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Germany Invades Poland // The Start
What caused it? Nazi Germany wanted to regain lost land by taking control of Poland. This was the start of WWII. -
Period: to
1939
The year of 1939 was the first year of WWII. The Soviet Union and Germany attacked Australia, France, India, Poland, New Zealand, and Britain. The U.S was just getting out of the Great Depression and decided to stay neutral, while also gathering resources for war.
U.S - "Gone With the Wind" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mM8iNarcRc) and "The Wizard of Oz" premiered that year. -
Battle of Atlantic
What caused it? Britain needed imports of food, materials, and fuel. Germany saw this and to try and stop the merchant boats they bombed them. How long did it last? The Battle of the Atlantic lasted just as long as WWII (1939-1945). Who won? Britain and its allies. -
Battle of Sedan
What caused the battle? Hitler had hoped that France and the U.K would accept his invasion and be happy. But they took too long to reply so he decided to draw up war routes. How long was it? The Battle of Sedan last less than a week. Who won? Germany/Hitler.
German forces broke through French armies in a matter of days, and forced the French to sign a cease-fire agreement. Signing this agreement meant that France had to give up 2 million of its soldiers and some lands in the north. -
Battle of Britain
What caused the battle? Germany had already conquered most of Europe, and the only country left was Great Britain. How long was it? The Battle of Britain lasted many months (July 10th, 1940 to October 31st, 1940) Who won? Britain. They had radars that allowed them to see where and when the German planes were coming. -
Battle of Crete
What caused it? The battle of crete began because of Operation Mercury. Operation Mercury had a plan to invade Cretes northern shore with paratroopers and gliders. These paratroopers and gliders were then to invade, while planes in the air rained bombs down.
How long did it last? The Battle of Crete lasted about 3 weeks, May 20th, 1941 to Jun 1st, 1941.
Who won? Germany. -
Battle of Brody
What caused it? The Battle of Brody was a giant tank war fighting over land and supplies.
How long did it last? The Battle of Brody only lasted about 6 days, June 24th, 1941 to June 30th, 1941.
Who won? Both sides suffered many losses, there was no winner. -
Battle of Moscow
What caused it? Operation Barbarossa was put in to action by the Germans. The point of the plan was to invade Moscow and take its resources.
How long did it last? The Battle of Moscow lasted several months, October 2nd, 1941 to January 7th, 1942.
Who won? Russia. While Germany had the upper-hand in the beginning, Russia persevered through the losses and won. -
Coral Sea Battle
What caused it? Japanese forces planned to invade New Guinea, trying to get New Zealand and Australia out of the war. The U.S and Australia rallied up a large fleet, and planned to stop the Japanese invasion.
How long did it last? The battle lasted less than a week May 4th, 1942 to May 8th, 1942.
Who won? It was a draw. Both sides deployed an air attack at the same time and both suffered losses. -
Second Battle of Kharkov
What caused it? Operation Barbarossa had brought the Germans right to the edge of Moscow. The Soviets used an offensive attack to try and push them back. At first this counteroffensive attack worked, the Germans were being pushed back. But then they started to hold their ground and fight back.
How long did it last? The battle lasted around a month, May 12th, 1942 to May 28th, 1942
Who won? Germany. The Soviets fought extremely hard, but were pushed back in the end. -
Battle of Midway
What caused it? Japanese Admiral, Isoroku Yamamoto was looking to draw out the US Pacific Fleet in order to overwhelm and destroy it.
How long did it last? The Battle of Midway only last around 3 days, June 4th, 1942 to June 7th, 1942.
Who won? The U.S. It was about one month after the attack on pearl harbor, U.S navy admirals got together and developed a plan on how to defeat the Japanese Admiral. -
Battle of Stalingrad
What caused it? The battle started after the Germans bombed the Volga River and Stalingrad city. German forces then moved in, and took over the majority of the city. The Soviets were not going to give up, they fought back and pushed the Germans out.
How long did it last? The battle lasted for many months, August 23rd, 1942 to February 2nd, 1943.
Who won? The Soviets. -
Battle of Kursk
What caused it? The Battle of Kursk was an unsuccessful offensive attack by Germany. They tried and failed to invade Kursk, attacking from many different locations.
How long did it last? The battle lasted around a week, July 5th 1943, to July 16th, 1943.
Who won? The Soviets. -
Battle of Monte Cassino
What caused it? This battle was one of the longest and bloodiest battles of WWII. The Italians suffered many failed attempts to overthrow the Germans.
How long did it last? The battle lasted many months, January 17th, 1944 to May 18th, 1944.
Who won? The Polish/Germans. -
Battle of Anzio
What caused it? The allies were trying to distract/draw German forces off of the Gustav line during Operation Shingle. At first, both sides suffered many casualties, but at the very end, the Allies won with an offensive attack.
How long did it last? The Battle of Anzio lasted many months, January 22nd 1944, to Jun 5th, 1944.
Who won? The Allies. -
D-Day
What caused it? Germany had already taken control of France, and was now trying to get the rest of Europe. Britain and the U.S were planning an invasion to slow the Germans down. The Germans were already expecting an invasion but didn't know when it was going to come, or where they were going. The first wave was paratroopers. These paratroopers dropped down behind German forces along with dummies to distract them. Then came the thousands of bombs that were dropped down on German defenses. -
Battle of Philippine Sea
What caused it? The security of the Mariana Islands, was extremely important to Japan. They were already being attacked by the U.S in Saipan and any more damage would leave them very vulnerable. Unfortunately for Japan, the U.S recognized how important the Mariana Islands were, then attacked, and destroyed the bases there.
How long did it last? The battle only lasted around a day, June 19th, 1944, to June 20th, 1944.
Who won? The U.S. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
What caused it? Japan had planned to converge three naval forces on Leyte Gulf, and divert the U.S. While Japan was successful at first, the U.S forces managed to destroy most of Japans naval forces.
How long did it last? The battle lasted about three days, October 23rd, 1944 to October 26th, 1944.
Who won? The U.S. -
Battle of Bulge
What caused it? The Battle of Bulge was the last major offensive attack from Germany. The Germans through in thousands of soldiers in an attempt to break down U.S forces. In the end, both sides lost many soldiers but the Allies persevered.
How long did it last? The Battle of Bulge lasted many months from, December 16th, 1944 to January 25th, 1945.
Who won? The Allies -
Period: to
1945
This was the last year of WWII. Battles and operations raged on throughout almost the entire year until finally Japan backed down. After the war was over, people started to look towards a better future.
"After World War Two, the winds of nationalism and anti-colonialism blew through the developing world." - Stephen Kinzer -
Battle of Luzon
What caused it? Japan wanted to invade and take the Philippines so that they could strategically place more offensive attacks against the allies. The U.S saw this and intervened, stopping Japan from overtaking the Philippines.
How long did it last? The battle lasted many months, January 9th, 1945, to August 15th, 1945.
Who won? The U.S and Philippines. -
Berlin Battle
What caused it? This was one of the final battles in WWII. While being supported by U.S and Britain air forces, the Soviets were planning an offensive attack against Berlin. The point of this attack was too break down German forces.
How long did it last? The battle lasted about two weeks, April 16th, 1945 to May 2nd, 1945.
Who won? The Soviets. -
The End
Japan finally agrees to sign the formal surrender agreement, ending WWII.
