-
German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg marked the beginning of World War II as the Germans introduced the "lightning war" tactic. The invasion of Poland was quick and unexpected. Although Hitler had signed a non-aggression act with Poland, he still invaded to acquire more land. This event is arguably the reason for WWII. www.history.com/germanblitzkrieg -
Battle of France
The Battle of France consisted of Germany invading France and eventually taking over all of Paris. This invasion was not a surprise, and many Parisians had already fled before the Germans arrived. The invasion was another part of Hitler's plan to acquire more land. It also allowed for Hitler and Germany to be viewed as an uprising threat. spartacuseducational.com -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain consisted of numerous planes dropping bombs on London for 57 consecutive days. This hurt London, but Germany was forced to stop after many days. history.com -
Lend-Lease Act
The United States remained neutral and uninvolved in the war for a while, but they were being dragged in. As a result, the US created the Lend-Lease Act to help its allies in the war without actually participating. The US gave many war supplies to its allies so that they would be able to fight their battles against Germany. Obviously, Germany wasn't too excited about this which caused a feud between the US and Germany. secondworldwarhistory.com -
Invasion of Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the attack on the Soviet Union by the Axis Powers. This invasion lasted for almost six months. After significant losses, the Germans were defeated by the Soviet Union which allowed for the Soviet Union to rule over Germany with a puppet government until it fell. theatlantic.com -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the attack on the Soviet Union by the Axis Powers. This invasion lasted for almost six months. After significant losses, the Germans were defeated by the Soviet Union which allowed for the Soviet Union to rule over Germany with a puppet government until it fell. history.com/operationbarbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to become a full participant in the war. Pearl Harbor is a naval base for America set in Oahu, Hawaii. britannica.com/pearlharborattack -
US and Germany Declare War
A few days after Japan dropped bombs on Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan, and Germany declared war on America. This brought the United States officially into the war. history.com -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners from the war to Camp O'Donnell. bbc.co.uk -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was fought between the US and Japan mainly in the water and with aircraft. The battle resulted in a large loss for the Japanese. Four Japanese aircraft carriers were destroyed which crippled their navy. history.com -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the act of Jewish resistance which opposed the decision to transport the Ghetto population to Treblinka. This resulted in the death of over 13,000 Jewish deaths. There were no more than 300 German deaths. history.com -
D-Day
The Battle of Normandy (Operation Overlord) was a successful invasion of German-occupied land by Allied Forces. This battle forces German forces to retreat south towards Paris. spartacuseducational.com -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
In the final stages of WWII, the Soviet Union was the first to liberate concentration camps prisoners. Germany had been forced to retreat from the camps and left the prisoners to die. People came through these camps and liberated them which allowed many to survive. ushmm.org -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was the last major offensive campaign by Germany on the Western Front. The battle resulted in over 19,000 deaths. history.com -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle was fought in Japan with America. The United States invaded and took over the island of Iwo Jima. The battle resulted in the death of almost 7,000 people and an American victory. history.com -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The atomic bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America marked the ending of World War II. Japan was forced to surrender, and the Allied powers were able to win the war. history.com
