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The Japanese Invasion of China
Marco Polo BridgeShots were fired between Japan and China both on July 7, 1939 because the Japanese requested to be able to use the Marco Polo Bridge, which was the only entrance to the city of Wanpig, but the Chinese refused. The next day, Japan attacked the bridge and took it, but were driven off again. The effect of this is that a full-scale invasion of China was put into place.The conflict continued until it blended into WWII. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
German forces bombarded Poland on land and from the air using their "blitzkrieg" strategy. Poland was severely unequipped and attempted to take the Germans head-on. Their military was no match for the German forces. This happened because Hitler sought to regain territory and ultimately rule Poland. The goal was to annihilate all enemies of his Nazi ideaology. As an effect of this attack, Great Britain responded with bombing raids over Germany three days later. -
Fall of Paris
2 million Parisians fled Paris just before the Germans invaded their city. The German Gestapo arrested, interrogated, and spied on the people of Paris. Germany did this to get as much information as they could and to continue trying to expand the powers of Germany. The effect of this is that the U.S. froze their assets to Italy and Germany. -
German Blitzkrieg
The reason for the first attack was non-existent, it was an accident. German forces were aiming for military targets on the outskirts of London but drifted off course, landing in the center of London. The Blitz refers to the strategic bombing campaign used by the Germans against London and other cities from September of 1940 through May of 1941, targeting large factories, docks, and very populated areas. The effect of The Blitz attack on London is Churchill had Berlin bombed the next morning. -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted only two hours. Japan did this because the US was cut off most of its trade with Japan because they were upset with Japan's increasingly belligerent attitdue with China. They destroyed almost 20 American naval vessels and more than 300 airplanes. Nearly 2,500 died and about 1,000 were injured. The US declared war with Japan the next day, thus entering them into WWII. -
Bataan Death March
Approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to trek 65 miles to prison camps. The heat was intense and the marchers were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Many troops were starved and beaten by the guards. This happened because the U.S. surrendered the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. The effects were that thousands died during the march. Later, the Americans avenged its defeat in the Philipines with the invasion of Lyete in 1944. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allies began their invasion of Italian mainland on this day. They did this because Benito Mussolini was trying to make Fascist Italy into the new Roman Empire and because they were a part of the Axis Powers. As a result, Italy surrendered to the Allies. -
D-Day
About 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region. By the end of the week, 326,000 troops had landed at Normandy. This invasion occurred because the Allies were trying to end the war. This invasion resulted in over 4,000 Allied casualties and thousands more missing or injured. The invasion was a turning point, leading to the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps (Auschwitz)
Soviet troops entered Auschwitz, freeing the survivors. Before this happened, the German Gestapo went throughout the camp shooting sick prisoners and blowing up the cremetoria, trying to erase the evidence. Soviet troops found 648 corpses and over 7,000 starving prisoners. The Soviets freed the camp because they knew there were prisoners inside being mistreated, but they didn't know the extent. The effect of this is that it was finally revealed the horrors that went on at concentration camps. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American forces invaded Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945. Three U.S. marine divisions landed on the island in February 1945. About 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops defended Iwo Jima, but they were no match for the American forces who eventually won after a month of fighting. This happened because America wanted a place where B-29 bombers damaged over Japan could land without returning all the way to the Marianas and for an airforce base. The effects of this battle is that the Americans won. -
Battle of Okinawa
This was the last and biggest Pacific battle of WWII. The Japanese used the strategy of kamikaze to try and win. It involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-Second Army. This battle occurred because air bases vital to a projected invasion of Japan were at stake. The battle resulted in about 77,000 Japanese casualties and 65,000 U.S. casualties with abotu 100,000 civilian casualties. The U.S. won this battle. -
VE Day
VE day is the day where the Allies won the war in Europe. On this day, German troops finally laid down their arms because the casualties were so great. The effect of this is that the Allies won the war and the Germans gave their surrender. Over 13,000 British POWs were released. -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
On this day, an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. 80,00 were immediately killed, with tens of thousands more dying later of radiation. On August 9, a second B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000. This happened because the U.S. was ready to finally end the war with Japan. The result was that Emperor Hirohito announced the country's unconditional surrender a few days later, ending WWII. -
VJ Day
It was announced this day that Japan had unconditionally surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II. This happened because of the atomic bombs that were released on Japan a few days earlier, killing about 140,000 people. The effect of this day is that the war was over and things could finally start going back to normal.
