-
Japanese Invasion Of China
Japanese Invasion of China The Japan-China war started in July 1937 when the Japanese were supposedly fired on by Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. Using the attack as an excuse, the Japanese launched a full-scale invasion of China via occupied Manchuria. The onslaught was relentless, within 5 months 1 million Chinese people were under Japanese control. All of the major cities in China were captured by the Japanese by the end of 1937- so were the major communication systems of the nation. -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
German-Soviet PactThis nonaggression between the Soviet Union and Germany stated that neither side would atack the other. This pact allowed Germany to invade Poland from the west on September 1, 1939 and the Soviet Union to invade the east on September 17, 1939. After the Germans invaded France, Hitler turned his attention to the Soviet Union because he felt the pact between Germany and the Soviet Union was only temporary. So Operation Barbarossa commenced June 22, 1941. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
German Invasion of PolandTo Hitler, the conquest of Poland would bring living space,for the German people.The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war. Hitler implemented the strategy which woulld become known as the "blitzkrieg" or lightning war. On September 3, Britain and France declared on Germany and thus began World War II. -
German Blitzkrieg
BlitzkriegThe invasion of Poland was the first use of blitzkrieg or "lightning war." Hitler sought to avoid a long drawn out war. This type of warfare used large numbers of tanks to break through and encir- cle enemy positions. In addition, waves of aircraft bombed enemy positions. Blitzkrieg depended on radios to coordinate tanks and aircraft. Hitler used these tactics throughtout France and Belgium. -
The Fall of Paris
Fall of ParisThe Germans entered Paris with little to no resistance since 2 million Parisians had already fled.In deciding not to defend Paris the French Command "aimed at sparing it the devastation which defence would have involved. The command considered that no valuable strategic result justified the sacrifice of Paris." Eight days later on June 22, France and Germany signed an armistice. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation BarbarossaOn June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union. On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union. Barbarossa was the crucial turning point in World War II, for its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl HarborThe Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor.This was in response to American economic pressure which sought to limit there oil and rubber reserves via embargos. After a day long attack that sank 8 naval vessels and killed 2,403 American military and civilian personnel the Unites States found themselves thrust into World War II. On December 8, 1941 the US formally announced a declaration of war against the Japanese nation. -
Wannsee Conference
Wannsee ConferenceOn this day, Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the “Final Solution” of the “Jewish question.” Reinhard Heydrich, SS General met with Adolf Eichmann who was the Chief of the Central Office of Jewish Emigration, and 15 other officials met in the German suburb of Wannsee. The agenda discussed mass sterilization and deportation of Jews. The Germans would find this to be time consuming so later on they created Gas chambers. -
Bataan Death March
Bataan Death MarchAfter the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon. The 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers captured on Bataan were forced to march 85 miles in six days with very little food. Many of the prisoners died on this arduous walk due to their harsh Japanese captors. -
Battle of Midway
Battle of MidwaySix months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This engagement between U.S. and Japanese forces navies in the North-Central Pacific resulted in the desire of the Japanese to sink the remaining American Aircraft carriers who escaped Pearl Harbor. With the help of code breakers U.S. forces were able to intercept and counter Japan's planned ambush. The Battle of Midway was a major turning point for the war in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of StalingradStalingrad was a major stragetic point for both the Russians and the Germans as a industrial and transportation center. If the Germans captured Stalingrad they would be on the Volga River and they could go into the Caucasus. The Battle of Stalingrad was very bloody due to the house to house, close quarters fighting. The Battle of Stalingrad was a turning point for the Allies because Hitler now faced opposition from the West and the East. -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation GomorrahOn this day in 1943, British bombers fly over Hamburg, Germany at night and drop 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs killing more than 1,500 German civilians. Operation Gomorrah proved to be devastating to Hamburg. At the end of the operation more then 9,000 tons of explosives had been dropped, killing more than 30,000 people and 280,000 buildings which included munition and industrial plants. Operation Gomorrah also devastated German morale. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
D-DayD-Day, codenamed Operation Overlord was originally planned for June 5, 1944 but due to the weather the invasion was postponed to June 6, 1944. Operation Overlord was the largest amphibious assault in military history. Using some 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces who landed on five beaches on the heavily fortified Normandy coast. Operation Overlord was a major turning point for the Allies on the Western front. -
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the BulgeOn this day in December of 1944, Hitler tried to make a last ditch effort to turn the tide of war in favor of Nazi Germany. Over 200,000 German troops and nearly 1,000 tanks were sent on the offensive to drive back the Allies just as they had done in 1940 via the Ardennes Forest. Dwight D. Eisenhower in response sent Patton and his third army to help the battered soldiers. After this failed offensive Hitler would not be able to do any more large scale offensives like that in the West. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation ThunderclapOn this date in February 1945, the Allies firebombed the city of Dresden, Germany. It was the single most destructive bombing of the war, killing as many as 135,000 people and reducing the city of Dresden to flames and rubble. The Allies already had it in the works but at the conference in Yalta the Allies decided to firebomb the city to destroy a major communication center that relayed troops to the Eastern front. The Operation did little strategically but it did lower German morale. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima On this date in February of 1945, an American amphibious invasion of Iwo Jima began based off of the need for a base to where American B-29 bombers could land. Iwo Jima had been bombarded in preparation for the amphibious invasion and when three Marine divisions had landed there was an estimated 23,000 Japanese troops ready to defend the position via caves, tunnels and underground installations. The Americans prevailed despite heavy losses which included 5,900 dead and 17,400 wounded. -
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of OkinawaOn this day in April of 1945, the Americans invaded the island of Okinawa which would have been used as an air base vital to the invasion of Japan. The Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific Campaign, with Japanese losses at more than 77,000 and Allied losses at 14,000 and more than 65,000 casualties. -
VE Day
VE DayOn this day in May of 1945, Great Britain and the United States celebrate victory in Europe day. Germany officially surrendered to the Western Allies on May 7 and two days later Germany officially surrendered to the Soviet Union. -
Dropping of the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima
Atomic Bomb dropped on HiroshimaOn this day in August of 1945 the worlds first Atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. President Truman decided to drop the Atomic bomb rather than invade Japan due to the estimated loss of American lives. Approximately 80,000 people are killed as a direct result of the blast, and another 35,000 are injured. Another 60,000 at least,would be dead by the end of the year from the effects of the radioactive fallout. -
VJ Day
Victory in Japan DayOn this day in August of 1945, the Japanese surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. Japan's War Council had already submitted a formal declaration of surrender to the Allies via ambassadors on August 10, but Russian and Japanese forces were still fighting. Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on August 14, 1945 ending World War II.
