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Non-Aggression Pact
Non-aggression pact picture urlThe non-aggression pact was signed between the Soviet Union dictator Joseph Stalin and German leader, Adolf Hitler. It said that for ten years Germany and the Soviet Union promised not to attack eachother. Stalin wanted to join forces with Hitler because he had hard feelings for the west after being excluded from the Munich conference. Hitler also promised Stalin substantial amounts of land in Poland and the Balkins. Two years after the signing Germany invaded the USSR. -
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World War II
My time span centers around World War II. It starts on August 23,1939 with the non-aggression pact and ends on August 9, 1945 with the second bombing of Japan on the city Nagasaki. -
Germany Invades Poland
picture urlThe invasion of Poland was a surprise attack. German tanks and troop trucks brought more than 1.5 million German soldiers. Germany mercilessly bombed the capital, Warsaw. The invasion of Poland was the last straw for Europe. No more appeasement! Two days after the invasion, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. -
The Battle of Britain
picture urlWith the fall of France Hitler looked to Britain. Hitler's plan to invade Great Britain was called operation Sea Lion. Hitler's plan to gain control of Britain was to knock out the air force by first bombing the British airfields and aircraft factories. Then he would move on to bombing Britain's cities, especially London, around the clock. The Royal Air Force managed counterattacks on the Germans and Britain stayed strong. This battle lasted until May of 1941. -
France Falls
picture urlHitler's invasion of France began with the attacks on surrounding countries like Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Belgium surrendered to Germany on May 26, 1940. Belgium had no choice because even with French support they were outnumbered and outgunned. By June 10 Mussolini had joined forces with Hitler and had declared war on Great Britain and France. Italy attacked France from the south and Germany from the North. By June 14th Paris fell to the Germans. Eight days later France surrenders. -
Hitler Invades the Soviet Union
Just two years before "Operation Barbarossa"- or the invasion of the USSR- Hitler and Stalin signed the non-aggression pact. Obviously, Hitler didn't follow the rules of the ten year peace treaty because he invaded in June of 1941. During just the first winter in the USSR the Germans lost over 500,000 lives. The battle between Germany and the Soviet Union continued until Germany surrenders in 1945. -
The United States Enters WWII
picture urlOn December 7, 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At that time, Pearl Harbor was serving as an American Nacal base and Japan's Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said that it was, "a dagger pointed at our throat,". Within 2 hours of the start of the attack, the Japanese had sunk/damaged 18 ships, killed 2,400 Americans and wounded 1,000. The next day, congress declared war on Japan, entering the U.S. into WWII -
The Battle of Midway
picture urlAfter breaking a Japanese code, Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific fleet, knew that a force of 150 ships was heading toward Midway. That Japanese fleet was largest naval force ever assembled. Admiral Nimitz was outnumbered 4 to 1 in ships and planes, but he had an ambush prepared plus the element of surprise. The ambush was a success and the U.S. managed to destroy 332 Japanese planes, all 4 aircraft carriers and one ship. By June 6 the battle had ended. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
picture urlStalingrad was a major industrial center and on the 23rd of August Hitler set hit sights on the city and began nightly bombing raids that reduced the city to rubble. Stalin refusing to give the city named after him to the Germans said, " defend the city...at all costs. Not one step backward". It was looking hopeless for the soviets because by early November the germans controlled almost 90% of the city. Eventually, the russian winters set in and the German troops surrendered on 2/2/1943. -
Japanese Internment Camps: Loyalty Tests
picture urlEarlier, in 1942, President Roosevelt signed executive order 9066 which forced around 120,000 people of Japanese descent, living in the U.S. move to internment camps. It was justified by saying that there was a danger of people of Japanese descent spying for the Japanese. These 120,000 people were forced to live in the camps until 1945. In 1943 all "internees" over the age of 17 were given a loyalty test. If you refused to take it, you were sent to a segregation camp in Tula Lake. -
The Invasion of Italy
picture urlBy January Roosevelt and Churchill had agreed to attack Italy first, though Stalin urged them to invade Frace first, mostly to take pressure off of the Soviet Union. On July 10, 1943 allied forces of about 180,000 landed on Sicily and captured it from German control within a month. Though Sicily was captured, Mussolini remained in power in nothern Italy. Fighting continued until Germany surrendered in 1945. -
D-day Invasion
It was an invasion of Normandy, a costal city in NW France. Allied troops, made up of British, American, French, and Canadians fought their way through a 60 mile stretch of beach. Though 3,000 Americans died on the the first day alone, the allies kept going. Within a month, more than 1 million troops had arrived and by september they had liverated France, Belguim, Luxembourg and most of the Netherlands. -
Battle of the Bulge
picture urlAs France was liberated, the allied forces could now move on to Germany. Allied forces began closing in from the west while Soviet forces came from the east. Hitler decided to attack the allies in the west to try to split up American and British forces and to break up the Allied supply line. With the allies caught off guard, German troops broke through a weak part of American defenses, giving tha battle it's name, "bulge". Allies eventually won the battle. -
Germany Surrenders
picture urlBy the middle of April 3 million allied soldiers approached Berlin from the west and 6 million societ solders, from the east. Berlin was suffocating. On May 1, Hitler killed himself, and on May 7th General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of Hitler. Because Roosevelt died suddenly on April 12, Harry Truman recieved the news of the Nazi surrender. May 8th is now known as V-E day or Victory in Europe day. -
U.S. unleashed the Atomic Bomb
picture urlHarry Truman, coming into presidency after the death of Roosevelt, had a crucial decision to make. Invade Japan and risk 500,000 deaths, or drop the aromic bomb, and suffer almost no American casualties. On August 6 the U.S. dropped the A-bomb on Hiroshima. 73,000 people died instantly. Three days later with no news of Japanese surrender, the second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing almost 40,000 people instantly. The Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945.
