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Nazis Take the Sudetenland
Sept. 30, 1938, leaders of Nazi Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy signed an agreement that allowed the Nazis to take the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia that was home to many Germans. Czechoslovakia was left out of these negotiations while the other countries talked it out. http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/30/sept-30-1938-hitler-granted-the-sudentenland-by-britain-france-and-italy/ -
Ribbentop/Molotov Pact
Worried by the powers he saw slowly giving Czechoslovakia to Hitler, Josef Stalin worried that a similar fate could occur with the Soviet Union. Stalin entered into talks with Britain and France, and in the summer of 1939 Soviets began discussions with Nazi Germany about a pact. The final document, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was signed on August 23, and called for the sale of food and oil to Germany and mutual non-aggression between the countries. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
After World War I, tension remained between the countries of Germany and Poland. The German force was strong, while the Polish army was weak and unequipped. Massing their armies along the Polish border, the Germans staged a fake Polish attack on August 31, 1939. Germany barged across Poland’s borders the next day. On September 3, Great Britain and France issued an ultimatum to Germany to end the fight. With no reply, both sides declared war. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiie -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is the basics of modern warfare through use of the tank, aircraft, and radio. It obviously had the best results against a less prepared army. On September 1st, 1939 the Germans used the Blitzkrieg strategy to defeat Poland. In 1940, it defeated the French army. With this battle strategy, Germany conquered a lot of land and brought fear into the eyes of other opposing countries. http://www.2worldwar2.com/blitzkrieg.htm -
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Battle of Britain
In the summer and fall of 1940, German and British air forces met in the skies over the United Kingdom. This was the largest bombing campaign of the time. The battle ended when Germans failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force. Britain’s great victory saved the country from a ground invasion, and possibly the occupation of British territory given to Germany. This battle showed that air power alone could be used to win a major battle. http://www.history.com/topics/battle-of-britain -
Nazi Invasion of the Soviet Union
Under the codename Operation "Barbarossa," Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. It was the largest German military operation of World War II. However, this happened less than two years after the German-Soviet Pact was signed. Betraying this pact, German military intended to wage a war of annihilation against the Soviet Union.The battle raged on for months. The German army was fatigued and tired of this, and they weren’t equipped for winter warfare. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en -
Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The bombing lasted two hours, and ended in a devastating result. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved with congress, and the United States declared war on Japan. Few days after, Japan and Germany allied. http://www.history.com/topics/pearl -
Wannsee Conference
o The Wannsee Conference was held on January 20th, 1942, in a villa owned by the SS-Nordhav Foundation The 15 top Nazi bureaucrats were attending to coordinate the Final Solution in which the Nazis would attempt to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe, an estimated 11 million people. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005164 -
Allied Invasion of Africa
Allied Britain and America were on board together, through operation torch. On November 8th, 1942 the mission took place. Hitler was so enraged by this, he re-assigned his allied soldiers. The USS Joseph Hewes and the USS Edward Rutledge were sunk in torpedo attacks by German U boats. The USS John Penn survived the mission and was reassigned to the Pacific. http://excambion.org/nafrica/nafrica.htm \ -
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Battle of Stalingrad
o The Battle for Stalingrad was fought during the winter of 1942 to 1943. The Germans advanced into Stalingrad, with a primary task of securing the oil fields in the Caucasus. Throughout the battle the Germans grew weak and unequipped, and surrendered in January. 91,000 Germans were taken prisoner and there were thousands of casualties. After this, the German force just didn’t have the strength to carry on to the next battle. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_stalingrad.htm -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah called for a coordinated, sustained bombing campaign against the German port city of Hamburg. The Germans attacked by night, and the American air forces struck by day.Taking place on the night of July 24, 1943, the bombing continued until August 3. In addition to the civilian casualties, Operation Gomorrah destroyed over 16,000 apartment buildings and turned ten square miles of the city to rubble. Over all, the allied forces succeeded. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/aeria -
D-Day
The Invasion of Normandy began on June 6, 1944, and was planned carefully by the Americans. Infantry, planes, and men by parachute were prepared. By 10 am, only 300 American men had managed to struggle ashore to safety, barely conquering the beach.
Even so, by the end of D-Day, 132,715 men were ashore, and this rose quickly over the next few days – by 12 June 2 million men were in Normandy. The Nazis fought desperately, but Germany was weak and gave up. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/a -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As allied troops marched across Europe, they found tens of thousands of camp prisoners. Soviet forces were the first to approach a major Nazi camp, reaching Majdanek near Lublin, Poland, in July 1944. The Germans tried to hide the evidence of camps, but it failed. The allied forces managed to save many prisoners, while also finding evidence for a huge amount of casualties. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005164 -
Battle of the Bulge
o It was one of the biggest and bloodiest single battles American soldiers ever fought. Nearly 80,000 Americans were killed, maimed, or captured. Through December 16, 1944-January 28, 1945 these battles went on. The forces put damage to the German forces, but these series of battles were extremely costly to the United States. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bulge/ -
VE Day
o Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) was on May 8th 1945. VE Day officially announced the end of World War Two in Europe. On Monday May 7th German General Jodl signed the unconditional surrender document that formally ended war in Europe. Buckingham Palace was lit up by floodlights for the first time since 1939, prohibited fireworks were set off, and the people celebrated the end of the war. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/ve_day.htm
