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Invasion of Poland
Germany successfully invaded Poland. Treaty said Stalin and Hitler would split Poland to remove the threat. It started on September 1st when Hitler and his massive army of troops, planes and tanks raided Poland, who lacked in numbers and lost within weeks. Although Britain and France declared war, they were too late to provide support needed for Poland. The Soviet Union invaded East Poland and the last unit surrendered on October 6. This was significant because It was the spark and started WWII. -
Fall of France
To prepare for a battle between Germany and themselves, France built up a large series of forts called the Maginot Line. This line defended German tanks, dive-bombers, and artillery, yet the main German force was headed toward Luxembourg, so they could surpass the Maginot line. The Germans entered Paris and defeated France.This was important because then Britain was left alone as the last Allied country in Europe. -
Battle of Britain
The battle of Britain took place in the air. The Germans wanted to take out the British Air force in preparation for a full invasion. The British Air Force was incredibly strong, holding back the German attacks and put them to a stop. The Germans now focus their attention towards the Soviet Union. This was important because it revealed the strength and courage of Britain and they carried on Nazi - free. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a Naval battle between Japan and the United States. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and without knowing beforehand, the United States fleet was seriously damaged and unable to interfere with the Japanese military operations. This was important because It caused the United States to enter WWII. -
The battle of Midway
The battle of Midway came only months after Japans success at Pearl Harbor. The United States Navy claimed victory in a battle against the Japanese after defending a major base in Midway from the Japanese fleet. This is important because it was known as a turning point of WWII in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler broke the non-invasion agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union and attacked them. The city of Stalingrad was successfully defended by the Soviet Union and put a stop to the German forward advancement and became a big advantage for the Allies. This was important because the whole war had just gone in favor of the Allies and the Germans had a sense of sorrow due to the amount of deaths. -
Italy surrender
Italy wasn't a very strong force in WWII. After American and British soldiers invaded Italy the leader Mussolini was overthrown and killed by Italian partisans. The new government surrendered to the Allied powers on September 8th. -
D-Day
D-Day was a huge invasion of 160,000 Allied troops that took place on the beaches of Normandy. There were ground troops, paratroopers, Navy, and tanks all fighting to push the German military back. Although there were many casualties, the Allies were successful in their massive offense. This was significant because it was the start of freedom for German-controlled Western Europe. -
Battle of the Bulge
The battle of the Bulge was the last major German attack in Western Europe. It took place in the Ardennes Forest with troops and tanks.The purpose was to stall the Allied forces and it was temporary successful in that regard but it failed over all and caused the German military over 100,000 casualties, so the Allied power won the battle. -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
The United States dropped an experimental atomic bomb on Hiroshima to try and force a surrender from the Japanese. The United States gave Japan little time to surrender and process before they dropped a second bomb destroying Nagasaki. An estimated One hundred thousand innocent people were killed. This was significant because the U.S believed that these bombs caused the surrender and ending to the war. -
Germany surrenders
Hitler ended up committing suicide due to the Soviet troops surrounding Berlin and closing in on him. Berlin fell to the Soviets and the Germans surrendered. This is important because the main threat of the war had just been defeated and the war was almost at an end.