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Germany's Blitzkrieg
Germany took over much of Europe using tactics that required the concentration of many offensive weapons.This was a military tactic designed to disorganize enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. This resulted in a shortage of military campaigns for other countries. -
Germany's invasion of poland
Germany invades Poland and defeats the Polish army. Germany wanted more land and power. This made Poland very angry as well as other countries. -
pearl harbor
Japanese planes attacks Pearl Harbor, which is Hawaii property. The Japanese intended to destroy important American fleets units. The bombing killed over 2,300 people and destroyed the american battleship U.S.S. This also brought the United States into WW2. -
The Battle of Midway
The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific theatre. -
D-Day
The United States as well as allied troops invade Normandy. Expecting to surprise Germany, the US were shocked when Germany was prepared and fought back, resulting in the largest air, land and sea battle in history. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
By this time, the allies were gaining ground in the Pacific Theater. This happened because the Americans needed to have a base by the Japanese coast. However, the allies suffered more casualties than the Japanese. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Hitler and his Nazis put all of the Jews they could find into concentration camps where the were forced into labor. This is because of Hitler's belief that Jews are not good enough to be in Germany. This resulted in Hitler killing at least 6 million Jewish people, including women and children. -
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Battle of Okinawa
This battle was the largest landing in the Pacific theater of World War II. This was also the last major campaign of the Pacific war. This resulted in the largest casualties with 100,000 Japanese dead and 50,000 allies dead. -
VE Day
VE Day is also known as Victory of Europe day and is celebrated every year in Europe. This marks the unconditional surrender of the Nazis and Germany. This is an important day for the allies because it is a victory. -
Dropping of the atomic Bombs
At 8:15am Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber plane, called 'Enola Gay', dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Truman believed that bombs saved the Japanese lives. This brought an end to World War 2. -
VJ Day
A formal surrender ceremony was performed in Tokyo Bay, Japan, aboard the battleship USS Missouri. Japan had surrendered unconditionally on August 6th, 1945, leading to VJ Day. This is the official end to World War 2 and results in a victory to the Allies. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Germans launch their last major offense of the war, known as Operation Mist. This was an attempt to push the allied front line west from Northern France and Northwestern Belgium. This was the largest battle on the Western front.