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Japanese Invasion of China
Japan invaded China by occupying their territory using their Manchurian base. Eventually, Japan was able to take over the whole northern part of China. Many countries sent supplies and arms to China, including Russia, Britain, France, the United States, and Germany (at first). Many atrocities occurred on both sides during the war, but an estimated 10 to 20 million Chinese civilians were killed. The war became a stalemate, and when the U.S. stopped selling oil to Japan, Japan decided to attack. -
Ribbentrop/ Molotov Pact
Hitler and Stalin signed the Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact, which was a treaty of nonaggression. According to the agreement, Russia would have control over Latvia, Estonia, and Finland, while Germany would control Lithuania and Danzig. Poland would be split between the two after its successful invasion. Soon afterward, Hitler invaded Poland and began World War II. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
German Invasion</a>Britain and France had been gradually acquiescing to Germany’s demands for rearmament, remilitarization, and annexation of Austria since 1935. Germany ended up taking apart the state, in violation of the Munich agreement. Britain and France decided to respond by guaranteeing the integrity of Poland. But, Hitler negotiated a nonaggression pact with Soviet Union in 1939, which stated that Poland would be split between Germany and the USSR. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. -
German Blitzkrieg
Germany sought to avoid a long war, so they used a tactic called Blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg, or "Lightning War", used the concentration of offensive weapons to breach an enemy's defenses, permitting armored tank divisions to penetrate and freely roam behind enemy lines.German air power prevented the resupplying of forces and together the chaos and efficiency of such an attack would provoke surrender. This tactic was used by the Germans in Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and more. -
Fall of Paris
Hitler planned to follow the successful invasion of Poland with an attack in the west - France. The attacks began on May 10, and by May 14 the Dutch had surrendered. The Belgian Army surrendered on May 28, after heavy resistance. An evacuation of British troups left France weakened. Hitler attacked Paris on June 9, and German troops entered the capital on the 14th. France surrendered on the 22nd. After France's surrender, Britain had to rethink their war strategy. -
Operation Barborossa
Hitler decided to violate the non-aggression pact toward the Soviet Union to use its resources. Within a single week, German forces advanced 200 miles into Soviet territory, destroyed nearly 4,000 aircraft, and killed, captured, or wounded some 600,000 Red Army troops. However, as winter approached, the elements gave an edge to the Russians as German soldiers suffered from the cold - it seemed that the Germans had forgotten their winter coats. This defeat was a turning point in the war. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan left the League of Nations in 1933, and began an imperialistic campaign in the Pacific. The U.S. imposed an oil embargo on Japan, so Japan decided to pull a prerumptive strike on the U.S. They bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, and many American battle ships were destroyed. The shock and outrage felt by Americans left the U.S. with a hunger for vengeance. The U.S. declared war on Japan the following day, and Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. shortly after. -
Wannsee Conference
German officials met in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to discuss the "Final Solution". The main speaker at the conference, SS General Reinhard Heydrich, introduced the topic. Most of the officials at the meeting already knew about the mass murder of Jews in German-occupied areas of Europe. No one objected to the plan. The "Final Solution" was a code for the total physical annihilation of the Jews in Europe. Heydrich estimated that 11,000,000 Jews would be killed. -
Bataan Death March
General Edward King surrendered to the Japanese on April 9. With 70,000 Filipino and American soldiers, it was the largest American army ever to be surrendered. The Japanese led the prisoners on a forced march out of Bataan. The prisoners had to march 60 miles in intense heat with little or no food or water. Between 5,000 and 11,000 soldiers died before they reached Camp O'Donnell. -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese were taking over many areas in the Pacific. Next on their list was Hawaii. Japanese admiral Yamamoto wanted to lure the U.S. Fleet into an area where Japanese forces could overtake and destroy it, so an invasion of Midway Island was planned. Americans decrypted radio intercepts to counter the attack.On June 4, 1942, US aircraft flying attacked and sunk four Japanese carriers, making them withdraw. The battle of Midway marked a turning point in WWII in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler ordered the German Army to attack Stalingrad in 1942. The German Army faced extreme resistance and had to fight for the city street by street, and the Soviets couldn't launch an effective counteroffensive until November. On the 19th, the Soviet General surrounded Stalingrad with 6 armies and began to attack from the north and south. The only thing that the Germans could do was surrender, and Germany lost 90,000 men and their morale. -
Operation Gomorrah
The British saw the deaths of civilians due to German bombings, but now the tables were going to turn. Britain used "Window" to confuse German radars so that they could bomb Hamburg without losing many planes. In the first bombing, 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped and 1,500 German civilians were killed. The bombings continued, and American forces bombed much of Northern Germany, as well. This proved devastating for Hamburg and for German morale, because in the ruins, Hitler saw defeat -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Five beaches in Normandy, France, were chosen for the biggest amphibious landing in history. Hitler and his staff believed that the attack was planned at the Pas-de-Calais, but he was proven wrong on June 6. That morning, paratroopers landed behind enemy lines to secure roads, and Allied forces invaded the beaches using small landing craft. Four of the attacks went according to plan, but Omaha beach saw bloody fighting and bitter German resistance. Still, the Allies were back in France. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler ordered a major counteroffensive in the Ardennes, trying to compel the Allies to sue for peace. The Ardennes were only guarded by two inexperienced and battered American divisions. The inexperience 106th American division was almost annihilated, but helped to buy time. A German shortage of fuel and the gallantry of American troops proved fatal to Hitler's ambition to end with at least a draw with the Allies. The U.S. Army lost 100,000 men. -
Operation Thunderclap
The Air Ministry had for months been planning a series of heavy raids on Germany to break the war machine. Their chance came in February 1945, when Germany was fighting inside their own territory on two fronts, with the situation critical. The British Bomber Command had the first raid in Dresden, and over the course of the day, possibly 50,000 people were killed. The next day the Americans took their turn and focused on railway yards as a target to increase chaos. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American forces desired a ground base for their fighter planes near Japan, so they chose a small island, Iwo Jima.This island was heavily fortified by underground tunnels, caves, and 22,000 Japanese troops. The Japanese fought ferociously and the island was not declared secure for American forces until March 16.Once it was secured, Iwo Jima was used as an air base for the bombings in Japan. -
Battle of Okinawa
In the last battle of the Pacific War, the U.S. 10th Army of 287,000 faced the Japanese 32nd Army of 130,000. At stake were air bases important to the invasion of Japan. Several planes were sent on kamikaze missions, along with a warship. Losses were heavy on both sides - 100,000 on the side of the Japanese (with an additional 100,000 civilians) and the U.S. Army lost less than 10,000. This was the final battle in the Pacific War. -
VE Day
V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day marked the end of World War II in the West. The Russian and Western Armies met in Saxony in April, and Hitler committed suicide amid the ruins of Berlin. Germany signed an unconditional surrender Rheims on the 7th of May, and ratified it on the 8th. The war was nearly over! -
Dropping the Atomic Bombs
President Truman gave the order to drop the atomic bomb on July 26, and the first bomb ("Little Boy") was dropped on August 6th in Hiroshima.30,000 were killed, and the city was destroyed. The next and final bomb ("Fat Man") was dropped on August 9, after Japan failed to surrender. It was dropped in Nagasaki, and the city was destroyed and 20,000 were killed. The day afterward, Japan issued their unconditional surrender. -
VJ Day
On August 14, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. This marked the end of World War II and was (and still is) widely celebrated.
