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Japanese Invasion of China
Japan began invading Manchuria on September 19,1931. Japanese occupation lasted until the end of Worl War II. This occupation inspired Benito Mussolini (Italy) and Adolf Hitler (Germany) to occupy countries such as Czechoslovakia, Abyssinia, and Poland. On July 7, 1937, Chinese and Japanese soldiers battled near the Lugou bridge. The war between the Chinese and Japanese lasted years. By 1941, Japan Japan incquired most coastal areas of China and Vietnam. -
Rape of Nanking
Rape of Nanking On this day, Nanking, the capitol of China, was conquered and occupied by Japanese forces. This invasion was brutal, as Japanese soldiers killed more than 200,000 men, and also sexually assaulted females of all ages. General Matsui called for these violent actions, but soon experienced retribution as he was executed shortly after the war. -
German Blitzkrieg
BlitzkriegThe Germans 'blitzkrieg" ,or lightning war, made its debut againt the country of Poland on September 1, 1939. It overpowered opposing armies both on the ground and in the air. It seemed to have no opposing defense as it quickly conquered Poland, Belgium, and France. Nations all across the world attempted to recreate this tactic to mirror all of the victories it brought. The blitzkrieg brought a series of complex events which made it difficult to carry out. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany invades PolandAbout 1.5 million German troops enter Poland. Adolf Hitler thought that conquering Poland would provide Germany with "lebensraum", or living space. The Germans use their "blitzkrieg" tactic which quickly overpowered the Polish army, which mobilized around 1 million troops. Despite their offensive efforts, the Polsih soldiers were overwhelmed, allowung the Nazis to advance 140 miles of territory .in 1 week. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation BarbarossaOn this day, Hitler's army started to invade the Soviet Union. The German army had over 3 million troops for this attack. This invasion stretched for over 2,000 miles. The Russian winter, with the addition of many Soviet attacks, stalled Hitler from taking over the nation. The failure of this attack changed the course of the whole war. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl HarborIn Honolulu, Hawaii, there was a naval base by Pearl Harbor. Despite the short span of the attack, two hours, the Japanese attack devastated the American nation. More than 2,000 American soldiers died. Briefly following this attack, the U.S decided to declare war on Japan, causing the Axis powers to declare war on the U.S. -
Wannsee Conference
Wannsee ConferenceThis was a meeting for German leaders who discussed "the final solution" for the Jewish population. Many cruel leaders suggested such punishments as mass extermination or working the Jews to death. Concentration camps were offered by Reinhard Heydrich, with the only disagreeing argument being that that task would take too long. The German leaders wanted to exterminate the Jewish population very quickly and easily. -
Battle of Midway
MidwayThis battle was one of the most important Pacific naval attack. The U.S was able to predict Japan's attack, so they inflicted great damage and won the battle. Due to the win, the American navy was able to advance into offensive position and move on to Tokyo. After this battle, Guadalcanal campaign started leaning toward the Allied side. -
Battle of Stalingrad
StalingradThis battle was a crucial turning point in the war as the Soviets stopped the Germans from advancing deeper into the Soviet Union. This city was a valuable symbol, as it is named after Joseph Stalin, so both sides fought valiantly to fight for it. Both sides had lost many men, but the loss gave confidence to the Soviet Union, and humiliation to Hitler's nation. This battle sparked the offensive tactics for Russia towards Germany. -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation GomorrahAfter British citizens resist the London bombings, the Allies start to turn the tables. The British army would attack Hamburg, Germany during the night, while the American forces would attack by day. Overall, Germany had lost over 30,000 people and 280,000 buildings. This proved as a crucial turning point in the war as Germany's industry and morale was diminished, -
Allied Invasion of Italy
Italy InvasionBenito Mussolini, leader of Italy, envisioned a fascist empire for Italy's future, but numerous losses in WWII led to a puppet country led by Hitler's Germany. When the Allies started invading, the Italian government agreed to surrender. Mussolini was imprisoned, but was then rescued by German soldiers, and they had established the fascist leader to govern the puppet area of Northern Italy. In April, 1945, Mussolini was captured and killed by Italian people. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
D-DayAllies land on the beach of Normandy in France. Allied forces face Axis powers who had the higher land. Over 156,000 Allied troops fought on the beach over a span of 50 miles. This battle is known to be the beginning of the end for the Axis powers. Also known as Operation Overlord, this invasion diminished the morale and hopes of winning the war for the Axis powers. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima3 U.S marine divisions landed on this island in February 1945. To defend the island, Japan had roughly 23,000 troops in total. After about a month of difficult warfare, the marines had pushed off the Japanese soldiers. Roughly 6800 tons of bombs and 22,000 shells were dropped before the raid of the marines. The U.S had lost around 5,900 troops in total for this battle. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation ThunderclapThe purpose of this plan was to bomb Eastern German cities. Another main reason for deploying this attack was to show that the Nazy regime had failed its people, and that Germany had to face its defeat. By attacking the Eastern front, it would allow the Soviet Union to advance, lessening the power of the Axis powers. -
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of OkinawaThis battle is known as the biggest and last pacific battle of World War 2. The Japanese forces (130,000 soldiers) had to engage in warfare with American troops (287,000). The fighting had lasted 82 days, and Japan lost more than 77,000 men while the Allies had lost 14,000. The fighting was very deadly, and both commanders of the battle had died during warfare, The Allies had won yet another crucial attack. -
VE Day
VE DayVictory in Europe day was celebrated by the Allied forces. Nations all over the world were happy that the Nazi regime had been defeated. Germany had surrendered in all areas throughout the continent, marking the much anticipated end of the world. Russians had taken about 2 million German prisoners after their surrender. the countries could start rebuilding after this day. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
Atomic BombsOn this day, the U.S had dropped the biggest bomb in our history. Unfortunately for Japan, this bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. Around 80,000 people died from the blast, and even more people died by the end of the year from the lingering effects of the blast. The bomb destroyed the whole city, and it is a relief it had worked, because Japan most likely would have countered with another atomic bomb on the United States. -
Potsdam Declaration
Potsdam DeclarationOn this day, Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, causing U.S President Truman to immediately stop the attack on them. Many Japanese council members disagreed with the surrender, the majority vote was that Japan was unfit to continue warfare. After hearing that Japan had accepted the Potsdam terms, the U.S stopped the bomb droppings to make sure no further pain was brought on the Japanese country and its people. -
VJ Day
VJ DayOn this day, Japan had surrendered to the Allied countries, ending World War II. This day also marked the end of fascism, according to U.S President Harry Truman. All of the countries involved in the war were relieved that this day had finally came. For Americans, this is the day that they wanted ever since the raid of Pearl Harbor. ironically enough, Japan and the U.S are close allies today. -
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the BulgeAs a desperate attack for Hitler and his forces, the two sides of the war fought in the Ardennes forest. General Patton and his Allied troops fought off the Axis forces, even though many soldiers died. The Axis had sent over 250,000 troops in a desperate attempt to gain back power. The U.S forces had pulled off a miracle by stopping Hitler's troops, even though they had lost more than 100,000 troops. This truly showed that the war was nearing an end.
