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German Blitzkrieg
German Blitzkrieg is a German term for "lightning war". It is a military technique designed to create a greater destruction among enemies by using strong weapons on moving vehicles. Germany first tried it out in Poland 1930 as a test run and eventually started to use it with the invasions of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. -
Fall of Paris
Around the time of May and June 1940, the French government signed an armistice with Nazi Germany just six weeks after the Nazis launched their invasion of Western Europe and took over many countries. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941 Japan struck the Us Naval Base Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii with a surprise attack. There were 3,700 casualties killed by bombs, torpedo bombs and other deadly weapons. The next day, President Roosevelt gave his “Infamy Speech” to America, informing them that this tragic event happened despite the conversation of peace between Japan and the United States. Because of this event in the United States, America entered into World War II on December 8, 1941. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944 the Allied Forces attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. With a huge force, the Allies attacked and gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II. This famous battle is called D-Day or the Invasion of Normandy. -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was to be considered the biggest pitched battle for the United States history because it involved 600,00 American troops. The Allied forces were advancing towards Germany, pushing the Germans back further and further. This was considered the last major Nazi offensive in WWII and the end of the war in Europe came sooner than expected. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps (Auschwitz)
In January 1945, Soviet forces found the Auschwitz camp complex, and began evacuating the Auschwitz camp. On January 27, 1945, the Soviet army entered Auschwitz and liberated more than 7,000 remaining prisoners, who were mostly ill and dying. It is estimated that at minimum 1.3 million people were deported to Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945 and at least 1.1 million were murdered in Auschwitz. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima took place near the end of World War II in Japan towards mid-February, 1945. After 36 days of brutal fighting between Japan and the US, the US had finally secured the island of Iwo Jima. They placed a flag on top of Mount Suribachi to claim victory. -
V.E. Day
On this day both the U.S. and Great Britain celebrated Europe's victory, feeling joyful in their victory on defeating the Nazis. May 8, 1945 was the day that Adolf Hitler killed himself and Germany finally surrendering to the Soviet Union after they lost 8,000 soldiers. People everywhere were celebrating. -
Dropping Atomic Bombs
On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb over the Japanese city, Hiroshima. An enormous blast reduced four square miles of the city to ruins and immediately killed 80,000 people. Tens of thousands more died in the following weeks from wounds and radiation poisoning. Three days later, the second atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki, killing nearly 40,000 more people. Shortly after the explosions, Japan announced its surrender to America. -
VJ Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory Over Japan Day,” or better known as "V-J Day"
