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Annexation of Sudetenland
The Sudetenland was given to Czechoslovakia after WWI. Austria and Germany living in the Sudetenland were very unhappy with this. Germans in the Sudetenland began to riot in the streets. Nazi forces positioned around the Czechoslovakia border and Czechoslovakia began to mobilize their troops. After WWI, countries like Great Britain and France wanted to avoid conflicts. Leaders of Nazi Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy signed an agreement that allowed Nazi Germany to annex Sudetenland. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack by the Japanese Air Force. American officals were not expecting an attack so close to home, so Pearl Harbor was almost defensless to the attack. Japanese planes shot at and bombed Pearl Harbor, leaving 20 American ships damaged, more than 300 airplanes were damaged, 2,403 people were killed, and about 1,000 more were wounded. As a result, America entered the war. -
The Philippines
The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the Philippines, ten hours after the Suprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The troops in the Philippines tried to defend the Philippines until the final surrender of the United States-Philippine forces in April 1942. The Japanese took over the Philippines and used it to their advantage during the war. -
Island Hopping
Island Hopping was a military strategy by the Allies to advance on the Japanese. -
Japanese Internment Camp
Japanese-Americans were forced to relocate into camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was because of Executive Order 9066. Between 110,000 to 120,000 Japanese-Americans were put into these camps. -
Battle of Midway
The Japanese attacked Midway Atoll. The United States Navy defeated the Japanese Navy. It was a major turning point in the war because the Japanese advance was halted and the Japanese went on the defense for the rest of the war. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
The Battle of Guadalcanal was an American surprise attack on the Japanese troops stationed in Guadalcanal. It was the first major offensive win for the Allies. The Allies lost around 7,100 troops and the Japanese lost around 31,000 troops. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was when Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of Stalingrad. The Soviet Union won the battle on February 2, 1943. The battle is considered one of the turning points in the war. -
D-Day
The Allied forces invaded France through the beaches of Normandy. It was the largest invasion by sea in history. Over 425,000 soldiers were either killed, wounded, or missing. -
Meeting at Yalta
It was the second wartime meeting of Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The three began to plan for a post-war world and Germany's surrender. -
Fall of Berlin
The Fall of Berlin was when Stalin fought against the Germans to capture Berlin. The Nazi fighters were defeated. Hitler committed suicide in one of his underground bunkers. The battle ended on May 2, 1945. -
Death of Hitler
When Hitler knew that he was going to have to surrender, he killed himself in one of his underground bunkers. (No, he didn't run off and hide somewhere as a new person.) -
Los Alamos
Los Alamos was a developing site for the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb was tested here and was proven to be a weapon of mass destruction. -
Meeting at Potsdam
Stalin, Churchill, and Truman meet at Potsdam, Germany to discuss terms for the end of WWII. The conference failed to settle most of the important issues and helped set the stage for the Cold War. -
Hiroshima
The United States dropped an atomic bomb into Hiroshima in an attempt to get Japan to surrender. 146,000 Japanese were killed.
