-
Rape of Nanking
During the Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese fell into the control of Japan. The Japanese general Matsui commanded the city of Nanking to be destroyed. Most of the city of Nanking was burned down and Japanese soldiers tortured many Chinese civilians as well. It was estimated that around 200 males and 20,000 women were tortured and killed by this event. Later, Matsui was found guilty of war crimes and was executed. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-rape-of-nanking -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg was a war tactic that was used by Germany during WWII. This war tactic was to focus on quick attacks and bomb and shoot from the ground because it would cause a quick battle that would leave more soldiers alive than dead. The Blitzkrieg tactic was used to overthrow the countries Poland, Norway, Belgium, and France. Overall, this was a very effective tactic for Germany during this time. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
On September 1st, Adolf Hitler ordered German forces to invade Poland on not only land but by air too. Germany took this territory from Poland to gain back territory. Germany's tactic for attacking was to bomb very early to try to take out all of the important weapons and objects so that Poland wouldn't be able to fight back. The Polish were not ready for this attack and miscalculated a lot of things about this invasion https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an air battle that happened between the British Air Force and the German Air Force. This battle was the first of its time to be fought in the air. This battle was fought over who would control the airspace of Britain, Germany, and the English Channel. In the end, the British Air Force defeated the Germans which led to the fall of the Nazis later on. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-britain-1 -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbossa was a code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The German troops failed which was a major turning point in WWII. Hitler tried to do this because he wanted to see the success he way at the Blitzkrieg but this time it was unsuccessful. In the end, the Soviet Union rebuilt their army back up after this attack and was ready going into the winter. https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a naval base that is located in Hawaii which stored a lot of U.S ships. On December 9th, 1941 there was a surprise attack on the harbor launched by the Japanese. It damaged about 20 naval vessels, 8 submarines, and over 300 airplanes. This led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare war against Japan. This event was not the whole reason why the U.S declared war on Japan but was a pretty big factor in it. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a naval battle between the U.S and Japan. The U.S Navy won this battle and did a great job at protecting the base on Midway Island. The Japanese started this battle because they wanted to see the success that they saw when they attacked Pearl Harbor. The U.S had a major naval advantage in this war so that is part of the reason why they won. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea was when Japanese forces successfully occupied the island Tulagi. This was the first battle marked in history to not only be a naval war but an air in which none of the carriers shot at. Although the Japanese won this battle it did cause some damage to their supplies which later caused them to have to buy more supplies. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-the-coral-sea-begins -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a huge turning point in WWII. This battle was fought between the Russian Forces and Nazi Forces. This was not only one of the longest battles but also one of the most bloodiest and infamous battles. This war was caused because Germany wanted to gain more land western so they launched an attack on Stalingrad. In the end, Russia had gained Stalingrad back and had captured a bunch of German troops as well.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
D-Day
D-day was when about 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces stormed the beaches along Normandy. This was one of the longest military assaults that happened in history. By the end of August 1944, all of Northern France had been liberated. This event had let to the beginning of the end of WWII. Overall, this was a very influential event that played a very important role in WWII https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought between the U.S Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan. American froces invaded this Island in 1945 and fought for 5 weeks. By the end of the war, it was believed that only around 200 Japaneese forces survived. This was a very tough battle in which the U.S faced a couple casualities but accomplished them over time and won. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
VJ Day
In August 1945 Japan had officially surrendered to the allies, which ended WWII. Japan formally surrendered on the U.S.S Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japan surrendered because of the bombs that had been dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki which had caused a lot of damage to their country and weapons. This led to the allies winning WWII. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
VE Day
VE day is when Great Britain and the U.S celebrate the defeat of the Nazis. This is the day when the German troops are finally laid down and have surrendered. This was a very influential moment for Europe because Germany was a very powerful country in WWII. Everyone was rejoicing and holding up posters because they were excited that the war was finally over. The surrender documents were signed in Berlin and parts of Eastern Germany. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major offensive battle that the Germans had during WWII. Hitler's main goal for this battle was to try to divide up the allies so that it would be harder to take over. The failure of this led the allies to victory during this Battle. After this battle Germany's territory was being taken over again. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The U.S was the first and only country to use atomic bombs during the war. In 1945 a bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima and killed around 85,000 people. Three days later a bomb was dropped in Nagasaki which killed around 40,000. There were also a lot of deaths that happened after the war from the effects of the bombs. These bombs ended the war fast which did happen and the U.S won. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-bomber-drops-atomic-bomb-on-hiroshima