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German Blitzkrieg (Poland)
German troops invade Poland along its 1,750 mile border. Simultaneously, the German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, and German warships and U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. Hitler wanted Poland as a living space for the German people. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
Battle of France
The campaign against France only lasted six weeks. Britain and France thought that Germany would attack through central Belgium like in WWI. Germany attacked through the Ardennes Forest in Southeastern Belgium. German tanks and Infantry broke through the French line of defense quickly and advanced to the coast. The French capital, fell to the Germans on June 14, 1940. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
Battle of Britain
In 1940, German and British air forces fought in the skies over the UK, in the largest sustained bombing campaign to that date. The Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s air force failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and its civilian population. Britain’s victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-britain -
Lend Lease Act
the Lend-Lease Act was the way for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during World War II. It authorized the president to transfer arms or any other defense materials for which Congress approved money for. By allowing the transfer of supplies without compensation to Britain, China, the Soviet Union and other countries, the act permitted the United States to support its war interests without being overextended in battle. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/lend-lease-act -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched his armies eastward in an invasion of the Soviet Union. Over three million soldiers invaded the USSR. German forces were strong and took large portions of Russian territory. Russian forces fought back and managed to stall Germany. Germans received supplies and began pushing again. Poor weather and freezing temperatures weakened German armies. In the end they lost, not to the Soviet Union, but to mother nature. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
Just before 8:00 am that Sunday morning, Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor. These planes destroyed or severely damaged 8 battleships, 12 other naval vessels, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
U.S. Declares War
On December 11, Germany declared war on the U.S. because the U.S. had declared war on Japan. The other Axis Powers followed in suit. Leaving America no choice, only a few hours after Germany declared war, the U.S. declared war on the remaining Axis Powers. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-declares-war-on-the-united-states -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war where the prisoners were loaded onto trains. The transfer began on April 9, 1942. The total distance marched from Mariveles to San Fernando is reported between 60 and 70 miles The march was consisted of severe physical abuse and killings, and was later judged to be a Japanese war crime. www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese Navy wanted to destroy the aircraft carriers that escaped destruction at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. cracked Japanese codes and figured out their plan. The U.S. ambushed the Japanese before they could execute their plan. The Battle of Midway lasted four days. The United States dealt extensive damage to the Japanese Navy. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire war. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the war in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with casualties of nearly 2 million. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Many Jews in ghettos across eastern Europe tried to organize resistance against the Germans and to arm themselves with smuggled and homemade weapons. Between 1941 and 1943, underground resistance movements formed in about 100 Jewish groups. The most famous attempt by Jews to resist the Germans in armed fighting occurred in the Warsaw ghetto. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007745 -
D-Day
Code-named Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944. 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Concentration Camps Liberated
Soviet soldiers were the first to liberate concentration camp prisoners in the final stages of the war. On July 23, 1944, they entered the Majdanek camp in Poland, and later overran several other killing centers. On January 27, 1945, they entered Auschwitz and there found hundreds of sick and exhausted prisoners. The Germans had been forced to leave these prisoners behind in their hasty retreat from the camp. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007724 -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard. American forces bore the brunt of the attack and incurred their highest casualties of any operation during the war. The battle also severely depleted Germany's armored forces, and they were largely unable to replace them. www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
The Big Boom
President Harry S. Truman, warned by some of his advisers that any attempt to invade Japan would result in horrific American casualties, ordered that the new weapon be used to bring the war to a speedy end. On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five-ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On August 9 the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima
