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Germany's blitzkreig
The Blitzkrieg, a tactic from World War II, was Germany's way of launching fast, powerful attacks using air power, tanks, and infantry. This "lightning war" technique caught enemies off guard and allowed for swift territorial gains. In the early years of the conflict, it led to rapid conquests of nations like Poland and France.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/blitzkrieg -
Germany's invasion of Poland
On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Using Blitzkrieg strategies, thousands of tanks, planes, and infantry attacked. Poland was too slow to mobilize and was heavily unprepared for the attack, leading to German forces breaking through and quickly making it to Warsaw. The invasion was highly significant because it marked the beginning of WWII, with Britain and France soon declaring war on Germany.
Source: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939 -
The Fall of Paris
On June 14th, 1940, the French Army fled from Paris, allowing the Germans to move in and take over the city. The French government was forced to relocate following the defeat. This struck a major blow to the French, as Paris was a major economic center, soon after leading to the surrender of France to the Germans. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-France-World-War-II/The-fall-of-France-June-5-25-1940 -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, which lasted from July to September of 1940, was a series of aerial engagements above Great Britain fought between the British RAF and the German Luftwaffe. Due to superior pilots, planes, and radar technology, Great Britain would successfully be defended by the RAF. This battle was important because it marked the first major defeat for Germany during the war. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Britain-European-history-1940 -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa, which was a codename for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, launched on June 22nd, 1941. Taking the Soviets by surprise, the Germans were able to quickly advance to Moscow. This was short lived, however, when the harsh soviet winters began and the Germans were running out of supplies and being met with counterattacks. The failure of the operation was a large setback for the German military.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Barbarossa/Later-actions -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, the US naval base of Pearl Harbor was surprise attacked by Japanese planes. Thousands were killed in the attack and many ships were damaged. This took place due to many economic sanctions placed on Japan following their invasion of China by the US. Pearl Harbor was one of the most important events of the war because it would ultimately lead to the US joining the allied powers.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
The Battle of Midway
One of the primary goals of Japan during the war was to remove US military influence from the pacific in order to be able to freely claim territory without resistance. Unknown to the Japanese, the US had decoded their messages and discovered their plans to attack the US naval base of Midway. This led to a counterattack and was important because it stopped the Japanese from continuing to gain power in the Pacific.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/battle-midway -
The Battle of Stalingrad
Stalingrad, a large Russian industrial city, was an important target for the German army on their way into Russia. Taking it would cut off Russian supplies. Beginning on the 23rd of August, the Germans seemed to be taking a lot of ground, forcing the soviets to hold out on a small piece of land. The battle changed however when German supplies were running out & Winter approached, causing the Germans to lose and stop their invasion of Russia.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The allied invasion of Italy, beginning on September 3rd, 1943, started when the British 8th army crossed into the toe of Italy. secretly, the Italians surrendered on day one, although it wasn't announced publicly. This was after Mussolini had already been forced to resign and imprisoned. Resistance was minimal until the Germans had arrived to fight off invading forces at the "shin" of italy. The invasion ultimately led to the collapse of mussolini's government and put italy out of the war. -
D-Day
D-day, one of the largest amphibious military operations to date, began on June 6th when American, British, and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of Normandy. Mostly met with light resistance, most beaches were taken, excluding Omaha Beach. The Americans there were met with heavy resistance and lost around 2000 men. In the end, the invasion would prove successful, leading to the liberation of France and a point of invasion for Germany.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive in the war. Named this because of how it pushed back the Allied lines, it was a last attempt to defend Germany. They chose the Ardennes as their point of defense because it was good for concealment and the confusing terrain would give them an advantage over the enemy. In the end, it did successfully push back the Allies, although it would prove costly, resulting in 120,000 casualties.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge -
Liberation of the Concentration Camps
Concentration camps, places where enemies of the state were sent, were used by Hitler during the war. As part of his "final solution", he trapped the jewish people in these camps, transporting many to extermination camps soon after. The first to be liberated was Majdanek, in Poland. Here they found evidence of the mass killings taking place, finding the same later on in Auschwitz. The liberation of the camps exposed the crimes committed by the Nazis. encyclopedia.ushmm.org -
The Battle of Iwo Jima
The battle of Iwo Jima took place 750 miles away from japan on the island of Iwo Jima, which could serve as a point from which the US could invade Japan. The battle began on February 19th and raged on for 5 weeks, leading to heavy Japanese casualties due to a lack of supplies needed to continue. The famous photo of the flag being raised over Mt. Suribachi was taken during this fight. The battle ultimately ended in US victory.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
The Battle of Okinawa
Beginning on April 1st, 1945, the Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest of the war, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties. The US planned to bomb the island and launch an amphibious assault. During the fight, Japanese kamikaze planes were used and the sinking of the Yamato, the largest battleship, took place. After a long battle filled with shelling and bombings, the US had emerged victorious, but both sides took heavy losses.
Source: Britannica (can't fit the link) -
The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
While making the decision on whether or not to invade mainland Japan, President Truman decided against it upon realizing the potential for Massive casualties, instead deciding to drop an atomic bomb. On August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, leveling the city and killing tens of thousands. Later, a second was dropped over Nagasaki, killing more people and completely destroying the city. This ultimately led to the surrender of the Japanese and the end of the war.