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The Holocaust Began
The Holocaust was the Nazi attempt to kill every Jew and non-Aryan under German control. By the end of the war, Germans had killed 6 million Jews. Hitler blamed the Jews for every shortcoming of Germany and himself. Hitler placed laws on Jews, and prevented them from doing certain jobs. Jews were put in death camps and concentration camps, and were treated horribly. -
Battle of Midway
Midway was an American naval base located in the Central Pacific. This base was very important to the protection of Hawaii. If American forces lost Midway, they would be pushed back to the California Coast. American Admiral Chester Nimitz was aware of Japan’s plans for Midway, and thus he concentrated his forces there. The Battle of Midway was the turning point in the Pacific War. -
Stalingrad
Stalingrad was the turning point in the European war. Hitler’s plans to dominate Europe were diminished. 91,000 Germans surrendered but only 5,000 of which returned to Germany. This small number of returning soldiers was due to starvation and sickness. The Soviet Union were on the offensive after Stalingrad. -
Allied Invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch)
Beginning in 1940, British troops had been at war with Germany and Italy. By forcing Germany out of North Africa, the Allies would have the opportunity to invade Italy. General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded this invasion. Another commander involved in this invasion was George S. Patton. 240,000 Italians and Germans surrendered to the Allies. -
Operation Overlord
This plan involved landing 21 American divisions, and 26 Polish, British, and Canadian divisions on beaches in Normandy, France. This was the largest fleet established at the time. This was an elaborate plan that involved striking at 5 beaches. Allied troops created a fake army under the control of George S. Patton. Hitler focused his best troops where the fake base was, which gave the Allies an advantage. -
D-Day
On this day, the Allies hit Germany forcefully. 11,000 Allied planes attempted to destroy communication and transportation networks in Germany. Soldiers arrived at beaches in Normandy, these beaches were heavily mined and occupied by German soldiers. A large number of soldiers died in battle on this day, but Allies gained control of France at the end of the day. Over the next month, over 1 million Allied troops landed in Normandy. -
Battle of The Bulge
Germans created a bulge in American lines, which took the Allies by surprise. Germans captured many important towns. On December 23rd, Allied bombers pushed Germans out of France. This battle was a desperate attempt by the Germans to separate British and American forces. The Allies continued to push northwest toward Italy. -
Okinawa
An extremely deadly fight. There was an extremely important airbase located in Okinawa. 500,000 troops and 1,213 warships were involved in this battle. The United States took control of Okinawa. However, they lost 50,000 troops in the process. -
Hitler's Death
By the time British, American, and Russian forces had reached Germany, Hitler had many health and mental problems. He struggled with schizophrenia, tremors, and hallucinations. Hitler believed that Germany would have a final victory, which was completely illogical. He gave many orders that no one followed. On April 30th, Hitler, his wife Eva Braun, and his closest associates committed suicide. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Over the next few days they contemplated whether to surrender. After three days, America dropped a second bomb on Nagasaki. These cities experienced a huge amount of deaths. They were almost completely in ruins.
