World War II

Japanese Invasion of China

Sep 18, 1931

The Japanese invaded Manchuria, China in 1931. This invasion was the effect of the Mukden Incident a little bit earlier. At the end of the invasion, they created a puppet state, Manchukuo.

Italian Invasion of Ethiopia

Oct 3, 1935

The goal of this invasion by Italy was to gain national prestige, which was lost Ethiopia's defeat of Italy in the Battle of Adowa.

Rape of Nanjing

Dec 13, 1937

The Nanjing Massacre, as they call it, was an episode of mass murder and rape committed by the Japanese troops against residents of Nanjing. It occurred over a six week period. They murdered hundreds of thousands of people during this time.

Munich Conference

Sep 30, 1938

The Munich Conference was an agreement between Britain, France, and Italy to allow Germany to annex certain areas of Czechoslovakia.

Invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

This was the beginning of WWII when Germany invaded Poland with the Soviet Union. It ended on October 6 with Germany and the Soviet Union dividing Poland.

Blitzkrieg

Sep 1, 1939

This a theme of war in which a surprise attack using rapid force. This consists of tanks and close air support.

Genocide

Sep 2, 1939

Deliberate killing of a large group of people.

Island-hopping

Oct 1, 1939

This was a military strategy used by the allies in war. The idea was to bypass fortified islands instead of capturing every island.

Siege of Leningrad

Sep 8, 1941

Siege of Leningrad was a military blockage by the Nazi Germans. The Finnish army was also attacking to recapture territory lost in the recent war. This resulted in a Soviet Victory and a massive number of casualties.

Battle of Moscow

Oct 2, 1941

The Battle of Moscow was fought by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. This was a part of Operation Barbarossa. Hitler was frustrated by the Soviet defensive effort, therefore he attacked Moscow.

Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy. They attacked the naval base of the United States in Honolulu, Hawaii. This attack led to the United States entry into World War II.

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

The Battle of Midway was a huge naval battle in the Pacific Theatre. The United States navy held its own against an attacking Japanese fleet. This was an attempt by the Japanese to extend their defensive perimeter during the war.

Battle of El Alamein

Oct 23, 1942

This battle was fought by the Germans and Italy to the allies. This battle eliminated the axis threat to Egypt. This battle concluded with an allied victory.

Tunisia Campaign

Nov 17, 1942

This was a series of battles in Tunisia during WWII. It was fought by Germany and Italy to the allied forces. The German army lost over 250,000 troops to imprisonment.

Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

This battle was fought to split the Allies lines in 1944. The Germans wanted to force a peace treaty. They suffered a surprise attack due to confidence in the allies.