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Rape of Nanking
Imperial Japan attacked and conquered Nanking, the Capital of the Chinese Republic. The massacre lasted 6 weeks, from December of 1937 to January of 1938. An estimated 300,000 people were murdered. Japan claims the attack was purely military, and not as vicious as it's made out to be. The Japanese soldiers raped people, committed theft, arson, and murder. Some army leaders held competitions to see who could kill the most people. -
German Blitzkreig
This was Hitler's battle strategy during the early years of the war. His strategy was to use a lot of firepower to quickly defeat the enemy and move on to the next. This tactic was originally used in Poland but was more successful in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands in 1940 and 1941. -
Germany Invades Poland
Hitler aimed to conquer Poland because it was a strategic location for his goal of conquering the entirety of Europe. After Hitler signed the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, he ordered the invasion of Poland. He planned to use the strategy of attacking from land and air to defeat them quickly. Poland surrendered to Germany on October 6, 1939. Poland remained under German control for the remainder of the war. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Bafbarossa was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Millions of Axis power soldiers and tanks and weapons lined up across a 2,900 kilometer front to face the Russians. This attack violated the nonaggression pact between Germany and Russia. The goal was to gain a strategic advantage, but the attack was a failure, but it is regarded as the largest military operation to date. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese organized an attack on Pearl Harbor shortly after peace negotiations between the U.S. And Japan had begun. Because they were discussing peace, Americans did not expect this ambush. A possible cause of the attack was the dispute between them because of the embargo America put of Japan's trade. During the attack, over 3,500 people were killed or wounded, and 18 ships were damaged or sunk. -
D-Day
D-Day refers to the day where allied forces invaded the beached of Normandy in France. Over 160,000 troops landed on 50 miles of beaches to fight the Nazi soldiers which occupied France. D-Fay was a turning point in the war in the allies' favor, though it cost many lives. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge Was launched as a surprise German offensive campaign against the allies. This battle was caught in the Ardennes between Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Supply lines were cut off, and the environment was brutal. There were many American casualties, but the Germans suffered major losses they could not replace. On January 7, 1945 Hitler withdrew his remaining forces. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
On February 19, 1945, American forces attacked the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. The terrain was incredibly difficult and there were tunnels underground all throughout the island, making it a challenging battle. The lessons learned at Iwo Jima helped strategize and prepare for Okinawa. This battle produced the famous image of American soldiers raising the American flag, taken by photographer Joe Rosenthal. -
Liberation of concentration camps
As allied forced moved across Europe, they came across the concentration camps. Many were evacuated or attempted to be destroyed or burned to destroy the evidence. The soviets liberated Auschwitz, the largest concentration camp in Janury of 1945. Most prisoners were killed, but soldiers found many prisoners in their starved, a used state. On April 11, 1945, American forces liberated another camp called Buchenwald. People could see the horrors that occurred in these camps. -
VE Day
VE Day stands for Victory in Europe day. On this day the German soldiers laid down their weapons and finally surrendered. This marked the end of World War 2 in Europe. -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
On August 6, 1945, an American plane dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This killed 90% of the population in the city. Many people died instantly, and if not, were killed later from the radiation. Three days later, another devastating atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. This lead to the unconditional surrender by Japan. -
VJ Day
VJ Day stands for Victory Over Japan Day. On August 14, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. Is term has also been used in relation to the official surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.
