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Non-aggression Pact
This was a pact signed between the Germans and the Soviets. This is a pact that they agreed to take no military action against each other for 10 years. Hitler, however, breached the contract by invading Poland. He basically lied to the Soviets by saying he would not be the aggressor. -
Battle of Britain
After the fall of France, Hitler and Germany began turning their aggression towards Britain. This would lead to the Battle of Britain. Not being your ordinary battle, this battle was fought in the air. After the Miracle of Dunkirk, Winston Churchill rallied his troops and prepared them for the oncoming invasion. After both sides lost many planes and Hitler used his policy of Blitzkrieg, Hitler decided to call off the invasion as it looked like Britain wasn't giving up anytime soon. -
Atlantic Conference
The Atlantic Conference was the first of four major conferences. This conference was set up to strengthen the once strong relationship between the United States and Great Britain. To do this, they decided to sign the Atlantic Charter. -
Battle of Midway
This battle is considered the turning point of the war. Immediately after bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese decided to turn their attention to Midway, a vital defense system of Hawaii. This did not work, however, and the seemingly unstoppable Japanese advance. The US dealt them an important defeat and helped to ultimately win the war. -
Battle of Stalingrad
After attacking Russia, Germany sent a group of troops toward Stalingrad. They penetrated deep, however, their timing was off has the cold, harsh, Russian winter and Soviet resistance led to them retreating. This city was extremely important in Hitler achieving victory. This was a long, perilous battle and not many captured Soviets. Of the 91,000 captured, only 5,000 survived. -
Operation Torch
This was the invasion of North Africa by the Allies. This was the first time the British and the Americans had worked together on an invasion plan. They planned to invade Morocco and Algeria. -
Italian Campaign
This was essentially the invasion of Italy. Their target was Sicily because it was the safest and easiest. British and American forces separately invaded before joining forces in the North. This short campaign had important results. It gave the allies the Western Mediterranean, paved the way for Italian invasion, and ended Benito Mussolini's rule. -
Tehran Conference
This was the second of the four major conferences. This is important because it the first meeting between the "Big 3". The Big 3 consists of the leaders of the USA, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. Those leaders of course being FDR, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, respectively. This was where they got together to discuss the final plans on how to defeat Germany, its allies, and how to end the war for good. -
Operation Overlord
This was the massive invasion of France from Allied forces. It only involved the most experienced officers in Europe. These consisted of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Bernard Montgomery, and General Omar Bradley. These were the most skilled people in their field. It had 21 American divisions and 26 British, Canadian, and Polish divisions. They stormed 5 Normandy beaches and had to deceive Hitler into thinking the invasion was happening in Calais. -
Battle of the Bulge
This is considered the last major offensive of the war made by the Germans. They were attempting to push the allies back into their home territory but it was unsuccessful. The name came from the wedge that the Germans drove between the lines of the Allies. -
Yalta Conference
This was the third of the four major conferences. As the second meeting of the Big 3, it took on the problems that still hung around after the first two. It talked about the final plans for defeating Europe, consisting of Hitler in Germany and Tojo in Japan. They also began discussing what should happen at then end of the war in Europe. They all agreed that some places could hold free elections, but Stalin went back on his promise. Not being able to press him they had to allow his vague promise. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This was a battle between the US Marines and the Japanese army. The US invaded them and had a 5 week battle that was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. 28,000 people were killed with a third of that being the US Marines. -
Battle of Okinawa
It was the last battle of the war and it is considered the bloodiest. This was the final push towards Japan and would lead to their surrender. When invading, the Americans were waiting for enemy resistance but they were actually walking into a trap. They were hit with a lot of things including Kamikaze pilots, Japans most ruthless weapon. Americans would go on to win and Japan would later surrender. -
Surrender of Berlin/Germany
This was the surrender of the German army and the suicide death of Hitler and his wife. After the battle, the remaining soldiers tried to flee. Some made it but others were caught and the Germans would surrender to the Soviet army. This would lead to the end of the war in Europe and was an important day in American history. -
Potsdam Conference
This is where the Big 3 met up to discuss the unconditional surrender of communism. This was the last of the four important conferences. They were there to negotiate the\ end of the war and give Germany a chance for reconstruction. -
Nagasaki
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the US decided to exact revenge by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They dropped the first bomb over Hiroshima and a few days later dropped the other on Nagasaki. These two bombs killed over 120,000 people. This would lead to Japan's unconditional surrender saying that this bomb was new and most cruel. -
Hiroshima
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the US decided to exact revenge by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They dropped the first bomb over Hiroshima and a few days later dropped the other on Nagasaki. These two bombs killed over 120,000 people. This would lead to Japan's unconditional surrender saying that this bomb was new and most cruel.