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Germany's Invasion of Poland
CitationIn January 1934 after Hitler came to power he wanted to sign an non-aggression pact with Poland. Hitler wanted this because he was hoping this would neutralize the possibility of a French-Polish military alliance against Germany before they had a chance to rearm. But in mid and late 1930s France and Britain had agreed to follow a policy of appeasement. This policy was intended to keep the peace of Europe. It also gave them limited permission to the German demands. -
Japanese Invasion of China
CitationOne of the main reasons Japan invaded China because Japan wanted imperial power. Then a clash occured near Peiping, Nothern China. In order for Japan to accomplish this they needed economic and military power. -
Fall of Paris
Fall of Paris
The Fall of France, aka the Battle of France, was the Germans plan to invade France through the forest to avoid the french front defences. The Germans used blitzkreig, a form of attack, to take over Poland, Belgium, and France. The Germans ended up pushing british and german troops further and further leading to 'Dunkirk' where 200,000 british and 140,000 french troops to England. -
German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
CitationAlso known as "'Lightening War'' which was a new form of attack for Germany. This method was effective for Germany by using speed and surprise to invade and conquer other countries quickly. The reason it was successful because it used tanks and air units which would give them speed and the elements of surprise. -
Operation Barbarossa
CitationCode name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. The invasion was towards Russia in June which happened around 3:15 a.m. Hitler breaks the non-aggression pact that was made with Russia. Hitler thought he could invade and defeat the Soviet Union before winter season came. The German troops ended up capturing two million Russian soldiers. Hitler was not successful in this plan,the Soviet Union had to sign the Mutual Assistance Treaty. -
Pearl Harbor
CitationPearl Harbor Attack
Japan attacked the United States' American Naval Base near Honolulu, Hawaii. This attack lasted for two hours and the Japanese army managed to destroy 20 American Naval Vessel and 2,000 American soldiers died leaving 1,000 wounded.After this attack President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to begin a war with Japan.Japan's imperial ambition was one of the main causes. Also they wanted this region because it had war resources. -
Wannsee Conference
Reinhard Heydrich convened the Wannsee Conference in Berlin with 15 top Nazi bureaucrats to coordinate the Final Solution in which the Nazis would attempt to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe, an estimated 11 million people.The aim of all this was to cleanse German living space of Jews. The effects of this plan lead to the migration of Jew throughout Europe. "The Wannsee Conference." The History Place. Web. 11 Mar. 2016. -
Bataan Death March
bataan death march
The Bataan Death March was the forced march of american and Philipino prisoners of war by the japanese during World War Two. It was a 65 mile march that began with 75,000 prisoners traveling from the south end of the Bataan Peninsula. The bad conditions resulted in 7,000-10,000 deaths. The Philipines were invaded because it was believed to be the perfect place to start the conquest of South East Asia. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the largest naval battle in the Pacific where Japan sought to eliminate the Unitied States starting by attacking the island of Midway; giving them dominance in the Pacific. This plan was not achieved and this was the first time that the US beat the Japanese Navy. This event being the turning point of the war in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stlaingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad between Germany and the Soviet Union, "the battle bled the German army dry in Russia, after this defeat, the German army was in full retreat." Germans wanted to take city of Stalingrad but Russia refused to let them claim city named after their leader for moral reasons. Soviet wins; ending german hope of beating USSR and turning point of war in Europe. -
Operation Gomorrah
Many British had died as a result of German bombing raids.Now the tables were going to turn. The evening of July 24 saw British aircraft drop 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs on Hamburg in just a few hours. Germans started losing hope about winning the war. History.com Staff. "Operation Gomorrah Is Launched." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Americans, Canadian, and British soldiers landed on France's beaches to raid the Germans. The Allies wanted to take France back from Germany. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe. History.com Staff. "D-Day." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
liberation of concentration camps
The Soviets liberated Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp, in January 1945. The Germans retreated and Soviets liberated more camps in Baltic states such as Stutthof, Sachsenhausen, and Ravensbrueck. The US also liberated camps such as Dora-Mittelbau, Flossenbürg, Dachau, and Mauthausen. Liberators saw terrible conditions and survivors were very sick and weak. -
Operation Thunderclap
The Allies bombed Dresden and burned it to the ground. The Allied Command proposal was to bomb the eastern-most cities of Germany to disrupt the infrastructure. The air defenses of Germany were now of little substance and the Nazi regime had failed them. History.com Staff. "Firebombing of Dresden." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The U.S. marines landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial army. The U.S. tried to capture Iwo Jima due to the fact that they needed to gain additional airfield for future operations against Japan. The U.S. needed place for fighter planes and bombers to land and take off when attacking Japan. In the end many US soldiers were wounded, but more Japanese were dead. The island was finally captured after a month when they thought it would only take a week. -
Battle of Okinawa
This battle was called the largest sea-land-air battle in history which lasted 82 days. The reason this battle began was because the U.S. needed a base to stage an invasion of mainland Japan. The island was the final stepping stone for Americans. After the war, Americans occupies and administered Okinawa. In 1972 asministraton was reverted to Japan, but the Americans remained to defend Japan and its region. What is shocking about this war is that their was only two civililians who survived. -
VE Day (Victory over Europe Day)
Victory day (in Europe) marks the surrender of Nazi Germany's armed forces. V-E day is celebrated in both America and Britain. Hitler’s death left Germany under the leadership of Karl Dönitz, who opened negotiations for surrender in the hopes that the Western Allies would prove more benevolent conquerors than the Soviets. Unwilling to provoke Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Britain, France and the United States insisted Germany surrender to all the Allies simultaneously. Then they surrendered. -
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The U.S. dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, during the final stage of World War II. After the first bomb killed almost 100,000 people immediately, and the US presiddent called for surrender. Three days later, they bombed Nagasaki. These events was one of the reasons that Japan was led to surrender, which is later known as V-J Day. -
V-J (Victory over Japan) Day
On August 14th of 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allies. The surrender of Japan technically made the end of World War II. The term has also been used for September 2, 1945, when Japan’s formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. Victory day is not only celebrated in Japan, but also parts of india and also in Rhode Island -
Battle of the Bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. It looked like the war was going to end so Hitler decided to ambush the Americans.The Nazi offensive was running out of fuel, literally and figuratively. History.com Staff. "Battle of the Bulge." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
