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German Blitzkrieg
Hitler needed Britain's submission so he could concentrate on his plans for the Soviet Union. Germany had attempted to wear down Britain's Royal Air Force hoping for a land invasion but was failing. Hitler changed strategies so instead of a land invasion , Hitler chose terror as his weapon. On day one of the Blitz, German planes dropped 337 tons of bombs on London. From the direct hits of the bombs as well as the fires that broke out. 448 civilians were killed that afternoon and evening. -
Sources
http://encyclopedia.ushmm.org-Liberation of Concentration
http://www.britannica.com-Wannsee Conference
http://www.ducksters.com-Pearl Harbor
http://www. history.com-German Blitzkrieg -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese airplanes made a surprise attack on the US Navy in Pearl Harbor. They destroyed many ships and killed a lot of soldiers. This was the attack that forced the United States into WWII. Before the attack, the US was not part of the war but the Japanese Empire was trying to take over parts of Asia and was worried about the US Navy. They decided to strike in order to prevent the US from attacking them while they invaded Asia. -
The Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was Japans brutal forced march of American and Filipino prisoners of war. It was a 63 mile march with at least 72,000 people. To the Japanese soldiers, the prisoners were not worthy of respect and to show their disgust, they tortured the prisoners during the march. The treatment was extremely harsh with a very high chance of getting shot if you didn't cooperate or even attempted to get water. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-bataan-death-march -
The Battle of Midway
This was an air-sea battle between the US and Japan that happened about 6 months after the attack at Pearl Harbor. Japan was hoping to crush the rest of the US pacific fleet with a surprise attack at Midway Island. The US gains advantage though because they were able to break the codes. The US was prepared and later gained victory of Japan. Japan decided to stay on the defensive side for the rest of WWII https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a brutal military campaign between Russia, the Nazi Germany and the Axis powers during WWII. Germany had a lot of captured territory so they decided to mount an offensive on southern Russia. More than 2 million troops fought in close quarters. Almost 2 millions were killed or injured in fighting plus the tens of thousands of Russian civilians. This battle turned WWII in the Allied forces favour. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was the meeting of Nazi officials in Berlin to plan the "final solution" or the Holocaust. Because of Hitler's hatred for Jews, an earlier idea was to deport all of Europe's Jews to the island of Madagascar but this idea was abandoned. They then planned on rounding up all Jews, transporting and organizing them into labour gangs. Work and Living conditions would be hard and those that survive would be dealt with accordingly. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
SS chief Heinrich Himmler ordered the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto and the deportation of the surviving prisoners. A group of Jewish fighters, armed with pistols fought their german escorts during deportation. Most of these fighters died in battle but the attack disoriented the Germans, giving some Jews a chance to disperse. This uprising encouraged other Jewish groups to uprise as well. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
D-Day
The Battle of Normandy which lasted from June to August in 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Nazi Germanys control over western Europe. The next battle was called Operation Overlord and D-Day started it. Some 156,000 American, British and Canadian soldiers invaded France. Within the next spring, the Allies defeated the Germans in France. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
This was the day that the Germans launched their last major offensive of the war which was called operation Autumn Mist. Their assault came at the weakest part of the Allied line in the Ardennes forest. The Allies thought that the forest was too difficult for the Germans to travel through. The Germans were able to push the Americans to retreat. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle was between the United States and Japan. The US launched an invasion on the island of Iwo Jima as a campaign against Japan. The was a bloody battle for both sides. It was costly victory for the US because of Japans willingness to fight to the last man. The Japanese death toll was 18,500 and about 6,800 US Marines died and 19,200 were wounded. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Iwo-Jima#ref34350 -
Battle of Okinawa
This was a major battle of WWII and one of the bloodiest. The Navy's Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 US Army and US Marine troops descended to the island of Okinawa for a final step to Japan. The invasion was part of a complicated plan to invade and occupy islands including Okinawa. It did result in an Allied victory, Japanese soldiers, bad weather and fierce fighting on land, sea and air took a large death toll on both sides. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As Allied troops moved against Nazi Germany, they began to encounter tens of thousands of camp prisoners. These prisoners were suffering from starvation and disease. Unfortunately when they got to the camps, they were abandoned and the majority of people had already been killed. The Nazi horrors found in these camps. Majdanek was the first camp to be liberated and the largest one was in Auschwitz. -
VE Day
VE day stands for Victory in Europe. The official end of the fighting in Europe and Canada after WWII was celebrated shortly after Germanys surrender. In some places, for example Halifax, the celebrations got out of hand and turned into rioting and the war was not over between Japan. There was a lot of violence and vandalism. Canada was about to be a middle power of the alliance in the Cold Wars. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ve-day-victory-in-europe -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
An American B29 bomber dropped the worlds first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion immediately killed an estimated 80,000 people. Tens of thousands more people died from radiation poisoning. 3 days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki which killed about 40,000 people. Japans emperor announced surrender on the 15th of August. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
VJ Day
It had been announced that Japan had surrendered to the Allies. The 14 and 15th of August were Victory over Japan day. After the Americans dropped an atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima, killing around 70,000 people and dropping another on the City of Nagasaki, killing around 40,000 people, the Japanese emperor urged his people to surrender, leading to the countries defeat. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
