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Japanese Invasion of China
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a battle for territory. The conflict was a political war by most means. With the Chinese nationalism posing a threat to the Japanese government, it became a means for war. The battle would involve the Chinese and Japanese armies fighting against each other. This heavily impacted both nations in the midst of WWII. This invasion would result in 3.22 million soldiers and 8.4 million civilian casualties and 9.13 million caught in the crossfire. -
German Blitzkrieg in Poland
The German's used a new method known as the 'blitzkrieg' to create confusion and shock within enemy lines. Germany, combined with the forces of Russia, was an unstoppable force. Poland was not prepared for the strength of the combined forces and surrendered by October of 1939. Poland would then be divided into two territories, half for German leader Hitler, and the other for Russian leader Stalin. This would later be considered the starting point for WWII and would come to impact the world. -
Fall of Paris
Hitler's driving force towards the France invasion was a need for revenge. He believed that the Treaty of Versailles was a false representation of Germany. Hitler used the blitzkrieg method in order to invade the country. France, being used to trench warfare from WWI, was not prepared for this. In a strenuous six week battle, the Germans successfully captured France. From that point on, it was agreed that France would be occupied be Germans. Hitler now had the key to controlling Western Europe. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbour
The objective of Japanese forces was to destroy the American Pacific fleet so that they could not retaliate in a future planned attack. The Japanese forces flew over Pearl Harbour and rained bullets and bombs over the fleet. This surprise attack resulted in about 2403 people being killed and injuring 1000 more, civilians and sailors alike. However, the American resources facilities that were also a target, were still intact. The U.S. immediately begun preparing to counterattack. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was an official date for Nazi officials to meet and decide what to do about the "Jewish Problem". This required the Gestapo to create a final solution for this problem. The attending officials were led by Reinhard Heydrich and Adolf Eichmann. This conference would then be considered a turning point in Nazi policies towards Jewish people. The final solution that was offered, was the concentration camps. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The Allied forces planned on taking back France from German control in order to turn the tables. Approximately 156 000 Allied soldiers, would invade 5 different beaches along German-occupied France. By the end of the day, the Allies had successfully stormed the beaches. Unfortunately, it is estimated that over 4000 Allied troops lost their lives with many more lost or wounded. This would turn the tide of the war and become the beginning of the end. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Stalingrad was a prosperous city, which became a target for the Nazi army. Moreover, taking this land from Stalin would be a personal victory for Hitler. Under the command of Gen. Friedrich Paulus, 330 000 troops would invade the Russian territory. The Red Army fought back. By February 2, 1943, the remaining 91 000 Germans who were freezing and starving surrendered. It is estimated that about 40 000 civilians were killed in this battle. This battle is also considered a major loss for Hitler. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allies, after taking back France, began to fight for the rest of Europe, and started with Italy. The Italian government accepted the terms in order to surrender. The Italians would have to help push the Germans out in order to have a lenient punishment. By this time, the Italian people had captured Mussolini and executed him to show their loyalty to the Allies. This severely weakened the German Army and the end of the war was nigh. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was Hitler's last attempt at a major offensive. This was because he knew that Europe was falling out of his control, and this was the only task he could do to potentially save himself. Hitler wanted to divide the Allies on their way to Germany. This battle, taking place in the Ardennes Forest, would greatly impact the Allies. Resulting in about 100 000 German casualties, the road was paved for success for the Allies who had only 19 000 killed. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle involved the United States and the Japanese Empire. During the U.S. Pacific campaign, the territory known as Iwo Jima became a target. Hideki Tojo, the Prime Minister of Japan, implemented the glory of giving your life to save your homeland. The Americans would fight and win one of the bloodiest battles in history with over 6 800 killed and 19 200 wounded. The Japanese lost with many soldiers committing suicide rather than facing capture, their death toll reaching about 18 500. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa is a key predecessor to the ground invasions of Japan. The U.S. planned this battle as a stepping stone to their overall invasion of Japan. Once again the Japanese proved that they didn't see surrender as an option. The Americans hoped to overwhelm the enemy forces using air forces and bombing. This resulted in the killing of about 12 000 Americans and over 100 000 Japanese soldiers, with about 100 000 civilians caught in the crossfire or being ordered to commit suicide. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The Allied forces, with many victories under their belts, were now able to free the people from concentration camps. In Auschwitz alone, the troops found hundreds of deathly ill and exhausted prisoners. Many bodies of innocent civilians were also found in body bags. The prisoners consisted of Jewish people, civilians, and people who betrayed the new Nazi policies. With these people freed, the Allies had taken out one of Hitler's sources and weakened him. Hitler was by definition, defeated. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day, or the end of WWII fighting in Europe. This impacted all the citizens of Europe as German forces no longer posed a threat. This was made an official day to give peace to weary minds of the continent, and it was a proud moment in their history. People celebrated in the streets of many countries in Europe, music played and people danced, some people also looted and rioted. However, the war was not totally over as Japan was still a looming threat. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bomb
Many see the dropping of the atomic bomb, as revenge for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Others see it as an unconditional victory. The first bomb was dropped in Hiroshima on 08/06/1945, and devastated over 80 000 people, thousands more later dying from nuclear related deaths. Seeing as Japan still did not surrender to the Americans, they dropped their last bomb on the city of Nagasaki, killing about 40 000 people. With the population slowly dying, the Japanese Empire surrendered to the Americans. -
VJ Day
Japan had finally surrendered and WWII was officially over. With the devastation of the atomic bombs, Japan had greatly suffered, and could fight no more. Under the conditions of their surrender, they could keep their Empire. People all across the world were impacted by this and once again celebrated. This was marked as a huge victory as the war was now finally over, for real this time. -
Paragraph Sources 1
Notes: The Surrender of France
history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor
history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day
britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War
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Image Sources 1
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encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation
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Image Sources 2
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history.com/news/hiroshima-nagasaki-atomic-bomb-photos-before-after
historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/VJ-Day/
