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Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
The Italian invading forces steadily pushed back the unequipped and poorly trained Ethiopian army, winning a major victory near Lake Ascianghi. Ethiopia's leader went into exile. Mussolini proclaimed Italy’s king the emperor of Ethiopia. This paved the way for Italian occupation and tested the capacity and will of the League of Nations. -
German Occupation of the Rhineland
German troops reoccupied the Rhineland, a demilitarized zone according to the Treaty of Versailles. This action was directly against the terms that Germany had agreed to after WWI. This move threw European allies into confusion. This occupation increased the power and status of Hitler in Germany and he enjoyed the support. -
German Invasion of Poland
The German invasion of Poland marked the start of WWII. The German forces launched a surprise attack on Poland. The powerful German army destroyed the Polish air force in days, leaving the Polish army defenseless. This battle also established the blitzkrieg strategy of battle. Britain and France declared war on Germany, but this didn’t help the Polish at all. In the end, Poland surrendered and was divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. -
Rape of Nanking
The rape of Nanking was a mass killing and ravaging of Chinese citizens and Chinese soldiers by soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army, that took place in Nanking, China. It is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 people were killed in the Nanking Massacre. Japanese soldiers carried out Matsui’s orders, perpetrating numerous mass executions and tens of thousands of rapes. Ultimately the Japanese made Nanking the capital of their Chinese puppet government. -
The Munich Conference
The Munich Conference or Agreement was a compromise between Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France. The agreement forced Czechoslovakia to surrender its border regions and defenses to Nazi Germany. Hitler had threatened to unleash a European war unless this region, Sudetenland, containing an ethnic German majority, surrendered to Germany. -
German-Soviet Pact
The Germany-Soviet Pact was an agreement where Germany and the Soviet Union promised not to attack one another for 10 years. The countries also secretly divided the countries that lay between them. This agreement led Germany to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention. Although the Soviet Union couldn’t attack, this action caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany. -
Battle of Dunkirk
The Allies had been losing the Battle of France on the Western Front and were stranded on beaches in Dunkirk, France. They desperately needed to escape, and they eventually evacuated and found refuge in Britain. This evacuation saved the British Army and over 100,000 French soldiers, and became known as the “Miracle of Dunkirk”. -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an important battle during WWII, where the strategic defense of Great Britain faced the air raids conducted by the German air force. This became the first major battle fought entirely in the air, including the bombing of many different shipping, airfields, and radar stations in southern England. Ultimately the battle was won by the British which contributed to the extension of the war and eventual defeat of Nazi Germany. -
The Atlantic Charter
The Atlantic Charter was the statement of principles agreed upon by President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill of Great Britain. It was signed on board naval vessels in Placentia Bay, near Newfoundland Canada. The Charter expressed the two countries’ beliefs in the rights of self-determination, freedom, and security. Historians believe this was one of the first steps towards the United Nations. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
The Pearl Harbor Attack was a surprise aerial attack launched by the Japanese on the U.S. naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they destroyed or damaged almost 20 American naval vessels. Over 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a World War II naval battle, that took place on Midway Island. It was fought almost entirely with aircraft, in which the US destroyed Japan’s first-line carrier strength and most of its best-trained naval pilots. This battle further ended the threat of further Japanese invasion in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most decisive battles on the Eastern Front in WWII. The Soviet Union inflicted a catastrophic defeat on the Germany Army in and around the city of Stalingrad. With Soviet success also came an estimated 1.1 million Soviet casualties and 800,000 Axis casualties. These numbers made this the bloodiest battle of WWII by far. -
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference occurred between US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, in Tehran, Iran. The discussion centered around the opening of a second front in Western Europe. Stalin agreed to an eastern offensive, and he pressed the Western leaders to proceed with formal preparations for the invasion of German-occupied France. -
Auschwitz Liberation
Auschwitz was a network of concentration camps located in Poland during WWII. Near the end of the war the Soviet Army advanced deeper into Poland, and they were headed for Auschwitz. The Soviet Army encountered stacks of frozen corpses and starving camp survivors, amongst many other unspeakable conditions. Soon after, the Red Cross took over the camps and established field hospitals. Those who could leave left in small groups, fearful of the return of Germans. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a major WWII conference of three allied leaders; President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Premier Joseph Staling of the Soviet Union. The purpose of this meeting was to plan the final defeat and occupation of Nazi Germany. The conference was held in Yalta in Crimea and recognized that the Allied powers would push for the German military to be abolished, and major war criminals would be tried. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a WWII conflict between the US and the Japanese, that took place on the island of Iwo Jima. The US mounted a navy-based invasion of the island of Iwo Jima. It was a costly victory for the US, and it was one of the bloodiest in the history of the US Marine Corps. This Battle was proof of the Japanese willingness to fight to the last man. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive battle on the Western Front during WWII, yet they were unsuccessful. The battle took place in the Ardennes region of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, where the Germany army hoped to push the Allies back from German territory. The Allied lines formed a “bulge” but they never broke. Ultimately the Allies were victorious and the battle proved to contribute to the end of Hitler’s reign.