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Genocide ~ Dachau Concentration Camp
Genocide is the persecution, violence, and killings of people based on their race, ethnicity, culture, or religion and the end goal is to get rid of the group or population. This term came into effect after WWII as, throughout the war, Jews and other groups were persecuted and killed in the masses. The first concentration camp to be opened was in Dachau, Germany in March 1933 after Adolf Hilter was given the title of Chancellor. -
Rape of Nanjing
The Rape of Nanjing occurred during the Sino-Japanese war when Imperial Japan took over Nanjing, China. There were mass killings of over 100,000-300,000 Chinese soldiers and citizens including men, women, and children. Around 20,000 women and girls were savagely raped. Commanding General Matsui, ordered the city of Nanjing to be destroyed. Soldiers proceeded to loot, destroy and ravage the city, committing murders and rapes in the masses. Ending WWII, Matsui would be found guilty of war crimes. -
The Munich Conference
The Munich Conference was a meeting between Britain’s Prime Minister Chamberlain and Germany’s dictator Adolf Hitler, where Britain and other nations agreed to give the Sudetenland to Germany as long as they agreed not to take over any more land and keep peace in Europe. Unfortunately, Germany didn’t follow the appeasement made and took over all of Czechoslovakia, meaning one of the best militaries will be used against the allied powers if war were to break out, which war did break out. -
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union to not take any military action against each other. Joseph Stalin, Soviet Union leader, decided to make this pact so that the nation would be on friendly terms with Germany as war was about to erupt. Hitler made the agreement so that he could take over Poland with less opposition. The agreement ended in June 1941 as a result of Germany not keeping their side of the agreement and invading the Soviet Union. -
Invasion of Poland
The Invasion of Poland occurred as a result of Adolf Hilter, wanting to take over and have more power over his neighbors in the east. German soldiers bombarded Poland through the air and on land. They destroyed railroads, communication lines, and military equipment. After Germany took over, Hilter began on his persecution spree where he targeted anyone who opposed his Nazi ideology. September 1, 1939, after the invasion of Poland, marks the commencement of WWII. -
Operation Barbarossa
The German-Soviet Non-aggression was an agreement that Germany and the Soviet Union made which concluded that they would be at peace with each other. However, the pact broke as Germany decided to invade the Soviet Union. The invasion, codenamed Operation Barbarossa, was a prolonged campaign and a huge military offensive. Although Germany did have the upper hand at first, the campaign failed as a result of strong soviet resistance, harsh winter weather, and the unpreparedness of German soldiers. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, a U.S naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, was attacked by Japanese fighter planes that damaged and destroyed military equipment. Many lives were lost that day and many were wounded. Many of those individuals were simple American citizens living their daily lives. Until 1941, the US had tried to stay out of the war but the attack on Pearl Harbor prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ask Congress to declare war on Japan. As a result, the US entered WWII. -
Island-Hopping
The Island-hopping strategy was used by the U.S. shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It involved capturing islands in the Pacific, leaving alone heavily defended islands by the Japanese and capturing those that were less defended, and building a military base. Moving onto the next island and doing the same, getting closer to Japan. The islands that were left untouched would have their supplies cut off, leaving the Japanese defensive lines isolated, starved and dying from diseases. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a fight between Germany and the Soviet Union that lasted for about a year from July 1942 to February 1943. Even with the immense number of casualties of both soldiers and civilians, the Battle of Stalingrad is celebrated as a victory for the Soviet Union as they were able to stand their ground. With Soviet resistance, this battle became a turning point in the war as it put the Axis powers on the defensive side of the battle, giving an advantage to the allied powers. -
Tunisia Campaign
From November 1942 to May 1943, the Tunisia Campaign was the entering of American and British Commonwealth forces in Tunisia, which were occupied by German and Italian forces. They reacted quickly to the intervention and held them in a stalemate in January 1943. By May 1943, the Axis surrendered. The Success of the Tunisia Campaign allowed for the Allied powers to go onto the offensive side and threw the Axis powers of defense. This allowed for the Allied powers to gain an upper hand in WWII. -
The Casablanca Conference
In January 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill held a meeting in Casablanca, Morocco where they discussed military strategies that would help the allied powers in the war. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was invited to the meeting but wasn’t able to attend. One of the major points discussed at this meeting was the “unconditional surrender” policy which would hopefully ensure peace after the war with the Axis powers. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
June 6, 1944, is known as D-day as it was the commence of the Battle of Normandy. This operation was precisely constructed by the Allied powers. Off of France’s Normandy region, which was under the control of Nazi Germany at the time, Canadian, British and American troops landed and began the invasion. By August 1944, German troops backed away from northern France, freeing most of western Europe from the control of Germany. The Invasion of Normandy is seen as the beginning of the end of WWII. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was between the U.S. and the Japanese Imperial Army. The US marines invaded the island of Iwo Jima to gain the upper hand over Japan as Iwo Jima was a line of defense but was weak at the moment. This battle, which was one the bloodiest battles in WWII, lasted for about five weeks and in the end, the US won. This battle impacted WWII as it was one of the islands captured using the island-hopping Strategy. Iwo Jima would later be used as an emergency landing for U.S. troops.