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On September 1st, 1939, Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland, triggering the beginning of WWII. In response, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Germans severely outnumbered and outpowered the Polish Army. The Poles were fighting back with horses and cavalry. After 4 weeks, the Polish surrendered. This is important because it was the trigger that started the Second World War.
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The British and the French moved into Belgium to stop the German attack. This attack, however, was just a diversion for the real attack through the Ardennes Forest. The Germans were going to attack the British and the French from the rear. The Germans corner the Allies in Dunkirk. The Allies escape back to Britain, but their equipment was obtained by Germany. The French declare Paris an open city. This is important because it destabilized the French and British armies and gained power and land.
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After the fall of the French, the British destroy the French ships to try and prevent the Germans from obtaining them. The British developed secret radar technology in preparation for the inevitable attack on Britain. The United States also supplied weapons and AAA guns. When the Germans attacked, the British airforce outpowered the Luftwaffe with their new capable Spitfire plane and held back the Germans. This proved that the Germans were not indestructible and they could be taken down.
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On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the most important American Naval Base in the Pacific. The Japanese claimed this was in response to the US placing economic sanctions upon their country. However, the Japanese attacked the base at a time when the US fleet and carriers were not present, making it a strategic failure for the Japanese. After the attack, the Germans declared war on the US, leading to the downfall of the Nazis and all the Axis powers.
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After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the US declares war on Germany and Japan. The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the Pacific War. The Japanese sustained heavy losses from the US Navy and were forced to turn back. American forces pushed forwards into the Soloman Islands and forced a withdrawal of the Japanese. The US slowly gained air and sea superiority and took the Philippines back from Japanese control. This led to the capture of Okinawa and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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The Battle of Stalingrad was a bloody campaign between the Russians and the Axis Powers. This battle is known as the longest and largest battle in all of history. More than two million troops were deployed in close quarters, and another two million people were injured or killed during the battle. This battle was extremely important because it turned the tide of the war to favor the Allies.
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D-Day occurred when the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France to attempt to take back France from German control. On the day, over 160,000 Allied troops were deployed. This day marked the beginning of the German downfall in France. D-Day was very important to the Allied victory, but unfortunately, it was too late to change the course of the Holocaust, and Jews were being murdered.
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The Battle of the Bulge was a last-chance German offensive against the Allies in the West. It was the last German offensive in the West. Hitler hoped that the Germans would surround the British and the Allies in order to stall their offensive against Germany, but they failed. The Battle of the Bulge cost Germany around 100,000 casualties and massive losses in equipment.
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The dropping of the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the ultimate nail in the coffin of WWII. The explosion in Hiroshima instantly killed around 80,000 civilians, with 10s of thousands more being killed by the radiation. The bombing of Nagasaki was less devastating, killing 40,000. Japanese Emperor Hirohito surrendered on the 15th, ending the war for good.