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Japanese invasion of China
Japanese expansion began with invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Then in July of 1937, Japan attacked China during their quest for empire. This led to an undeclared war between Japan and China. Japan’s aggression led to the creation of their alliance with Germany and their eventual attack on Pearl Harbor (ushmm.org).. -
Rape of Nanking
The Chinese city of Nanking was destroyed by Japanese forces over a period of six weeks. It was Japanese General Matsui who ordered the Japanese Army to break the spirit of the Chinese resistance. Horrific things happened to men, women, and children who were butchered, raped, mutilated, or killed. This massacre took China years to recover from (history.com). -
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German Blitzkrieg
This was a new form of warfare pioneered by the Wehrmacht that surprised the Allies and consisted of swift and decisive attacks against unprepared Allied forces. The German advance simply out-fought Allied forces. This caused the rapid and total collapse of Allied resistance in 1940 (bbc.co.uk). -
Germany's invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland, claiming it was a defensive action, and defeated the Polish army within weeks. A combination of more than 2,000 tanks and 1,000 planes broke through Polish defenses along 9the border and advanced on Warsaw in a massive encirclement attack (ushmm.org). As a result Britain, and France, declared war on Germany, standing by their guarantee of the integrity of Poland. -
Fall of Paris
Possibly one of the most remearkabke military campaigns in history, the Fall of Paris was the result of German air raids, parachute drops, and attacks. This was the beginning of the Germans striking and invasion of Allied forces. It was the deafeat of the Allied Powers in Fance and its collapse that upset the balance of Power in Europe (bbc.co.uk). -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was Adolf Hitler's plan to attack the Soviet Union that was carried out June of 1941. Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union broke the Non-Aggression Pact they had made a couple years before. Hitler had a strong hatred of Communism and found the Soviet Union suitable for the ‘living space’ he believed Germany required. There were many casualties, but Operation Barbarossa turned the Soviet Union into a Communist superpower and allowed the Allies to invade France (history.com) -
Pearl Harbor
Japan conducts a surprise aerial attack the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor. The goal of the attack was to destroy the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet making the U.S. unable to interfere with Japanese conquests. More than 2,000 military and civilians are killed. As a result, the U.S. immediately declares war on the Empire of Japan (History.com). -
Wannsee Conference
This was a gathering held between 15 high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee. There they famously discussed and coordinated the implementation of what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" (ushmm.org). They envisioned the eradication of 11 million Jews as a part of the Nazi program. -
Bataan Death March
This was a 65-mile march that Filipino and American troops were forced to make by the Japanese. After the U.S. surrendered the Bataan Peninsula due to starvation and disease, thousands who were forced to march died. This event did not affect the outcome of World War II but it will be forever remembered as one of the atrocities of the war (History.com). -
Battle of Midway
This battle occurred only six months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This began as Japan’s goal to sink the aircraft carriers that were not destroyed at Pearl Harbor, but the Americans intercepted intelligence that turned the tide.The Battle of Midway was a major turning point in the war in the Pacific because the Americans were able to inflict permanent damage on the Japanese Navy (history.com). -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad is considered by the Russians, and many historians, to be the great battle of World War II. There were nearly 2 million casualties, both military and civilian, during the conflict which lasted until Febuay of 1943. It was the Soviet defense of the city from German advances marking the turn of the tide of the war in the Allies favor (history.com) -
Operation Gomorrah
This operation was a British bombing raid that devastated Hamburg, Germany, causing the deaths of over 30,000 people. The British worked with American bombers in retribution for the deaths of 167 British citizens who were victims of Germany’s bombing raids. Operation Gomorrah only made matters worse for Germany and caused despair for German officials (history.com). -
D-Day
Also known as the Normandy Invasion, D-Day was an invasion by Allied forces of Normandy's beaches. General Eisenhower commanded the Allied forces in Operation Overlord. Over 1 million landed on the beaches in a week beginning the Allied invasion of Western Europe. France is liberated on August 25, 1944 ultimately paving the way for the Allied victory in Europe (History.com). -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was an Allied operation to strategically bomb the German city of Dresden. They wanted to attack Dresden because of its industrial and transportation targets as well as it military importance. It caused much public outcry for the destruction and casualties, and it led to the Allied decision to suspend strategic bombing for a short time (history.com). -
Battle of the Bulge
On December 16, 1944 the german army surprised the Allies by attacking in the Ardennes mountains of Belgium, France and Luxembourg beginning the Battle of the Bulge. There were heavy snowstorms and the American soldiers were inadequately prepared resulting in one of the Biggest and bloodiest battles of World War II. It was only when German offences ran out of fuel and manpower that on January 25 allies achieved victory (HIstory.com). -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima lasted for a month after naval and air bombardment and three U.S. marine division invasions of the island of Iwo Jima. The Americans wanted to seize the Japanese airfield and they wanted a base near the Japanese coast. The Battle of Iwo Jima resulted in the american capture of the island and the famous picture of Americans raising a flag over Mount Suribachi (History.com). -
Battle of Okinawa
Americans suffered heavy losses in the last major battle of World War II. The goal of the invasion by the U.S. was to occupy the Ryukyu Islands, this included Okinawa. The Japanese unleashed kamikaze pilots on the Fifth Fleet, sinking 36 ships and killing thousands. The Allied victory bought their forces within striking distance and led to the decision to end the war quickly with the use of the atomic bomb (History.com). -
VE Day
This day was the celebration by Britain and the Allies for their Victory in Europe. Germany finally laid down their arms throughout Europe as the Allies accepted Nazi Germany’s official surrender. This caused celebrations across the land and marked the end of the war in Europe (history.com). -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
On August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped by the United States on the city of Hiroshima. Then again on August 9 the Japanese city of Nagasaki was bombed. Over 120,000 civilians died as a result of the blasts and many more died from radiation exposure. The atomic bombs led to Japan's formal surrender in September, ending the war in the Pacific (ushmm.org). -
VJ Day
VJ Day, or Victoryover Japan Day, was the day that Japan announced their unconditional surrender to Allied forces. Celebrations occurred around the world and the United States to celebrate the end of the bloody conflict in the Pacific (history.com).
