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Germany invaded Western Poland while Russia invaded the east, leaving Poland with little chance to defend themselves. As a part of the non aggression pact signed by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia Poland was divided into two teritories. This offensive from Germany sparked the beginning of WWII with both France and Britain declaring war on them. -
The Fall of France was really the German Invasion of France by dive bombers, tanks, and artillery. They walked by the Maginot Line which was supposed to provide protection from German invasion. A week after entering the country on June 25, 1940, France signed an armistice with Germany.
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After the fall of France, Germany wanted to have air superiority over Britain which foreshadowed an eventual invasion. However, Germany did not manage to destroy Britain’s Royal Air Force and stopped the fighting in the fall of 1940. They continued the fighting in 1941 and were fruitless in their goal of destroying Britain’s air force. Also, Germany had to prepare for the Soviet invasion that would take place in June 1941.
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Pearl Harbor was a US naval base that was surprise attacked by an air fleet of Japanese pilots. Japan’s goal was to completely destroy every ship at the base so the US couldn’t aid other countries nearby in even more Japanese attacks. After the horrific events the US entered WWII officially by declaring war on Japan. Hitler applauded the attack and declared war on the US. -
The Battle of Midway was fought between Japan and the US at the island of Midway, west of Hawaii. Japan wanted to destroy the remaining carriers so they could invade the island. Unfortunately for Japan, they faced heavy losses in their fleet and were defeated. This victory for the US stopped further Japanese offensives due to the tremendous loss in men, carriers, and fighters. -
The Battle of Stalingrad was the successful defense of the city Stalingrad now known as Volgograd. Hitler believed that by capturing the city it would cut off Russian transport and would be good for propaganda if they seized the city named after the leader. The victory for the Soviets on February 2, 1943 was the turning point for the Allies and led to triumph.
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The Allies invaded Italy in hope to remove them from WWII. However, they were met by heavy German defense. In over one year of constant battle over 336,000 Germans were killed trying to protect Italy, while only 313,000 total Allied troops perished. In 1945 Mussolini was captured and murdered, and the remaining German troops in Italy surrendered.
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D-Day also known as Operation Overlord was the largest sea invasion in history, with the Allies tallying in more than 850,000 troops. The goal of the mission was to abolish German control in France. The Allies immensely outnumbered the German forces on land, sea, and air, eventually leading to the liberation of Paris. -
The Battle of the Bulge was a German counter offensive against the Allied Powers who were trying to invade from the west. German efforts were unsuccessful in halting the offensive of the Allies. There were 100,000 German casualties which eventually was the last German offensive in the west.
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Soviet forces circled Germany’s capital, Berlin, as US and other Soviet forces pursued from the west. Undergoing severe damage and loss, German leader Adolf committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Victory in Europe was announced on May 8 as Germany surrendered unconditionally in the west on May 7 and in the east on May 9. -
The day after the attack of US naval base Pearl Harbor, President FDR declared war on Japan. The war in the Pacific began with the turning point being the victory of Midway in the US’s favor. August 6 was the first bomb drop on the city Hiroshima killing tens of thousands of people on impact. Three days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Both bombs tallied up to 120,000 deaths. Japan unconditionally surrendered on September 2, 1945, with the help of the Soviets at Manchuria.
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