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Britain and France Declare War on Germany
By declaring war on Germany, Britain and France are officially starting World War II. This declaration of war was the beginning of the fighting between many countries spanning six years. Little did they know this would lead to around 210,700 military deaths and 173,300 civilian deaths for France. Britain would have around 271,000 military deaths, and 60,000 civilian. -
Selective Service Act
This draft was a peacetime draft, meaning the United States was not at war. However, by having this draft Roosevelt and the people knew war was coming and the US would soon be personally involved. This signified the start of war preparation/mobilization for the US. In this draft approximately 10 million men were drafted for WWII. This made citizens more aware of the war since husbands, fathers, sons, etc. were being selected for war. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is the event that made the United States join World War II. Previously the US used interventionism, but did not declare war. However, after being directly targeted by Japan the US declared war the next day. In this attack there were 3,400 casualties, 8 battleships destroyed, and over 180 air crafts destroyed making this the worst defeat my foreign power in history. This angered US citizens, and motivated them to join the military and help in any way they could. -
D-Day
D-day, also known as "Operation Overlord" and "Storming the Beaches of Normandy", was a turning point in World War II. The Allies were successful in this battle and shifted the power away from Germany. This made people confident the Allies could win the war and stop Hitler's reign over Europe. While this was a success 5,000-12,000 Allies perished, and the US learned World War II would be a bloody and costly war. -
Battle of the Bulge
December 16, 1944-January 25, 1945. The Battle of the Bugle was Hitler's final offensive battle of World War II. This was the beginning of the end of Hitler's reign. While the Allies were caught by surprise and unprepared for the harsh weather, they still prevailed stopping German advancement. Over 1 million men fought in this battle, 500,00 being American, and these men had a 16% chance of being shot. However, more Germans perished due to the US having more men and resources. -
Dachau Liberated
The liberation of Dachau signified Ally success, and the end to Hitler and the continuation of the Holocaust. It additionally brought exposure to the things that occurred in the concentration camps; opening people's eyes to the horrors of this time period. This also integrated more Jews, Poles, etc. into the United States. For example, orphaned children would come to live with distant family. By 1945 approximately 125,000 German refugees entered the United States. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
By committing suicide Hitler finally admitted defeat. Germany no longer had a leader. This would lead to the German army falling apart, and eventually surrendering. Hitler did this by shooting himself in the head while hiding in his Berlin bunker while Allied forces approached. -
V-E Day
Germany officially surrendered to the Allies in Reims, France. Germany had been defeated, and the war was beginning to end. This gave confidence to the Allies that the war would end soon with this big player gone. The Allies could push forth, and strike Japan harder with their main ally out of the picture. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
The bomb "Little Boy" dropped on Hiroshima and devastated Japan, who would not surrender prior. This bombing, along with "Fat Man" being dropped on Nagasaki, led to Japan ultimately surrendering due to this new power the United States held. Japanese's surrender likely had to do with the devastation of land having 4.4 miles of the city in flames. Additionally, half of the city of Hiroshima's population was dead and Japan could not risk losing more civilians to the US's power. -
V-J Day
V-J Day is when Japan signed the surrender treaty aboard the USS Missouri. This day officially ended the six year long World War II. Fighting was over, people celebrated, and rebuilding started. This made the citizens of the United States feel safe again, and the world could take a sigh of relief as the fighting ceased.
