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Japanese invasion on China (1937)
One reason why Japan invaded China was because of China's resources. Japan did not have the natural types or resources that Japan did, therefore, the decision was made to invade. This would give Japan access to these resources. -
German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
The blitz is the event when the German air raided Britain. It is estimated that about 40,000 civilians were killed, 46,000 injured, and more than a million homes destroyed and damaged, together with an crazy amount of damage caused to industrial installations.The excessive bombing of Britain by the German air force led by Adolph Hitler, marked this period. The blitz bombed British cities with the intent of destroying aircraft factories and took out factories so that Britain would not be capable. -
Germany's invasion on Poloand
The main reason Germany invaded Poland was to gain land, space, and resources. Germany used the excuse that Poland attacked and killed Germans in south Poland. Almost immediately after the invasion of Poland began the British and French ambassadors in Berlin delivered a messages to the German Ministry saying, that if Germany did not withdraw their troops from Poland. Britain and France would fulfil their obligations to Poland without hesitation, but the German Minister refused. -
Fall of Paris (1940)
On this day in 1940, Parisians awaken to the sound of a German-accented voice announcing via loudspeakers that a curfew was being imposed for 8 p.m. that evening-as German troops enter and occupy Paris. By the time German tanks rolled into Paris, 2 million Parisians had already fled, with good reason. In short order, the German Gestapo went to work: arrests, interrogations, and spying were the order of the day, as a gigantic swastika flew beneath the Arc de Triomphe. -
Operation barbarossa (1941)
The excessive bombing of Britain by the German air force led by Adolph Hitler, marked this period. The blitz bombed British cities with the intent of destroying aircraft factories and ammunition factories so that Britain would not be capable of defending itself from the Germans. -
Pearl Harbor (1941)
The surprise attack of Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy was intended to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and hence protect Japan's advance into Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. After the invasion of Japan the U.S dropped the first atomic bomb ever dropped on a city, Nagasaki. The bomb was named "Little Boy". -
Wannsee Conference (1942)
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior officials of the Nazi German regime. It was held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to inform leaders of the final solution to put away or kill the Jews. In the course of the meeting, Reinhard Heydrich presented a plan consisting of evacuation, deportation to camps and liquidation of Jews. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign that happened in World War II. The cause for the battle was that Japanese Admiral Yamamoto wanted to draw the US Pacific fleet into battle where it could overwhelm it and destroy it. To accomplish this feat, he wanted to invade Midway Island which would give a base to attack Hawaii which led to the battle. The war is regarded as the most important naval battle of World War II. -
Operation Gomorrah
Britain had suffered the deaths of 167 civilians as a result of German bombing raids in July. Now the tables were going to turn. The evening of July 24 saw British aircraft drop 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs on Hamburg in just a few hours. The explosive power was the equivalent of what German bombers had dropped on London in their five most destructive raids. -
D-Day (Normandy invasion -1944)
160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. The D-Day cost was high -more than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The battle of Iwo Jima arose because the American Forces saw the Island as an ideal location to base their operations since it was located between Japanese and American bomber bases and only 650 miles from Tokyo. Its three airfields could be used by fighter planes to protect the larger B-29 bombers and that damaged ships could have a base to land for refuel and repair. -
VE Day
The VE day refers to the Victory in Europe Day. This day remembers the date May 8, 1945 which is normally May 7 in commonwealth countries. This is the day when the categorical surrender of the Nazi army was officially accepted by the allied armies. -
Battle of Okinawa
During the battle of Okinawa, fought between Japan and the United States, American forces broke through the Machinato line and the Shuri line and captured the Island of Okinawa. Both sides experienced heavy losses with the Japanese loosing 107,000 men. -
Dropping Atomic Bombs
There were over 700,000 bombs dropped during the World War II. It was quite difficult getting the exact number of bombs dropped as often they were dropped in clusters and not in neat intervals. Dresden was the chief target and over 1.2 million people lay dead after the bombings. -
VJ Day (1945)
VJ day refers to victory day in Japan. It is the day in which the allies announced the surrender of Japanese forces during world war II. The date was August 15, 1945. The day was celebrated by the allies and their supporters.