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Japanese Invasion of China
The Japanese invaded China and used Manchuria as a launch base for the troops. Japanese claimed that they were shot at by Chinese soldiers at the Marco Polo bridge. The Japanese used this as an excuse to invade.
In just 5 months, 1 million Chinese people were under Japanese control.
The war between Japan and China ended with 4 million Chinese casualties. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany attacked Poland on the land and from the air. Hitler wanted to get back land and wanted to control Poland.
The invasion was the beginning of what later became Hitler's statagy to wage war.
Even though Poland had a large army, they didn't have good equipment. -
German Blitzkrieg
This was a period of time when Germany continuously used the Blitzkrieg military tactic to "create disorganization" of the enemies troops.
Germany wanted to prevent a deadlock like what happened in WWI.
Their Blitzkrieg tactic was first tested on the invasion of Poland. -
Fall of Paris
Parisians awaken to the sound of a German-accented voice announcing via loudspeakers that a curfew was being imposed for 8 p.m. that evening-as German troops enter and occupy Paris.
Hitler wanted more rule of Europe so he captured Paris.
By the time German tanks rolled into Paris, 2 million Parisians had already fled.
While Parisians who remained trapped in their capital despaired, French men and women in the west cheered-as Canadian troops rolled through their region, offering hope for a free -
Operation Barbarossa
German armies invated the Soviet Union. Germany wanted to start taking over Asia. Within the first month, German armies went far into Soviet territory. Panzer armies encircled large Soviet forces at Minsk and Smolensk, while armored spearheads reached two-thirds of the distance to Moscow and Leningrad. -
Wannsee Conference
Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the “Final Solution” of the “Jewish question.”
The Nazies wanted all of the Jews gone from history.
Millions of Jews ended up dying from this event.
Months later, the “gas vans” in Chelmno, Poland, which were killing 1,000 people a day, proved to be the “solution” they were looking for. -
Operation Gomorrah
British bombers raid Hamburg, Germany, by night in Operation Gomorrah, while Americans bomb it by day in its own “Blitz Week.”
This showed that Germany was not the only ones who could bomb people.
More than 1500 German civilians were killed in the first British raid.
Britain lost only 12 aircraft in this raid (791 flew), thanks to a new radar-jamming device called “Window,” which consisted of strips of aluminum foil dropped by the bombers en route to their target. -
Pearl Harbour
Just before 8 am hundreds of Japanese planes attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbour near Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Empire of Japan wanted to destroy the US Pacific Fleet.
After the bombing the US declared war on Japan.
Over 2000 US soliders and cavilions died that day from the bombing. -
Battle of Midway
United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II.
Japan was going to attack the US again so the US attacked the Japanese fleet.
American dive bombers were slaughtered with 36 of 42 shot down.
Americans sank four fleet carriers–the entire strength of the task force Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu, with 322 aircraft and over five thousand sailors. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the U.S.S.R. during World War II.
Germans wanted to hit Russia in a main city and hurt Russia.
Combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million.
On February 2, 1943, General Paulus surrendered what remained of his army-some 91,000 men. About 150,000 Germans had died in the fighting. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
Montgomery’s 8th Army began its invasion of the Italian mainland.
Within three days, 150,000 Allied troops were ashore.
The British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery begins the Allied invasion of the Italian peninsula, crossing the Strait of Messina from Sicily and landing at Calabria, the “toe” of Italy.
to start to take back Europe from the Germans. -
D-Day
Liberation of Western Europe from Nazie Germanies control.
4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing.
some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. -
Battle of the Bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp.
Its objective was to split the Allied armies by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp, marking a repeat of what the Germans had done three times previously in September 1870, August 1914, and May 1940.
U.S. Army, which suffered over 100,000 casualties. -
Operation Thunderclap
Allied strategic bombing raid against the German city of Dresden.
This happened so the Germans didn't have any communication.
Between 25,000 and 35,000 dead.
529 Lancasters delivering a further 1,800 tons of bombs. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The US needed a base near the Japanese coast.
American losses included 5,900 dead and 17,400 wounded.
Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops -
Battle of Okinawa
At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan.
Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties.
Involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. -
VE Day
Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day.
Hilter shot and killed himself so the Nazies surrendered.
German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms.
Russians took approximately 2 million prisoners in the period just before and after the German surrender. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
US dropped two atomic bombs, one on HIroshima and one on Nagasaki to end WW2
Immediately killed 80000 people, tens of thousands more died in the following weeks from wounds and radiation poisoning.
Blast from one atomic bomb is equivalent to 15000 tons of TNT. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Allied troops found the concentration camps that the Nazis kept the Jews in.
Allied troops were just looking for any remaining Nazi troops and happened to cross the camps.
Allied troops were just looking for any remaining Nazi troops.
This ended up freeing all of the Jews. -
Potsdam Declaration
Just a day after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan submits its acquiescence to the Potsdam Conference terms of unconditional surrender, as President Harry S. Truman orders a halt to atomic bombing.
Japan didn’t want any more atomic bombs dropped on any more of their cities.
US said they had more atomic bombs to drop on Japan if they didn’t sign the treaty but the US lied because we didn’t have anymore atomic bombs.
This officially ended WW2 -
VJ Day
It was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan so they surrendered
the end of WW2.
Japan signed treaty on board the USS Missouri.
