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The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a period of economic collapse that affected the United States and some European countries. Out of all European countries it affected Germany the most. After World War 1, the Treaty of Versailles put the blame for causing the war on Germany; this meant that they had to pay reparations, which led to economic instability; this lead to Germany wanting a new leader who would fix its economic state. -
Hitler Rise to Power
After rising through government ranking, Hitler finally take full control over Germany, becoming Fuhrer, supreme leader of Germany. After He took control of Germany, he began to invade neighboring countries. Soon he would threaten to invade Poland. August 1939, Hitler signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, which was an agreement between Stalin and Hitler to split up Poland and invade it. -
WWII
After invading many neighboring countries, Hitler claimed that he was going to invade Poland. Poland was promised protection by Brittan and France, which meant that if Hitler invaded Poland, Brittan and France would have to intervene. Brittan and France warned Germany that if they proceeded with the invasion of Poland, they would have to declare war. September 1st, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland. Two days later, Great Brittan and France declared war on Germany. -
Germany battles Britain
The Battle of Britain was an attempt by Germany to invade Britain. Germany had trouble attacking Britain due to Britain's location; since Britain is located on an island, they could only send their air force. During this battle, the German air force bombed multiple cities, in a battle style known as blitzkrieg. The British Royal Air were able to hold their position, forcing Hitler to instead attack Russia. -
Operation Barbarossa
Completely ignoring the Nonaggression Pact, Hitler attempted to invade Soviet Union. Hitler began his invasion of Russia on July 22th, 1941. They launched a surprise attack at the Russians, which left them vastly unprepared. The German tanks and aircraft were far superior to the Russian military, which gave them the upper hand. Months into the operation, the Germans began to realize that they were not prepared for winter, which eventually forced them to retreat out of Russia. -
Pearl Harbor
After Japan allied with Germany, Japan began to invade parts of China. Japan didn't want the U.S. to intervene in the war, so they attempted to cripple their navy; they did so by launching an attack on Pearl Harbor, a U.S. military naval base. They attacked on December the 7th, 1941. On December 8th, the U.S. declared war on Japan, official joining WWII -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a naval battle between the U.S. and Japan that took place in the Pacific. The Japanese planned to destroy the U.S. military ships that escaped Pear harbor; they planned to draw them out by attacking locations near Pearl Harbor. They failed to realize that the U.S. had managed to solve Japanese fleet codes, which allowed them to understand their exact plans. The battle lasted three days, with the U.S. coming out victorious. This battle marked a turning point in the war. -
D-Day
D Day was fought in order to liberate part of France which had fallen under Nazi Germany's control. The battle was fought in France's Normandy region, and lasted for a month. This battle is known as the largest amphibious military assaults in history. Over 156,000 British, Canadian, and U.S. soldiers fought against the Nazis. The battle resulted in German loss. Months after, Hitler would kill himself in his bunker, forcing the German troops to surrender. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge is known as one of the most bloody battle during WWII. This battle was the last major German offensive campaign. The battle was named called Battle of the Bulge due to the bulge in German front lines on wartime news maps. It took place in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. The Germans launched a surprise attack on the Allied forces and caught the off guard, however, they were no match for the Allied troops, as the Germans lost most of their armored forces. -
Libaration
After the war was over, many troops started to find concentration camps and began to liberate the prisoners. One of the first to be liberated after the war was Auschwitz, were many famished prisoners were found. They found no Germans at the camps, as they had scurried out of them before the Allied troops arrived. Many of the Germans had tried to free them before hand in an attempt to destroy as much evidence as they could. -
The Batttle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima took place on Iwo Jima, a Japanese controlled island. The Americans planned to invade the island due to its strategic value. The battle would not prove to be easy; the Japanese had fortified the island, had a dense network of bunkers, and hidden artillery positions. Even with the odds stacked against them, the American troops were supported by extensive naval artillery. The battle ended with American victory. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 6th, 1945, the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs over Japan, hitting Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs were nicknamed Little Boy and Fat Man; this is the only incident were an atomic bomb was used in warfare. Thousands died on impact, and many more died later due to radiation poisoning. Japan surrendered shortly after the incident. This marked the end of WWII.