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Pre-War: Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
The Italian dictatorship wanted to flex its new muscles, so they raided Ethiopia, taking it over. Italy's superior military and newly crafted air force made this war a breeze. This event caused tension in Europe and the surrounding area. -
The War in Asia: The Rape of Nanjing
After the Japanese takeover of China's capital at the time, Nanjing, Japanese soldiers took to the cities residents, raping and killing civilians. The number of civilian deaths is estimated to be over 300000. This event made Japan more of a target, after the atrocities they committed. -
War in Europe: Dunkirk
With Germany slowly approaching through the Ardennes Valley, some 340000 allied troops were evacuated in fear of annihilation. The rest of the soldiers were gruesomely executed by german soldiers. Dunkirk served as a emotional rile-up for the allied forces. -
War in Africa: The Battle of El Alamein
The battle of El Alamein led to a turning point for the Allies in the african campaign. With the allied victory, the axis powers lost its grip on northern Africa. Finally, the axis forces were being pushed back. -
War in Europe: D-Day
The most famous event of World War II, the allies began to take back lost ground. This famous event started a downhill roll for the German forces, pushing them back to the motherland. -
War in the Pacific: Iwo Jima
Yielding one of the most iconic american photos, Iwo Jima was a battle of mens courage. As America pushed further towards Asia, they landed on the beaches of the island Iwo Jima. The Japanese fought valiantly, but in the end were defeated by american forces. This island housed three air strips, and only 750 miles from Japan's homeland, this takeover was a strategic victory for America. -
War in the Pacific: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The final blow to the imperial aggression, America dropped two nuclear weapons onto two major Japanese cities, causing widespread damage to buildings and killing anyone in its path. These two bombs led Japan to surrender very quickly, leaving the Axis powers weakened. -
War in Europe: Crossing the Rhine River
The crossing of the Rhine meant that allied forces were now in Hitler's backyard. This was a turning point as the war was winding down, with Germany's inevitable defeat. -
Major Themes Throughout the War: Kamikaze
A tactic used by Japanese soldiers, this tactic requires pilots to ram their planes into enemy ships or positions. This tactic instilled fear into enemy forces, and acted as bombs. This tactic caused widespread damage to ships, as they effectively disabled key components of the ships, putting them out of action. This tactic was also used during the attack on Pearl Harbor. -
Major Themes Throughout the War: Blitzkrieg
This tactic was used by Germany and involved rushing a country to gain control using tanks and air support. This tactic allowed Germany to overwhelm opponents by not giving them a suitable time to react. This tactic contributed to Germany's military longevity, allowing them to fight on multiple fronts for over 4 years.
