World War II

Japanese invasion of China

Jul 7, 1937

http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/camp/pac/china/w2c-inv.htmlThe Japanese invaded China on July 7, 1937 starting from the norh and working their way south. The Japanese Army took a small incident and turned it into a full blown war. the Japanese were organized and well armed and extremely violent. As they moved south they took control of all the ports on the east. The Kuomintang army was battered but the Japanese were unable to destroy them.

Germany's invasion of Poland

Sep 1, 1939

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070 When Germany invaded Poland Britain and France soon stood by their promise and decalred war on Germany. Poland was defeated within weeks of the invasion. After heavy shelling and bombings the Polish army finally surrenedered to the German army. A few weeks before Poland surrendered to Germany the Soviet Union attacked Poland from their eastern border.

Fall of Paris

Jun 14, 1940

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris
On this day many citizens of Paris awoke to a Germany voice telling them that there was now going to be a curfew in the city. By the time Hitler invaded Paris 2 million people had already fled. Once Germnay took control of France the German Gestapo started arresting and interrogating people.

Germany's Blitzkrieg

Sep 7, 1940

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437
The Blitzkrieg which is translated to lighting war focused on using offensive weapons such as tanks, airplanes, machine guns in a series of short attacks in order to cause disorganiztion among the enemy.

Operation Barbarossa

Jun 22, 1941

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005164
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the Nazi's and the other Axis powers first attack on the Soviet Union. The Germans wanted to take the Soviet Land and also annihilate the Communist state and kill the Jews that populated it.

Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor occured on December 7, 1941 around 8:00 A.M. Pearl Harbor was the major Naval Base in Hawaii on the Island of Oahu. The Japanese came in fighter planes and dropped bombs that destroyed 200 airplanes, 20 naval vessels. Also 2,000 American soldiers and sailors were killed during the attack.

Wannsee Conference

Jan 20, 1942

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005477
On January 20, 1942 15 high ranking Nazi party and German and government officails met at Wansee to find a final solution as to what to do with the Jewish people. The final solution was just a code name for the German plan to annihilate all the Jews in Europe.

Battle of Midway

Jun 4, 1942

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway
The Battle of Midway occured six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The U.S was able to preempt the planned Japanese ambush of its few reamianing aircraft carriers which did significant damage to the Japanese Navy thanks to advances in code breaking. This was an important turning point in the Pacific campaign now the U.S could move to an offensive position.

Battle of Stalingrad

Jul 17, 1942

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major turning point int the war because Germany had now broken their treaty with the Soviet Union. In this battle the Soviet Union started off weak but by the time winter set in the Germans were weak, cold, and low on ammunition. This battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the war with a combined 2 million people dead.

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Apr 19, 1943

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005188
The German forces intended to liquidate the Warsaw Ghetto on the eve of Passover which was on April 19. When the SS soldiers arrived to the Ghetto the streets were deserted. Nearly everyone in the Ghetto went into hiding places or bunkers. This was the first sign of an armed uprising within the Ghetto.

Operation Gomorrah

Jul 24, 1943

http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2007/March%202007/0307gomorrah.aspx
Operation Gomorrah was the name given to the mission of the Royal Air Force to bomb the Geramn city of Hamburg. This mission consisted of 5 bombings most at nightime. The city of Hamburg was in ruins.

Allied Invasion of Italy

Sep 3, 1943

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland
The invasion of Italy started with the British eighth Army under Feild Marshall Bernard L. Montgomery. They started by entering on the island of Sicily where they encountered little resitstance from the Sicilian Army. By September 8th the Italian government announced to there surrender to the Allied forces.

D-Day [Normandy Invasion]

Jun 6, 1944

<a href='' >http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day</a>
D-Day was code-named Operation Overlord that was when 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on 5 beaches in France. This invasion was one of the largest military assaults in history and required serious extensive planning. This attack has been known as the beginnning to the end of the war.

Battle of the Bulge

Dec 16, 1944

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history/videos/battle-bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started when the German army suprised the Allied forces with a blitzkrieg attack. This attack was Hitler's attempt to split the Allied armies. As the Germans moved further into the Ardennes the Allied armies formed an appearance that looked like a bulge which is how the battle got its name.

Operation Thunderclap

Feb 3, 1945

http://ww2orc.tripod.com/id15.htm
Operation Thunderclap was the code name for the attack on Dresden, Germany. This consisited of several attacks to defeat German morale. The leader of the British Bomber Commandn believed that this would be the best way to end the war. This was just another step in the British War Cabinet's planned campaign of area bombings.

Battle of Iwo Jima

Feb 19, 1945

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima
In the Battle of Iwo Jima three divisions of U.S Marines landed on the Japanese island which was defended by 23,000 Japanes Army and Navy troops. After a month of fighting the Americans took control of the island in order to have a naval base near the Japanese coast.

Battle of Okinawa

Apr 1, 1945

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last and biggest battle of the Pacific islands. It consisted of 287,000 troops of the U.S Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-Second Army. On the island of Okinawa was the air bases vital to the invasion of Japan.

VE Day

May 8, 1945

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/v-e-day-is-celebrated-in-american-and-britain
On May 8, 1945 the head of the Nazi Germany Reich signed a ceasefire and this day has since been celebrated as the Victory in Europe day. Thousands in Britain and America and several other countries gathered together and celebrated the end to the Nazi Germany war machine.

Dropping of the Atomic Bombs

Aug 6, 1945

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima
When the U.S dropped the first bomb on Japan we became the first country to use atomic weaponry in war ever. After we bombed Hiroshima three days later we bombed the city of Nagasaki which killed 40,000 Japanes civilians. After the bombings the Japanese finally surendered.

VJ Day

Aug 14, 1945

http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
This day has been celebrated in America because it was the day that Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. Both August fourteenth and fifthteenth have been known as victory over Japan day. When the news reached America everyone in New York celebrated in Times Square in New York City, New York. Everyone rejoiced because finally the long war was over.