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German Blitzkrieg
A term for "lightning war" which is a military tactic designed to use the concentration of offensive weapons (such as planes and tanks) along a narrow front. It was used to create disorganization. Its successful execution results in a small amount of losses and limits the expenditure of artillery. -
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Germany's Invasion of Poland
Poland was attacked from the west by Germany, and the Soviet Union invaded them from east. They planned to divide Poland. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany in September 1939. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan sent a surprise attack over to pearl harbor in Hawaii. Japan intended to destroy important American fleets so Japan could conquer Southeast Asia without interference. Many ships were destroyed and 2,335 people were killed in total. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
Troops and vehicles began landing under shell fire during the invasion of mainland in Italy. The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on the mainland in Italy during the early stages of the Italian Campaign of WW2. There were 135,000 Italian casualties. -
D-Day
Churchill, FDR, and Eisenhower planned a land invasion of France. Allies went in on parachutes and gliders the night before the invasion. It happened because of the Free France Movement. On August 24, 1944, de Gualle entered a free Paris. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitlers last attempt to defeat the Allies in Europe. 80,000 Americans were killed and Germans lost 100,000. Germany ended up losing because they ran out of fuel. Germany Surrendered on May 7, 1945. Afterwards, Hitler committed suicide by taking a cyanide pill and then shooting himself. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
It was the first major battle of WW2 that happened on Japanese land. It was a strategic location because the US needed a place for fighter planes and bombers to land as well as take off while attacking Japan. One third of all of the marine losses happened during this battle. The allied forces suffered more casualties than Japan themselves. -
Battle of Okinawa
It was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific Ocean of WW2. It also resulted in the largest number of fatalities with over 100,000 Japanese deaths. 50,000 casualties for the Allies. -
VJ Day
VJ day stands for "Victory over Japan Day". The Americans Declared on August 14th that they beat Japan. Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Americans. This effectively ended WW2. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As the Allies advanced across Europe at the end of WW2, they came across concentration camps filled with sick and starving Jews. The first major camp to be liberated was Majdanek near Lublin, Poland in July 1944. After prisoners were released, many died from starvation and others weren't able to eat from not eating for so long. -
VE Day
VE Day stands for "Victory in Europe day". This day marked the formal acceptance by the Allies of WW2 of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. It also marked the end of WW2 in Europe. -
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Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
President Truman decided to drop an atomic bomb in order to save the Americans from a land invasion. In Hiroshima, 70,000 people were killed instantly, and 135,000 people died in total from that. They then dropped a bomb 3 days later which killed 40,000 people instantly, and 50,000 people in total. All together, 185,000 people died from these Atomic Bombs.