-
Japanese Invasion Of China (Sino-Japanese War)
The main reason Japan invaded China was because they were fully resisting the spread of Japanese influence in their territory. Japanese began to settle in large areas of eastern China in an attempt to get rid of Chiang Kai-shek, China's nationalist leader. This caused a stalemate and Japanese forces went to Southeast Asia and to the Pacific Theatre of World War II. They fought against the Western powers and their allies and were defeated. This ended Japan's occupation in China. -
Rape Of Nanking
This was an event during the Sino-Japanese War where General Matsui Iwane ordered his Japanese troops to destroy China's capital city, Nanking. He did this in hope of breaking the spirit of Chinese resistance. A large part of the city was burned and many were killed; around 150,000 male war prisoners, along with 50,000 male civilians. An estimated 20,000 women were raped and most were also killed. Once the war was over, Masui was found guillty of war crimes and later on executed. -
Germany's Invasion Of Poland
Although Hitler claimed his invasion was in defense, his real plan was to gain more living space and to enslave the natives. His troops invaded the border, he bombed their air field, and he attacked Polish's naval forces with warships and u-boats. He didn't manage to convince France and Britain that this was all an act of self-defense, so they declared war. This initiated the start of World War II. -
German Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)
Blitzkrieg is a military tactic used in an attempt to disorganize opposing troops by the use of locally concentrated firepower and mobilized troops. Germany tried to use this in Poland and successfully used it in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Germany was able to overtake a large part of Europe using this tactic. -
Fall Of Paris
Germany was beginning to take over Paris and setting curfews. Paul Reynauld telegrammed Roosevelt asking for any form of help. Roosevelt agreed to send material aid but not to make it official in anyway. He feared that Hitler would see this as a declaration of war. Many Parisians had fled by the time German troops arrived; the day was filled with arrests, interrogations, and spying. Canadian troops eventually arrived and gave hope of freeing France. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was the day in which Hitler engaged in a massive invasion on Russia. This operation failed because the Germans didn't know about Russian territory and climate. They had difficulty moving forward and did not harbor the proper supplies, such as winter clothes, to succeed in the invasion. When the invasion failed it caused a major turning point in the war. Germany was caused to fight a two front war. -
Pearl Harbor
Before eight in the morning, Japanese planes launched an attack on the American naval base in Pearl Harbor. The results were devastating. In an attack lasting more than two hours, 2,000 soldiers and sailors were killed and 1,000 were badly wounded. 20 naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes were destroyed. The next day FDR declared war on Japan. However, when Japan's allies-Germany and Italy-also declared war, Congress reciprocated. -
Bataan Death March
When the Japanese invaded the Philippines the soldiers who were defending Luzon were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. After the US surrendered on the Bataan Peninsula, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65 mile march to prison camps. The prisoners were terribly treated by the Japanese soldiers. Thousands of the marching prisoners ended up dying during the march, which is why it got its name. -
Battle Of Midway
This battle was a result of Japan's desire to sink the remaining air crafts that had survived the Pearl Harbor bombing. US fleets met Japanese ships in the north-central pacific. Because of the United States' ability to gain access to Japan's exact plans, they were able to defeat them with critical strikes. The US attacked when Japan was most vulnerable; while they were refueling their planes and ships. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
In the city of Warsaw, Jews were confined to an area that was less than a square mile. It was heavily guarded by barbed fences and Nazi soldiers who controlled the income of food and supplies. Many of Jews were killed by disease and starvation each month and eventually they revolted against the soldiers.They started to refuse going to deportation camps and took part in armed attacks against the Nazis. This revolt inspired many others to try the same. -
Allied Invasion Of Italy
Allies began their invasion of Europe on the island of Sicily. They didn't have much resistance from demoralized Sicilian troops. After just three days there were around 150,000 Allied troops on the small island. Shortly after the invasion began, Italy secretly surrendered to the Allies in agreement for leniency and to help get the Germans out. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
This was one of the largest military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Around 156,000 British, American, and Canadian soldiers landed on five beaches in a span of 50 miles of the heavily protected coast of France's Normandy region. Prior to the invasion, the allies created a plan of deception in order to mislead the Germans of where the invasion was taking place. By the end of August, Northern France had been liberated and the invasion was considered the beginning of the end. -
Battle Of The Bulge
This was the last major offense that the Germans took in the war. It was in an effort to move the allies west, from northern France to northwestern Belgium. Germans attacked the weakest part of the American defense line in the early morning. The Germans succeeded in making the Americans retreat. Some German commanders who spoke English were used to confuse the Americans, causing chaos and distrust. This war resulted in many losses of American soldiers and civilians. -
Liberation Of Concentration Camps
Soviet forces were the first to encounter a large concentration camp. German soldiers were surprised by their fast approach and attempted to hide evidence of the mass murder by destroying the camp. Soviets liberated Auschwitz, the largest concentration camp, in January of 1945. Although the Germans attempted to hide evidence of the killings, Soviets kept discovering clothes and tons of hair at the concentration camps. Soviets were able to liberate a good number of concentration camps. -
Operation Thunderclap
This was the name of the operation in which the Allies fired bombed a city in Germany, Dresden. This bombing was accomplished strategically due to the fact that the Germans were already close to surrendering. It was considered the most fatal of bombings out of them all, leaving approximately 135,000 Germans dead. -
Battle Of Iwo Jima
The goal of this American invasion was to create a base for planes damaged during bombings to land, rather than returning all the way to the Marianas. Americans first bombed Iwo Jima, which was defended by approximately 23,000 Japanese army and naval troops. After the bombing Americans sent in three marine divisions. Because of Japanese hideouts in caves and tunnels, Americans suffered many casualties. However they were eventually able to capture the islands. -
Battle Of Okinawa
This was the largest and final battle of the Pacific Islands. There were 287,000 American troops against 130,000 Japanese troops. Casualties included 77,000 Japanese losses and around 65,000 American. In this war, Japanese changed tactics and sent planes on one-way attacks. This was one of the most difficult battles for Americans due to Japan's strong defense. The allies ended up winning this battle even though it was a struggle. The commanders of both sides ended up dying during the war. -
VE Day (Victory In Europe)
On this day Britain and the US celebrate their Victory in Europe. German soldiers all over the German territory were laying down their weapons and surrendering. There were a ton of surrender documents being signed all over Germany. Many German soldiers were concerned about being Soviet prisoners so they tried to avoid them. Many Germans tried to escape west when the fighting ended but ended up being captured and held prisoner by Soviet soldiers. -
Dropping Of The Atomic Bombs
The United States became the first and only nation to use atomic bombs. By dropping a bomb on Hiroshima the US ended World War II, but also may have began the Cold War. Albert Einstein had warned the US that Germany was researching nuclear warfare so the US began to create its own atomic bomb. By the time it was completed the war in Germany had already come to an end so they used it on Japan, where there was still a war going on. -
VJ Day
On this day, Japan surrendered to the Allies and marked an end to World War II. Due to the Allies having better and more efficient technology, they were able to constantly attack Japan from the air and the sea. Japan suffered a high amount of casualties while the Allies only suffered a relatively small amount. Japan eventually had to just surrender.
