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Hitler Becomes President
Here is Hitler's acceptance speechThis is an example of one of the propaganda posters used to get people to vote for Hitler.After former president, Paul von Hindenburg, died, Hitler, already chancellor, rises to power. Hitler used his newly gained power to employ the foreign policy he had in mind to avenge the shame that was upon Germany from the Treaty of Versailles. -
Germany Annexes Austria
The Austrian people voted in March of 1938 to officially become join Nazi Germany and to unify all German speaking people under one flag, known as Anschluss. This showed how serious Hitler's expansive ideas were. An Austrian who was able to flee to Britain said about this event: "They made the Jewish gentlemen take off all their clothes and walk on all fours on the grass. They made the old Jewish ladies get up into the trees by ladders and sit there. They then told them to chirp like birds." -
Germany Invades Poland
A Polish physician said this about the events: "All Jews will be shot. Between 400 and 500 have been killed. Poles were forced to begin digging graves in the Jewish cemetery. From information I received approximately 2,000 people are in hiding." William Luksenburg describes the first night of the German invasion of Poland. Hitler invades Poland at this time which causes the Allies to officially declare war on Germany and his own allies, really starting WW2. -
Signing of the Atlantic Charter
Here is a newspaper article after the signing of the charter. Roosevelt and Churchill decided on signing this the main goals of winning WWII. It later set many goals to promote peace and cooporation among countries. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Here's some footage of the attack, feel free to skip around on the video The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the Hawaiin harbor, bombing for two hours and killing 2400 Americans and sinking/damaging 21 American naval ships. This caused America to drop their isolationist ideas and declare war on Japan. -
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Japanese Internment Camps
Geroge Takei said this about spending time in the interment camps: "I spent my boyhood behind the barbed wire fences of American internment camps and that part of my life is something that I wanted to share with more people."After the attack on Pearl Harobor, FDR signed an executive order that allowed designated military areas where Japanese-Americans had to move to. The suspicion of Japanese-Americans created distrust in American culture and Washington later apologized for them.
Here is a letter from a Japanese-American child written from a camp to Clara Breed -
Battle of Coral Sea
Link to a newspaper article about the event.
An American carrier task force, along with Asutrailina help, inflicted heavy damage on the Japanese. This was the first time in history the fighting was done all by carier-based aircrafts. -
Casablanca Conference
Here is footage of the Casablanca ConferenceRoosevelt and Churchill met and came up with a plan to invade Sicily to pressure Italy into an "unconditional surrender". Sicily fell that August and Moussolini was deposed, and Italy surrendered unconditionally. -
D-Day
This is a message from General Eisenhower to General Marshal about the attack that would happen. When some 156,000 British, American, and Canadian forces landed on the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy, which was a part of Nazi occupied France. This invasion was one of the biggest what is called "amphibious" military attacks in history. -
Start of Battle of the Bulge
Here is some footage of the battle with some commentary by one of the soldiers who were a part of it. German troops surprised Americans in the Ardennes Forest. The Germans were exteremely close to defeating the Americans and getting to one of the key points to the Allied supply operations. Americans held strong. -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
One soldier from the battle said this: "I left some good friends there. It was a battle with no front line -- all man-to-man, inch by inch."Here is footage of the event. (Feel free to skip around video) America successfully captures a tiny Japanese island that was needed as a place for damaged American bombers returning from Japan. -
Victory in Europe
Here is footage of the victory officially being announced in England. (Recomended place to start the video is at about 4 minutes). What was left of the German government after Hitler died had offically surrendered unconditionally and this day was proclaimed Victory in Europe Day. -
Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima
Here is a secondary source talking about the event.One doctor recounts the bombing of Hiroshima in this interview.After Japan refused to surrender, America droped one atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. About 180,000 people were left killed, wounded, or missing. -
Bombing of Nagasaki
Someone who remembers the bombing said this: "I saw the atom bomb. I was four then. I remember the cicadas chirping. The atom bomb was the last thing that happened in the war and no more bad things have happened since then, but I don't have my Mummy any more. So even if it isn't bad any more, I'm not happy." Here is footage of the video. Start video around 8:45After the Japanese still did not surrendor to the Americans, America dropped a second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, leaving about 80,000 people killed or missing. -
Japanese Surrender
Douglas MacArthur said this about the surrender: "Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won...." After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagaski, Japan officially and formally surrenders. Their only condition was that Hirohito, the next in line for the throne, still be able to remain on that throne.
