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Japanese invasion of China source: www.history.com
Japan needed natural resources and since China had obvious weaknesses Japan decided to invade and occupy Manchukuo. The Japanese used Manchukuo as their base and they continued to gradually take over the north side of China. China received lots of help from old and new allies as they fought Japan and its new ally Nazi Germany. Japan captured many important ports and cities in China but, they continued feeling resistance. The war ended in stalemate but, soon after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. -
Rape of Nanking source:www.history.com
The capital of China, Nanking, fell to Japanese forces during the Sino-Japanese War. Japanese General Matsui arranged for the city to be ravaged. Majority of the city was burned and the Japanese troops called for a campaign of atrocities against the citizens. The Japanese slaughtered around 150,000 male prisoners of war, murdered about 50,000 males and raped an estimated 20,000 young girls and women, majority of whom were killed. After WWII Matsui was found guilty of war crimes and executed. -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact source:www.history.com
Also known as the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. This pact was signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union before WWII broke out. Both countries agreed to not take any military action against one another for the nest ten years. The past was viewed as a way to keep peaceful terms between Germany and the Soviet Union. The pact allowed Germany to penetrate Poland without being opposed by the Soviets. However, the pact fell in 1941 when Nazi's invaded the Soviet Union. -
German Blitzkrieg source: www.history.com
Blitzkrieg is a military tactic formed to develop chaos among enemy forces through mobile forces and nearby concentrated fire power. If the tactic is successful it results in brief military campaigns which saves lives and artillery. Germany first tried the blitzkrieg tactic in Poland before engaging the tactic in Belgium, Netherlands and France.The tactic worked so well that United States General George Patton adopted it himself for his army's European operations. -
Germany's invasion of Poland source:www.ushmm.org
Germany forces harassed Poland from the land and from the sky. Adolf Hitler pursued to take back lost land and ultimately rule Poland. It started of by large-scale bombing on the enemy's railroads, communication lines, munitions dumps and air capacity. Followed by a massive land invasion with large numbers of tanks, troops and artillery. Within weeks of original invasion Poland was defeated. During these invasions allies were formed with Poland and Germany and Britain and France declared war. -
Fall of Paris source:www.history.com
German troops entered and occupied Paris. The French government was being convinced by the British Prime Minister that America would join the war and come to Paris's aid. A French premier telegrammed the U.S. president and asked for an aid-a declaration. President Roosevelt was prepared to help but the Secretary of State opposed. Which was very smart because if the U.S. would have made it public they were helping France, Hitler and the Allies would taken it as a formal declaration of war. -
Operation Barbarossa source:www.history.com
One of the bloodiest battles and the largest military operation in history was when the Nazi Army bombed the Soviet city of Stalingrad. The operation consisted of a front covering two thousand miles and about 3million troops. A crucial turning point in the war was the Barbarossa operation. Its defeat involuntarily caused Nazi Germany to have to fight a two-front war against an enemy that had extremely good resources. The Barbarossa failed which left Germany with a two-front war it could not win. -
Pearl Harbor source:www.history.com
This attack caused the war between Japan and the United States. Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in hopes to destroy their aircraft carriers so they couldn't join the upcoming war. In our luck not all of the carriers were at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack. The attack killed more than 2,000 military and civilians and it destroyed many U.S. aircraft carriers. The attack infuriated the Americans and they called for war against Japan the next day. -
Wannsee Conference source: www.ushmm.org
The Wannsee Conference was held in a villa outside of Berlin by Reinhard Heydrich chief of the Reich Security Main Office. A proposal was presented by Reinhard to create a European-wide “Final Solution of the Jewish Question” to the German State and Nazi Party essential officials. The “Final Solution” was the code name for the murder of all European Jews. Hitler approved this plan of annihilation of the European Jews and it later became known as the Holocaust. -
Bataan Death March source:www.history.com
The United States surrendered to the Japanese on the island of Luzon a main Philippine island. About 75,000 Filipino and American troops were on the island at the time of the surrender and were forced to participate in the sixty-five mile march to the Japanese prison camps. The troops made the march but, it was under very harsh conditions and very harsh heat. In what is now known as the Bataan Death March, thousands of the marchers died. -
Battle of Midway source:www.bbc.co.uk
The Battle of Midway was a truly decisive battle. American bombers peeled of into a dive attack on two Japanese aircrafts. Within a few hours four Japanese aircraft carriers had been destroyed. These carriers had dominated the pacific for six months and now they were destroyed. This extinguished the hopes of one empire and gave America a huge advantage over the Japanese. -
Operation Gomorrah source:www.history.com
British bombers raid by night while American bombers raid by day on Hamburg, Germany. Britain had suffered civilian deaths due to German bomb raids so Britain wanted to return the favor. Britain killed about 1,333 more civilians on their first raid than Germany killed in their bomb raids. British strikes pursued until November of 1943. The operation proved destructive to Hamburg and the German's morale. -
D-Day source:www.bbc.co.uk
One of the most intense and horrific battles of the entire war. The Allied Forces landed in Normandy where they met intense fire. D-Day was the first step in freeing Europe from Nazi control. D-Day left both sides weak due to the loss of soldiers, ships and planes. The Allies won and took control of France's Normandy coast. Over the next few months the Allies continued through Germany capturing more land. This invasion gave the Allied Powers a great advantage to win the war. -
Operation Thunderclap source:www.history.com
Operation Thunderclap was the code for an aborted mission planned in August 1944. The plan included a huge attack on Berlin believed to have killed 110,00 people many German personnel. The mission never occurred because the plan was very unlikely to occur and the deaths of the german personnel would have demolished German morale. -
Battle of the Bulge source:www.bbc.co.uk
American General Dwight D Eisenhower meets with General Omar Bradley. Report came in of enemy activity in the Ardennes. Bradley dismissed the reports but, Eisenhower immediately sensed the danger and told Bradley "That's no spoiling attack!" This report was of German leader, Adolf Hitlers, last great offensive plan in the west. If Eisenhower had not sensed the danger both could have died. Which could have led to a German victory of WWII. This woke the Allied Powers from their relazed state. -
Battle of Iwo Jima source:www.history.com
American soldiers make their first attack on the Japanese home island Iwo Jima. Americans were needing a base near the Japanese coast. Despite the difficult conditions the Americans won after a month of fighting. One famous photograph became famous from this battle and it is of the U.S. flag being raised in victory. This victory gave the Americans a much needed place where damaged bombers could land without having to return to the Marianas. -
Battle of Okinawa source:www.history.com
The Battle of Okinawa was the largest and last of the Pacific island battles in WWII. The goal was to capture the air bases necessary for the projected intrusion of Japan. The Japanese sent suicide planes and their last large battleship. The Japanese were so determined it led to a large blood bath on sea and land. The Allies won the Battle of Okinawa which soon lead to the dropping of the atomic bombs and the defeat of the Japanese. -
VE Day source:www.bbc.co.uk
Victory in Europe Day marks the formal end of Hitler's war. With the end of this war came with the end of six years of suffering and misery across the world. Some celebrated with partying while others celebrated in quiet reflection. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs source:www.history.com
The United States Air Force dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan as a warning for Japan to surrender. Tens of thousands of people died initially and even more later on from radiation. Still, Japan did not surrender so the United States dropped another bomb on the city of Nagasaki. About 120,000 people died due to the two atomic blasts. Finally, after the blast in Nagasaki Japan formally surrendered to Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States on September 2,1945. -
VJ Day source:www.bbc.co.uk
The allies celebrated over their victory of Japan on August 15th, 1945. Although the Japanese didn't officially sign the surrender document until September 2, 1945. VJ day doesn't only mark the end of the Japanese war it marks the end of World War II. People were celebrating in the streets. One famous picture is of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square as a celebration of the end of the war.
