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Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a term made by Germans during WWII and means "lightning war".It is used by disorienting the enemy with a fast mobile force and heavy firepower.More or less a literal army of light tanks.The tactic is mainly for the purpose of fast invasions which save resources and more importantly human lives.The Nazis used this tactic all across Europe which is how much of the continent was under Nazi control by 1941,just two years after the war even started. -
German Invasion Of Poland
After forging an alliance with the USSR, Germany invaded Poland from the west while the Soviets invades from the east.The invasion lasted 19 days before Poland was consumed by both Germany and the Soviet Union.The invasion was so fast that the term Blitzkrieg or "lighting war" was coined. -
Dunkirk (Dunkirk Evacuation)
Dunkirk is a small town on the coast of France. During the battle of Dunkirk between Germany and the Allied Powers, France and Britain to be exact. The Germans cut off communication for the Allied Powers and pushed them into a small bit of land. Operation Dynamo was a plan to evacuate as many troops as they could on as many boats as they could. They used civilian ships and naval ships. By the time the evacuations were over, the Allied Powers were able to save a total of 338,000 troops. -
Stalingrad
During the German invasion of the USSR in early WWII,lies the 5 month long battle for the city of Stalingrad.Targeted for being a major manufacturing center for supplies.known as one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war,nearly 2 million soldiers died in the battle for the city.In one of the Soviets darkest moments of the battle,Stalin gave the infamous order "Not a step back!" threatening execution to all who disobeyed.The Soviets were eventually able to win with reinforcements. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Japanese sent a surprise attack on America's naval base, Pearl Harbor. Hundreds of Japanese planes swooped over the harbor and dropped bombs and shot machine guns. There were 2,400 Americans killed and over 1,000 injured. This event is what pushed America to declare war and get more serious about WWII. America and Japan were in the middle of negotiating peace when this attack happened, making this attack a surprise and a sad tragedy. -
Guadalcanal
Japan was stationed in the Solomon Islands and The U.S. was able to make a surprise attack and take over an air base they were building. Japan and America endured severe ship losses but Japan was crushed in troop numbers. This was a major victory for America -
D-day
although D-day is a common military term,it is also infamous for the largest amphibious invasion(invading from the beach) in history.The 175,000 troops of American,Canadian,and British forces stormed 5 beaches,taking 4 of them easily but American forces found heavy resistance at Utah beach.With only 155,00 surviving the invasion,This was the first step in liberating Europe from Nazi occupation. -
(The Battle Of) Iwo Jima
The U.S. invaded Iwo Jima resulting in a war lasting 5 weeks. This was a very bloody battle because both sides used new war tactics. Japan used a tactic where they camouflaged their artillery positions into mountains and other surroundings defensively and lines of bonsai charges, where soldiers with bayonets charged into enemy lines. The U.S. used tactics like firing from the ocean and using star shells to light up the night. The famous army picture comes from this battle. -
Crossing of the Rhine River
The Crossing of the Rhine River, formerly known as Operation Plunder, was a U.S. military mission to cross the Rhine River to attack German soldiers by surprise. They were successful and this put them at a point where they could advance into Germany. -
Fall of Berlin
The final push to Berlin was the last step for the Allied Powers. Paris was liberated and they moved on to Berlin Germany; the heart of the Nazis and Hitler. They were able to advance through Germany very quickly due to many troops surrendering. On the way to Berlin, they were able to liberate more than 100 concentration camps. As the Allied Powers advanced, Hitler retreated and killed himself. Berlin fell on May 2nd and Germany surrendered on the 8th. -
Hiroshima
Hiroshima was the first location the U.S. bombed in Japan. The attack was to solicit a surrender from Japan. The bomb exploded at 8:15 in the morning, taking out 5 square miles of the city and killed 80,000 people instantly. The bomb was equal to 12-15,000 tons of TNT. Despite the strength of the bomb, it still didn't force Japan to surrender. -
Nagasaki
3 days after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, another was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. This was part of the same plan to solicit a surrender out of Japan. This bomb was more powerful than the previous but it was dropped on a mountain so the impact was lessened to 2.6 square miles. It was dropped at 11:02 in the morning and it killed 40,000 people. This second bomb is what forced Japan to surrender just a week later.
