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Germany invades Poland
German forces invade Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and rule Poland. The “blitzkrieg” strategy came onto play this day; with extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps, followed by a massive land invasion with large numbers of troops, tanks, and artillery. -
Dunkirk
The evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast ends as German forces capture the beach port. This nine-day evacuation was the largest in history and a surprising success that saved 338,000 Allied troops from capture by the Nazis. German fighters bombarded the beach, destroying numerous vessels. The harbor at Dunkirk was bombed out of use. Small civilian vessels had to ferry the soldiers from the beaches to the warships waiting at sea. -
Battle of Britain
German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom, resulted in the largest sustained bombing campaign [to that date.] The Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force even though months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and its civilian population. Britain’s decisive victory saved the country from a ground invasion. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes bombed Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii; this lasted just two hours. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, 8 enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. 3 days later, Japanese allies Germany & Italy declared war on the United States. -
The internment of Japanese Americans during WWII
A couple of months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an order [Order 9066] ordering all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the West Coast, relocating approximately 120,000 people, many of whom were American citizens, to one of 10 internment camps located across the country. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Russians consider this to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with military and civilian casualties of around 2 million. In the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet forces surrounded and crushed an entire German army; this put the war in favor of the allies. -
D-Day
D-Day was a... Decoy invasion where thousands of troops, inflatables and English troops 'attacked' to try and deceive Germans
into thinking it was a real invasion at Calais. -
Iwo Jima
U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima. The Japanese defenders were dug into bunkers deep within the volcanic rocks.
About 70,000 U.S. Marines and 18,000 Japanese soldiers
took part in the battle. In 36 days of fighting,
nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed, 20,000 were
wounded. The island was
finally declared secured on March 16, 1945. It had been one of the bloodiest battles in Marine
Corps history. -
The Manhattan Project
Scientists Albert Einstein and Enrico Fermi agreed that the President must be informed of the dangers of atomic technology in the hands of the Axis powers. Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt urging the development of an atomic research program. Roosevelt didn't believe it was necessary but agreed . In late 1941, the American effort to design and build an Atomic Bomb received its code name -- MANHATTAN PROJECT. [ Neither the Germans nor the Japanese could learn of the project.] -
The Battle of Bataan and the Bataan Death March
U.S. surrendered the Bataan Peninsula on the Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II. Approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an a treacherous 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March.
