-
Germany Invades Poland
Germany invades Poland in an attempt to bring "lebensraum" (living room) to the German people. As a result of Hitler's invasion, Britain and France declare war.
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg) -
Germany Invades France
Hitler and his forces attempted to invade France so as to avoid a two-front war later on in his conquest. Because of this invasion, Hitler and his allied Italy took over France and split the land among themselves. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France) -
Germany Bombs Britain
The Battle of Britain was fought by entirely air forces, with the goal of this battle being for Nazi forces to compel Britain into a peace settlement. The German forces lost to Britain resulting in the first major Nazi defeat of World War 2. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain) -
Lend-Lease Act
The passing of the Lend-Lease Act authorized the president to transfer arms and other defense materials to America's war interests during World War 2 prior to her involvement in the war. Doing so allowed the powers who were fighting against Germany to be able to continue to fight.(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/lend-lease-act) -
Germany Invades the Soviet Union
In what is known as Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany decided to invade the Soviet Union with the desire to conquer the western Soviet Union for German use. Germany was unable to defeat Russian forces at Stalingrad, resulting in their defeat and becoming a turning point of the European War. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa) -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was Nazi Germany's code name for their invasion of Russia. The goal of Nazi Germany was to conquer land for German use. It was a five month war campaign that utterly ended in German defeat after their attempt to win Stalingrad. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa) -
Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor
The Pearl Harbor bombings were a major assault on American Naval forces by the Japanese caused by their will for revenge on America for harming their economy by imposing an oil embargo on Japan in their conquest of Southeast Asia. The casualties of this bombing were 20 American naval vessels, over 300 airplanes, the death of 2,000 soldiers and sailors, and another 1,000 wounded.
(http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor) -
United States Enters World War 2
The day after the Pearl Harbor bombings, America declared war on Germany and entered into World War 2. [Link text]{https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/world-war-2.cfm} -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was a transfer of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and America POWs. The march occurred after the 3 month Battle of Bataan. The march was approximately 112 kilometers and ended in 5,650 to 18,000 POW deaths. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Death_March) -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a decisive World War 2 naval battle between Japan and the United States. Japan underestimated American ability and lost the battle, becoming a turning point in the Pacific War. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Midway) -
Normandy Landings / D-Day
What is popularly referred to as D-Day was the biggest seaborne invasion in history. It was an operation to begin the liberation German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control. Due to a military deception, German forces were unable to have defenses completely made for the attack and Allied forces were able to maintain a hold on the beach. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings) -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Following German defeat in World War 2, the Allied forces were to free the Jews from concentration camps. In doing so, the Allies found evidence of what the Nazi Germans had done to their prisoners as well as freeing those who were left alive.
(https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005131) -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
This was a major Polish based operation to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. The operation lasted 63 days with it mostly being solely Polish vs. German troops. The battle ended in German victory due to the lack of help sent to the Polish side. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Uprising) -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign of World War 2. Hitler's goal for this campaign was to get America and Britain to sign separate Peace Treaties so that he could focus on Soviet in the East. Due to poor battle planning and misconception of dates, the German lost this campaign.
(http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/p/bulge.htm) -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle where the United States landed on Japanese Iwo Jima and captured it. The goal of this campaign was to capture Japanese land for use of future assault on main Japanese islands. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima) -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are Bombed
The United States had dropped two atomic bombs on Japan in the final stages of World War 2. These nuclear weapons killed an approximate 129,000 people (mostly civilian). A few days after the bombing, Japan surrendered and World War 2 was effectively over.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki)
