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Japanese's Invasion of China
Japan's invasion of China lead to the Second Sino-Japanese War. The eight year war began when China was weak and torn apart because of rivalry between warlords. -
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German Blitzkrieg
In German, the term "blitzkrieg" means "lightning war". It is a military strategy designed specifically to cause disorganization and disorientation among enemy forces using concentrated firepower. A successful execution causes brief military campaigns that elongate lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
By invading Poland, Germany began World War II. Their invasion caused Britain and France to declare war on them on September 3rd. -
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Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa, a code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union covered around two thousand miles of Soviet Territory. This invasion was a major turning point for World War II because it failed. It led Nazi Germany into into a two-front war against a military that owned tons of higher-level resources. The invasion was originally scheduled for the middle of the month of May but was postponed so they could invade Yugoslavia and and Greece first. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack that drastically damaged the U.S. Pacific Fleet. On December 8th, the next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan. Then on December 11th, Nazi Germany, the Axis ally of Japan, declared war on the United States. This pushed the U.S. into a two-front war. Japan was thriving in the months that followed Pearl Harbor, until the Battle of Midway in June of 1942. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting between 15 senior government officials from Nazi Germany and Schutzstaffel leaders. Their goal was to devise a plan that would cause a "final solution to the Jewish question" in Europe. Multiple horrid ideas were suggested but the one that stuck involved "gas vans". These torture mobiles had already been killing 1,000 people a day. The officials viewed this as the most efficient way of killing large groups of people at the same time. -
Operation Gomorrah
In the month of September, 1943 British bombers raided Hamburg, Germany during the night. 167 civilian lives were lost because of the German raid bombings in July. On the night of July 24th, British bombers dropped approximately 2,300 tons of bombs. The power of the explosives was equal to what German bombers dropped on London in their past five raids. 1,500 German civilians were killed off the British raid bombings. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
On June 6th, 1944, the weather delayed the Normandy Landings for 24 hours. Eventually 24,000 Canadian, U.S., and British airborne troops began landing on the coast of France at approximately 06:30. The strong winds shifted some air crafts east of their intended landing positions. When they finally landed, they were welcomed with heavy gunfire from the gun emplacements that were there guarding the mined shore. Unfortunately, on this day, the Allied troops achieved none of their goals. -
Battle of the Bulge
On December 16th, 1944, the German military began "the Battle of the Bulge". It was the German military's counter-attack against the Allies. Apparently, Hitler hoped that this counter-attack would surround the British and American armies and stall the Allies who were fighting against Germany. However, by as early as January 1945, German military efforts had failed. During fighting, American and Belgium prisoners of war who had been captured were murdered by Waffen SS Units. -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
In the month of August, 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. This resulted in 120,000 civilians dying and Japan surrendering a month later in September. -
Operation Thunderclap
On the night of February 13th, multiple Allied firebombing raids occurred in Dresden, Germany. 800 British and American air crafts dropped more than 3,400 tons of explosives. These bombings caused destruction to the "Florence of the Elbe" and killed about 135,000 people. This operation was proven to be unnecessary since the Germans were already planning to surrender. The total body count was between 35,000 and 135,000 . -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle began when the U.S. Marine Corps invaded the island of Iwo Jima, which is located 750 miles off the coast of Japan, on February 19th, 1945. This resulted in a five week battle. -
Battle of Okinawa
The battle was the final major battle of WWII and was said to be the bloodiest. On April 1st, 1945, our Navy's 5th fleet and and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and Marine Corps troops began approaching Okinawa. This invasion was a part of Operation Iceberg. This 82 day battle consisted of the United States using it's new 10th army, which had it's very own tactical air force. It also featured Japan's infamous kamikaze attacks, where Japanese troops crashed aircrafts loaded down with explosives. -
VE Day
"V-E Day" stands for "victory over Europe day". In 1945, the U.S. and Great Britain celebrated V-E Day. On the 8th of May, German troops throughout Europe surrendered to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union lost 8000 soldiers however the Germans lost much more. Germany's main concern was that they would be captured by the Soviet Union. -
VJ Day
The term "V-J Day" stands for "victory over Japan day" since on August 14th, 1945 it was announced that Japan had surrendered, ending World War II.The term has also been used for September 2nd, 1945 when Japan formally surrendered on the U.S.S. Missouri which was anchored in Tokyo Bay. Their surrender came several months after Nazi Germany surrendered.
