WWII

Japanese Invasion of China

Jul 7, 1937

Japanese began expansion in 1931 when they invaded Manchuria. They kept attacking China until the seized what they wanted. They joined Russia and Italy as the Axis and attacked the Allies. Japan attacked because they wanted China's territory. Because they kept attacking, the US joined the Allies in the war. (BBC)

Rape of Nanking

Dec 14, 1937

Japanese invaded Nanjing and as six weeks passed, the soldiers raped and killed women and other civilians. They were trying to gain more territory. Victims dug their own graves. They performed mass executions on innocent civilians. Many lost their lives from the ill soled Japanese. (WWII in Pacific)

Germany's Invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

World War II initially started because Germany invaded Poland. This caused Britain and France to start war with Germany. They attacked Poland ground and destroyed much of their land. Germany wanted the Polish land. (WWII in Europe)

German Blitzkrieg

Dec 21, 1939

German Blitzkrieg was the tactic used by Germany to disorganize their enemies. They used radio to rupture enemy front. This was a step in the technology of the war tools. They learned to automatically set things off. (BBC)

Operation Barbarossa

Mar 9, 1941

Operation Barbarossa was Germany's attack on the Soviet Union. Hitler had underestimated the size of the Soviet's troops. This was a turning point in the war because Germany was low on everything. The Germans were too confident in themselves and made mistakes that cost them the war. (History.com)

Pearl Harbor

Mar 9, 1941

Pearl Harbor was one of the most surprising attacks the US had seen. Japanese suicide bombers flew over the US Air Force base in Hawaii dropping bombs and killing innocent military officers. This caused the US to join the war with the Allies. (WWII in Pacific)

Wannsee Conference

Mar 9, 1942

The Nazi officials met to gather information for the Jews final solution. They wanted to exterminate all the Jews and deport them all. They killed many Jews exterminating them in gas chambers and other torture methods. They used this conference as a way to discuss the Jews termination. (History.com)

Bataan Death March

Apr 9, 1942

Prisoners trapped in Bataan were forced to walk 85 miles in 6 days. The Japanese began to invade the Philippines and they needed to move out. Many people died because of malnutrition. They had one meal of rice for the whole 6 day death route. (History.com)

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

This was one of the biggest naval attacks ever between Japan and the US. The US defeated Japan with a bang. This battle allowed the US to move forward in the war and help the Allies. It was a turning point for them. The Us had a major breakthrough in coding and was able to defeat the Japanese. (WWII in Pacific)

Battle of Stalingrad

Aug 23, 1942

The Soviets fought the Germans in the Battle of Stalingrad. The Germans advanced because they thought they had a stronger army than they really did. The Soviet Union defended their land. This was a turning point in the war because it stopped the Germans for advancing into the USSR. (History.com)

Operation Gomorrah

Mar 9, 1943

Operation Gomorrah was the British airstrike plan to attack Germany. They confused Germany by using aluminum foil stripes to look like bombs. They killed thousands of Germans and won the fight. They only lost 12 aircraft out of over 700. The British took the win. (History.com)

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Apr 19, 1943

Warsaw was a Jewish ghetto in Poland where a revolt was staged to get away from the concentration camps. 400,000 Jews were confined in an area and were killed if they tried to escape. This revolt was something that was unexpected and caused other revolts to happen. (History.com)

D-DAY

Mar 9, 1944

This was one of the biggest battles of the entire war. The Battle of Normandy had hundreds of thousands of casualties. The Allies were fed up with the Axis. This attack brought an end to WWII in Europe. (WWII in Europe)

Battle of the Bulge

Jan 5, 1945

The Germans wanted to attempt to split the Allies. The Allies formed a "bulge" which is what caused them to win the war. Though there were many casualties, this defensive strategy caused the Allies to win. (BBC)

Operation Thunderclap

Mar 10, 1945

Operation Thunderclap was a plan to bomb Germany. The Allies planned to bomb most of eastern Germany. The pan fell through because of them not being advanced enough to bomb that much territory. (BBC)

Battle of Iwo Jima

May 1, 1945

Iwo Jima was the American attack on Japanese soil. This was planned as a revenge from Pearl Harbor. The Japanese fought with the Americans very harshly. After the gruesome battle, the Americans raised their flag in success. (WWII in Pacific)

Battle of Okinawa

Jun 1, 1945

This was the biggest Pacific battle in the entire war. Japan used Kamikaze planes to attack. The Kamikaze planes caused there to be many casualties in both soldiers and civilians. Both the Japanese and US soldiers took many deaths and injuries. (WWII in Pacific)

VE Day

Jul 1, 1945

Victory in Europe Day is a day of celebration because the Allies defeated the Axis. They rejoice and celebrate because the war is over and they have won. The Germans surrender and the Allies take control. (History.com)

Dropping of the Atomic Bombs

Aug 1, 1945

This was a huge turn in all weaponry. The US was the first country to ever use an atomic weapon in war. The dropping of this bomb concluded WWII. The bombing caused many civilian deaths in Japan. (WWII in Pacific)

VJ Day

Sep 1, 1945

VJ Day or Victory Over Japan Day was the day that Japan surrendered the Allies. This was such great news for all the Allies because they knew that their work was to help their countries. They finally could be calm. (WWII in Pacific)