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Japanese Invasion of China
The Japan-China War
The Japanese launched a full scale invasion of China after claiming that they were being fired upon. They came up against little organized resistance. They did this to gain raw materials -
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World War 2
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Germany's Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg stands for "lightning war." It was first tried out against Poland when Germany invaded them in 1939. It was an extremely effective war tactic that could overtake cities and end battles in a matter of days. -
Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland and they lost within weeks of the invasion. Germany was looking to expand and gain back their dignity. Poland remained under German control until January 1945. -
Fall of Paris
Paris Falls
Germany invaded Paris on June 14th, 1940. 2 million parisians had already fled by the time German troops marched in. America had said that the most they could do would be to send material aid. America did, on this day, suspend all assets being sent from America to the Axis Powers. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. This operation was the crucial turning point of World War II. Because Germany failed, they were forced to fight a two-front war which was how they lost in World War I. -
Pear Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American Naval base at Honolulu. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American Naval Vessels. Over 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died. This caused America to declare war on Japan thus putting the U.S. in World War 2. -
Wannsee Conference
Wannsee Conference
This conference was a meeting where Nazi officials decided what the "Final Solution to the Jewish Problem" was. The Final Solution was codename for the annihalation of the Jews. This meeting helped decide the turn of events that caused The Holocaust. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
From July 22-September 12, 1942, the German authorities murdered and deported around 30,000 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. In response to killings and deportations, several Jewish underground organizations created an armed self-defense unit known as the Jewish Combat Organization. Many other organizations sprung up and they fought against the German authorities. This uprising inspired others. -
Kasserine Pass
Kasserine Pass
German General Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps launched an offensive against an Allied defensive line in Tunisia, North Africa. The Kasserine Pass was the site of the United States’ first major battle defeat of the war. -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah
This was an operation wher Great Britain bombed Germany by night while America bombed it by day. It was the Allied versiion of Blitzkrieg. Because of this bombing, Germany's morale and resources were severely strained. -
Allied invasion of Italy
Allied invasion of Italy
The British Army invaded at the "toe" of Italy. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini envisioned building Fascist Italy into a new Roman Empire, but a string of military defeats in World War II effectively made his regime a puppet of its stronger Axis partner, Germany. Opposing people began overthrowing Mussolini by the end of 1943. -
D Day
D Day
The landing at Normandy included 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, and 150,000 service men. D-Day took years of meticulous planning, strategic thinking, and training of the Allied Forces. The Battle resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. -
Liberation of concentration camps
Liberation of concentration camps
The liberation of Nazi Camps began in July of 1944. Soviet forces were the first to approach a major Nazi camp, reaching Majdanek near Lublin, Poland. Germans attempted to hide the evidence of mass murder by demolishing the camp. The Soviets liberated Auschwitz, the largest killing center and concentration camp, in January 1945. -
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
Adolf Hilter wanted to try and split the armies of the Allies in Western Europe by using a kind of surprise Blitzkrieg. On December 16, Germany launched the largest and most desperate battle of World War 2. This battle was the most costliest action ever done by the U.S. army. German fuel shortage was the big reason for Germany's loss in this battle. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
American troops invaded the island of Iwo Jima because they needed a military base that was near Japan. 23,000 Japanese troops defended this island. After a month of fighting. The U.S. Marines managed to wipe out the enemy forces. -
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
This was the last and the largest of the Pacific Island Battles in World War 2. It involved 287,000 American troops versus 130,000 Japanese soldiers. The Japanese had lost 77,000 soldiers and Americans suffered 65,000 casualties. This was an 82-day campaign. -
VE-Day
VE-Day
Short for Victory in Europe Day. This is the day that is celebrated for when World War 2 was one by the allies in Europe. -
Postdam Declaration
Postdam Declaration
The Postdam Declaration defined the terms of surrender for the Japanese. This includednthe surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War II. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
Atomic Bombs
The first bomb dropped was on August 6th, 1945 on Hiroshima. The second bomb dropped on Nagasaki was on August 9th, 1945. The atomic bombs were very controversial and caused insane amounts of damage in Japan. These bombs are also considered the first move of the Cold War -
VJ-DAY
VJ-Day
This is short for victory in Japan Day. This is the day celebrated that marks the final ending of World War 2.
