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The Fall of Paris
This is when Germany invaded and defeated France. This unbalanced the Allies and Hitler soon took over Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands after. -
Pearl Harbor
A.K.A the day that will live in infamy, Pearl Harbor was when Japan bombed the military harbor in Hawaii. This event caused America to immediately join the world war. 2,403 Americans were killed, and 1,178 were injured. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
This was when the Soviet Union fought to keep the city of Stalingrad and is known as one of, if not the greatest, battle of World War II. The battle kept Germany from its conquest, and had overall casualties around two million. It helped turn the war to the Allie's favor. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
This was the day that the Soviet Union freed the first Concentration camp in Majdanek. On January 27, 1945, Auschwitz was finally liberated where over 10,000 pairs of shoes were found, signifying the number of people held there. This showed the world the horror of the Holocaust. -
D-Day
This is also known as the Battle of Normandy or Operation Overlord. American, Canadian, and British armies attacked five beaches in attempt to liberate France. By the end of the battles, there were 4,000 Allied casualties. This helped free France and is considered the beginning of the end of World War II. -
The Battle of the Bulge
This was a surprise attack that Hitler planned, attempting to split the Allies armies. It was a very deadly battle, killing around 100,000 American soldiers. German soldiers had a shortage of fuel that cost them the battle. Even though the Allies won the battle, it wasn't really a victory. This was the bloodiest battle of World War II. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle was fought because America wanted to get closer to Japan. There were several caves, tunnels, and dugouts that Japan had access to, making it very difficult for America to take it over. The battle lasted about a month before the island was taken over, which triggered several American bombing runs on Japan starting from the island -
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day)
This is the day that Germany finally surrendered. Several small battles continued for the next few days until they got word that Germany surrendered, but other than that, all German troops relented. This weakened the Axis Power's war efforts severely. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
A B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima to end the war and killed around 80,000 people on that day. Many more died later from radiation. Another atomic bomb was dropped three days later on Nagasaki that killed around 40,000 people. Because of these bombs, Japan unconditionally surrendered. -
Victory Over Japan Day (VJ Day)
This is the day that Japan surrendered to the Allies, and effectively ended the war. Throughout the length of the second World War, around 80 million people died on either side making it the deadliest war in history.
