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The Japanese Invasion of China was an ongoing conflict between Japan trying to gain power and China. It mostly began on July 7th, 1937, at the Marco-Polo bridge in North China. This furthered conflict in Asia and led to other nations like the US trying to calm what was going on while also trying to stay out of any war. This was directly before World War II, making situations already tense going into World War II. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/japan_quest_empire_01.shtml -
The German Blitzkrieg as a tactic used in the invasion of Poland and the entirety of World War II. It had German troops quickly overwhelming enemy forces, as opposed to trench warfare. They would send in armored tanks and their air force, which combined would cause massive damage to the defensive lines of enemy armies, catching them off guard and letting German troops break through their lines. This was used effectively throughout WWII, changing combat completely. www.history.com -
On September 1st, 1939, Germany began invading Poland. While unprovoked, the Germans faked an attack by Poland to justify an attack, acting as if they are just retaliating and they were struck first, which was a lie. Throughout September, the Germans would invade and capture the entirety of Poland, using extreme military power to stop any resistance. Poland remained under German control until 1945, most of World War II. This was a major point in kickstarting World War II. -
Operation Barbarossa was an attack by Adolf Hitler on the Soviet Union. Catching them by surprise, the German army attacked Leningrad, Moscow and Ukraine and caught the Red Army off guard. While it seemed Germany had the upper hand, due to harsh winter conditions, which the Red Army was used to, and a strong defense put up by the Soviet Union, the operation was overall unsuccessful and lead to a retreat after the Germans failed to take Moscow. history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarosa -
On December 7th, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the American Naval Base Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii. They attacked at around 7am, completely catching the US Navy by surprise, killing thousands of Soldiers and destroying aircrafts and boats. At this point in World War II the US wasn't involved so this came as a surprise, making the US declare war on japan almost immediately after. This was one of the most important events of World War II, as it led to the US joining into the major conflict -
The Wannsee Conference was a political discussion between German leaders and political figures, where they talked about the "Final Solution". This was their plan to commit mass murder on Jewish people living in Germany and places Germany controlled. They believed them to be inferior, so they created concentration camps and committed genocide on Jewish people. This lead to the Holocaust, which is one of the worst and most important events that happened in World War II. encyclopedia.ushmm.org/ -
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops began taking the islands in the Philippines, leading the US to help defend. After failing to successfully defend, they were driven to the Bataan Peninsula, where they surrendered. US and Filipino troops were then marched over 65 miles to prison camps, and thousands of soldiers died along the way as the conditions were harsh and they didn't get breaks, as well as getting abused by Japanese guards and soldiers. -
The Battle of Midway was a naval and air battle at the Midway Atoll, fought by both Japanese and US forces. This was a major point in the war as if the US lost this area the Japanese Empire could further their attack and reach the US Mainland. The battle resulted in a US victory, with the Japanese losing over 3000 men, four carries, a cruiser, and hundreds of aircrafts. This was major for the US, as it stopped Japan in their tracks and let the US stay defended. -
The Battle of Stalingrad was a fight between the Red Army and German Army in Stalingrad, Russia. The fight involved millions of troops, and led to millions of casualties, including tens of thousands of civilian deaths, and was one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. In the end the Red Army was victorious of the Germans, and this vital battle led to a major advantage for the allies, as Stalingrad was important for making supplies. -
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was an armed revolution by the Jewish Citizens of Germany being held in Ghettos, in Warsaw. They fought against the Germans to avoid being taken to concentration camps where they would be killed. These revolutions were significant for World War II, as it sparked more uprisings amongst Jewish People and showed them fighting back against the Germans while they were trying to commit mass murder against them. -
Operation Gomorrah was a British operation where they dropped bombs onto Hamburg, Germany. Together, the US Air Force and Royal Air Force killed over 30,000 Germans and destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings in retaliation of the bombings in Britain. Using new radar confusing tactics, they were able to lose a very small amount of their bombers and cause massive damage on the Germans. This was important to World War II as it showed Britain having an upper hand. https://www.history.com -
Operation Thunderclap was a plan proposed by the US Air Force in which they would bomb Berlin, Germany and cause massive damage. If they went through with it, a very large number of German civilians would die and a tremendous amount of damage would be inflicted on Germany. However, they never went through with the plan. -
D-Day was an attack on Normandy, France, which was under German occupation at the time. Using landing crafts and airborne units, the US army suffered thousands of causalities but was able to capture the beaches of Normandy, and eventually drive the Germans out of France all together. This was a major event in World War II, as it was a massive battle that lead to one of the most important areas the Germans held to be lost due to them losing the beaches and their defense breaking. -
The Battle of the Bulge was a German attack on US soldiers in the Ardennes forest, where they broke through tired US soldiers in harsh weather conditions. The battle was in Belgium, and was an effort by the Germans to split up Allied forces heading to Germany. This was a crucial battle in World War II as the US suffered more than a hundred thousand casualties, and it showed how the Germans damage them. This lead to info being spread about a defeat and impacted the US army greatly. -
The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought on the island of Iwo Jima, by the US Army and Japan. The US Army was attempting to take Iwo Jima, as a way to forward their way to mainland Japan, as Iwo Jima would make a strong base to aid in the invasion of mainland Japan. The attack itself was difficult for the US Army, and even though they outnumbered the Japanese, the terrain and tactics used by the Japanese made the US suffer thousands of causalities, but they did take the island in the end of the battle. -
Furthering the attempt to take the smaller islands around Japan, and the the mainland, the Battle of Okinawa was the final push on Japan. A large number of US troops invaded the island, however they were met with large amount of force back, and it led to one of the bloodiest battles fought in the pacific theater. This battle was extremely important as it led to the US taking the last of the islands surrounding Japan, with the last target being the Japanese Mainland. -
Victory in Europe Day, or VE Day marked the end of World War II in Europe, as the Allied forces defeated and overran German and the Nazi Forces in Europe, taking back land such as France and Poland, and ending the attacks by the Germans. This was major in World War II as it marked the end of the German attacks and fights, and was the end of this conflict in Europe as Germany had unconditionally surrendered. -
The Potsdam Conference was a discussion held between Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, all the heads of the major allied nations. This discussion was about postwar Europe and they issued a declaration for Japan to surrender unconditionally, however in private they were ok with Japan keeping an Emperor. -
After VE Day, fighting in the Pacific Theater was ongoing, as the Japanese Empire refused to surrender and the whole of the nation was ready to fight. To quickly end the war for Japan, the US Army dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki. Overall, the bombs killed more than 120,000 people combined and lead to the end of World War II, as these events would force Japan to surrender, leading to VJ Day. -
Victory Over Japan Day, or VJ Day, officially marked the end of World War II and the success of the US Army in the Pacific Theater. After dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered, effectively bringing an end to World War II.
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