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Italian Invasion Of Ethiopia
Before WWII events occured and tensions were painstakingly high, Italy attempted to conquer Ethiopia in the 1890’s. Ethiopia was recognized as one the few independent states of from European dominated Africa. However, after a minor border conflict, Italian forces used the incident as a reason to invade. By May 5th, 1936, the Ethiopian capital was captured and the Italian King was deemed the Ethiopian Emperor. The victory wasn’t celebrated though as the League of Nations condemned the invasion. -
Appeasement
The action of appeasing is to simply suppress tension by completing and fulfilling a multitude of demands made. Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia was condemned by the League of Nations, however France and Great Britain simply appeased Italy after in order to avoid any conflicts and war. Due to France and Britain appeasing Italy after taking over Ethiopia, Hitler saw his opportunity to begin expansion. -
The Rape of Nanking
Nanking was the Chinese Capital until the Japanese took over. During the fight, Japanese General Matsui Iwane ordered the capital to be burned and for troops to turn against civilians. The Chinese government fled leaving its people to endure horrific acts of violence. An estimated 200,000 men massacred and at least 20,000 women and children raped, alongside many suffered mutilation. Once WWII ended, Matsui was executed for his war crimes. -
Invasion of Poland
WWII would officially begin a few days after German forces invaded Poland in the early hours by bombing Polish airfields, attacking the naval forces, and storming the border using a tactic known as blitzkrieg. Hitler and Stalin to mosts surprise signed a non aggressive agreement in which they also agreed to invade Poland together. The battle would be won by the end of the month and Germany would control the Western half of Poland while the Soviets controlled the East. -
Operation Barbarossa
Three million German soldiers made their way across Soviet territory as Hitler ordered his armies eastward to the Soviet Union and proceeded to carry out a two thousand mile long invasion. Russian weather and an overestimation of the resources led to the Nazi’s loss. The loss proved to be a pivotal point in the war and Germany was forced to fight a two front war which would not be won after 600,000 of their men were held captive as war prisoners. -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes ascended on to an American naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii and destroyed approximately twenty naval vessels, more than 300 airplanes alongside taking over 2,400 lives. A mere day later, Congress was asked to declare war on Japan by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The U.S. and Japan had tensions and after the U.S. implemented trade embargos and economic sanctions, severely hurting the Japanese people and economy, they retaliated. -
Island Hopping
Island hopping was a war tactic the U.S., and the rest of the Allied Powers, used as a way to capture important islands one after the next that were located in the Pacific. The islands captured were ones not so heavily fortified and preoccupied by the Japanese. The islands were used as a way to continuously get closer to Japan before invading their mainland. Island hopping allowed the U.S. to take japan by surprise efficiently and effectively. -
Battle of El Alamein
The German Army charged into the Sahara desert to meet British forces as they fought for control over North Africa. German's were intent on seizing Middle Eastern oil fields to fuel their Blitzkrieg tactics. The German Army resided in Libya while across the border in Egypt inhabited the British forces, who were set on stopping German advancements. A series of battles occurred at El Alamein, until the Germans retreated in the second battle. It was the first major Allied victory in WWII. -
Hiroshima & Nagasaki
After the Allied Powers defeated Germany, the Allied sent Japan the Potsdam Declaration to surrender; they refused. The U.S. had been working on creating atomic weapons and carried through on “Operation Downfall.” An atomic bomb was dropped on a plant in Hiroshima killing 80,000 civilians, about 90% of the cities population. A short three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing another 40,000 civilians. These bombings became known as the V-J Day. -
Genocide
Genocide is a purposeful act aimed at a specific group of people with the intent to eliminate the ones targeted. The group targeted is seen as inferior and is often a religious, ethnic, national, or racial group. During WWII, Adolf Hitler saw Jewish people as inferior and was determined to wipe out the religion and its followers. He set up a multitude of camps and tactics to eradicate Jews. By the end the genocide was named the Holocaust and around 6 million Jews died.
