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The Fall of Paris
The Germans invaded Paris on this day. 2 million people fled, but the rest were put under interrogation by the Nazis. They also arrested and spied on many of them. At the city's capital, the Nazis flew their flag, which had a large swastika on it. Canadian troops came to the rescue and Churchill asked the United States for aid. President Roosevelt cut off the axis powers from American assets.
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Battle of the Coral Sea
This battle was fought because Japan wanted control of the Coral Sea and tried to invade Port Moresby, which is near New Guinea. However, when they arrived, they were ambushed by American aircraft carrier planes. This resulted in a victory for the Allies because Japan did not have enough planes to continue fighting, This battle is significant because it was the first air-sea battle ever.
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Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was led by Hitler and the Nazis in an attempt to eradicate Jews from Europe. In areas under German control, ghettos were established. Jews were kept here until they were sent to concentration camps. Thousand of Jews a day were transferred from the Warsaw ghettos to the Treblinka camp. One day, Jews fought back and killed German soldiers, as well as destroyed German tanks with artillery fire.
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Liberation of Concentration Camps
Auschwitz was the largest concentration camp and more people were killed there than anywhere else. In January of 1945, it was liberated by the Soviets. They found 6,000 Jews on the verge of death when they entered the camp. Later that year, they liberated Buchenwald and the British liberated camps in northern Germany. This was impactful because it put an end to the cruel treatment of Jews by the Nazis.
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Operation Thunderclap
This was a codename by the Allies for the bombing of Dresden, Germany. This was done by the Allied forces, in an effort to weaken the Germans' communication to their soldiers, as well as hinder their ability to produce and manufacture goods needed for the war. The bombs killed 25,000 people and were very destructive to the city of Dresden. The Germans realized they could not win, and this led to their surrender.
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