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Rape of Nanking
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Rape of Nanking
Mass murders and rapes were committed by Japanese soldiers against the Chinese Republic. 300,000 Chinese people were killed and over 20,000 women were raped. The Japanese saw themselves as the superior race and that's why they did this because they wanted to take over China. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, near Honolulu, was bombed by Japanese planes early in the morning of December 7th and destroyed 20 naval vessels and 300 airplanes and around 2000 american soldiers were killed. The United States and Japan had tension before this because of thoughts regarding China and this led to Japan bombing Pearl Harbor. This event caused the United States to join WW2 and declare war on Japan. -
Baatan death march
The Unites States surrenders the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines to the Japanese. Filipino and American troops were forced to make a 65 mile march to the prison camps. Over 75000 men made this treacherous journey. They suffered disease and starvation. In February of 1945, the US and Philippines get their revenge when they recapture the peninsula -
Battle of Midway
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Battle of Midway
The Japanese wanted to sink American aircraft carriers that were not destroyed in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The US broke the Japaneses code which played a big role in the outcome of the battle. The US won the naval battle in the Pacific. This was a big turning point in the Pacific because it let the Allies move to the offensive side. This is the Unites Sates's first win! -
Battle of Stalingrad
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Battle of Stalingrad
The Soviets successfully defending the city of Stalingrad and stopped the Germans from progressing further into the Soviet Union. It was one of the bloodiest battles with a combined total of 2 million civilian and military casualties. It marked the turning point of the war in favor of the Allies. -
Operation Gomorrah
The British suffered 167 civilians deaths as a result of German bomb raids. The British wanted to seek revenge on the Germans so they dropped 2300 tons of bombs on Hamburg. 1500 German civilians were killed in the first British raid. The raids continued on Germany until November and it began to affect the German morale. Hitler wouldn't visit the burned cities because it symbolized the end of the war for him. -
D-Day
The Allied troops landed on Normandy Beach in France to fight Nazi Germany. On the first day, German casualties were from 4000 to 9000 and Allied casualties was about 10000. This operation allowed the Allied forces to begin liberating northwestern Europe from German control. This was the beginning of the end of war on the western front. -
Liberation of concentration camps
The first concentration camp to be liberated was in Majdanek, Poland by the Soviets. The Germans burned a lot of the concentration camps and dead bodies to get rid of the evidence. After the Germans surrendered, British and american troops went into concentration camps in Germany to liberate the prisoners. A lot of prisoners were already dead when soldiers came to liberate the camps. -
Operation Thunderclap
The Allied forces planned to launch a massive attack on Berlin with coordination with the Soviets but this plan was cancelled because they thought it was impractical and wouldn't likely work. It was suppose to have a 220000 casualty rate. Instead they lead a bunch of smaller attacks that would likely be successful. -
Battle of Bulge
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Battle of Bulge
The Germans tried to split the Allied forces by conducting a surprise attack in the Adrennes Mountains to secure vital bridgeheads and in order to get to Antwerp. The Allied forces quickly rallied to fight and took the shape of bulge hence the name of the battle. The Allies played good defense and did not give up much ground but they did suffer over 100,000 causalities which was the costliest action ever. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
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Battle of Iwo Jima
US defeated the 23000 Japanese troops defending the the island of Iwo Jima. About 6000 US soldiers were killed and about 17000 were injured. One of the main reasons, the US wanted the island so that they could land damaged B-29 bombers and have a base for escort fighters that would assist in the bombing campaign. -
Battle of Okinawa
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Battle of Okinawa
Japanese and American troops were fighting vital air bases. The Japanese suffered 77000 casualties and the Us suffered 65000. The US won the battle. This was the last great battle of WW2. -
VE Day
The United States and Great Britain celebrate Victory in Europe day on May 8th, 1945 when Nazi Germany surrendered to the Soviets. This brings an end to the war America is fighting in Europe and shifts more focus to the Pacific specifically Japan. -
Potsdam Declaration
Truman, Churchill, and Stalin were the main people involved in this treaty which is the last treaty WW2. This treaty foreshadows the end of the war and is the beginning of the cold war because the leaders don't come back together. There is no plan for peace. -
Dropping of atomic bomb on Hiroshima
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Dropping of the atomic bombs
The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and it killed 140,000 people. The second bomb was dropped 3 days later in Nagasaki and killed 80,000 people. Truman decided to drop the bombs because he thought it would bring the war to a speedy end and would result in the least amount of american causalities. -
Dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki
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VJ Day
Victory over Japan was declared on August 15th but the document was not signed until September 2nd which is why the United States celebrates it on September 2nd. After the US dropped the atomic bombs on Japan they did not have much other choice then to surrender because of the damage it did. War for the Unites States is now finally over.
