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Japanese invasion of China (1937) (Second Sino-Japanese War)
The Sino-Japanese War began in 1937 when China resisted the expansion of Japanese influence in their territory, the war was declared on December 9th, 1941, and was divided into 3 phases, a period of brisk Japanese advances in late 1938, a period of standstills until 1944 and the last period, which is when allied powers sent counter attacks in the pacific and on Japan’s home islands, which led to Japan surrendering.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War -
German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
Blitzkrieg was the word meaning lightning war and also Germany’s plan to find a rapid way to defeat their opponents for the first phase of WW2. Blitzkrieg used weaponry like tanks, planes, and artillery to remain victorious in upcoming wars. Blitzkrieg was successful against Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-neutral-norway-fell-to-the-german-blitzkrieg-in-1940 -
Germany Invaded Poland
German forces, mainly consisting of members of the Nazi party and controlled by Adolf Hitler launched a surprise attack on Poland. Army Group North attacked from Pomerania and East Prussia, while Army Group South drove deep into southern Poland from Silesia and Slovakia. They were outnumbered by the german soldiers, meaning Poland had no chance. https://www.britannica.com/event/Invasion-of-Poland -
Fall of Paris (1940)
June 1940 It was soon evident that the immediate German objective was not simply the capture of Paris but the wholesale destruction of the remaining French armies in the field. The French were stubborn and resilient on June 6th growing weak on the 7th. By June 8th Germany captured cities forcing the French to carry out a general retirement from the sea. The defense to collapse in confusion. Germans were met with no resistance on June 9. -
Operation Barbarossa (1941)
Operation Barbarossa was a code name for the Germans in World War 2. It was used for their invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. The soviet forces defeated the German troops, which made for a significant turning point in the war. -
Pearl Harbor (1941)
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise aerial attack from the Japanese on December 7th, 1941. This attack led to the entrance of the U.S. in WW2. 2 waves of Japanese aircraft attacked the Hawaiian naval base on Oahu island. The Japanese forces disturbed U.S. naval vessels and U.S. aircraft on the island’s airfield. 2,403 Americans (68 civilians included) died in the attack. President Franklin D Roosevelt declared war on Japan. -
Wannsee Conference (1942)
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of Nazi officials in the Berlin suburbs of Wannsee on January 20th, 1942. They discussed a “final solution” to the Jewish population. On July 31st, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring gave orders to the nazi paramilitary corps and secret police to prepare a plan to eradicate the Jews. -
Bataan Death March (1942)
The Bataan Death March happened in April 1942 in the Philippines when 76,000 prisoners of war (66,000 Filipinos and 10,000 Americans) were forced by the Japanese military to fight in World War 2. On April 9th, they forced prisoners to march for 5-10 days to San Fernando, ride in cramped, dirty boxcars to Capas, & walk 7 more miles to Camp O’Donnell, where prisoners died due to starvation, diseases, being shot, beaten and beheaded. -
Battle of Midway (1942)
Battle of Midway was a WW2 naval battle. This battle was almost entirely fought with aircraft . The United States destroyed Japan’s first-line carrier strength and most of its best-trained naval pilots. Together with the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Battle of Midway ended the threat of further Japanese invasion in the Pacific. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion - 1944)
On June 6, 1944, More than 150,000 Allied troops of Land, air, and sea forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France in plans of invasion. They pushed back Axis forces until Germany was forced to surrender less than a year later. The Normandy invasion resulted in over 6,000 lives lost. It’s referred to as “D-Day” due to the amphibious operation using the term “departed date”. D-Day put allies on a decisive path toward victory. -
Battle of the Bulge (1945)
(December 16, 1944–January 16, 1945), The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory. After they invaded Normandy in June 1944, the Allies moved across northern France into Belgium during the summer but lost momentum in the autumn. -
Liberation of concentration camps (1945)
On January 27, 1945, Allied troops moved across Europe against nazi Germany & They found concentration camps, and mass graves with over 1 million murdered. This was a part of the Nazi's "Final Solution" while they also participated in other inhumane nazi crimes in Poland. Starting with soviet forces that liberated Auschwitz’s concentration camps. American forces then liberated concentration camps such as Buchenwald, Dora-Mittelbau, Flossenbürg, Dachau, & Mauthausen, & British forces. -
Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)
This battle was a conflict between the United States and Japan during WW2. America started numerous invasions on the island of Iwo Jima which was a part of a Pacific campaign against Japan. The battle was one of the bloodiest in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps and was cited as proof of the Japanese military’s willingness to fight to the last man. -
Battle of Okinawa (1945)
Battle of Okinawa, (April 1–June 21, 1945). This was a WW2 battle fought between The U.S. and Japanese forces located In the city of Okinawa. It was referred to as “the Typhoon of Steel” for its ferocity, the battle was one of the bloodiest in the Pacific War, claiming the lives of more than 12,000 Americans and 100,000 Japanese. At least 100,000 civilians were either killed in combat or were ordered to commit suicide by the Japanese military -
VE Day (1945)
On May 8, 1945, the European phase of World War II ended with the unconditional surrender of all Nazi German forces to the Allies. The event became known as Victory in Europe (V-E) Day. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs (1945)
The dropped of the two atomic bombs on Japan. In 1945 President Harry S. Truman declared the dropping of the two bombs on the Japanese cities.August 6th Hiroshima was bombed, 3 days later the second bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. -
VJ Day (1945)
Victory Over Japan on August 15, 1945! On that date, Japanese Emperor Hirohito broadcast the surrender to the Japanese people on Radio Tokyo. Navy Seabees listen to the news of the day's events.