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German Blitzkrieg (1939-40) http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/blitzkrieg.htm
- On May 10, the Germans unleashed Blitzkrieg against the Netherlands and Belgium. The roads overflowed with refugees fleeing the front. French and British troops rushing to the rescue were caught in the headlong retreat and pushed back.
- The Germans moved on to Netherlands and Belgium after taking Norway and Denmark. The wanted to secure the coastal ports and cut off Allied armies.
- France signed an armistice with Germany. 43,000 British were killed.
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Fall of Paris
- The German invasion of France and the Low Countries in WW2
- Germany wanted to conquer France
- Axis victory https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/560/56088/the-fall-of-paris/9780141030630.html
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Pearl Harbor
- Japanese surprise attack on US naval base in Oahu Island, Hawaii.
- Japan believed once the U.S. Pacific Fleet was neutralized, all of Southeast Asia would be open for conquest. The US also put an oil barricade around Japan.
- The US Naval presence was severely weakened. 2,335 Americans were killed. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor
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Wannsee Conference (1942)
- A meeting of senior government officials of Germany and Schutzstaffel leaders.
- Planning the "final solution" to the "Jewish question"
- Caused the Jews to be put into camps and exterminated https://www.britannica.com/event/Wannsee-Conference
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Battan Death March
- The forcible transfer of POW from Bagac to Tarlac. They had to walk almost a hundred miles.
- The POW were ordered back to the US
- Thousands died on the way there https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march
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Battle of Midway
- US Naval forces ambushed Japanese fleet at Midway Island
- it was a strategic location for the US in the Pacific Ocean
- Japan's advance was halted and began to decline (used notes)
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Battle of Stalingrad
- After winter began, the Soviet Union defeated the poorly equipped Germans
- Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union depended upon capturing Stalingrad
- Soviet troops began pushing German troops back across eastern Europe toward Germany (used notes)
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D-Day (1944)
- The Allied invasion of Normandy
- Push Germany back
- Began to push Germany's troops back and defeat Hitler https://www.army.mil/d-day/
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Operation Thunderclap
- The plan envisaged a massive attack on Berlin that would cause 220,000 casualties with 110,000 killed, many of them key German personnel, which would shatter German morale.
- To lower German's morale and help the Allies win
- Plan never happened http://ww2today.com/13-february-1945-operation-thunderclap-raf-start-firestorm-in-dresden
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Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)
- US troops captured the island of Iwo Jima
- Was in fighter range of the Japanese capital and could support the B-29 bomber raids
- American victory of conquering the island https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Iwo-Jima
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Battle of Bulge (1945)
- The last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front
- Counterattack of D-Day
- American victory that showed Hitler was beginning to lose https://www.army.mil/botb/
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VE Day
- Germany surrendered
- They surrendered to the Soviets
- Europe won WW2 https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe
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Dropping of Atomic Bombs
- Atomic bombs were released on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
- US wanted to end war in Pacific
- Japan surrendered to US https://cnduk.org/resources/hiroshima-and-nagasaki/
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VJ Day
- Japan surrendered
- Atomic bombs destroyed 2 Japanese cities
- WW2 is over https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
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Liberation of Concentration Camps
- After the war was over, the concentration camps were liberated by the Allies
- The Germans had Jews and "different" people put into camps. Japan had POW camps.
- The prisoners were liberated https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/liberation-of-the-concentration-camps
