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Passing of Neutrality Acts
These acts were aimed at promoting U.S. isolationism and non-involvement in response to growing turmoil in Europe and Asia that would eventually led to WWII. -
Quarantine Speech
This was the speech given by FDR. It was called for international effort to stop the expansion of aggressor nations. -
Munich Conference
This is where Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Neville Chamberlain, Great Britain's Prime Minister, and Daladier met in Munich. Here they signed a pact to settle the crisis over Czechoslovakia, by which the Sudetenland was ceded to Germany. -
Period: to
World War II.
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Kristallnacht
This was the "Night of Broken Glass". It was when the Nazis destroyed many Jewish buildings. -
Nazi-Soviet Pact
This is the agreement between Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin not to attach one another and to divide Poland. -
German Invasion of Poland
Official start of WWII. -
Battle of the Atlantic
This was the longest battle of World War II. This was the naval campaign fought between German U-boats and Allied naval and air forces. -
The Battle of Britain
In this air battle, it started when Germany bombed Great Britain. Germany's air force failed to destroy the Royal Air Force and eventually gave up hope of invading Englad. Great Britain did win this battle and this victory saved them from a ground invasion. Also, it saved them from Germany possibly taking over Great Britain. -
Lend-Lease Act
This is when the Lend-Lease Act was passed. This act allowed the U.S. to offer weapons and other war supplies to the Allied Powers to fight against the Axis Powers, regardless of their ability to pay. -
Atlantic Charter
Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met for the first time on a boat in the Atlantic. Here they talked about war strategies. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
This is where the Japanese surprised attacked us at Pearl Harbor. They were trying to take out our fleet to distract us so they could get their natural resources since we had previously cut them off. We ended up being able to salvage some of our ships and repair some of them. -
Bataan Death March
Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. More than 10,000 died. -
Battle of the Coral Sea
This battle was the first of the Pacific War's six fights between opposing aircraft carrier forces. It was where the Allies stopped the Japanese advance on Australia. -
Battle of Midway
Battle where the Allied forces crippled Japan's navy;. The U.S. broke the Japanese code and learned about their plans for attacking the Midway Island. This inflicted permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. This victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position. -
Manhattan Project
This was the secret U.S. project that developed the atomic bomb that we dropped on Japan. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Major battle, also known as the turning point in the war, in which Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union. It was one of the bloodiest battles in history and had the most casualities. -
D-Day
This is when some American, British, and even some Canadian forces invaded France. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. They were under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Allies won this battle. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
This was the last, largest, and most decisive naval engagement in the Pacific. Afterward, the Japanese fleet no longer seriously threatened the Allies. We also recaptured the Philippines. -
Battle of the Bulge
This is where ithe Allies defeated the final German offensive on the Western Front. Hitler was attempting to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe. But, it didn't work and this ended in an Allied win. -
Yalta Conference
This was the meeting of FDR, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin to plan for the postwar world. The main purpose of Yalta was the re-establishment of the nations conquered and destroyed by Germany. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Three U.S. marine divisions landed on the island. We used the island to launch bombing raids on Japan. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops. They fought from caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. The marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting. -
The Battle of Okinawa
Allied forces invaded the island of Okinawa and it was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. It also resulted in the largest casualties with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the Allies. The Allies did win this battle. -
V.E. Day
This marks the defeat of Germany by the Allied forces. Harry Truman dedicated the victory and celebrations to FDR who had died just a month before victory in Europe was achieved. -
Potsdam Conference
This was the meeting of Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin after Germany's surrender. It resulted in the division of Germany into four zones of occupation. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
This is when we dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. The second bomb caused the Japanese to surrender. -
Surrender of Japan
More then two weeks after accepting the Allies terms, Japan formally surrendered. The ceremonies took place on board the battleship USS Missouri.
