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German Invasion of Poland
On September 3, 1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany. Germany had been attacking Polish forces earlier on the first with over 1.5 million troops as well as the Luftwaffe and U Boats. Hitler claimed that the land would provide living area for Germans. France and Britain saw Hitler's plan and declared war. This is significant because it is the start of WWII. The invasion resulted in German victory over Poland and the splitting of Poland with the Soviet Union. -
Battle of Britain
The Luftwaffe was the German air force. The RAF stands for the Royal Air Force of Britain. After France surrendered to Germany, Hitler focused his efforts on Britain. He set out to diminish Britain's RAF. The Germans bombed and destroyed RAF bases and planes. But the RAF, despite their smaller numbers compared to the Luftwaffe, were evenly matched. Britain was successfully able to defend against the attacks causing Hitler to refocus his efforts on the Soviet Union. Britain stopped invasions. -
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Battle of Briatain
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Operation Barbarossa- Russia
Germany signed a nonaggression pact with Russia to allow them each to control their own area of influence without interference of the other. But Germany broke the pact when over 3 million German soldiers invaded with several thousand tanks, war planes, and artillery pieces. Hitler saw Russia's invasion of neighboring regions as a threat to his Balkan oil supplies. Russia defended itself against the forces. This brought Russia into WWII and forced Hitler to fight a two front war. -
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Operation Barbarossa- Russia
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Battle of Moscow, Russia
Hitler viewed the Soviet Union as a large threat. The Germans planned to attack Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, with a series of assaults. The Russians suffered several consecutive losses but were eventually able to push the Germans over 120 miles in about a month. This battle proved the strength and capability of the Soviet Union. -
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Battle of Moscow, Russia
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Battle of Stalingrad, Russia
The Battle of Stalingrad was considered the turning point of the war in favor of the Allies. It was the defeat of the Germans by the Soviet Union at the city of Stalingrad. The German army was surrounded and crushed. This battle resulted in the deaths of over 2 million lives including soldiers and civilians. It shows the vulnerability of the Germans and was the turning point of the war. -
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Battle of Stalingrad, Russia
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Battle of Kursk, Russia
This battle occurred at the Russian city of Kursk on July 5, 1943. The Germans planned to attack the Soviet army in a bulge from the north and south. The Russians were able to intercept these plans and prepared with anti-tank weapons and minefields. The Germans advanced only a few miles before experiencing casualties and losing many tanks.This event resulted in the development of a large offensive to help the Soviet Union gain back cities. It ended the German offensive on the Eastern front. -
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Battle of Kursk, Russia
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D- Day, France
Earlier in the war, France had surrendered to Germany. D- Day began in June of 1944 and resulted in Western Europe being freed by the Allies from Nazi power. 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces arrived on the beaches of France where the battle took place. Before the battle, the Allies led a fake campaign to deceive the Germans and gain advantage over the enemy. This is significant because by August, France was liberated giving the Allies a large power over the defeated Germans. -
Battle of the Bulge- Lux/Belgium
This battle was a desperate struggle for Germany. Hitler decided to divide the Allies' armies using a surprised blitzkrieg. Three German armies attacked American forces in Ardennes. An inexperienced division was almost destroyed but was able to buy time for defensive strategies to be made. A third U.S. army came to help the effort and was able to defeat the Germans in the battle. At the end of the battle proved to be the most costly battle for the US with some 100,000 casualties. -
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Battle of the Bulge- Lux/Belgium
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Battle of Berlin
The Soviet Union attacked Berlin, Germany by surrounding the city from the north, east, and south. They had submachine guns, heavy armored artillery, and aircrafts. This gave them an advantage over the Germans. It resulted in Adolf Hitler committing suicide and capturing of Berlin by force. It is significant because it marked the end of World War II in Europe. -
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Battle of Berlin
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Hiroshima and Nagaski - Japan
During WWII, Japan was allied with Germany and its powers. The dictator, Hirohito, had Pearl Harbor, Hawaii bombed killing thousands. This enraged Americans and caused President Harry Truman to order two of the world's first atomic bombs to be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. It killed hundreds of thousands of people. Hirohito declared the unconditional surrender of Japan a few days later. This marked the end of World War II. -
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Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
