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German Blitzkrieg
A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Pearl Harbor
The Pearl Harbor attack was a devastating attack on the U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. Japanese forces attacked on December 7th, 1941. This was one of the key factors that turned the U.S. to join the war. A few days later the U.S. declared war on Germany.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
Fifteen high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to discuss and coordinate the implementation of what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." Despite the euphemisms, the aim of the conference was clear to its participants: to further the coordination of a policy aimed at the physical annihilation of the European Jews.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/wannsee-conference-and-the-final-solution -
Bataan Death March
U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II (1939-45), the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
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Battle of Stalingrad
This battle as one of the largest confrontations of World War II. It was between Germany and its allies and the Soviet Union for the control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia. It lasted from August 23rd, 1942 until February 2nd, 1943. It was an overall Soviet victory and a Germany defeat.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. By May 16, 1943, the Germans had crushed the uprising and left the ghetto area in ruins. Surviving ghetto residents were deported to concentration camps or killing camps.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
Allied Invasion of Italy
Montgomery’s 8th Army began its invasion of the Italian mainland and the Italian government agreed to surrender to the Allies. The Italians would be treated with leniency if they aided the Allies in expelling the Germans from Italy. Later that month, Mussolini was rescued from a prison in the Abruzzo Mountains by German commandos and was installed as leader of a Nazi puppet state in northern Italy.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
It was when the Allied Forces invaded northern France in Normandy beach landings. By the end of August 1944, all of northern France was liberated, and the invading forces reorganized for the drive into Germany, where they would eventually meet with Soviet forces advancing from the east to bring an end to the Nazi reign.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Normandy-Invasion -
Liberation Of Concentration Camps
As the Allies advanced across Europe at the end of the Second World War, they came across concentration camps filled with sick and starving prisoners. The first major camp to be liberated was Majdanek near Lublin, Poland.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/liberation-of-the-concentration-camps -
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Battle of the Bulge
It was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. Also, it was the second most lethal battle for America. It was through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in eastern Belgium, northeast France, and Luxembourg, towards the end of the war in Europe.
https://www.army.mil/botb/ -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
It was a major battle was an epic military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan. The American forces sustained a number of casualties but ultimately quelled the attack. Although the American military declared that Iwo Jima had been captured the next day, American forces spent weeks on end trudging through the island’s jungles, finding and killing or capturing Japanese.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
V-E Day
Known as a victory in Europe day. The Allied Victory is celebrated to mark the formal surrender of Nazi Germany. 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.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Potsdam Declaration
Two months after Germany surrendered, Allied leaders gathered in Potsdam, Germany, to discuss peace settlements, among other issues. However, although the European phase of the conflict had ended, the war continued in the Pacific theatre as Japan remained committed to fighting. The leaders outlined their terms of surrender, which included complete disarmament, the occupation of certain areas, and the creation of a “responsible government.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Potsdam-Declaration -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
During World War II, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands later died of radiation exposure.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima -
VJ Day
News of the surrender was announced to the world. This sparked spontaneous celebrations over the final ending of World War II. On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri. At the time, President Truman declared September 2 to be VJ Day.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
