It was the battle that turned the war in favor of the allies.
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Those captured and being held in the ghetto in Warsaw, Poland set up a revolt against their German captors. Those being held managed to get weapons from anti-Nazi Polish citizens and fought ambushed a group of German soldiers. They managed to stop people from being sent to death camps for months and this inspired more revolts in other camps.
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156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. Their goal was to begin the liberation of France and they were successful, freeing all of northern France before August of that same year.
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After the war was over, the Allies began to liberate the Jews and other groups of people being held in Nazi Concentration camps. Thousands died even after the liberation because they were too weak to digest food or recover.
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Hitler decided to try to split the Allied armies with an unexpected movement of troops through the Ardennes to Antwerp. The German troops did indeed catch the Allied troops by surprise, and the Allied soldiers took on the shape of a large bulge. The Allied troops managed to neutralize the German attack, although losing many soldiers in the process.
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The U.S. attack the Japanese island of Iwo Jima for the purpose of gaining a base by the coast of Japan. The soldiers living on the island fought in caves, trenches, and tunnels against the U.S. soldiers. After fighting over 20,000 troops for months, the U.S. defeated them and took control of the island.
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The U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese town of Hiroshima. A second bomb was also dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Both bombs caused unparalleled destruction, leading Japan to surrender. This was the end of World War 2.
