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japanese invasion of china
ON JULY 7, 1937 a clash occurred between Chinese and Japanese troops near Peiping in North China. Japan’s defeat in that by the Allies in 1945 ended its occupation of China. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/china_war.htm -
germany's invasion of poland
At 4:45 a.m., some 1.5 million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
german blitzkrieg
Germany's Blitzkrieg tactics overwhelmed Poland in September 1939, then, after a pause, crushed Denmark, Norway, and the Low Countries in April-May 1940, and finally France in June 1940. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
operation barbarossa
In Barbarossa’s opening month, German armies bit deep into Soviet territory; panzer armies encircled large Soviet forces at Minsk and Smolensk, while armored spearheads reached two-thirds of the distance to Moscow and Leningrad. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/operation_barbarossa.htm -
pearl harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for decades. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
wannsee conference
On this day, Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the “Final Solution” of the “Jewish question.” http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
operation gomorrah
On this day in 1943, British bombers raid Hamburg, Germany, by night in Operation Gomorrah, while Americans bomb it by day in its own “Blitz Week.” http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
d-day normandy invasion
During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
battle of iwo jima
Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, who fought from an elaborate network of caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
v-e day
On Mar. 7, 1945, the Western Allies—whose chief commanders in the field were Omar N. Bradley and Bernard Law Montgomery—crossed the Rhine after having smashed through the strongly fortified Siegfried Line and overran West Germany. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/veday1.html -
battle of okinama
Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II, the Okinawa campaign (April 1—June 22, 1945) involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
operation thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was the code for a cancelled operation planned in August 1944 but shelved and never implemented. The plan envisaged a massive attack on Berlin in the belief that would cause 220,000 casualties with 110,000 killed, many of them key German personnel, which would shatter German morale. However, it was later decided that the plan was unlikely to work. http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/chris-lane/operation-thunderclap-on-valentine-s-day-europe-1945/ -
dropping of atomic bombs
On this day in 1945, at 8:16 a.m. Japanese time, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, drops the world’s first atom bomb, over the city of Hiroshima. Approximately 80,000 people are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-is-dropped-on-hiroshima -
vj day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.” http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
battle of the bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16th 1944. Hitler had convinced himself that the alliance between Britain, France and America in the western sector of Europe was not strong and that a major attack and defeat would break up the alliance. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_the_bulge.htm
