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Japanese Invasion of China
Japan took over Manchuria, and made China into a sort of puppet. Japan needed more supplies and resources to fuel their war, thus taking over China to exploit that. -
Germany Invades Poland
This invasion marks the start of WWII. Germany invaded Poland to gain back land and become a stronger nation as a whole. -
German Blitzkrieg
Germany did not want a long, dragged out war, so they opted for the Blitzkrieg tactic. Using this tactic for two years, Germany successfully overwhelmed their opponents. -
Fall of Paris
With France’s unprepared militia, they were unable to defend themselves for long, leading to the Axis Powers taking over Paris. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union from Nazi Germany. As opposed to before, Germany struggled throughout this battle, leading to them losing. This and the Battle of Stalingrad would be pivotal points in the later half of WWII. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan surprise attacked the U.S. Naval base of Pearl Harbor. Leading to the U.S. begrudgingly joining WWII. This was also another reason for the bombing of Japan. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of high-ranked Nazis, where they discussed and outlined how they would ‘succeed’ at their goal. They also discussed on their final plans in this war, and how to win. -
The Battle of Midway
A pivotal point in the Pacific part of WWII, the Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war. With Japan’s loss, the Allied Powers could leverage that to their advantage. -
Operation Gomorrah
The Allied Forces needed to use their newfound victories to push this war forward, so the did a tactic called strategic bombing on the city of Hamburg. This was an industrial city and caused Germany to lose some of their trade and profit. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allied Forces wanted to remove Italy from WWII, which they did so. They wanted to take Italy out of the war to make the Axis Powers weaker, which they succeeded at. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was an act of resistance and perseverance. Many Jewish prisoners from these ghettos were beaten and killed, this was one of the many instances where the whole world got to see what was really happening to Jewish people at this time. -
D-Day
D-Day was the victory that the Allied Forces needed, an invasion of France that would succeed. This battle ended Germany’s control over France. Which in turn made the Axis Powers weaker and the opposite for the Allied Forces. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap, was a large bombing of Germany from the Allied Forces. This largely weakened Germany, and soon they surrender. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, which seemed at first to be an Allied loss, surprisingly resulted in a victory. This battle truly represents how weak Germany and the Axis Powers became at the end of the war. -
Dropping of the Atomic bombs
The U.S. decided to bomb Japan, because of their continuous threats to Americans. Resulting in mass devastation to Japanese citizens, this is what led Japan to surrender after all. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
An American victory, leading to the capture of Iwo Jima, the Japanese island. When Iwo Jima was taken over, it provided an air base in Japan, leading to easier access of resources. -
Battle of Okinawa
An American victory, and a very bloody won at that, the battle of Okinawa was a turning point in the Pacific war, making Japan weaker. -
VE Day
VE Day of Victory in Europe Day, this was the day where Europeans celebrated Germany’s surrender. After a long and strenuous war, Germany had finally surrendered, a bittersweet victory. -
VJ Day
With Japan’s surrender, there was celebration all over America, for Victory over Japan day. -
Postdam Declaration
The Postdam Declaration and Conference asked for Japan’s surrender. This was the Allied Forces version of the ‘easy’ or ‘hard’ way, ending up to be the hard way.