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Japan Begins Invasion on the Rest of China
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Period: to
Japanese Invasion of China
After Japan had invaded Manchuria, China, in an attempt to assert their independence built railroads that encircled Japanese lines. Japan soon demonstrated that it was not content in keeping its control to just north of the Great Wall and soon took over the rest of China as well. This ultimately lead to the Rape of Nanking and is the reason why there is still tension between Japan and China today.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War -
Rape of Nanking
To break China's spirit, General Matsui Iwane ordered that the city of Nanking, China's capital, be destroyed. The troops proceeded to kill an estimated 150,000 "war prisoners", 50,000 male civilians, and raped 20,000 women and girls of all ages. The city took decades to recover and to this day bears the scars.
https://www.history.com/topics/japan/nanjing-massacre -
Germans Begin Using Blitzkrieg
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German Blitzkrieg
"Lightning War" in German. A tactic used by Nazi Germany in WWII to inflict shock on enemies. Typically done by dropping bombs with planes. Changed the way wars were fought from then on.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Soviet Union had been unable to reach a collective-security agreement with Britain and France against Germany, so they faced the prospect of facing Germany in eastern Europe alone, so the USSR was looking for ways around it. Through this pact, Hitler could invade Poland without Soviet interference and in a way, it helped begin World War II.
https://www.britannica.com/event/German-Soviet-Nonaggression-Pact -
The Fall of Paris
Germany invades France and meets little resistance as they pull up to Paris to begin their occupation. This forced France to surrender. This leads to the Allied Powers needed to rescue and liberate France.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on a Hawaiian naval base, hundreds of fighter planes descended and destroyed nearly 20 American vessels and over 300 airplanes. This forced America to declare war on Japan and enter WWII on the side of the Allied Forces.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
Nazi officials met to discuss the details of the "Final Solution" of the "Jewish Problem", This meant genocide of the Jewish Race. This lead to what is known as the Holocaust and the slaughter of millions.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
Bataan Death March
After the surrender of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines to Japan, 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps. Thousands of them perished from the heat and torture from the Japanese troops.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
D-Day
156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces invade France's Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. This was the beginning of the end of the war in Europe.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler's last major offense against the Western Front, his aim was to split the Allies in their drive toward Germany. The German troops’ failure to divide Britain, France and America with the Ardennes offensive paved the way to victory for the allies.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-the-bulge -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As the Allies advanced across Europe at the end of the Second World War, they came across concentration camps filled with sick and starving prisoners. The first major camp to be liberated was Majdanek near Lublin, then Auschwitz, then Bergen-Belsen.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/liberation-of-the-concentration-camps -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan, American forces invaded the island of Iwo Jima. Believed that all but 200 of the 21,000 Japanese forces on the island were killed, as were almost 7,000 Marines. But once the fighting was over, the strategic value of Iwo Jima was called into question.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Victory in Europe Day
The day when German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms. More than 13,000 British POWs were released and sent back to Great Britain. Marks the end of the war.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Hiroshima
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Hiroshima and Nagasaki
An American bomber dropped the first deployed atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, it wiped out 90% of the city and killed 80,000 people instantly. They dropped another one on Nagasaki and killed 40,000. Japan was forced to surrender.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
Nagasaki
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Victory Over Japan Day
Japan surrendered to the Allies, effectively ending WWII. Coming several months after the surrender of Nazi Germany, brought six years of hostilities to a final and highly anticipated close.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
