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Japanese invasion of China
(Source)What happened: Japan launched a full scale invasion of China capturing a large portion of China
Why it happened: Japanese soldiers claimed that on a bridge in China, they were fired on by Chinese soldiers, Japan used this as an excuse to launch a full scale invasion.
Effect: Led to a huge gain for Japan and put over 1 million Chinese under Japan's control
Interesting Facts: Caused Japan to lay forces too thin and led to the 1945 surrender.
America held airbases in China and aided the Chinese -
German invasion of Poland
(Source)What happened: Hitler signed a non-agression pact with the USSR and then invaded Poland
Why it happened: Hitler was unhappy with France and Britan who garunteed Poland would remain intact and independant
Effects: Basically started WWII when England and France moved in to defend Poland and the USSR backed Hitler
Interesting Facts: It was the first German Blitzkrieg
Germany had the Jews clean the streets after the fighting -
German Blitzkrieg
(Source)What Happened: The germans used the strategy of Blitzkrieg to strike quickly in a concentrated area to crush the oposition
Why it happened: A brilliant war tactic that was a favorite of the Germans
Effects: Led to many German victories
Interesting facts: The word blitzkrieg means Lightening War, refering to it's quick strikes
Eventually it failed in the USSR after seeming to work for a while. -
Operation Barbarossa
(Source)What happened: Nazi invasion of soviet Russia
Why it happened: Hitler had wanted to attack Russia for a long time and now he had a chance while everyone thought he was to occupied to attack
Effects: Thined out Nazi forces once winter rolled around and froze them all
Interesting facts:
The Germans originaly had about 625,000 horses for the invasion
Hitler once said "When the attack on Russia starts, the whole world will hold it's breath" -
Pearl Harbor
(Source)What happened: Japan surprise bombed the U.S in Hawaii (Pearl Harbor)
Why it happened: Japan didn't like the U.S and wanted to expand their empire
Effects: The "last straw" led to the U.S' involment in WWII
Interesting facts: Reffered to by Roosevelt as "a date which will live in infamy"
The U.S had previously tried to stay neutral by just sending suplies to the allied forces -
Wannsee Conference
(Source)What happened: Gathering of Nazi Party officials to discuss the total annihilation
Why it happened: The Nazi party sought to find a way to wipe out the entire jewish populous
Effects: Led to the Nazi party laying finalized plans for wiping out the jews
Interesting facts: The topic at hand was known as "the final solution"
Approximately 11,000,000 Jews in Europe would fall -
Bataan Death March
(Source)What happened: Japanese troops marched their POWs up the coast of Bataan to a camp and forced them to endure horrendous conditions on the march
Why it happened: The Japanese needed to move troops and were heartless
Effects: None really, people just disliked Japan more
Interesting facts: During the march, the prisoners would be shot if they could not keep up
The march was over 65 miles of hell for the POWs -
Battle of Midway
(Source)What happened: Japan came to bomb the Hawaii area again and after a first round returned to their carriers to refuel before being surprised by US forces, they eventually had to run back to Japan
Why it happened: Japan wanted to eliminate the US as a pacific force
Effects: Further raised tensions between the US and Japan
Interesting Facts: The US had cracked the Japanese code by now and used the advantage to surprise them.
The victory was critical to the U.S stopping Japans advance in the pacific -
Battle of Stalingrad
(Source)What happened: Germany invaded Stalingrad
Why it happened: Everyone knew that Russia and Germany would turn on eachother, the question was when and who first.... it was Germany, on August 23rd 1942
Effects; Considered the turning point of WWII, dried up Hitler's forces
Interesting facts: Stalins orders were "Not a step backwards"
Even when he had the chance to get out Hitler refused and ultimatly doomed his army -
Operation Gomorrah (Pt. 2)
... Including many of Htiler's weapons and munitions factories. Hitler knew defeat was coming and refused to visit the destroyed cities.
Interesting facts: Also known as the Bombing of Hamburg
In the first raid, the Brits only lost 12 of 791 planes thanks to "windows" -
Operation Gomorrah
(Source)What happened: Britan launched it's own blitz on Germany and dropped 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs
Why it happened: After a number of air raid by Germany, they got sick of it and they wanted revenge
Effects: Using strips of alluminium foil droped from plans to confuse radars (a technique called Windows) allowed Britan to get in and out without many losses. As this carried on however they lost a few more with each raid. It led to advancments in German tech but losses of over 230,000 buildings... -
Allied invasion of Italy
(Source)What happened: The allied forces sacked Italy, coming up through the "toe" of the boot.
Why it happened: The allied forces needed to uproot some of the land held by the axis powers and they wanted Italy
Effects: Italy fell
Interesting facts: Mussolini wanted to establish a second Roman Empire
The allies didn't actuall catch Mussolini right away, it wasn't until 1945 that he was caught and executed -
D-Day
(Source)What happened: Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy suffering mass casualties in the arguably most decisive battle of WWII.
Why it happened: The allied forces needed to strike and D-Day was the chance.
Effects: Gave the allied forces a strong foothold and breached the fortress of Europe
Interesting facts: The "D" in D-Day, contrary to popular belief, actually means nothing at all.
Over 150,000 servicmen were involved -
Battle of the Bulge
(Source)What happened: The last major offensive strike from Germany, they led a massive onslaught and put a bulge in the allied defenses but failed to take advantage of this.
Why it happened: Hitler believed the Alliance to be weak and then tried to break up France, Britan, and the U.S
Effects: Backfired and led to Hitler suffering major losses and the strengthening of the alliance.
Interesting Facts: It was the largest battle fought by the Americans in WWII
Hitler ran out of gas for his tanks -
Operation Thunderclap
(Source)What happened: Allied forces bombed the German city of Dresden
Why it happened: Dresden was fairly unprepared and the allies needed somewhere to bomb
Effects: Dresden was destroyed
Interesting facts:
Death counts range from 18,000 to 150,000
Rumors circulated that Dresden was spared previously because the allies wanted it for a new comand center when they occupied Germany. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
(Source)What happened: The U.S invaded the Japanese island of Iwo Jima
Why it happened: Japanese were taking off from air fields on Iwo Jima were intercepting the U.S planes
Effects: Freed up some airspace for the U.S, paved the way for the invasion of Okinawa
Interesting facts: The famous flag raising photo was re-staged
27 Medals of Honor were awarded for Iwo Jima, the most for any battle in U.S history -
Battle of Okinawa
(Source)What happened: U.S invaded Japanese Okinawa
Why it happened: Stronger with a foothold in Iwo Jima, the US moved forward to invade Okinawa
Effects: Arguably helped "win the war"
Interesting facts: The bloddiest battle of the Pacific War
Codenamed "Operation Iceberg" -
VE Day
(Source)What happened: Known as Victory in Europe day, it was a European holiday that was declared.
Why it happened: To celebrate the formal acceptance of the unconditional surrender by Nazi Germany to the Allied forces
Effects: Helped raise European morale
Interesting facts: London was reported to have the same glow as it had during air raids
Almost no crime was reported for a day or two despite the thousands upon thousands of celebrating people -
Posdam Declaration
(Source)What happened: The outline for Japans surrender
Why it happened: To make clear the terms; Japan was surrendering
Effects: Clear end to WWII
Interesting Facts: When being introduced to the Japanese people, the government avoided the word surrender
Proposed before Nagasaki and Hiroshima when Japan repsonded "Nah son" we bombed them -
Period: to
Dropping of the atomic bombs
(Source)What happened: The U.S dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Why it happened:
Effects: Led to Japan's loss of the war
Interesting facts: The bombs were nicknamed Little Boy and Fat Man
When dropped, the first bomb (Little Boy over Hiroshima) only missed it's target by about 800 ft. -
VJ Day
(Source)
What happened: Japan surrendered and it was declared a national holiday
Why it happened: Japan recognized that they were toast
Effects: The end of WWII
Interesting Facts: There are three dates (the 14th & 15th of August and the 2nd of September) that are often called VJ day due to president Truman confusing everyone.
The formal cermony was held on the USS Missouri because that was Truman's home state
