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Japanese Invasion of China
Japanese claimed that they were fired on by Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. The Japanese launched a full-scale invasion of China using the conquered Manchuria as a launching base for their troops. Within 5 months, 1 million Chinese people were under Japanese control.All of the major cities in China were captured by the Japanese by the end of 1937 – so were the major communication systems of the nation. -
Rape Of Nanking
To break the spirit of Chinese resistance, Japanese General Matsui Iwane ordered that the city of Nanking be destroyed. Much of the city was burned, and Japanese troops launched a campaign of atrocities against civilians. In what became known as the “Rape of Nanking,” the Japanese butchered an estimated 150,000 male “war prisoners,” massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were mutilated or killed in the process. -
Germany Invades Poland
Hitler knew that his conquest on Europe relied on neutralizing Poland in the East. Gaining a non-agressive assurence from the Soviets and preparing for battle against Britain and France. The German offensive in the Wesr began on September 1st and was later followed by the Soviet offense in the East on September 17th. -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg seemed to be based around the pervasive use of new technology.During the disastrous campaign in Belgium and France, it had seemed as if German tanks and aircraft were everywhere.Blitzkrieg was not a brand-new way of waging war. In fact, although it is a German word, the term itself was created by an English newspaper sometime in 1939.The so-called blitzkrieg of 1940 was really the German doctrine of 1914 with technology bolted on. -
Operation Barbarossa
It ws thought that they Axis powers could reach and capture the Svoiet capital of Moscow in eight weeks. A massive land and air campaign was drawn up that involved everything from tanks, cars,aircraft,artillery,supply trucks, and 600,000 horses. The Axis powers had 3.8 million against the Soviets 2.9 million. In the end the German army only advanced to Smolensk, which is jsut outside of Moscow. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor,Hawaii and destroyed eight Americans by bombs and torpedos. Japan prevented American interference with Japanese military operations. The United States declared war on Japan. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor , Germany declared war on the U.S. -
Wannsee Conference
15 high ranking Nazis and German government officials gathereredat a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee. The meeting was about "The Funal Solution of the Jewish Question". "The Final Solution" was code name for the systematic deliberate, ohysical annihiliation of the European Jews. Most particiapnts at the meeting were already National Socialist. -
Bataan Death March
After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps -
Battle Of The Midway
A naval and air battle fought in World War II in which planes from American aircraft carriers blunted the Japanese naval threat in the Pacific Ocean after Pearl Harbor. -
Battle Of Stalingrad
was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. -
Kasserine Pass
The United State's first major battle lose of the war. Gerneral Erwin Rommel of Germany would finally display the "desert Fox's" strategic genius. Rommel broke through the American forces in Feburary 50th inflicting devasting casualties on the U.S. More than 1000 Americans soldiers were killed by Rommel and hundreds more takene prisoner. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Resistance by Polish Jews under Nazi occupation in 1943 to the deportations from Warsaw to the Treblinka extermination camp. The revolt began on April 19, 1943, and was crushed four weeks later, on May 16. -
Operatio Gomorrah
British bombers raided Hamburg, Germany at night while Americans bombed it during the day in its own "Blitz Week". The British suffered 167 cillian deaths. The British dropped 2300 tons of incendiary bombs in just a few hours. Britain only lost 12 aircrafts of the 791 that flew. -
D-Day
France was the ultimate battle ground in WWII. The night before the invasion the allied forces moving in from the english coast unleashed paratroopers to soften coastal defenses and hold key bridges and checkpoints a head for the incoming assult.out of 50000 American soldies partcipating in the beach assult , 5000 American casualties were recorded against 1200 German Casualties. -
Battle of the Bulge
The impenrable forst of the Ardennes. Hitler had hoped to split the Candian, British and American forces from one onother. Part of the German advance was led by Joachim Peiper. Peiper sawit fir to execute any prisoners that they take. Some 100 amercians were shot where they stood by order of Peiper. There were 88000 German casulaties and 77000 casualties. -
Battle Of Iwo Jima
19 Feb 1945 - 26 Mar 1945
was a major battle in which the United States Armed Forces landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Japan decided that defending at all costs would show the Americans an invasion of Japan was madness. America decided that the cost of an invasion would be far too high. They decided to drop the bomb instead. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Iwo+Jima -
Battle Of Okinawa
It was also known as Operation Iceberg, took place in April-June 1945. It was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific theater of World War II. It also resulted in the largest casualties with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the Allies.
The capture of Okinawa was part of a three-point plan the Americans had for winning the war in the Far East. Okinawa was to prove a bloody battle even by the standards of the war in the Far East. -
Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb
The United States becomes the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime when it drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan marked the end of World War II. -
VE Day
On this day in 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. -
VJ Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.” The term has also been used for September 2, 1945, when Japan’s formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay.
