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Japanese Invasion of China
The Japanese Invasion of China was also called the Second-Sino Japanese War. This was a conflict that occurred when China began resisting against the Japanese expansion that happened in Manchuria in 1931. This war started as a period of rapid Japanese advance and then eventually reached a stalemate until attacks from the Allied forces brought upon Japan's surrender. These events occured from 1937 to the end of WWII in 1945. Source: history.com -
Rape of Nanking
During the Sino-Japanese War, Nanking, the capital of China, fell to Japanese forces. In what became known as the “Rape of Nanking,” the Japanese violently killed about 200,000 men and raped at least 20,000 women and girls. Those who were raped were commonly cut to pieces afterward. This was all done to simply break the spirit of Chinese Resistance. Source: history.com -
German Invasion of Poland
The German Invasion of Poland began on September 1, 1939. The Germans invaded the coast of Poland while Luftwaffe bombing Polish airfields and attacking the Polish naval forces from U-boats and warships. Hitler claimed that this massive invasion was in defense of his country. Britain and France were unconvinced and declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of WWII. Source: bbc.co.uk -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is the word for "lightning war" and was a battle strategy used by the German forces throughout WWII. IN 1940, the Germans attacked the Netherlands and Belgium which sent them reeling. French and British troops rushed to the rescue while German dive-bombers and machine guns were attacking soldiers and civilians. Germany's attacks ultimately led to the resignation of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Source: history.com -
Fall of Paris
The Germans launched a major offensive on Paris on June 9th, and on June 13th, Paris was declared an open city as the French government fled to Bordeaux. The first German troops entered the French capital on June 14th, a little more than a month after this all began. The Fall of Paris ripped up the balance of power in Europe, and left strategists baffled by how the British advancements were obsolete to Hitler's armies. Source: bbc.co.uk -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was an attack on the Soviet Union by the Axis powers.The attacks on the Soviet Union helped Germany's goal of conquering the West part of the country and repopulating it with Germans. The failure of their troops to defeat the Soviets during this operation turned the tides for the European part of the war. Source: history.com -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor occurred on Dec. 7, 1941. It was the attack of Japanese fighter pilots on a US naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. Approximately 2403 people were killed due to the attack. This led to the United States declaring war on Japan and the entrance of the United States into WWII. Source: history.com -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of many Nazi officials in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee. The purpose of this meeting was to find the final solution to the "Jewish problem'. This meeting marked a turning point in the Nazi policy toward Jews. This is how the German's plan of concentration camps and Jewish starvation and labor was born. Source: ushmm.org -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a conflict between the US Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy that happened six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Navy’s victory in the air-sea battle and its successful defense of the major base located at Midway Island dashed Japan’s hopes of neutralizing the United States as a naval power and effectively turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific in favor of the US. Source: history.com -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the violent protest in the camp of its captive residents. This took place in Warsaw, Poland and its purpose was to prevent deportations to the extermination camps. This uprising inspired other revolts in extermination camps and ghettos throughout many other countries in the East of Europe. Source: ushmm.org -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was the attack of British and American bombers throughout the day and the night. 17,000 bomber sorties dropped more than 9,000 tons of explosives, killing more than 30,000 and destroyed about 280,000 buildings. This "blitz week" put Hitler in a depressed funk which significantly altered his performance as a Nazi leader. Source: history.com -
D-Day Normandy Invasion
The attacks on Normandy during WWII are often referred to as D-Day. This was an amphibious attack of British, American, and Canadian forces on 5 beaches along the coast of France's Normandy. This required extensive planning and deception in order for a complete surprise. These attacks marked the end of war in Europe. Source: history.com -
Battle of The Bulge
The Battle of The Bulge is called the greatest American battle of the war by Winston Churchill. This was Adolf Hitler's last offensive against the Western Front. His plan was to split the Allies while they were going towards Germany. The German's eventually failed in their attempts to keep out Allied forces. It ended on January 25, 1945. The damage done to the German forces was so great that they couldn't ever fully recover. Source: history.com -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was the bombing of Dresden in Germany by Allied forces. This was the single-most destructive bombing of the war. This was a horrific attack as Germany was already on the verge of surrender and didn't really accomplish anything related to strategy. Source: history.com -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a conflict between the Japanese army and the US Marines. Iwo Jima was located off the coast of Japan and was deemed valuable by US operatives. Some of WWII's bloodiest fighting happened during this battle and the many, many casualties left people wondering why there was so much effort put into taking over Iwo Jima. Source: history.com -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of WWII. More than 180,000 US Army and Marine troops descended on Okinawa for a final push towards Japan because they knew that the fall of Okinawa would bring about the fall of Japan. Many Japanese deaths were the results of Kamikaze suicides. The atomic bomb dropping on Nagasaki and Hiroshima ultimately led to Japan's surrender and the end of the war in the Pacific Theater. Source: history.com -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
On April 29th, the US 7th Army’s 45th Infantry Division liberates Dachau, the first concentration camp established by Germany’s Nazi regime. A major Dachau subcamp was liberated the same day by the 42nd Rainbow Division. The liberation of these camps paved the way for many, many more prisoners in concentration camps to be liberated. Source: history.com -
VE Day
VE Day or Victory in Europe Day celebrates the end of WWII in Europe. This is the day where Germany finally set down their arms and surrendered which caused the final cease-fire. Many POWs were returned to their home countries. Source: history.com -
Dropping of The Atomic Bombs
On August 6th, 1945, President Truman dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address on August 15. Source: history.com -
VJ Day
On VJ Day, or Victory Over Japan Day, it was announced that Japan had surrendered to the Allies, ending WWII. Since that triumphant day, both August 14 and August 15 have been celebrated. The term VJ Day has also been used for September 2 when Japan’s formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. Source: history.com
