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The Battle of Britain
The Royal Air Force successfully defended Great Britain against the German Air Force's air raids. This prevented the invasion of Great Britain by Germany and ultimately led to the defeat of the Nazis. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese planes dropped bombs on Pearl Harbor in an attempt to prevent the United States Pacific Fleet from interfering with the actions Japan was going to take against the U.K., U.S., and the Netherlands' territories overseas. The attack killed 2,403 people and damaged 19 U.S. ships. -
The Battle of Midway
The U.S. fought off Japanese attackers attempting to take Midway as a base. The U.S. lost approximately 362 men, one carrier, one destroyer, and 144 aircraft. The Japanese lost 3,057 men, four carriers, one cruiser, and hundreds of aircraft. The U.S. victory in this battle halted the growth of Japan in the Pacific and allowed the U.S. Military to begin shrinking the growing Japanese empire. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a long struggle between Germany and Russia over the Russian city of Stalingrad. Germany's loss in Stalingrad was the first failure in the world war that Hitler would acknowledge. The success of Russia would become a significant turning point in the war, as it was the beginning of the eventual victory of Russia and its allied forces against Nazi Germany. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was an invasion of North Africa by America and its allies. The goal was to drive out the Germans and win French Morrocco and Algeria. The mission was the American Army's first major victory in WWII and improved naval control of the Mediterranean. -
Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program
The program was made in order to protect culturally and historically significant items in Europe during and after WWII. These "Monuments Men" successfully returned five million items that had been looted. -
The Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk was a failed assault by the German forces around the Soviet city of Kursk. The Soviets anticipated the attack and placed antitank defenses and minefields to deter the Germans. Known as the largest tank battle in history, the battle involved around 6,000 tanks, with the Germans losing many of their own. -
D-Day
D-Day was the largest invasion and one of the largest amphibious assaults in human history. The invasion successfully liberated Allied forces in Western Europe from Nazi Germany. It is known as the beginning of the end of WWII. -
The Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last German offense on the western front. The losses that Germany suffered made them unable to defend against the Allied forces, which ultimately lead to Germany's surrender less than four months later. -
The Battle of Okinawa
The invasion of Okinawa and other surrounding islands was intended to provide the U.S. Military and its allies with an airbase from which they could increase their attacks against Japan. The Japanese fought back, starting a battle containing some of the worst Kamikaze attacks of the war. Over 12,500 U.S. men were killed or missing, and it is estimated that around 150,000 Okinawan civilians were killed. -
The Battle of Iwo Jima
The U.S. Marines invaded the Island of Iwo Jima thinking that it would be an easy takeover because of the weaknesses the Japanese military suffered during earlier WWII conflicts. The battle ended up lasting for five weeks because of the Japanese soldiers' new defense strategy of using the landscape of the island to hide. Almost 7,000 of the 70,000 U.S. Marines in the fight were killed, as well as 200 or so of the 21,000 Japanese soldiers. -
The Death of FDR
FDR died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage, leaving Harry Truman, the vice president at the time, to become president. -
The Death of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was found dead in an underground bunker in Berlin by Soviet troops. Hitler committed suicide with his wife after the Soviets began invading Berlin and his body was supposedly burned by the soldiers who found him. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
Harry Truman authorized the use of the first atomic bomb after Japan refused to adhere to the terms of the Allies after Germany's surrender in WWII, and American leaders decided that the casualties of an invasion of the Japanese islands would be too great. -
The Atomic bombing of Nagasaki
American leaders decided to bomb Nagasaki so soon after Hiroshima because they did not want to be delayed by weather. They also believed that deploying the bombs in quick succession would convince Japanese leaders that America had more than two atomic bombs and that they would keep using them until Japan surrendered. The bomb used in Nagasaki was more complex than the one used in Hiroshima, consisting of plutonium instead of uranium.