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Germany's Invasion of Poland
The Polish Army was defeated within weeks of the invasion of the Germans. Warsaw finally surrendered on September 27, 1939 to the German Army. It happened because Hitler didn't like the way things were going after the Nonaggression Pact was signed. This led to Germany eventually taking over Poland. -
German Blitzkrieg
This was Germany wanting to avoid a long war, by attacking all of their enemies in a series of short campaigns. Germany was successful in many of its blitzkrieg attacks, until the very end when they were unsuccessful against the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the US. This lead to a long war and then eventually Germany's defeat in the end of the war. -
Fall of Paris
This was the event in which Germany invaded Paris. There was alot that happened during this event. It happened as part of the German Blitzkrieg attacks all over Europe. Eventually Germany ended up taking over France too. -
Pearl Harbor
This event was the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor to prevent the US from getting involved in a war with them when they attack the Dutch East Indies. Japan was planning on attacking the Dutch East Indies in order to gain resources they that they needed in order to live. This event started the war between the US and Japan. -
Bataan Death March
This was the forced march of the US and Filipino soldiers during World War 2. This march was forced upon them by the Japanese. This happened because of Pearl Harbor. Eventually the US surrendered to Japan and the fighting at the Battle of Bataan ended. -
Battle of Midway
This battle is considered to be the decisive battle of the Pacific. The Japanese wanted to capture Midway to use it as an advanced base for themselves in the mirror. Eventually the U.S. Pacific fleet surprised the Japanese by sinking 4 of their ships. After this battle, the US and their allies took control of the Pacific. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
In 1942, the Germans deported or murdered nearly 300,000 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. German police officers were going to liquidate the ghetto on the eve of Passover, but when they went in the next morning the streets were bare. All Jews had gone into hiding or were in bunkers. The Germans eventually won, and got the victory. The uprising happened because SS-Chief Heinrich Himmler ordered the liquidation of the ghetto. This event affected all Jews, as it symbolized the beginning of the Holocaust. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The allied forces invaded Italy to try and take it over. On the day of the landing in the "toe" of Italy, Benito Mussolini secretly agreed to the terms of surrender presented to him by the allies. In October of 1943, parts of the axis powers that were in Italy surrendered, followed shortly after by the rest of Germany and the axis powers. -
D-Day -- The Invasion of Normandy
This was the event that started the Invasion of Normandy. This event was what started the turn of events in favor of the allies. The allies invaded Normany, to start and take over the rest of Europe. This was what started the turn of events that eventually helped the allies win the war. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was the code name for the bombing raids on the key eastern cities in Germany. The raids were planned by the British to end the war. This was believed to be the best way to end the war. In order for this operation to be successful, timing was key. The air raids were successful, and even made Geobbels weep uncontrollably. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This was the event in which the US bombed and took over the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese. With the capture of the island, this led to a landing strip for crippled planes to land, and eventually to the Battle of Okinawa. The US was once again successful in what they were trying to do, and pretty much conquered the island. -
VE Day
This was the day that the announcement was officially made in Europe for the end of World War 2. The people of Europe were told how to celebrate these events, and did so repectfully. When the announcement was made to the public, the day was also declared as a holiday. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
Harry Truman had a decision to make now. He had to decide when to drop the bomb and where to drop the bomb. It is said that Trumans decision was barbaric and wasn't really needed, but it happended anyways. The Japanese surrendered to the US on August 14, 1945. Truman also said that the decision to drop the bomb was purely military. -
VJ Day
This was the day of victory in Japan. On this day, the Japanese officially signed the papers for surrender to the allied forces. General MacArthur and the Japanese General both signed the papers aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, along with many other countries. There were two copies of the surrender papers signed, one for the US government and one for the Japan government. -
Battle of the Bulge
The German army launched a counter offensive attack that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a way that would turn the favor of the war in Hitler's favor. This meant the feeling of victory over the feeling tyranny, which meant that Hitler thought that he was the ruler of all, which was a far cry from the truth.
