-
Period: to
German Blitzkrieg
The blitzkrieg was an audacious application of air power and airborne infantry to overcome fixed fortifications that were believed by the defenders to be impregnable.The concept of blitzkrieg was formed by Prussian military tactics of the early 19th century, which recognized that victory could come only through forceful and swift action because of Prussia's relatively limited economic resources. They were able to quickly capture and secure their position of dominance in mainland Europe. -
Fall of Paris
The fall of paris happened because,The Maginot Line fortresses fell one by one, though some held until July. Meanwhile the main attacks across the Somme and Aisne, initially checked by the French, eventually broke through, and succeeded in taking Paris. German armies outflanked the Maginot Line and pushed deep into France. The terms of the Armistice allowed the southern half of France, except the extreme south-east and the Atlantic seaboard, to remain under French civil administration -
Pearl Harbor
This lesson should help students realize that Japan's motivation for attacking Pearl Harbor was driven by its political self-interests, its scarcity of economic resources and perceived opportunity costs. The Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The United States military suffered 19 ships damaged or sunk, and 2,403 people were killed. Its most significant consequence was the entrance of the United States into World War II. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a high-level meeting of German officials to discuss and implement the "Final Solution". The mass murder of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators required the coordination and cooperation of governmental agencies throughout Axis-controlled Europe. The conference marked a turning point in Nazi policy toward the Jews. The SS envisioned that 11 million Jews, some of them not living on German-controlled territory, would be eradicated as part of the Nazi program. -
Battle of Midway
A goal was to gain territory in East Asia and Southwest Pacific, successfully removing the United States as the dominant power. fought almost entirely with aircraft, in which the United States destroyed Japan's first-line carrier strength and most of its best trained naval pilots. This critical US victory stopped the growth of Japan in the Pacific and put the United States to begin shrinking the Japanese empire through a series of island-hopping invasions and several even larger naval battles. -
Period: to
Battle of Stalingrad
The Germans targeted Stalingrad because of its industrial capacities and because of its proximity to the Volga River, which would allow German forces to cut off sources of trade and military deployment. It put Hitler and the Axis powers on the defensive, and boosted Russian confidence as it continued to do battle on the Eastern Front in World War II. In the end, many historians believe the Battle at Stalingrad marked a major turning point in the conflict. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
About 700 young Jewish fighters participated in what became known as the Warsaw ghetto uprising. During the uprising, the civilian population in the ghetto also resisted German forces by refusing to assemble at collection points and burrowing in underground bunkers. After the Warsaw ghetto uprising, the SS and police deported 42,000 Jews to forced-labor camps. Most of these people were murdered in November 1943 in a two-day shooting operation known as Operation Harvest Festival. -
D-day
D-Day was born in the immediate aftermath of America's entry into the war, and agreement on a 'Germany first' strategy. From the outset the Americans pushed for a cross-Channel invasion of north-west Europe as the most direct way to engage German forces.D-Day put the Allies on a decisive path toward victory. -
Operation Thunderclap
A plan called Operation Thunderclap was proposed. The idea was to bomb Berlin, which would inflict many casualties. However, the project was never put into action. -
Battle of Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge marked the last German offensive on the Western Front. The catastrophic losses on the German side prevented Germany from resisting the advance of Allied forces following the Normandy Invasion. Less than four months after the end of the Battle of the Bulge, Germany surrendered to Allied forces.The Americans suffered some 75,000 casualties in the Battle of the Bulge, but the Germans lost 80,000 to l00,000. German strength had been irredeemably impaired -
Period: to
Battle of Iwo Jima
In thirty-six days of fighting on the island, nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. The island was finally declared secured on March 26, 1945. Iwo Jima, was strategically important as an air base for fighter escorts supporting long-range bombing missions against mainland Japan. Served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 bombers, saving lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz, the largest killing center and concentration camp complex in January 1945. Following the liberation of Nazi camps, many survivors found themselves living in displaced persons camps where they often had to wait years before interaction. -
VE Day
On Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies, including the United States. On May 8, 1945 - known as Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day - celebrations erupted around the world to mark the end of World War II in Europe. marked the end of most of the fighting in Europe, where tens of millions of service members and civilians were killed since the start of hostilities. -
Period: to
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The US wanted to force a quick surrender by the Japanese to reduce the number of American lives lost. The two atomic bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 killed and maimed hundreds of thousands of people, and their effects are still being felt today. In the years that followed, many of the survivors would face leukemia, cancer, or other terrible side effects from the radiation. -
VJ Day
V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day, marks the end of World War II, one of the deadliest and most destructive wars in history. When Harry S. Truman announced on Aug. 14, 1945, that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, war-weary citizens around the world erupted in celebration. would officially be celebrated in the United States on the day formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japan had surrendered, brought a feeling of relief, to Allied servicemen.