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German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940): https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg
Hitler's invasion of Poland showed off his means to wage war, known as "blitzkrieg". Blitzkrieg translates to "lighting war" and focused on destroying the enemy with a swift blow by using mobile and maneuverable forces, like tanks and airplanes. In addition to the invasion of Poland, blitzkrieg tactics were also used in invading the Soviet Union in 1941 and against the French and British. Blitzkrieg tactics ultimately failed, which forced Germany to end up fighting a defensive war on all fronts. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland
German forces under Adolf Hitler bombarded Poland by land and air, thus beginning World War II. Poland's military was much inferior to Germany's and they made a mistake when they attempted to take them head-on instead of falling back. They hoped that the Soviets would counteract but the Non-Aggression Pact destroyed their hopes. Once Poland was taken over, concentration camps were set up throughout the country to eliminate all racial, religious, and political enemies of Nazi rule and ideology. -
Battle of Britain: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-britain-1
The Battle of Britain was fought between the German and British Air Forces and was the first battle ever to be fought only in the air. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill saw the British Air Force as their best defense from German invasion. His famous speech helped create patriotism for the British military and boosted morale in Parliament. Both sides suffered enormous losses, but ultimately, Britain won the battle. It was a turning point in the war and the first major defeat for Hitler. -
Pearl Harbor: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor
Pearl Harbor fell victim to a surprise attack by Japanese fighter planes in which they damaged or destroyed nearly 20 naval vessels, including 8 battleships, and over 300 airplanes. Over 2,400 people died and about another 1,000 were wounded. The Japanese plan was to cripple the Pacific Fleet of the U.S., but they were unsuccessful in doing so as the U.S. was able to quickly rebound from the attack. The U.S. declared war on Japan and entered into World War II as a result of the attack. -
Battle of Stalingrad: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad
The Soviet army expected an attack on Moscow, but instead, Hitler had his sights set on Stalingrad, an important industrial center in Russia that produced much of its artillery. Although suffering mass casualties, Stalin ordered his troops to not retreat. A blockade was set up, which lowered German food supplies and trapped them through the winter. Eventually, about 100,000 German troops were captured and the city was retaken. The battle turned the tide of the war in the Allied Powers' favor. -
Battle of Midway: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway
The Battle of Midway was fought between the Japanese and American navies as Japan sought to neutralize the U.S. as a naval power in the Pacific. Hoping to replicate the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese planned a surprise attack to crush the U.S. Pacific fleet at Midway Island. After the U.S. put 4 Japanese carriers out of commission, they retreated. The U.S. victory turned the tide of the war in the Pacific in favor of the Allies and forced Japan to abandon its reach into the Pacific. -
Battle of the Coral Sea: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-coral-sea
This was the first air-sea battle in history. The Japanese were seeking to control the Coral Sea by invading Port Moresby in New Guinea, but their plans were intercepted by the Allies. When the Japanese landed in New Guinea they were attacked by aircraft carrier planes from the Allies. Both sides suffered damage to their aircraft carriers, but the Allies came away with a strategic victory due to the Japanese not having enough planes to cover the ground attack of the Allies on Port Moresby. -
Allied invasion of Italy: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland
The Allies began their invasion by landing on the island of Sicily, where they faced little resistance from the Sicilian troops. The conquest of Sicily was important in leading to the collapse of Mussolini's government. Mussolini was forced to resign and power was assumed by Marshal Pietro Badoglio. The new Italian government then agreed to secret negotiations with the Allies. They ended up agreeing to their surrender and to aid the allies in expelling German troops from Italy. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising
Several hundred resistance fighters from the ghetto managed to fight off against SS forces for nearly a month, who were sent in with order to liquidate the ghetto. The resistance fighters outnumbered the SS officers in manpower and weapons, but the Germans razed all of the ghetto buildings, destroying bunkers and capturing or killing residents that were hiding. The ghetto was eventually re-controlled by the Nazis and, in a symbolic act, blew up Warsaw's Great Synagogue. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion): https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day
Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began when about 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on a 50-mile stretch of coastline in France's Normandy region. Extreme planning went into the invasion and it is considered one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. Commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the invasion helped to liberate France from German control and lead to the beginning of the end of the war, which resulted in the surrender of the Germans. -
Battle of the Bulge: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge
This was Hitler's last offensive in the war on the Western Front. The Germans attempted surprise attacks through the Allied camps as imposters were sent into massacre soldiers and civilians. General Dwight D. Eisenhower sent more troops into the town of Bastogne, where Allied troops were surrounded by the Germans. They were successful in breaking through German lines and rescuing the troops. The Allies claimed victory and headed on a march toward Berlin, where the war would end in 5 months. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
An American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first deployed atomic bomb over the city of Hiroshima. It wiped out about 90 percent of the city and killed 80,000 people immediately, with tens of thousands more dying to radiation exposure. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing about 40,000 people. After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan's emperor announced his country's unconditional surrender, thus ending World War II. -
V-E Day: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe
V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) was the day that German forces throughout Europe finally surrendered and put down their arms. Pockets of conflict were still occurring in the Soviet Union but the Germans there surrendered the next day. About 2 million German soldiers were captured by the Soviets after their surrender. Meanwhile people in the U.S., Great Britain, and other areas across Western Europe rejoiced as cities put out flags and banners to celebrate the defeat of the Nazis. -
Battle of Iwo Jima: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima
Iwo Jima was fought between the U.S. Marines and Japan's Imperial Army. American forces attempted to invade Iwo Jima to use it as a staging facility for a potential invasion of Japan, due to the fact that there were three airfields on the island. In some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II, almost all but about 200 of the 21,000 Japanese were killed with around 7,000 marines as well. Even though the U.S. was successful in capturing Iwo Jima, they were unable to use it as a staging area. -
Potsdam Declaration: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Potsdam-Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration was the ultimatum issued by the U.S., Great Britain, and China calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan near the end of World War II. The declaration contained a warning that said that if Japan refused to surrender they would face "prompt and utter destruction". Japan did not initially surrender, which led to the dropping of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan officially surrendered after the atomic bombings.
