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The Rape of Nanjing
This horrific massacre was exactly as it sounds: tens of thousands of women and girls were brutally raped and murdered over a period of six weeks in Nanjing, China by Japanese forces. Chinese troops had been removed from the city because they knew they would lose this battle, leaving it defenseless. It would take the city of Nanjing decades to recover from the savage attacks.
https://www.history.com/topics/japan/nanjing-massacre -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany's invasion of Poland is considered to be the beginning of WW2, and the battle where the "Blitzkrieg" strategy was first deployed. This included heavy bombing in order to destroy everything possible, followed by an overwhelming army and infantry to pick off survivors. The purpose of this was to gain back lost territory and to set up many concentration camps and "security" forces within towns to enforce Nazi ideologies.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
The Fall of Paris
This invasion served as a big red flag to other countries by showing just how powerful the German army was. German forces had defeated France and made them realize their attempts at defense were futile. Evacuation before German soldiers arrived after the surrender was the only option. This is also what brought Italy and Mussolini into the war.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-France-World-War-II/The-fall-of-France-June-5-25-1940 -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
The tension between Japan and the US was built when Japan created the puppet state of Manchukuo on Chinese land. The US took China's side, limited trade with Japan, and gave more support to China. This upset Japan and contributed to its attack on Pearl Harbor. They destroyed many US naval watercrafts, as well as killed many people. The US waged war on Japan, which later brought them into WW2.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack -
Bataan Death March
After the Japanese took over the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon, surrendered citizens and soldiers were forced to march 65 miles to prison camps. Thousands of people died during the five-day march, most likely due to the brutality of their captors. The prisoners were liberated in late February/early March of 1945 by US/Filipino forces.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Midway
Midway occurred about six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor between the US and Japan. Japan had ambitions to establish dominance in the Pacific with its air force and navy. With the same hope of success as Pearl Harbor, Japan set out to crush US efforts on the Allied base at Midway Island. Instead, they suffered a very large loss, which resulted in the turn of the tide in the war for the Allied Powers.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
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Battle of Stalingrad
This is considered one of the most important battles of all of WW2, due to the fact that it stopped German forces from advancing into Russia and turned the tide of the war for the Allies. Stalingrad was an extremely important industrial city. If it had been captured, Soviet transport links to Southern Russia would have been cut off. It was also a personal goal of Hitler to conquer the city made in the name of Joseph Stalin.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto was a 1 square mile plot of land in Nazi-controlled Warsaw Poland where 400,000 Jews were forced to live. The ]food allowed in was very regulated, and if they set foot outside the walls, they would be shot. Residents of the Ghetto used what little weapons they had and held off the Nazis for about a month before they lost and their synagogue was blown up. This inspired many other revolts around the territory.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
The Allied Invasion of Italy
Italy was a part of the Axis Powers, under the fascist leader, Benito Mussolini. However, there were some groups of people in Italy who wanted a new government and to be a part of the Allies. The Allies captured the Island of Sicily and quickly made their way to the mainland. This meant the collapse of the fascist leadership. The new government made secret deals with the Allies despite the German troops present in Italy.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
D-Day is the day that the Battle of Normandy began on the coast of France's Normandy region. The Allies deceived Germany by making it seem like they would strike elsewhere. This day was one of the markers of the beginning of the end for German control over Europe, as they lost the battle. This invasion became known as one of the largest military assaults in history.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
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Battle of the Bulge
This was Germany's final attempt at pushing the Allies back from their territory. However, the battle was unsuccessful on their side. While they managed to make a large dent in the Allies' manpower, almost 120,000 German soldiers were lost. This resulted in their inability to continue fighting the war until victory.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Lasting 5 weeks, this battle was considered to be one of the bloodiest battles of WW2, with casualties of more than 20,000. American forces recognized the island of Iwo Jima to be an adequate staging facility for a potential invasion of mainland Japan. While US forces did capture the island, remaining fighting Japanese soldiers were still there until well after the war was over. The island never proved to be a helpful base.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
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Battle of Okinawa
This was a battle between US and Japanese forces over the island of Okinawa because it was considered an important stop on the way to invading the main islands. Attacks on the island began way before the battle, with the purpose of destroying planes and materials. During the battle, there were many devastating casualties on both sides, and it took a long time for little progress to be made. But in the end, the US did succeed in taking over the island. -
VE (Victory in Europe) Day
VE Day marks the end of (most) fighting in Europe regarding WW2. Two signings occurred, by Col. Gen. Alfred Jodl on May 7th and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel on May 8th. This marked Germany's surrender on all fronts, and both of these men were charged with war crimes and executed. This became a day of great celebration in Europe.
https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/VE-Day/ -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
On August 6th and 9th, two atomic bombs were dropped in Japan on the ciites of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These are the only two atomic bombs that have ever been dropped, and the only two made at the time. It was expected that the Japanese would surrender after the first bomb in Hiroshima, but they didn't. Because of this, they decided to drop the second bomb on Nagasaki.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atomic-bomb-history -
VJ (Victory over Japan) Day
VJ Day is the day that Japan surrendered unconditionally to the US. This marked the end of WW2 across the world and became a day of celebration for tired soldiers and citizens everywhere. After this date, Allied prisoners in camps around Japan were freed. President Harry Truman promised "a new beginning in the history of freedom on this earth".
https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/VJ-Day/