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Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland to regain lost territory and it was the first step in Hitler’s plan of complete German dominance over Europe, and then the rest of the world. The Nazis justified the invasion by claiming that Poland had been planning to invade Germany and by spreading false reports that Poles were persecuting ethnic Germans. This invasion is considered to be the main event that fueled up WW2. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a Japanese surprise aerial attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii. 183 aircrafts of the Imperial Japanese Navy launched attack on Pearl Harbor and within two hours, 18 US warships had been sunk or damaged, 188 aircraft destroyed and 2,403 American servicemen and women killed.This attack precipitated the entry of the United States into WW2 and was the beginning of the worsening relations between Japan and the US. -
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The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was an important naval victory for the US. Midway Island was a US island with a strategic location and Japan aimed to take control of it to neutralize the US powers in the Pacific. US forces were able to crack codes containing Japanese plans and launched a surprise attack on the Japanese naval forces in the area, taking out a Japanese major fleet in the Pacific. The Battle of Midway turned the tide of the war making Japanese and American naval powers roughly equalized. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
This battle started when German troops tried to take control of the city of Stalingrad (known as Volgograd, Russia today). Stalingrad was felt to be an important city in Germany's effort to take control of the south of Russia and the oilfields in that region. The Battle of Stalingrad was won by the Soviet Union, it was the first major German loss during WW2 and marked the end of Germany's advances into eastern Europe and Russia. -
D-Day
D-Day was the first day of the Normandy Landings in which the Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked the German at the coast of Normandy, France. With huge naval, air, and land forces of around 156,000 soldiers, the Allies invaded Normandy, which was occupied by German forces, and gained a victory that became the turning point for WW2 in Europe. By August 1944, Allied troops had reached Paris, liberating most of France from German forces. -
V-E Day
V-E day stands for Victory in Europe day. On May 8th 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies. On the day, the Allies celebrated across Europe and North America the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Reich, formally recognising the end of the Second World War in Europe. -
Atomic Bomb - Hiroshima Attack
Following the end of the fighting in Europe on 7 May 1945, the Allies told Japan to surrender by 28 July, but they did not. As a result, the US dropped the first of two nuclear bombs dropped on Japan. The first was called ‘Little Boy’ and was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. -
Atomic Bomb - Nagasaki Attack
After the Hiroshima attack, Japan still had not surrendered. The US dropped a second nuclear bomb on August 9th, 1945, that was called ‘Fat Man’ on Nagasaki. 'Fat Man' was much stronger than 'Little Boy'. In total, the bombs killed 210,000 children, women, and men and annihilated Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the areas around them. -
V-J Day
V-J Day stands for Victory over Japan Day and it is the day in which Imperial Japan surrendered unconditionally to the allies, effectively ending WW2.