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Germany Invades Belgium
The plan called for German armies to go on a massive flanking attack through Belgium into the north eastern part of France and rapidly advance into the unprotected part of France, allowing them to quickly obliterate the French army and allow the capitulation of the French government before the German armies could be sent west against Russia. -
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
On the way to the Town Hall, the first assassination attempt occurred. A man named Nedeljko Cabrinovic threw a bomb into the car with the Archduke. The bomb did not hurt the Archduke. The assassins did not give up. On the return trip, the motorcade took a wrong turn. When the driver began to back up, another assassin named Gavrilo Princip happened to be right next to the car. He fired twice, hitting the Archduke once and his wife Sophie. -
The Battle of Verdun
This battle in World War I started to push Germany out of France. A colossal French offensive attacked the German defensive in Verdun, France on February 21, 1916. The French lost somewhere around 400,000 soldiers and the Germans lost 350,000. -
Battle of Jutland
In late May 1916, Germany’s Admiral Reinhard Scheer planned a sortie toward Norway, hoping to lure part of the British fleet into a trap. The battle cruiser fleets were the first major units to come into contact. The Germans, unaware that the Grand Fleet was on the scene, made a trap for themselves. Even with the incorrect information from officials, Jellicoe still managed to maneuver into a prime position, ready to pound the German battle line into defeat. -
Provisional Government Established
The provisional government was established on this day when csar quit. Major turmoil broke out through Russia. -
Provisional Government Established
The provisional government was established on this day when csar quit. Major turmoil broke out through Russia. -
The United States Declairs War
It was on April 2, 1917 that the United States declared war on the axis powers. The United States joined WWI due to Germany's use of unrestricted submarine warfare, also called the Zimmerman telegram. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
This treaty prevented German invasion and Russia sacrificed a lot of it's land to the Germans. -
World War I Ends
This first global conflict had claimed from 9 million to 13 million lives and caused unprecedented damage. Germany had formally surrendered on November 11, 1918, and all nations had agreed to stop fighting while the terms of peace were negotiated. The treaty of Versailles put heavy reprimands on the Germans and limited their military power. Germany was only allowed to have 100,000 men enlisted in their army from this point forward. -
Invasion of Poland/Start of WWII
The invasion of Poland is what set off the ticking time bomb of World War II. Many historians say that the treaty of Versailles is what caused WWII to occur, as Germany was under heavy economic devastation. The Invasion of Poland was part of the deal made at Munich, but Hitler went too far getting many other countries allied with Poland aggravated and declare war on Germany. -
Germany Invades USSR Opening
The USSR and Germany were originally allies in the second world war. When Hitler decided to attack Russia on the eastern front, they made the smart move to join the allies. Germany was invading Russia for their natural resources such as oil and of course, land. -
Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor
The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was what "awoke the sleeping giant" and made the U.S. join WWII. The devastating attack on Pearl Harbor is not only held accountable for the lives lost, but the sinking of a couple U.S. Navy ships. The main reason why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor was to take out the U.S. aircraft carriers, but they were away at sea and brought a swift end to the Battle of Midway. -
D-Day
D-Day is also known as the invasion of Normandy, France. This is what turned the war in Europe and drove the Germans out of France. D-Day was devised by the United States with assistance from the allies. This took Germany off of the offensive and put them onto the defensive in Europe and eventually resulted in VE day. -
Victory in Europe day (VE day)
Victory in Europe was made possible by numerous attacks on the German offensive but mainly D-Day. VE day resulted in victory for the allies and the defeat of the axis (minus Japan). VE day was also when reprimands were made on Germany for their acts. -
Atomic Bomb Dropped on Japan
The atomic bomb was first dropped on Hiroshima, Japan to bring a swift end to the second world war. The first atomic bomb, named fat boy, was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Thanks to the hard working team of Robert Oppenheimer, the atomic bomb was a success and lead to Japan's surrender to the United States.
