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World War II
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Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain lasted from August to October 1940. The German forces bombed shipping in the English Channel, coastal towns, and defenses. Hitler ordered his airforce to attack London in September. Hitler wanted to take over Britain because it was one of the only countries left in Europe. However, he was not able to conquer Britain and turned around to fight the Soviet Union
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/battle_of_britain -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was launched because Hitler wanted natural resources, such as oil, located in the Soviet Union. About four and a half million German troops invaded the Soviet Union. After Operation Barbarossa, Russia switched from the Axis power to the Allies. Germany had to fight the East and West fronts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-qNTJNBcfA -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
On this morning, the United States military base located in Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii was bombed by the Japanese. The Japanese were upset that the United States had stopped trade with Japan and froze assets with Japan in United States banks. Because of the bombing, 2,400 Americans died, two battle ships sunk, and multiple smaller ships and planes were destroyed. The attack caused the U.S. to declare war on Japan and join World War II with the Allies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE -
The Bataan Death March
On the Bataan Death March, the Japanese forced prisoners to walk eighty-five miles to a prison camp along the Bataan Peninsula. General MacArthur, the American gerneral of the Philipine army, was forced to leave thousands of American and Philipino troops in the Philipines after being ordered to relocate his command. The Japanese forced these prisoners to move to another camp in Cabunatuan. The horrible conditions of the walk caused 7,000-10,000 deaths. -
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord, also known as D-Day, was an attack launched by President Eisenhower. The Allied forces marched into France from the beaches of Normandy. They liberated France from Germany, and made their way to Germany through France. The Allies led D-Day to stop Hitler and the Nazi Party and end World War II. D-Day marked the start of the end of the war, and the Allies' victory.
http://www.history.com/videos/d-day-allied-invasion-at-normandy#d-day-allied-invasion-at-normandy -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge took place from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. Hitler launched an attack on the Allies forces. The battle took place in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. This battle was Hitler's last chance for victory, as the Germans had become weaker. Hitler wanted to split the Allied forces to gain power. However, Hitler's attempt for victory failed, and Germany surrendered, ending World War II. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_the_bulge.htm -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was held from February 4-11, 1945 in a Russian resort town. Each Allied leader, Stalin (Soviet Union), Churchill (Britain), and Roosevelt (United States), came together for the conference. The Allied leaders discussed postwar problems. They focused on Germany and Hitler. The Allied leaders decided to disarm Germany, try German war criminals, Germany would be divided into occupation zones, and liberated countries would create democratic governments. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima took place from February 19 - March 26 1945. -
V-E Day
V-E Day was a very important victory for the Allies. The Germans officially surrendered to the Allies. Hitler had commited suicide a few days earlier, and the Germans were left without a leader. Germany was also struggling to fight in the war. They decided to surrender. Because of Germany's surrendered, World War II had ended in Europe.
"I rejoice we can all take a night of today..." -President Eisenhower -
Dropping the Atomic Bomb
The United States had worked hard developing the atomic bomb in a project known as the Manhattan Project. They were planning on dropping bombs on Japan to end the war. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later on August 9, 1945, the United States dropped a bomb on the city of Nagasaki. About 150,000 people died, and the war had ended in Japan.
"The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable." - Robert Oppenheimer -
V-J Day
V-J Day stands for Victory Over Japan Day. It was the day the Japanese formally surrendered to the Allies. After the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, Japan became very weak. America, with the Allies, tried to end the war in Japan while Japan was still weak. Because of V-J Day, the war in Japan ended, as well as World War II. This famous picture shows George Mendoça kissing Greta Friedman in Times Square on V-J Day.
