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Japanese invasion of China
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a war for control of Manchuria between Japan and China. The Chinese began building a series of railroads that would partially ring the Japanese lines in an attempt to demonstrate their independence. When Allied counterattacks, primarily in the Pacific and on Japan's home islands, forced Japan to surrender. https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
The Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact was an agreement by The Treaty of Non-aggression between Germany and The USSR. This treaty gave both sides a neutral agreement if the other was attacked by a third party. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact unified Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia for a while, but the Nazi invasion of Russia caused the pact to fail. This caused the Soviet Union to move from the Axis Powers to the Allied Powers. https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Molotov-Ribbentrop_Pact -
German Blitzkrieg
The Germans used their new military tactic to raid Europe and take it over. They used tanks, planes, and artillery to take over European countries. They did it because they wanted to take over Europe as quick as possible and to avoid it taking a long time. It effected Europe negativity and it torn down most of europe's defenses and most of Europe was torn and was in a very desperate state.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/blitzkrieg-lightning-war -
Pearl Harbor
A surprise attack was made on The United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor due to economic tension between Japan and the United States during the Great Depression. The effects of Pearl Harbor consist of 20 American ships being destroyed, and about 3,000 people either killed or injured. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting between the Nazi Party and the German government. These specific groups of people came together to discuss "The Final Solution" of the Jewish people or in other words the final decision of mass killing of the Jewish people. The effects of the meeting led to the killing of millions of Jews. https://www.ushmm.org/learn/timeline-of-events/1942-1945/wannsee-conference , https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a six-month battle between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy that took place six months after the Pearl Harbor attack. The easy victory in the air-sea combat dramatically altered the tide of World War II in the Pacific, putting an end to Japan's dreams of neutralizing the US as a naval force. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Battle of Stalingrad
During World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad was a military campaign fought between Nazi Germany and the Axis countries. It is considered as one of the largest, deadliest, and longest battles ever fought in modern warfare. Over two million troops fought in close quarters, killing or injuring roughly two million people. The battles finally shifted the tide of World War Two in the Allies' favor. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw ghetto uprising was a violent struggle. The armed uprising was staged by locals to prevent deportation to Nazi-run extermination camps. Other revolts broke out in extermination camps and ghettos across German-occupied Eastern Europe as a result of the uprising. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The D-Day operation was used to bring land, air, and sea forces to the allied armies. The operation, also known as ''overload'', gave five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy in France. D-Day was caused to start a campaign to liberate Europe, and defeat Germany. The final effect of this battle was the Allies accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day#section_5 https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/d-day-allies-invade-europe -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Majdanek, in Lublin, Poland, was the first major Nazi concentration camp to be liberated. The largest Nazi killing center and concentration camp complex, Auschwitz, was liberated by Soviet troops in January 1945. In Auschwitz, there was more than enough evidence of mass murder. When Soviet soldiers approached the camp, they discovered almost 6,000 malnourished captives still alive. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation-of-nazi-camps -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan. In the Battle of two Jima, the American forces invaded Volcano Island, and the Battle of Iwo Jima lasted for five weeks. The United States tried to capture strategically essential territories of Japan. The aftermath of the War consisted of 200 of the 21,000 Japanese troops on the island were killed, and almost 7,000 Marines. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
VE Day
German troops in Europe officially laid down their weapons on May 8, 1945. After losing almost 8,000 soldiers, the Germans surrendered to their Soviet adversaries in Prague. The German capitulation was completed in a final cease-fire in Copenhagen and Oslo, as well as Karlshorst, near Berlin. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The world's first deployed atomic bomb was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, by an American B-29 bomber. An estimated 80,000 people were killed in the explosion, with tens of thousands more dying from radiation poisoning. In World War II, Japan's Emperor Hirohito announced his country's unconditional surrender. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
VJ Day
On August 14, 1945, Japan's formal surrender was announced. Victory over Japan Day, or simply "V-J Day," is celebrated on August 14 and 15. The word has also been applied to September 2, 1945, when the USS Missouri accepted Japan's capitulation. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the bulge happened because Hitler wanted to leave his last remark in WW2. The Germans tried to attack the western front and did not succeed in their plans to divide the big three alliances. It was a very gruesome, one-sided battle and America came on top. It left a scar on our army though with over 100,000 casualties on our side. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge