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Japanese invasion of China (1937)
A war occurred between Chinese and Japanese troops near Peiping in North China. Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. By 1937 Japan controlled large sections of China. Caused damage to China in civilian and military casualties and property losses. 7 decades after the end of the war the two countries have not reached any peace -
German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg is a military tactic calculated to create psychological shock and resultant disorganization in enemy forces. Germany wanted to avoid a long war. The German Blitzkrieg sped up the time when they were fighting Europe -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese Navy attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The Japanese intended the attack as a preventive action to keep the United States Pacific Fleet from interfering with its planned military actions in Southeast Asia.Pearl Harbor destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. 2,403 sailors, soldiers and civilians were killed and about 1,000 people were wounded. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior government officials of Nazi Germany and Schutzstaffel leaders. The purpose of the conference, was to ensure the co-operation of administrative leaders of various government departments in the implementation of the Final solution to the Jewish question whereby most of the Jews of German-occupied Europe would be deported to occupied Poland and murdered. -
Battle of Midway
The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in the war. Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base to attack Pearl Harbor. After losing the Battle of Midway, Japan slowly went on the defensive and began losing island after island -
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad Russia, U.S.S.R. during World War II. The battle of Stalingrad began in August 1942 when German troops tried to take control of the city. Stalingrad was felt to be an important city in Germany's effort to take control of the south of Russia. General Zhukov later on May 1, 1945 personally accepted the German surrender of Berlin. -
Allied invasion of Italy (1943)
the Allies began their invasion of Axis-controlled Europe with landings on the island of Sicily, off mainland Italy. Allied leaders decided to use their massive military resources in the Mediterranean to launch an invasion of Italy. The results were a allied victory. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. The attack began when Allied planes and warships bombarded German positions along the coastline. This was to damage the defenses making it easier for the troops to get ashore. D-Day was the beginning of the end for not only the Germans but Hitler most of all. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16, 1944, when German forces launched a surprise attack on Allied forces in the forested Ardennes region in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. The battle was a last ditch attempt by Hitler to split the Allies in two in their drive towards Germany and destroy their ability to supply themselves.The Battle of the Bulge marked the last German offense on the Western Front. The loss on German side prevented Germany from resisting the advance of Allied forces . -
Battle of Iwo Jima
American forces invaded the island on February 19, 1945, and the ensuing Battle of Iwo Jima lasted for weeks. The island of Iwo Jima was a strategic location because the US needed a place for fighter planes and bombers to land and take off when attacking Japan. After the battle, Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen. -
VE Day
May 8th 1945 was the date the Allies celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Reich. "Victory in Europe Day" marks the day towards the end of WWII when fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe came to an end. VE Day was one that remained in the memory of all those who witnessed it. -
VJ Day
V-J Day is the end of World War II, one of the deadliest and most destructive wars in history. Emperor Hirohito urged his people to accept the surrender, blaming the use of the “new and most cruel bomb” on Hiroshima and Nagasaki for the country's defeat. VJ Day - was celebrated on 15 August 1945 -
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa World War II battle fought between U.S. and Japanese forces on Okinawa. The Americans wished to destroy what was left of Japan's merchant fleet and use airstrips in the region to launch bombing raids on Japan's industrial heartland. Okinawa was under control of the U.S. Navy. During the war, up to 160,00 Okinawan citizens, young and old, males and females, were sacrificed by the Japanese army or killed by U.S. military -
Dropping of the atomic bombs (1945)
On August 6, 1945, during World War II an American bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. President Harry S. Truman ordered that the new weapon be used to bring the war to a speedy end. At least 74,000 people died in the Nagasaki blast or from subsequent injuries. The attack on Nagasaki destroyed about 30% of the city and almost everything in the industrial district. Those who survived suffered terrible injuries, or radiation sickness. -
Liberation of concentration camps
The Liberation of concentration camps was the largest killing center and concentration camp complex. The Nazis transported prisoners away from the front and deep into Germany. Some prisoners were taken from the camps by train. Stutthof was the first German concentration camp set up outside German borders in World War II, in operation from 2 September 1939. It was also the last camp liberated by the Allies, on 9 May 1945.