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Nuremburg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws were laws that put restrictions on Jewish people. For example, a Jewish person could not marry or have a relationship with anyone who was a part of the Aryan or master race. As well, Jewish people had a very difficult time finding jobs as they were banned from professions in fields such as medicine and business. This event was very significant as it set up Hitler's plans for the Jewish. This was the beginning of Hitler's actions to annihilate Jewish people. -
Munich Pact
The Munich Pact was signed by the leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Italy. It stated that they agreed to return Sudetenland to Germany and that no further territorial claims would be made. The Munich agreement was viewed as a triumph as the leaders had made appeasement. However, Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939. This is significant because after Hitler obtained this region of land, he began to invade the rest of Europe, ultimately leading to World War two. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht also refers to the Night of Broken Glass Thousands of Jews were terrorized by the Germans. Jewish businesses and homes were vandalized and destroyed. As well, approximately 30 000 men were arrested and taken to concentration camps. Due to this event, ghettos were established, Jews were subject to curfew and were banned from many public places. This signified the beginning of the annihilation of the Jews. -
Battle of the Atlantic
Germans used U-Boats to sneak up on British ships and sank them using torpedoes. The Allies tried to counteract this by travelling in convoys. However, as the Germans built more submarines, this tactic became less successful. In 1943, by using radar to tell where ships were and bombs called Hedgehogs to destroy submarines, the Allies were able to win. This is significant as it was important to keep Britain supplied in order to prevent Germany from invading Western Europe. -
Fall of France
France was captured by the Germans after the Allies were defeated in a series of operations. In Case Yellow, the Germans pushed through the Ardennes and the Somme to cut off and surround the Allies. In Case Red, the German air superiority and armoured mobility overwhelmed the French troops. After a chaotic time period for French civilians, Germany was able to invade the north and west of France. This was significant as France had very little power during this war giving the Allies less power. -
Miracle at Dunkirk
The Allies were able to evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk, France. Due to fog Luftwaffeto, the British were given a chance to escape Dunkirk. British vessels were called to the English Channel to rescue the men. At the end, 340 000 men were evacuated and rescued from the destruction. This is significant as Hitler lost a hold of power over France and many of the Allied troops, weakening his power. Many historians believe that the Miracle of Dunkirk prevented Hitler from winning in 1940. -
Battle of Britain
This battle was fought in the air. Germany wanted to attack British civilians. After the Germans had dropped bombs on London, the British Royal Air Force shot down many German bombers in their planes. Using radar, the British were able to see which direction German planes were coming from. This helped Britain win the war. This is significant in World War Two as it was the first battle to be fought completely by air forces and the British defended themselves which prevented German invasion west. -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii by dropping bombs from planes. The Japanese destroyed nearly 20 American vessels, 8 battleships and over 300 airplanes. Over 2000 American soldiers and sailors died with another 1000 wounded. The day after the attack, America declared war on Japan and Germany. This is significant as this event lead to America entering the war with the Allies and being a key player in V-J Day. -
Final Solution
The final solution was called for complete mass extermination and annihilation of Jews and other groups. Zyklon B gas was used as the agent in the mass extermination. Prisoners were sent to gas chambers disguised as showers. They would be gassed for 3-15 minutes and up to 8000 people were gassed per day at Auschwitz -Birkenau, the largest camp with four operating death chambers. This was significant as it killed many victims of the Holocaust within a couple minutes making a genocide. -
Dieppe Raid
Canadian troops were sent to Britain to defend it from the Germans. Dieppe was a terrible disaster as they did not have any plans and attacked head on. Although the raid was intended to pull German forces away from the Russian front and test German defences, 1000 Allies died with 500 wounded and 2000 captured as prisoners of war out of 5000 soldiers. This occurred due to lack of tactic and simply charging down landing ramps. This is significant as the lessons learned were applied to D-Day. -
D-day
The Allied forces attacked the beaches of Normandy, France. This was a seaborne operation with an invasion force of 150 000 men. After capturing Normandy, the Allied forces opened up a second major front, making it very difficult for the Germans to fight. As well, D-Day stopped the spread of communism from Russia to the west. This event was a success as the Allies applied what they had learned from Dieppe to plan for this battle. This event ultimately brought World War 2 to an end. -
V-E day
V-E day marks the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany's surrender. After Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, the Germans laid down their arms. This is significant as it marks the end of the war in Europe. After V-E day, the Allies focused on finishing the war against Japan. V-E day brought the Allies closer to ending World War Two. -
Hiroshima
The Americans dropped an atomic bomb in which they called "Little Boy". This bomb killed 70 000 people during the explosion and within one month. By 1950, radiation had killed about 200 000 people. The Americans dropped the bomb for a variety of reasons. For example, the Americans wanted revenge for Pearl Harbor and to threaten Russia so they would not advance into the west. This event is significant as it made Japan surrender, ultimately ending World War Two. -
Nagasaki
Three days after bombing Hiroshima, the Americans dropped a second bomb called "Fat Man" on Nagasaki. Although the bomb was bigger, there was less damage because the area was an open plain meaning the blast did not rebound. The bomb killed about 40 000 people and even more people after the war as lots of radiation was let out. This event was significant as the bomb and the previous one dropped on Hiroshima made Japan surrender bringing an end to World War Two. -
V-J day
Victory over Japan day commemorates the day Japan surrendered to the Allies. This is significant as Japan was the last Axis country left to defeat. After Japan surrendered, the war was officially over as Italy and Germany had both already surrendered. After this day, there was no more war between any countries. World War Two had officially come to an end.
