-
Operation Barbarossa
It was an operation launched by the Axis to invade the Soviet Union. Germany wanted to catch the Soviet Union off guard and weaken them early. However, German troops were overwhelmed and in the end the Soviet Union was victorious and Germany took significant losses. It was a major turning point in the war. -
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
It was a surprise attack by the Japanese Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor because they wanted complete control of the Pacific Ocean and Pearl Harbor was the only thing that stood in their way. The Japanese were successful as there were around 4000 casualties and the United States joined the war on the side of the allies as a result. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting if high ranking Nazi officials held in Berlin. They met to decide upon a "Final Solution" for the Jews. The effect was the establishment of death camps to get rid of Jews and other minorities. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The Normandy Landings was codenamed Operation Overlord. It was a successful invasion of German occupied Western Europe. 210K casualties from the allied forces. About 200K casualties from Axis forces. The allies attacked to start the offensive and make a move on Germany's grip of Europe. Dwight Eisenhower successfully took down Erwin Rommel's defense. D-Day was the beginning of the end for the Nazis. The German's now had to fight the war on two fronts. -
Battle of the Bulge
It was Germany's last major offensive on the Western Front. Hitler attempted to split the Allies in half but proved unsuccessful, however, there were many casualties. The conditions were very icy and cold. Germany was extremely weak after this battle and it was very likely the Allies were going to win the war. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the US Marines captured the island of Iwo Jima from Japan. This was an American offensive and happened because of the need for a US base off the coast of Japan. It took the 3 marine divisions and air and naval bombardments a little over a month to gain complete control. The effect of this was the US gaining control of two air fields and being able to fly bombers from those two bases. -
VE Day
All of Europe celebrated the Allies victory over the Axis powers. It happened because the war was finally over and the Nazis had surrendered. The effect of VE Day was vast celebration across Europe as it marked the end of an almost 6 year war that had cost the lives of millions of combatants and innocent people. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
On this day, Harry S Truman ordered the dropping of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It happened because the President was warned that invading would cost many peoples lives and they needed a quick end to the war. The effect was Japan's surrender as hundreds of thousands were killed either instantly or over a period of time from radiation in the two cities. -
VJ Day
It is known as victory over Japan day. Japan formally surrendered to the US after the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It is held to celebrate the victory over yet another axis power. The effect was much celebration and commemoration of the people that fought for the US. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Allied troops marched into Auschwitz and found hundreds of sick and starving prisoners. Many had been killed. This happened because Germany had retreated letting allied troops to advance into previous German territories. Liberation of other camps soon followed. The effect was that allied troops were able to save hundreds of lives of prisoners and get them the medical attention they needed.
