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Germany's invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland. More than 1 million German troops, along with 50,000 Slovakian solders, invaded Poland. The reason for the invasion, according to Hitler, was the pursuit of lebensraum, territory deemed necessary for the expansion and survival of the Third Reich. The impact of this event is that it was the start of World War II.
Source: time.com -
German BlitzKrieg
The Blitzkrieg means "Lightning War" which refers to the fast-paced aggresion by Germany, It a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces. Germany first tried this in Poland, then successfuly used it in the invastion of Belgium, Netherlands, and France, and also the North African campaign. It's result is that it was successful in Germany attaining power in Europe for the first part of the war.
Source: history.com -
Battle of Britain
After France fell to Germany, Germany waited for England to surrender. When they didn't, Germany started an offensive attack against England which lasted a couple months. They started attacking radar stations and then moved on to attacking RAF air bases. Germany was trying to get England to surrender, but the effect of this was a failure and only resulted in England being more determined to fight Germany.
Source: History.com -
Pearl Harbor
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, a U.S. military base. As a result of the attack, all the battleships in the harbor were either completely destroyed or sustained signficant damage. The reason that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor is complicated; tensions had been growing since World War I and Japan was isolated with an oil embargo in place that was crippling their economy. They were desperate. The attack brought the U.S. into World War II.
source: History.com and theamericancause.org -
Battle Of Midway
Battle involved the U.S. and Japan at Midway Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. had successfully cracked Japanese codes that Japan was planning a Midway Island attack. The U.S. was then prepared for the battle. About 2/3 of Japan's aircraft were lost in the battle, but more significant was the huge loss of trained mechanics and ground crews that went down in the ships. This battle was considerd a turning point against Japan in the war.
source: history.com -
Battle Of Stalingrad
The German army advanced on Stalingrad, in Southwestern Russia, on the Volga river. Hitler wanted to secure the oil fields around Stalingrad and also take over the city, since it was named after Joseph Stalin. There were heavy losses on both sides (about 478,000 Soviets, 40,000 civilians, and over 650,000 Axis). The Germans surrended and retreated from the area. It was a turning point of the war, in a bad way, for Germany.
source: militaryhistory.about.com -
D-Day:Normandy Invasion
Allied forces congregrated in Southern England and initiated a massive invasion on the northern coast of France along a 50-miles stretch of heavily-fortified beaches.It provided a area on the European continent to launch a ground-based attack moving toward Germany. It eventually resulted in Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany control.
source: History.com -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler launched a surprise blitzkrieg attack against the Allied armies in northwest Europe. The Allies had heavy casualities (over 100,000 troops died) but defended successfully against the Germans. Hitler launched the attack get an advantage in war which was turning against Germany. It ended up being Germany's last major offensive of the war.
source: Military.com -
Battle of lwo Jima
The battle involved the U.S. and Japan. The U.S. launched an amphibiuous invasion of Iwo Jima, an Japanese defended island in the Pacific. The fighting lasted a month. The U.S. launched the attack to obtain a place for B-29 bombers damaged over Japan to land without having to fly all the way to the Marianas Islands. The U.S. eventually took over the island after 5,900 troops died.
source: History.com -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It killed over 80,000 people and destroyed over 90% of the city. Three days later, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, killing 40,000 people. The reason the U.S. did this was to avoid the massive casualties that would most definitely happen during an invasion of Japan, which was the next option. The use of the atomic bombs resulted in Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II.
source: History.com
