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Japanese invasion of China
The Japanese claimed that they were fired at by Chinese soldiers at the Marco Polo Bridge . Japanese soldiers then carried out a full blown invasion using Manchuria, previously conquered, as a base. China lost its most important port and one of their capitals. -
Rape of Nanking
Japanese soldiers sweep Nanjing, raping and murdering Chinese civilians by the thousadnds. They were given instructions to be as brutal and cruel as possible in order to toughen up for war. Firstly, they were to kill all the soldiers who had surrendered, it was thought to be extremly dishonorable and cowardice to surrender. Any other persons were forced to bear witness to horrendous sights. People had to bury their own graves and were killed in them, females were forced to become comfort girls. -
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German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a military tactic that cause disorgnanization amongst the enemy by concentrating firepower and using mobile forces. It was used in Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France by German forces. -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler sent is armies eastwards in an attempt to invade the soviet union. Over three milion soldiers, three thousand tanks, and one hundred and fifty divisions were sent. Russias weather intervened and made the journey to Moscow much more difficult. Ultimately Operation Barbarossa failed. -
Pearl Harbor
America was caught by surprise when Japanese forces dropped bombs on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack was supposed to prevent the U.S. from disrupting the Japanese's plans in Southeast Asia but instead it was one of the factors that brought them into the war. -
Wannsee Conference
A conference was held in Berlin betwee the 15 top Nazi bureaucrats to discuss the complete extermination of Jews. They discussed the number of Jews in each counrty, where to deport them to, how they would be exterminated, etc. Of course when they spoke of such matters, they used a coded lauguage. -
Bataan Death March
After the Bataan Peninsula was surrendered, around 75,000 Filipinio and American troops were forced to embark on a 65 mile long walk to Japanese prison camps. They were divided into groups of 100 and it took five days for each group to complete the walk. Thousands died of starvation and diseases and hundreds more died from mistreatment. -
Battle of Midway
The U.S. was able to counter Japan's planned ambush and inflicted permanent damage to Japan's Navy. The Japanese attacked a target close to Pearl Harbor to draw out their navy and crush them. However, the U.S. had already decoded their messages and discovered their plans. This gave the U.S. the advantage of being on the offensive position. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Ghettos are segregated parts of cities where Jews were held. They constantly battled stravation and had little to none medical supplies. Mulitple families lived in the same apartment and depended on the Germans for food because they could not afford food at the open market. A group of 700-750 Jewish resistants fought Nazi forces with smuggled ammunition. Most of them died during the mini-war held in the center of the ghetto and soon Nazi forces regained control. -
Operation Gomorrah
In this operation, British bombers raid Hamburg, Germany, by night and Americans bomb by day. The U.S. sometimes raided Hamburg twice in one day. Strips of aluminum foil were dropped around the incoming German bomber's route to confuse them. They showed up us dozens of aircrafts which diverted the bombers from their target. German forces eventually overcame the U.S.' plans but Operation Gomorrah proved to be affective. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Allied troops were sent in to breach Fortress Europe. They had to overcome natural features of the land in order to reach the targeted area. After they finished swimming out of the water, a 200 yard beach stood between them and any form of natural protection. Allied forces suffered many casualties and deaths but because of proper planning, the mission was a success. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler tried to seperate the Allied forces by using Blitzkreig, he caught them by surprise and they desperately tried to hold their ground. As the opposing force dove deeper into the Ardennes, Allied forces took the shape of a bulge which is where the name of the battle originated from. An important adjustment that occured was when the Third Army, under the command of Lieutenant George, changed positions to Bastogne. Because of the change the German counteroffensive was neutralized. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Scattered across Europe there were tens of the thousands of concentration camps. Allied forces pften encountered them and tried to free the prisoners held there. Aushwitz was the largest killing camp. After overrunning some concentration camp sites, the Soviets eventually reached Aushwitz and liberated the remaining prisoners. Before they arrived, Nazi forces had forced most of the prisoners to march -
Operation Thunderclap
The word "thunderclap" was code for any raids. Operation Thunderclap, however, was a plan to bomb the German forces when it starts to collapse for four days and four nights. At first some opposed but some didn't see that it would make a difference. After some consideration, it was decided that the power would be concentrated on Dresden. Approximately 100,000 people were killed. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The invasion of Iwo Jima occured because of the U.S.' need for a base near the Japanese coast. Around 23,000 troops defended the island from caves, trenches, and dugouts. This battle changed the outcome of the war by providing the Allied forces with an easy way to injure the Japanese forces. -
Battle of Okinawa
This battle was the last island battle fought during WWII. The island was a key factor in the Allie forces' plans to launch an invasion on Japan. An estimated amount of 100,000 civillian lives were taken, 14,000 Allied troops had died, and Japan lost nearl 77,000 soldiers. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe day was when the German troops around Europe surrendered. Afraid of being taken as prisoners, they fled eastwards but were stopped by the Russians. British soldiers were released and sent back to Britain. . -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The U.S. was the first to use atomic weaponry during war. They dropped two bombs, one on Hiroshima and another on Nagasaki. Some say that it was to bring the war against Japan to a quick end while others say that it was to demonstrate to the Soviet Union the destruction that their creation caused. -
VJ Day
Victory over japan, the day that Japan surrendered. Allied forces gave Japan an ultimatum; surrendor and be peaceful or continue and get destroyed. They promptly refused but soon changed their minds after the dropping of bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
