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Japanese Invasion of China
In the early 1930’s Japan began attacking China to claim it’s resources. They faced no resistance from the Chinese government, which was facing a power struggle between the CCP and KMT. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident started the Second Sino Japanese War. China was aided by many countries who feared Japanese expansion. The U.S placed an oil sanction on Japan, which dragged the Pacific into WWII. Source -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany launches a blitzkreig on Poland in attempts to make it part of Germany. This was part of Hitler's plan to create Lebensraum for his people, and make the slavs their slaves. England and France gave him a deadline to leave Poland, which he didn't meet, fifteen minutes later England declared war on Germany and was followed by France, India, Australia, and New Zealand. WWII officially begins in Europe.
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German Blitzkreig
A blitzkreig is a military tactic the German's used in WWII that stands for 'lightening war". Mobile forces and extensive bombings were used on the targeted location. Once the target was weakened, the land operations would began. This allowed for more successful conquests in a shorter amount of time and less casualties. The Blitzkreig was behind most of Germany's advances in eastern Europe. It was used throughout the war. source -
Fall of Paris
After successfully invading Poland through a blitzkrieg, Hitler decides to continue his westward expansion into France by using the same tactic. The government of France asked the U.S. for help; the U.S. sent material aid. Six weeks after Germany's first attack, France's army can no longer fight back. France's defeat was unexpected and disrupted the balance of power in Europe. Britain can't rely on France anymore. source -
Operation Barbossa
Hitler goes against the nonagression pact he signed with Russia, taking it by surprise. He plans to invade Russia by launching a Blitzkrieg on it. Although German forces seemed to be winning, they were not used to Russian winters. They began to starve and run low on annumition. The Russians are victorious, because the Germans were ill-prepared, and Hitlers plan failed. source -
Pearl Harbor
Japan and the U.S. had had many conflicts for decades; the U.S. was against Japan's invasion of China and had placed many economic sanctions as well as oil embargoes on Japan. They decicded to retaliate by bombing Pearl Harbor. Their motive was to get rid of the U.S.'s Pacific fleet, which could be an obstacle to Japanese expansion in the South Pacific. The U.S. considered this an act of war by Japan and finally joined WWII.Source -
Bataan Death March
75,000 Filipino and American soldiers were marched to prison camps after their defeat. The U.S. surrendered to the Japanese on the Bataan peninsula on the Philippine island of Luzon. They were treated harshly and forced to endure intense heat. Many did not survive the march giving it its name, "Bataan Death March".Source -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Nazi army bombs the city of Stalingrad in what is known as one of the bloodiest battle of the war, with 2 million military and civilian casualties. As winter sets in, the Germany army weakens. They are cold, starving, and running low on ammunition. The Soviet army prevails on February 2,1943. This is considered to be the turning point of the war for the allies since it stopped German advancements into the Soviet Union.Source -
Manhattan Project
During WWII, fears began rising that Germany was on the verge of creating a destructible bomb. Scientists urged President Roosevelt to create the Manhattan project. It was stationed in the U.S. but countries such as the U.K., and Canada supported it. It was done with the utmost secrecy; it was important that the Axis powers knew nothing of this project. Eventually, this led to the race for nuclear war arms and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.source -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
In Nazi occupied parts of Eastern Europe,Ghettos were created to hold the Jewish population. No one was allowed to leave, and the supply of food and water was controlled. When the residents of the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland learned they were to be taken to an extermination camp, they revolted. It lasted for about a month before the Nazis regained control over the ghetto. This inspired other Jewish uprisings.Source -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was an air raid by the U.K. on the German city Hamburg. They released aluminum strips to divert German radars. The attacks continued until November; 30,000 people were killed and 280,000 buildings were destroyed. Ultimately, this operation lead to the decline of German morale as the feeling of despair crept into their hearts. The idea that Germany might lose the war seemed possible. Source -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The Allied forces began their invasion of western Europe when they landed on Normandy beach in France. General Eisenhower was the leader of what was called Operation Overload. Eventually 1,ooo,ooo Allie soldiers land on the beach and are able to liberate France from German invasion. This allowed the allies to surge forward into western Europe and eventually win the war. source -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As the Allied forces began advancing in the war in Europe, the prisoners of Nazi concentration camps were forced to move inwards to other camps. Those marches were called death marches because many starved to death and were not strong enough to make the trip. The first camp liberated was Majdanek by the soviets and later on Auschwitz in 1945. Those who didn't meat Hitler's Aryan ideals are now free.Source -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge is a German counteroffensive attack aimed split the allied forces in northwest Europe by launching a blitzkreig through the Ardennes to Antwerp. The U.S. forces stationed there were unexperienced and suffered many casualties. The Allied front shaped itself into a bulge, giving the battle it's name. Low ammunition cost the German's the battle and resulted in an Allied victory on January 28, 1945.source -
Operation Thunderclap
The point of Operation Thunderclap was to prevent Germany from producing war equipment by bombing the city of Dresden, which was falsely believed to be manufacturing Germany's weapons. They also wanted to aid the Russian forces,allowing them to advance. The city of Dresden was turned into ruins, yet Hitler didn't visit it. This lead to many negative feelings among the German people towards Hitler.source -
Operation of Iwo Jima
The U.S. wanted to take control over Iwo Jima becuse of it's location to launch bomb raids on Japen. It was an empty island guarded by Japanese defenses. After four days of facing open fire the U.S. marines were able to take the island. The cost of the battle was greater than expected, this caused the U.S. to reconsider Operation Downfall, bombing Heroshima and Negasaki instead.source -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa is known to be one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific. Allied forces invade the island of Okinawa in a continuous attempt to defeat Japan. It took place both on land and sea, where the allies faced a strong Japanese resistance. It was the last major battle of the war in the pacific. It was an Allied victory, and another defeat that eventually led to the loss of Japan.Source -
VE Day
VE Day is a day that people celebrated the end of WWII in Europe with an Allied victory and the defeat of the Axis powers. On this day German troops lay down their weapons in surrender. They wanted to avoid being captured by the Russians but approximately 2 million were taken as P.OW.s.However, some Germans still fought in Russia until the next day. This meant that eastern Europe is now free from Nazi control.Source -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
President Truman's advisors warned him that the war with Japan may lead to many American casualties. In order to avoid this, he ordered the release of two atomic bombs; one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki. He hoped this would end the war with Japan. The amount of destruction caused was greater than excpected. Some say this started the Cold War and the race for Nuclear Arms between the U.S. and the Soviets.Source -
VJ Day
Victory Over Japan Day is the day that Japan finally signed the official Japanese surrender aboard one of the U.S.'s battleships. People rejoice with happiness and relief since World War Two has now officially ended. Several years later, VJ Day was renamed to "The End of the Pacific War" due to the fact that it may be offensive to Japan whom later become allied with the U.S.source
