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Japenese Invasion of China
What happened: The Japanese launched a full scale invasion of China using Manchuria as a launching base for their troops.
Why: They claimed that they were fired on by chinese troops at the marco polo bridge near Bejing.
Effects/Impact: Neither side was willing to tolerate existence of the other and Japan got control of most eastern China.
Fact: Within 5 months 1 million chinese were under japanese control and all major cities were captured by the end of 1937. -
Rape of Nanking
What happened: The Japanese imperial army invaded China's capital city of Naking and murdered 300,000 out of 600,000 citizens and soldiers.
Why: It started with a battle at Shanghai. Chinese forces put up stiff resistance against the Japanese army which angered the japanese.
Effects/Impacts: Nanking was left in ruins and would take decades for the city to recover.
Fact: Known as the forgotten holocaust. -
German Blitzkrieg
What happened: Military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces and locally concentrated firepower.
Why: Hitler wanted to take over Poland
Effects/Impact: Wiped out a ton of peple.
Facts: Blitzkrieg means "lightning war" -
Germany invades Poland
What happend: German forces invaded Poland on land and from the air.
Why: Hitler wanted to regain lost territory and to rule Poland.
Effects/Impacts: Started World War II
Facts: German forces invaded Poland from the North, South, and West; Germans blew up their only radio tower and blamed the Polish. -
Fall of Paris
What Happened: Germans invaded Paris and took over
Why: Hitler had plans to take over the western front
Effects/impact: Troops were evacuated, and approx. 200 civilian vessels were lost, and RAF suffered severe casualties.
Fact: The battle consisted of two main operations. -
Operation Barbarossa
What happened: Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union.
Why: Hitler wanted to conquer the soviet territories.
Effects/impacts: Regions covered by the operation resulted in large battles, the deadliest atrocities, highest casualties, and the most horrific conditions.
Fact: The invasion covered 2,000 miles -
Pearl Harbor
What happened: Japan bombed and attacked american land from the air
Why: They were angry with the U.S. for cutting them off
effects/impacts: Destroyed 20 american naval vessels, almost 200 airplanes, 2,000 american soldiers died, and 1,000 were wounded.
Fact: America didn't join world war II until two years into the conflict -
Wannsee Conference
What happened: 15 high ranking nazi and german officials gathered at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee.
Why: To discuss and coordinate the implementation of what they called the Final solution of the jews.
Effects/impact: Jews were to be completely extermination
Fact: Their extermination depended on what kind of jew they were. -
Battle of Midway
What happened: 6 months after the attack on pearl harbor the united states defeated japan in one of the most decisive naval battles in world war II.
Why: The United States wanted to get back at Japan for attacking Pearl Harbor.
Effects/impact: It inflicted permanent damage to the japanese army and lost over 5,000 soldiers, 322 aircrafts, and 4 fleet carriers.
Fact: It was an important turning point in the pacific campaigns. -
Battle of Stalingrad
What happened: The nazi army bombed the soviet union
Why: The germans saw the conquest of the stalingrad as essential to their campaign
Effects/Impacts: 91,000 germans were taken prisoner
Fact: One of the bloodiest battles in history -
Allied invasion of Italy
What happened: The united states and great britain looked ahead to the invasion of occupied Europe in the final defeat of nazi germany
Why: They hoped an allied invasion would remove the fascist regime from the war, secure the central mediteranean, and divert Germany divisions.
Effects/impact: After 38 days of fighting the U.S. and Great Britain sucsessfully drove Germany and Italian troops from Sicily and prepared to assualt the italian mainland.
Fact: Codenamed Operation Husky -
D-day
What happened: The United states and Britain invaded western Europe.
Why: To take over Nazi Germany
Effects/impact: Germany surrendered
Fact; Know as the operation overload -
Battle of Iwo Jima
What happened: Amercian soldiers make their first strike on the japanese home islands
Why: Part of a 3 point plan for the Americans to win the war
Effects/impact: American losses-5,900 dead and 17,400 wounded
fact: Japanese army was roughly 23,000 -
Battle of Okinawa
What happend: The Allied forces invaded the japanese island
Why: Capturing this island was also a part of americas 3 piont plan to win the war
effects/impact: Japan lost 77,000 soldiers and the allies had 65,000 casualties- inclusind 14,000 dead
Fact: Japan was extremelt outnumbered by the allies -
VE day
What happend: Victory in Europe day- germans throughout europe finally laid down their arms
Why: They were losing too many soldiers
Effects/impact: The war was over and the germans lost over 8,000 more soldiers
Fact: 13,000 British POWs were released and sent back to Britain -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
What happend: The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the japanese city of Hiroshima and two days later the second one was dropped on Nagasaki
Why: They had the power to end the war with japan
Effects/impacts: Total kills from both Hiroshima and Nagasaki-120,000 ans 100,00 dies due to radiation poisoning a few months after
Fact: Only nuclear attack in history -
VJ Day
What happened: Victory over Japan- they surrendered
Why: They were bombed, lost alot of citizens, and their army was becoming weaker
Effects/impacts: Ended world war II
Fact: Japans formal surrender took place on the U.S.S. Missouri -
Operation Thunderclap
What happened: A massive attack on Berlin
Why: The belief that it would cause 220,000 casualties with 110,000 killed and most of them being german personnel
Effects/impacts: It was never gone through with because it was said to be impractical.
Fact: Originally planned in august 1944 but it was cancelled -
Battle of the Bulge
What happened: A german is launched against the allies
Why: Hitler attempted to split the allied armies
Effects/impacts: Costliest action ever fought by the U.s. They had over 100,000 casaulties
Fact: There were a quarter million german troops
