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Japanese Invasion of China/ The Rape of Nanking (1937)
In 1931, Japan attempted to conquer China so that they would gain resources. However, this failed when China fought back. The two countries continued to have disagreements when finally Japan invaded Nanking in 1937. 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed and about 80,000 women were raped in this atrocious attack. This event came to be known as the Rape of Nanking. Because of their failure, Japan looked to other nations for resources and decided to take over part of South Asia(History.com). -
German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
The word "Blitzkrieg" is German for "lightning war" and proved true to its name in WWII. The German Blitzkrieg was a fighting strategy that made it possible to defeat an enemy quickly, effectively and efficiently. Germany used bombs, tanks and other weapons in this strategy. The Germans were famous for using it in WWII because it allowed them to defeat multiple nations without a lot of manpower or supplies. As a result, Germany grew in power. (History.com). -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
At the beginning of Hitler's power, Hitler realized that Germany could only be stopped by the Soviet Union. So that this would not happen, Germany signed an agreement with the Soviet Union to not fight eachother. This became known as the Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact. As a result, Hitler could take over Poland and defeat anyone who tried to stand in his path. In a way, this pact is part of what caused Hitler's Germany to become so powerful(History.com). -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
This event is significant because it started WWII. Hitler, like many other Germans, were upset that the Treaty of Versailles left Germany weak and humiliated. So, Hitler was determined to win back land that he claimed had been stolen from Germany. He began to accomplish this by invading Poland. His attack on Poland violated the Treaty of Versailles and resulted in the beginning of WWII as "Great Britain would respond with bombing raids over Germany three days later"(History.com). -
Operation Barbarossa
This was a plan made by Germany to invade the Soviet Union. Germany had gained so many victories, that they thought conquering the Soviet Union would be easy. However, thanks to a harsh winter and lack of food, the German army began to weaken and eventually were pushed back into their territory. History.com describes Barbarossa as "the crucial turning point in World War II, for its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war ".Germany was certainly not in shape for this. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan desired more resources and were willing to take over lands in Southern Asia to get them even if it meant that the U.S. would be angered. On December 7, Japan attacked the U.S. navy in hopes of becoming dominant and not having to fight them to accomplish their goal. However, this just dragged America into the war. This resulted in a long war in the Pacific where there were many casualties.(History.com) -
Wannsee Conference
Hitler, members of the SS and other members of the Nazi party met at this conference not to discuss if the "Final Solution" was necessary, but on how to carry it out(encyclopedia.ushmm.org). Going along with Nazi beliefs, the "Final Solution" was a mission to eliminate all European Jews. This is where the techniques to kill Jews such as concentration camps were discussed. Soon, there were death camps all over Europe and thousands of Jews dead. -
Bataan Death March
Japan had invaded the Phillipines in addition to Pearl Harbor within one day of eachother. Of course, this prompted the U.S. and the Phillipines to fight back. Japan ultimatley prevailed and sent the enemy troops to a prison camp. This prison camp, however, was 65 miles away. History.com says,"The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards" . Since so many died on this march, it earned the name: Bataan Death March. -
Battle of Midway
Ever since Pearl Harbor, Japan and the U.S. had been at war. The Battle of Midway was fought on the ocean. By using airplanes, the U.S. was able to sink every single Japanese aircraft carrier. This significantly weakened Japan and gave America the victory over the battle. As a result, it was a turning point for America since this was the first major battle that they had won against Japan. (History.com) -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was a plan made by Britian and the U.S. to bomb Hamburg, Germany. Britain bombed by night and the U.S. bombed by day. Their bombing resulted in "killing more than 30,000 people and destroying 280,000 buildings, including industrial and munitions plants"(History.com). Their reason for this plan was to stop Germany from bombing them (the blitz). Operation Gomorrah succeeded in discouraging Germany. However, Germany remained powerful. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Allied soldiers had the goal of liberating European nations from Nazi control in their invasion of Normandy. They also hoped to defeat Germany after this.General Eisenhower led them into battle after arriving at Normandy's beaches on what became known as D-Day. Fighting went on for weeks, but by August Western Europe had been liberated. This meant that Hitler did not have enough soldiers to set up an eastern front. With Germany weak, the allied powers were able to close in on Hitler(History.com) -
Liberation of concentration camps (1944-1945)
After D-Day, Allied soldiers were able to liberate concentration camps in the nations that they had freed from Nazi rule. Majdanek, located in Poland, was the first to be liberated. As months went on and the war continued, more and more concentration camps were liberated. Finally, in January, 1945, Auschwitz was liberated. According to encyclopedia.ushmm.org, "Auschwitz was the largest Nazi killing center and concentration camp complex." People were overjoyed to be free from harsh treatment. -
Battle of the Bulge
Allied forces had begun liberating German territories and were closing in on Germany. As a result, Germany fought back and started the Battle of the Bulge. As the allies fought the Germans, they formed an appearance of a bulge. This is what gave the battle its name(History.com). The fighting went on for weeks, but encyclopedia.ushmm.org says, "it was the tenacious defense put up by American soldiers, fighting in small groups" that led to Germany's defeat. Germany finally lost power. -
Operation Thunderclap (Feb. 1945)
This was a plan of the allied forces to send the RAF(Royal Air Force) to bomb Dresden, Germany in hopes of breaking German morale and lessening Hitler's resources. It was discussed for a while, but Operation Thunderclap took place towards the end of the war in 1945. The allies had been strategically targeting other cities in the beginning of the war and finally chose to target different cities as a new approach. This bombing resulted in numerous buildings destroyed and lives lost. (ww2today.com) -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The U.S. formed a strategy to defeat Japan called Island-Hopping. They began to take important Japanese islands such as Iwo Jima. This island was of importance to Japan because it was where one of their best military bases was located. Soon, the U.S. attacked, but the terrain of the island made it difficult for the Americans to fight. However, after weeks of fighting, America prevailed. The U.S. had succeeded in weakening Japan's army. (History.com) -
Battle of Okinawa
America knew that conquering Okinawa was the gateway to conquering Japan. Japan used kamikaze pilots who were pilots willing to carry out suicide missions. This style of fighting was effective, but also drove up the death toll majorly. The American army was undergoing many casualties and Harry Truman(the U.S. president at the time)wanted a quick end to the war without losing any more soldiers so he used atomic bombs on Japan. Japan surrendered, giving America the victory in the war.(History.com) -
VE Day
After Germany lost the Battle of the Bulge, they were left weak and surrounded by enemy forces. Hitler knew that Germany would lose, so on April 30,1945 he killed himself, prefering to die rather than to be captured. With the powerful dictator gone, German forces were unable to pull out of the war and eventually surrendered. Europe as well as the U.S. were releaved to have the Nazi party done away with. People worldwide celebrated this victory even though the war was not quite over(History.com). -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
Because the U.S. had been so weakened from the Battle of Iwo Jima, President Truman decided to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in hopes of ending the war quickly. According to www.bbc.co.uk, the bomb killed 100,000 people on impact. It injured and caused the later deaths of thousands more. People were horrified at the new technology. However, after Japan did not surrender, the U.S. used an atomic bomb on Nagasaki. This killed thousands more, and Japan was forced to surrender. -
Potsdam Declaration
The Big Three(Churchill, Stalin and Truman)had met at the Potsdam Conference and discussed the desire for Japan to surrender unconditionally. Unconditional surrender means that the surrendering country does not recieve any benefits. Japan was unwilling to give in until the second atomic bomb was used. It was only then that Japan realized they needed to surrender to protect the remaining Japanese population(History.com). Their surrender was made official on VJ day. -
VJ Day
VJ Day stands for "Victory over Japan" Day. This day is significant because it put a final end to the war. After being attacked by two atomic bombs, weakened Japan realized that they had to surrender to the Potsdam Declaration's terms. People around the world celebrated the long awaited end to "the long and bloody conflict"(History.com).
