-
Japanese Invasion of China
The reason that Japan invaded China was to obtain resources and labor. Although they had invaded Manchuria in 1931, in 1937 there was a battle between Japan and China on the Marco-Polo Bridge. Japan had attacked China first, but Japan claimed that China had started the battle. After the battle on the Marco-Polo Bridge there was an unofficial war between Japan and China.
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/japan_quest_empire_01.shtml#top -
Rape of Nanking
During the Sino-Japanese War, Japan had taken the capital of China, Nanking. A Japanese General Matsui wanted to break the Chinese spirit by destroying the city. Japanese soldiers commited awful acts against war prisoners and civilians of China. The effects of this include an estimated 150,000 male war prisoners murdered, 50,000 male civilians murdered and about 20,000 girls raped and mutilated.
Source: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-rape-of-nanking -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg was a military strategy used by the German army to disorganize the enemy. It was first used in Poland, and later used in Belgium, The Netherlands and France. Blitzkrieg had defeated a combined four armies in six weeks and was incredibly effective. In 1941, blitzkrieg had brought German forces to Moscow in six months. The effects blitzkrieg had was winning many battles for Germany between 1939-1941
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
German Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland after securing the neutrality of the Soviet Union. Poland was defeated and occupied within a month of the invasion beginning due to the strategy "blitzkrieg." Germany wished to redeem themselves from past humiliation in WWI and they wanted more resources to sustain their economy. The effects of the invasion include Britain and France declaring war, marking the start of WWII.
Source:https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/world-war-ii-in-europe -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched a large scale invasion on the Soviet Union. This invasion included three million soldiers and three thousand tanks that demolished the Soviets. Germany wished to enslave the Slavic people and eradicate the Jews. The Germans were not prepared for the harsh weather of Russia, and were severely under supplied which lead to failure. This failure caused Germany to fight a two front war, that they simply couldn't.
Source:https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a Japanese attack launched on the American naval base. Japan wanted to cripple the American navy so that they could take lands in the pacific without interference. The attack was a failure, as aircraft carriers were away at the time, oil supplies were untouched and all but two battleships were repaired. The effect of Pearl Harbor was that it brought the previously neutral America into WWII.
Source: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/pearl-harbor -
The Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was the meeting of Nazi officials to find the "Final Solution" to the "Jewish Question." The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the fastest way to exterminate the Jewish population. The meeting was held in Wannsee, a suburb in Berlin. The result of this meeting ended up being the use of "gas vans" which could kill up to 1,000 people in one day.
Source:https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the transportation of 75,000 American and Filipino troops from Mariveles to San Fernando (65 miles). The march occurred after the surrender of General Edward King Jr. on April 9th of 1942. It is believed that thousands of troops died during the death march due to the harshness of their captors. The effects were not forgotten by America, as they had recaptured the Bataan Peninsula by 1945.
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was what most consider the turning point for the Pacific Campaign. American code breaking had led to America being able to plan a counter attack to Japan's ambush. Admiral Chester Nimitz was able to perfectly plan a counter attack to Japan's plan to destroy the remaining aircraft carriers that had survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. This battle left Japan's navy weakened and let America take the offensive.
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the resistance of the SS forces by several hundred fighters in the Ghetto. These fighters, who were far outnumbered, managed to fight the Germans for a month. SS forces were sent to the ghetto to completely destroy it when they were met with the uprising. This month long battle resulted in the death of 7,000 Jews dying, but not before they managed to kill hundreds of German soldiers.
Source:https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was the bombing raids of the German city of Hamburg. Britain wanted revenge for Germany's civilian bombings. Over 1,500 German civilians were killed in the first raid and by the end of it, the raids had killed 30,000 people and destroyed 280,000 buildings. The effects of these raids were that many of the buildings were crucial to Germany's military, and it had a great effect on German morale.
Source: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
D-Day
D-Day was the landing of 156,000 allied troops on the beaches of Normandy. This large scale attack was the beginning to the liberation of western Europe, and required extensive planning. This invasion resulted in the loss of over 4,000 allied troops and thousands more wounded. Although D-Day occurred in June, by August, northern France had been liberated from Nazi control. D-Day was considered the beginning of the end of WWI in Europe.
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Soviets reached the German camps and released newsreels to show the atrocities that had been committed there. Some of these concentration camps turned out to be extermination camps with gas chambers and incinerators. This was the Nazis method of eradicating the Jews in the most efficient ways. The effects of the liberation were that the public now knew about the awful conditions, and atrocities of the Nazi party.
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/liberation_camps_01.shtml -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's attempt to split the allied armies in northwest Europe. As the German army pushed through the Ardennes forest, the Allied line took on a bulge appearance, thus the name. Inexperienced US divisions were able to buy enough time for a defense to be planned at St. Vith. German shortages caused them to lose the battle, and The Battle of the Bulge ended up losing 100,000 thousand US troops.
Source:https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was the fire bombing of the German city of Dresden. Many found the bombing unnecessary because Dresden was not important to German military and the bombings killed many civilians. In 3 days, the city was turned to ruins and cast ablaze for days to come. The result of these bombings led to the death of up to 135,000 civilians, and the complete and utter destruction of the city.
Source:https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-dresden -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a military campaign held by the US Marines to capture the island of Iwo Jima. They wanted to capture this island because it had three airfields that would have been important to an invasion of Japan. Japan started the engagement with 21,000 soldiers, and it's believed that all but 200 Japanese soldiers were killed by the end. In addition to Japanese casualties, 7,000 US soldiers also died.
Source:https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of WWII and was the result of many casualties. Although the war in Europe was coming to a close, American forces were still trying to reach Japan and Okinawa was their last stop. Kamikaze pilots heavily damaged the Fifth Fleet. Many Japanese soldiers took their own lives since they believed the Americans didn't take prisoners. This resulted in one of the bloodiest battles of WWII
Source: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
VE Day
VE Day is the celebration of Victory in Europe. Victory in Europe was celebrated because Hitler had committed suicide and Grand Admiral Donitz had officially surrendered to western and Russian demands. Winston Churchill gave a speech about the victory to the people, and May 8th became known as VE Day. This greatly increased morale in the west, even though there was still work to be done in the pacific.
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff7_veday.shtml -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
In 1945 two atomic bombs by the name of "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" were dropped on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs were dropped as a way to end the fighting in the pacific. President Truman had promised complete destruction if the Japanese did not surrender, and when they failed to surrender, the bombs were dropped. The bombs instantly killed 120,000 and thousands more died due to exposure.
Source:https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history -
VJ Day
VJ Day is the celebration of Victory in Japan, and the ending of WWII. After the dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan, Japan surrendered which signified the ending of WWII. The official document of surrender was signed September 2nd, 1945 and finally meant that Japan had surrendered. The effects of this greatly increased morale in the west due to the war being officially over after many grueling years.
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff7_vjday.shtml
