-
Japanese invasion of China
Japanese expansion began with the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 and then continued with a brutal attack on China in 1937. Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, entering the military alliance known as the "Axis". https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/world-war-ii-in-the-pacific -
Rape of Nanking
The Rape of Nanking, or Nanjing Massacre was a time of mass murder and mass rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing. The Japanese butchered around 150,000 males, and massacred another 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-rape-of-nanking -
Period: to
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg means lightning war, which they used to win quickly. They used tanks, planes, and artillery along a narrow front. Germany successfully used the blitzkrieg tactic against many places such as; Poland, Denmark, Norway, Greece, etc.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/blitzkrieg-lightning-war -
Germany Invades Poland
They used extensive bombing to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps. They then had a massive land invasion with many troops, tanks, and artillery. The Polish were extremely under-equipped and tried to take the Germans head-on with horsed cavaliers.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is a naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was surprise attacked by the Japanese on this day. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base. They destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels, including battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died during this attack.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Bataan Death March
The Japanese marched around 76,000 prisoners into captivity along a route of death. They had to walk around 70 miles. The captives were beaten, shot, and in many cases, beheaded. A large number of those who made it to the camp later died of starvation and disease.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bataan-Death-March -
Period: to
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Residents of the Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Warsaw staged the armed revolt to prevent deportations to Nazi-run extermination camps. After the German invasion of Poland, over 400,000 jews were confined to an area of the city that was only a little more than 1 square mile. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
American forces liberated more than 20,000 prisoners at Buchenwald. They also liberated camps; Dora-Mittelbau, Flossenburg, Dachau, and Mauthausen.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation -
D-Day
Around 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on 5 beaches along the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region. It was one of the largest military assaults in history and required extensive planning. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring, the Allies had defeated the Germans.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Period: to
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive on the Western front during WWII. It was an unsuccessful attempt to push back the Allies from German home territory. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge -
Period: to
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle was between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan. The island had 3 airfields that could serve as a staging facility for an invasion of mainland Japan. The battle lasted for 5 weeks. It is said that all but 200 of the 21,000 Japanese forces were killed, and so were 7,000 marines.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima
