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World War II
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Poland Invaded
Hitler invaded Poland after being warned by the United Kingdom and France not to invade another country. When Hitler attacked Poland, he used a new style of warfare called Blitzkrieg or "Lightning War". With this style, the german army and airforce attacked with full might and crippled the morale of the Polish. About two weeks later, Russia invaded from the east and within a month, Poland was controled by Germany. -
Germany invades Northern Europe
In April, Hitler attacked Denmark and Norway to secure the waterways in the area to repel the british blockade and resume shipping materials and warships through the seas. In May, He invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg and showed signs of further advancment west, putting the French on the defensive. -
Invasion of France
Feeling threatened by Germany's advancement west, France set up defenses by building forts along the Maginot Line. Unfortunately, Hitler commanded his forces to march in between the Maginot Line and Belgium through the Ardennes. The Germans marched through France with a destructive force and marched towards the English Channel. French and British troops escaped the mainland in Dunkirk, but Germany seized control of Northern France and threatened southern France to support the Nazis. -
The Battle of Britain
With close proximity to Britain, Germany launched the Luftwaffe to bomb British cities in the cover of night. The Germans had no specific objective in their attacks and simply bombed anything they could. The lights of the cities helped guide the pilots to cities and towns. Thanks to radar, the British were able to locate German planes and predict where they would attack. This led to the British giving more damge to the Luftwaffe than was done to their own air force and ultimate victory. -
Hitler Attacks Russia
Hitler planned an attack on the Soviet Union in disregard to the pact made between the two. He targeted Leningrad, Stalingrad and Moscow. He sent 3 million troops and 3,500 tanks for the attack. When Stalin found out about the planned attacks, he quickly sign a mutual assistance treaty with Britain and began a counter attack. -
Japanese invade the Philippines
The Japanese invaded the Philippines in August but it wasn't until December when the fighting really began. The U.S. was forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. Fearing being captured by the Japanese, Douglas MacArthur retreated to Australia and left the American Forces to fend for themselves. They were told that reinforcements were coming but never recieved help. 75,000 men surrendered and were forced to march 55 miles with no food or water resulting in the deaths of 7,000 men (Bataan March) -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese bombed docked ships in Pearl Harbor with a frightening force. The US was aware that and attack was inevitable but they were unaware of where it would take place. Japan attacked with two waves. The first attacked the ships and major airfields. The second finished off whatever was left, including smaller airfields throughout the islands. Sunk 6 ships, damaged 11; destroyed 188 aircraft and damged 155. The attack suppressed the U.S. for 6 months. This caused the U.S. declaring war on Japan -
D-DAY
D-Day (Operation Overlord) was an invasion focused on 5 Normandy Beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Allies sent 47 divisions total and 4,400 ships to conduct the assault. Allies set up a decoy attack against Calais causing Hitler to send his best tank division there. Unfortunately, Omaha beach was still heavily defended and was the location of most of the fighting that day. It is remembered as one of the most brutal battles for America. Victory allowed 1 million troops to enter Europe. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge is also known as Germany's D-Day, however it did not end in victory for them. English speaking German troops went in undercover to cut telephone lines and change road signs. The Germans suprised the Allies and captured several towns. Fortunately, the Allies were able to hold Bastogne, prohibiting the Germans from further advancement in their attack. The loss finally discouraged all Germans from fighting and Germany surrendered. This ended the war in Europe. -
The Nuclear Bomb and Victory
On August 6th, the U.S. used the world's first offensive nuclear bomb against the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bomb was named Little Boy and killed 80,000- 120,000 civilians. After Japan refused to surrender after the first nuke, The U.S. dropped a second one 3 days latter on Nagasaki. That bomb was named Fat Man and killed 35,000- 75,000 civilians. The two bombs were all that the U.S. had but the Japanese believed we had more so they surrendered unconditionally, finally ending World War II.
