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Japanese Invasion of China
In 1937, a minor engagement occurred at the Marco-Polo Bridge. This skirmish between Chinese and Japanese forces began an undeclared war between them. This would be called the "China Incident" and would be the premise of Japanese military thinking until 1940 when the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere was declared. -
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German Invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939, a German battleship fired upon a Polish garrison in Danzig. As this was happening 62 German divisions and 1300 aircraft began the invasion of Poland. Many of Hitler's advisors suggested that he not invade until the Wehrmacht was at full strength, but Hitler was confident that the defenses at the West Wall could hold off an attack from the west. He was also sure that the French and British prime ministers would just let him take Poland, wanting to avoid war. -
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German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg began with the invasion of Poland and expanded from there. The German army was able to bring Poland to its knees within a month, so they turned their focus to the west. On May 10, 1940, German forces waltzed into the then neutral Holland, who surrendered in 4 days. German air troops landed in Belgium on the same day, and they surrendered on the 27 of May. Finally, the French Invasion worked because the Germans didn't bother with the Maginot Line. -
Battle of Britain
This battle was fought entirely in the skies over England. This day was about the time the Luftwaffe began attacking RAF bases in an attempt to end the air battle and gain superiority to begin a naval invasion. However, a British attack on Berlin convinced the Germans to start bombing London, allowing the Royal Air Force to continue to shoot down German planes and eventually win the battle of attrittion. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The bombing of Pearl Harbor is what finally dragged America into WWII. On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the American naval base Pearl Harbor. Tensions had been brewing between the two nation, for America had denounced many of the actions of the Japanese. Though the U.S. government declared war the next day, the nation was completely unprepared for war, much less on this scale. The attack was not nearly as effective as it only disabled the Pacific Fleet for a few months. -
Bataan Death March
On this day, around 75000 troops were forced to make a 65 mile march to prison camps. The intense heat and brutality of Japanese soldiers caused thousands to perish in the death march. Those who were deemed too weak to finish the march are believed to be bayonetted and left on the beach. The prisoners were liberated in early March of 1945. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was arguably THE decisive battle in the Pacific Theater. For six months, the Japanese aircraft carriers had complete control of the Pacific. The Battle of Midway was basically a counterattack on a planned ambush of the American fleet. The plans of this ambush were intercepted, resulting in the destruction of the Japanese carrier fleet. This destroyed any chance the Japanese had of winning the war in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was the successful defense of Stalingrad, stopping the German advance into Russia. The casualties of civilians and soldiers combined was nearly 2 million people. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
This is the day the uprising began to see light. Resistance forces had been cropping up even before the Nazi's plans were announced. Once this started, the order was quickly given to level the ghetto, but they managed to inspire resistance in other ghettos in Poland. -
D-Day
Once Germany had conquered France, a major allied objective was to open a western front. So on June 6, Operation Overlord was launched. Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France and were able to successfully land and capture a small patch of land. They were allowed to land reinforcements and eventually push through France into Germany. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last German offensive in WWII. Due to over-confidence, the allies front line was pushed back significantly because the Germans attacked a "quiet sector." The six divisions on sight had no chance of holding them back, so they retreated. The battle lines had a huge bulge on them from the attack, which is where the name originated from. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The invasion of Iwo Jima was the solution for an American wish for a base near the Japanese coast. 23000 Japanese soldiers defended the island, and Americans lost over 20000 soldiers to takes the island and just over 1000 prisoners. -
Battle of Okinawa
The cause for this invasion was a need for air bases for the invasion of Japan. This battle caused the death of over 100000 soldiers total and was the last battle of the infamous battleship, the Yamato. The commanding generals of both sides were killed in battle, with losses so high at sea that they can only be estimated. -
VE Day
This day marked the official end of Hitler's war. The day was received in many ways, ranging from partying to a solemn reflection. Some of the soldiers ceremonially burned swasticas, a fitting end to the whole affair. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
This day was the first of two times that atom bombs would be dropped on major cities. While the bombs forced a surrender from Japan, the bombs had killed many tens of thousands of people, and there were only two bombs. The justification was preventing a land invasion of Japan, in which many more people had died, but the horrors of the bombs proved to be a much heavier toll than they expected. -
VJ Day
VJ Day is the day that the Japanese surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. This put an effective end to WWII. The formal surrender occirred on September 2 of the same year. -
Wannsee Conference
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Operation Thunderclap
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Operation Barbarossa
This is where Hitler (with all his flawless thinking) decided to make an enemy of Russia. Not only had Hitler underestimated the Red Army, but he made one major, logistical oversight. He tried to pull a Napolean and invade Russia in the winter. Yeah... Just as Moscow was within reach, nature shut down the German advance with rain. The German tanks could not advance. Then November solidified the mud and Hitler's generals urged him to advance, even though the troops were not geared for winter. -
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Operation Gamorrah