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German Blitzkrieg
German blitzkrieg was a style of warfare utilized to cause confusion and overwhelm the enemy. Basically, forces would get concentrated on narrow or small fronts. This would be a combination of aerial bombing, tanks, and ground soldiers. The massive amount of firepower would overwhelm and consume the area. https://viceduhistory12.weebly.com/p-german-blitzkrieg-of-may-1940.html -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, an American naval base in Hawaii. Nearly 2500 Americans were killed, and many carriers were destroyed. This marked the United States entering World War II, as we declared war on Japan the following day. https://www.stripes.com/news/on-pearl-harbor-history-a-matter-of-perspective-for-japan-us-1.445728 -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of 15 high ranking Nazi officials. The context of the meeting was simple. These people were here to organize the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question". In other words, they were figuring out how to murder all of the Jews held captive. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/wannsee-conference-and-the-final-solution
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/the-wannsee-conference-hitlers-final-solution/ -
Bataan Death March
Allied POW's (mostly Americans and Filipino's) were forced to trek 65 miles. The Japanese army was responsible, and those who collapsed were shot. 60-80k prisoners were in the march. Many died from starvation and disease. The survivors were loaded onto trains to be transported.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bataan-Death-March -
Battle of Midway
Lasting only 3 days, this battle was very short. However, it was extremely important. This victory gave the Allies the upper hand in the Pacific Theatre and stopped the Japanese advancement. It was the first time America really stopped them at sea.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Midway -
Liberation of the Concentration Camps
Beginning in July of 1944, concentration camps began being liberated. As allies made their way across Europe and Nazi occupied territories, they freed the concentration camps. Along with the liberation, this finally exposed the atrocities committed by Hitler and his men.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3067988/Let-s-Nazi-dogs-Enraged-horrors-Dachau-concentration-camp-arriving-liberate-WWII-prisoners-American-soldiers-executed-50-Germans-cold-blood-reveals-new-book.html -
D-Day: Invasion of Normandy
D-Day marked the beginning of Operation Overlord. Allied forces landed on 5 beaches along Normandy, France. Although there were a massive number of casualties, German forces were defeated and Northern France was eventually freed.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/d-day-allies-invade-europe
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
Last big German offensive on Western front. Lasted about a month and killed nearly 20k Americans. It was a last ditch effort, and although it caught the allies off guard, Germany was defeated fairly quickly.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/programs/battle-bulge -
VJ Day
This was the day Japan surrendered. This marked the complete end to WWII as a whole. The surrender came as a response to the dropping of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
Operation Thunderclap
This was a night-time bombing operation. The Allies came up with this plan a year before, aiming to target East Germany factories. It was a success, with only 6 bombers lost and many targets destroyed.
http://ww2today.com/13-february-1945-operation-thunderclap-raf-start-firestorm-in-dresden
https://www.sutori.com/item/operation-thunderclap-february-13-1945-what-happened-there-was-a-massive-atta-bce2 -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Extremely tough battle, as the Japanese had fortified the island and were prepared to fight to the death. Allies needed the island to help finish out the island hopping campaign. Many soldiers died fighting for the higher ground occupied by the Japanese. Allies eventually captured the island after about a month of fighting.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Iwo-Jima
https://www.businessinsider.com/iwo-jima-world-war-ii-battle-photo-marines-japan-backstory-2018-2 -
Battle of Okinawa
This was the last big battle of the War. Okinawa was one of the last islands needed in America's trek towards mainland Japan. 130k Japanese soldiers defended the island to the death. They knew Japan would fall if they lost the island. Eventually, the Island was taken after about 3 months. There were many casualties on both sides.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa -
VE Day
This marks the day Germany officially surrendered. Documents were signed in Berlin that made it official. The Allies, (Great Britain and U.S. mostly) celebrated by having parades and hanging banners. The War in Europe was finally over.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe
https://www.biography.com/news/world-war-ii-ve-day-70th-anniversary -
Potsdam Declaration
This was a proclamation that was created explaining the terms of Japan's surrender. America was trying to give Japan a chance to surrender and save themselves. However, declining the surrender, Japan soon found out what the other option was.
http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c06.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
Japan was refusing to surrender and Truman feared a mainland invasion. This led him to authorize the dropping of a five ton atomic bomb over Hiroshima. Three days later, another bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. Rough estimates say 100k civilians were killed instantly. Afterwards, Japan surrendered.
http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/cab/200708230009.html
http://time.com/4954082/hydrogen-bomb-atomic-bomb/
