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Rape of Nanking
To break the spirit of Chinese resistance, General Matsui Iwane ordered that the city of Nanking be destroyed. Most of the city was burned, & Japanese troops launched a campaign of atrocities against civilians. It became known as the “Rape of Nanking,” the Japanese butchered an estimated 150,000 male war prisoners, massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were mutilated or killed in the process. -
German Blitzkrieg
Germany took over most of Europe with a new military tactic called the "Blitzkrieg" ( Lighting War). Blitzkrieg tactics required offensive weapons (such as tanks, planes, and artillery) along a narrow front. These forces would drive a breach in enemy defenses, permitting armored tank divisions to penetrate rapidly and roam freely behind enemy lines, causing shock and disorganization among the enemy defenses -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, and was the scene of a surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. On a Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese planes descended on the base, where they destroyed or damaged about 20 American vessels, including 8 battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after, President Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. -
Operation of Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa, original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war. -
Wansee Conference
On this day, Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the “Final Solution” of the “Jewish question.” The minutes of this conference were kept with meticulous care, which later provided key evidence during the Nuremberg war crimes trials. -
D-DAY (Normandy Invasion)
The Battle of Normandy which lasted from June to August resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control The battle began on June 6 when 156,000 American, British & Canadian forces landed on 5 beaches. One of the biggest military assaults in history & required extensive planning. By late August 1944 all of northern France had been liberated & by spring the Allies had defeated the Germans The landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe -
Battle of the Bulge
In late 1944, during the wake of the Allied forces' successful D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, it seemed the Second World War was all but over. On Dec. 16 the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that'd turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor. The courage and fortitude of the American Soldier was tested against great adversity. Nevertheless, the quality of his response ultimately meant the victory of freedom over tyranny. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Soviet soldiers were the 1st to liberate concentration camp prisoners in the final stages of the war. On July 23, 1944, they entered the Majdanek camp in Poland, and later overran several other killing centers. On January 27, 1945, they entered Auschwitz and there found hundreds of sick and exhausted prisoners. The Germans had been forced to leave these prisoners behind in their hasty retreat from the camp. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima has been described as the most heavily fortified area in the history of warfare. Since the Japanese defenders were prepared to fight to the last man, the battle for Iwo Jima was ferocious. The hardest struggles were for the occupation of a height that U.S. forces labeled Meatgrinder Hill, in the north, and Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano in the south. The U.S attackers paid a high price for this ww2 victory. -
VE day
On this day in 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of World War II, and one of the bloodiest. On April 1, 1945—Easter Sunday—the Navy’s Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. The invasion was part of Operation Iceberg, a complex plan to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa. -
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration for Japanese Surrender is a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. On July 26, 1945, President Harry S. Truman, UK Prime Minister Clement Attlee, & Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China Chiang Kai-shek issued the document. This ultimatum stated that, if Japan did not surrender, it would face "prompt and utter destruction" -
Dropping of Th e Atomic Bomb
On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s 1st deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. 3 days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address on August 15 -
VJ day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day." Coming several months after the surrender of Nazi Germany, Japan’s capitulation in the Pacific brought six years of hostilities to a final and highly anticipated close.
