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The German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg was a tactic that was used as a surprise attack to avoid a long war and to psychologically shock and cause disorganization in enemy forces. [All information found on History.com] -
The Fall of Paris
An event where Paris fell under the control of the Nazis one month after the German Wehrmacht stormed into France.
The Fall of Paris led to German victory in Holland, Belgium and France, leading to an occupation that would last over four years and a desperate British evacuation from Dunkirk that left the UK facing invasion. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
A significant location was bombed by the Japanese. The bombing led to the declaration of war between the United States and Japan.
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in hopes that it would destroy the US Pacific Fleet and weaken the resolve of the American people.
2,403 sailors, soldiers, and civilians were killed and about 1,000 people were wounded. -
The Wannsee Conference
A meeting was held between Nazis and German government officials. The participants of the gathering focused their topic on the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”, a.k.a the mass killing of the Jews. -
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Battle of Midway
A naval battle that was fought between the United States and Japan. The war ended, leaving the United States victorious. Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base to attack Pearl Harbor, securing dominance in the region and then forcing a negotiated peace. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
A major battle where the Nazis, fought against the Soviet Union to gain control over Stalingrad and lost. The purpose of the Battle of Stalingrad was to stop the German advance into the Soviet Union.
Russians consider it to be one of the greatest battles of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. -
D-Day (The Normandy Invasion)
An invasion in which the Allied forces defeated the Nazis and ended WWII. -
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Battle of the Bulge
The last major German military offensive in western Europe. It was temporarily successful in halting the Allied advance. The Battle of the Bulge was intended to stop the Allied use of Antwerp, a Belgian port, and to split the Allied lines. The Allies won the Battle of the Bulge, resulting in significantly higher casualties on the German side despite their surprise attack on Allied forces. -
The Liberation of Concentration Camps
An event in which hundreds of concentration camps, were places where Jews were forced to hard labor and awaited their execution. -
Operation Thunderclap
A plan, proposed by Winston Churchill, to bomb Berlin.
Operation Thunderclap occurred to pave the way for the Red Army to invade eastern Germany. -
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The Battle of Iwo Jima
A major battle where the United States seized the island of Iwo Jima from Japan during WWII. The United States’ objective of Iwo Jima was to liberate the islands, eliminate Japanese threats, and gain a new stepping-stone on the way toward the Japanese home islands. -
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The Battle of Okinawa
A major battle that was fought between the United States and Japan. It was fought on the island of Okinawa. The fight ended with the Allies being successful. Both sides suffered enormous losses in the Battle of Okinawa. The Americans bore over 49,000 casualties including 12,520 killed. General Buckner was killed in action on June 18, just days before the battle ended. Japanese losses were even greater—about 110,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives. -
VE Day (Victory Europe Day)
A day in which Great Britain and the United States celebrated the victory of Europe and the defeat of the Nazis during WWII. It has also become a national holiday in France. -
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The Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
An event in which the United States dropped an atomic bomb on both Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Six days after the last bombing, Japan surrendered. The dropping of the atomic bombs occurred due to President Harry S. Truman commanding that a new weapon be made to bring the war to a speedy end. It razed and burnt around 70 percent of all buildings and caused an estimated 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945, along with increased rates of cancer and chronic disease among the survivors. -
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VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day)
A day in which the United States celebrated the victory over Japan and the end of the war.