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Invasion of Manchuria
Japan invades Manchuria, which at this time is Chinese helf land. Japan claims to these lands to seize critical strategic resources including oil and metal. The invasion served as a flag to catch Hitler’s attention and to consider them to be an ally for World War II. -
Battle of Atlantic
Occurs in Europe. Allied naval forces group together to put an end to the reign of German U-Boats which were busy fighting against Allied supply and combat naval vessels. The allied forces won the battle against the Germans and was extremely important because they were able to cut off German supply routes from the sea. -
Blitzkrieg into Poland
On this day, the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland. The assault on Poland was Germany's first successful use of Blitzkrieg or “lightning war”. German forces bombarded Poland on land and from the air. Unsuccessful at fighting a two front war, Poland surrendered to the Germans ten days later. Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. World War II had begun. The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war. -
Germany takes Greece
Germany and Italy occupied Greece to gain strategic access to the Aegean Islands. This was extremely important because Germany gained strategic position and ties with their Italian allies. -
German invasion of France
This occurs in France of 1940. German forces strike hard and fast at French positions before they can maneuver defensive positions. The French are surprised by the overwhelming firepower and weaponry that the Germans are using. Some of this weaponry has never been seen before including the Panzer tank. France was forced to officially surrender. -
Dunkirk
In 1940, the Dunkirk evacuation caused the British Expeditionary Force and other Allied troops to evacuate from the French seaport of Dunkirk to England. Several hundred thousand British and Allied troops were encircled by the Germans. Had the Germans attacked aggressively, they would have captured a quarter of a million men, stripping Britain of its army. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe.The Battle of Britain was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and was also the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign to that date. The Battle of Britain marked the first defeat of Hitler's military forces. -
Operation Barbaroosa
This operation took place in Europe. This was the Germans plan to attack the Soviet Union. It started on June 22, 1941 and ended on December 5, 1941. Germany wanted to take over Soviet lands to seize oil and agricultural resources and to eliminate the threat on the Eastern front. The end result was Russia drawing Germany into a battle of attrition in the winter, which caused the German advance to slow and ultimately fail. -
Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States. It occurred at Pearl Harbor, a naval base in Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. Many of its deaths came from the utter destruction of the American battleship U.S.S. This event is one of the most important in WW2 history for America because this is the cause of them joining the war. -
Bataan (battle and march)
The battle was fought in the Philippines between Americans and the Japanese. Japan invaded the Americans and after 4 months made the American army surrender. Approximately 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers were sent on a strenuous walk in terrible condition. The Japanese army was extremely harsh on the soldiers and weather was constantly changing making the walk tough.Once the soldiers finished their march, around 65 miles, they went to a prison camp where they would now spend their time. -
Doolittle Raid
Took place in Pacific. The reason for the raid was to retaliate for the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The United States targeted Japanese factories in Tokyo. Tokyo is the Japanese capital and the Americans were sending a big message to them by bombing Tokyo. The Americans wanted to show the Japanese that they could attack them right at the heart of their country and could destroy it. -
Battle of Midway
During this battle, U.S naval forces surprise superior Japanese forces at Battle of Midway. They sink 3 Japanese aircraft carriers; Japanese navy never fully recovers. This was a turning point in the war in the Pacific theatre. Now the Japanese were not able to fight the same war because their navy was weaker than ever. -
Coral Sea
Once again this occurred in the pacific. This was a naval battle between aircraft carriers from the US and its Australian ally and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Fighters were scrambled to engage on both sides and the U.S/Australia halted the Japanese advancement through the Pacific. This was the first time that the Japanese advance has been stopped in the Pacific Theatre and it was the first carrier vs carrier battle in history. -
Guadalcanal
This takes place in the Pacific theatre of war. Allied forces are landing at various islands in the Pacific to prevent the Japanese from taking over other islands. The allies then prevent the Japanese from taking the islands and begin counter offensive operations to reclaim other territory in the Pacific. Marks end of the Japanese offensive. -
Stalingrad
Axis forces fought against the USSR in an attempt to take over the city of Stalingrad, a region now known as port of Russia. This was a seven month battle ending on February 2, 1943. German forces over committed to the battle and lost precious resources and men against an entrenched Russian force. There was an estimated 2 million casualties in this battle, making it the bloodiest battle ever. -
El Alamein
The second battle of El Alamein took place near a Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The battle was between German and British forces, although allies from both sides lent support. Germany had their lonely ally of Italy while the British had plenty of backup. This battle marked one of the first times the German advance had faced defeat on the Western front. The Allied powers were able to strike hard and effectively and now the Germans started to get more nervous about this world war. -
Operation Torch
Takes place in Europe (November 8 - November 16, 1942). Was an Anglo-American invasion of North Africa, during the North African Campaign of the 2nd World War. It was a campaign that reduced german pressure on the Soviet Union and gave the allies a foothold in Northern Africa to start launching combat operations. -
Philippines 1942
This occurs in the Pacific side of the war. Japan was interested in the Philippines because of the strategic resources available and as a mean of protecting itself in the Southeast. Japan targeted critical military junctures to invade key points simultaneously throughout the Pacific Seas. Some of the key points are Thailand, Malaya, Hong Kong, etc. By Japan capturing all of these key points, they gained footholds throughout the Pacific. -
Kursk
A battle that took place in the USSR after the Soviets drove out a salient. Germany had intended to cut off the extended Russians by simultaneously attacking from the north and south.However, British intelligence had already learned of the German plans and Russia had laid defensive measures in the land which stalled German forces. Hitler needed this victory to motivate Nazi allies to rejoin the fighting, but a crushing failure of the plan signaled the end of Nazi plans on the Eastern front. -
Anzio
Occurs in Europe. Was a slow campaign where allied forces landed in Italy and slowly drove inland to capture Rome. However, the campaign was not effective and German soldiers were able to retreat back to German territory without many losses. Lot of criticism was put on the American commander because it was supposed to be an aggressive/quick attack but John P. Lucas, the american commander, was too cautious and the Germans were able to flee. -
D-Day
It was the day on which allied forces landed in massive numbers on the beaches of Normandy, France. Germany was in control of France at this time. The Germans took out around 10,000 allies, but the allies still managed to take the beach. The allied victory here marked the first major push into the Western Front, and Germany realizes they will now have to play some defense during the war. -
Philippines 1944-1945
Occurs in the Pacific. Allied forces were on a mission to expel the Japanese from the Philippines. The battles continue until the United States recapture the Philippines. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
It was a 4 day battle in which US and Australian forces that stopped Japanese communication and supply routes between Japanese held islands. The battle also crippled the Japanese navy. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge takes place in Luxembourg, Germany. The final german offensive on the Western front. The germans were using the tactic of Blitzkrieg or “lightning war” in a final attempt to cut of allied forces and destroy them. German struck hard at American forces but American forces held the germans off until American air support could help. The American air support destroyed the German advanced positions and forced the Germans into retreat. -
Yalta Conference
This week long conference took place in Yalta, USSR. This conference concluded World War II and decided the fate of Post-War Europe. The Big 3 leaders from the USSR, Joseph Stalin, England, Winston Churchill, and the US, Franklin Delano Roosevelt discussed how to begin repairing Europe and dividing territories. -
Iwo Jima
Battle took place in the Pacific. Although the US had superior military power and equipment, Japanese soldiers often fought to the last man and undertook kamikaze attacks to inflict damage at any cost. This was showed FDR and other American how fierce the Japanese soldiers were, as they thought it was dishonorable to surrender. Along with that, there were around 26,000 allied casualties and this basically led to FDR dropping the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. -
Okinawa
A battle that took place on the island of Okinawa. The japanese drafted civilians into combat and half of the islands population was killed by the end of the battle. The allied forces used the island of Okinawa to launch attacks on the Japanese mainland. -
Hitler's Suicide & the German Surrender
Hitler refused to be captured by the Allies so he decided to commit suicide by gunshot. His death marked the ultimate collapse of Nazi, Germany and the end of the war. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Took place in the Pacific. These were the two cities in Japan that the US dropped nuclear weapons on. The droppings of the bombs forced Japanese surrender and ended the war in the Pacific. Also, these cities were completely destroyed and there are still traces of radioactivity today on those areas. -
Japanese Surrender
Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945 but a document was formally signed on September 2, 1945. The surrender followed the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and marked the conclusion of WWII.
