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Invasions of Poland
Germany invaded Poland to gain territory and used propaganda to justify their attack. Poland's army was outnumbered by Germany so they were defeated in weeks. On Sept. 3rd Britain & France declared war on Germany and the Soviets invaded Poland on Sept. 17th. They broke the borders and encircled Poland with bombings so Poland surrendered on Sept. 27. Poland was then divided among the Soviets and Germany. This was important because it was the first battle of WWII and Germany showed their strength. -
Fall of France
Germany wanted take over France so they went through their woods and began attacking. When the French became trapped at Dunkirk the British came to save them with boats but all their supplies were left behind for the Germans. After Dunkirk France fell apart. Germany took Paris, French leaders surrendered, and Germany had partial control over France. This was important to WWII because Germany now had control over more land and France became unstable, making it hard to fight in the war. -
Battle of Britain
Hitler started sending troops into Britain to attack (RAF) and bomb cities, sending people under subways at night. Then Britain's Fighter Command fought back. Once a plane was hit they would send another one up right away. Although Britain was outnumbered they fought back hard. They had coders figure out Germany's plans so they could prevent attacks. Hitler eventually called off attacks on May 10, 1941. This was important to WWII because it showed Britain's strength and resilience to countries. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan bombed the U.S.'s largest naval base because they wanted territory in the Pacific without the U.S. interfering. Six Japanese aircraft carriers attacked killing 2,400 and injuring 1,200 U.S. soldiers. This surprise attack damaged all the U.S. ships, completely destroyed 2 of them, and damaged their aircraft as well. This was important to WWII because it forced the U.S. to declare war on Japan and enter WWII in December of 1941. -
Battle of Midway
Admiral Yamamoto of Japan chose to attack Midway so that they could battle and destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet. After only a few days of battling at 10:22 am the U.S. sent dive bombers to strike the Kaga, Soryu, and Akagi carriers, sending them into flames. Later they bombed Hiryu which was the last carrier helping the U.S. claim victory. This was important to WWII because it was a major turning point in the war and the allied forces gained naval powers and could make head way on the Pacific. -
Battle of Stralingrad
Hitler wanted to eliminate southern Soviet forces and gain economic resources in Stalingrad. Stalin expanded the Soviet army to protect borders and avoid Germany's encirclement tactics. After lots off fighting the war turned when the Soviets launched a surprise attack so Hitler sent in more troops the Soviets encircled them causing the German forces to lose. This was important to WWII because it stopped Germany from taking the Soviet Union and showed the first signs of the Allies future victory. -
Italy Surrenders
On Sept. 3 Allied troops began invading Italy so Germany retreated using traps to delay the British. The U.S. and British forces had made their way to Naples in just a month. Since Mussolini had been overthrown, Italy's new government surrendered to the Allies and Germany took over their key positions and retreated to northern Italy. This was important to WWII because it gave the Allies some advancements and an Axis powers was now out of the war, making the Allies victory closer. -
D-Day
The Allied troops landed in Normandy along the beach while some landed behind German defense lines with many machines and weapons to support the invasion. The Allies had more naval and air power so Germany struggled to fight both sides. Germany contained the Allies for 6 weeks but the US encircled them, destroying too much of the Germany army so the Allies were victorious. This was important to WWII because the Germans couldn't handle fighting 2 sides of a war and showed weakness in their army. -
Battle of the Buldge
When Allies tried to cross the Western border, Germany wanted to try one last time to win the war. Germany brought tanks and troops into the Ardennes but the U.S. brought in reinforcement. Even though the U.S. took many casualties they fought Germany in the cold and Germany couldn't make advancements. The U.S. challenged German defense and eliminated all gains, winning the battle. This was important to WWII because they suffered many losses and it was Germany's last offense on the Western Front. -
Germany Surrenders
On April 25 the Soviets encircled Berlin and their force worked with the American counterpart that were attacking central Germany from the west. After fighting the Soviets came close to Hitlers command bunker in Berlin and Hitler committed suicide. Berlin then fell to the Soviets and German forces had to surrender unconditionally. This was important to WWII because it led the war into it's final stages because Japan was the only main threat, but Europe rejoiced victory over Germany with V-E Day. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
When Japan refused to surrender towards the end of WWII the U.S. said they would be threatened with prompt and utter destruction, leading to the dropping of the atomic bombs. The U.S. dropped one bomb in Hiroshima on Aug. 6 that tens of thousands of people and on Aug. 9 they dropped a bomb on Nagasaki that killed 120,000 civilians and many died later to radiation exposure. This was important to WWII because it forced Japan to surrender and helped end the war promptly.