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Rape of Nanking
In 1937, over a period of six weeks, Imperial Japanese Army forces murdered hundreds of thousands of people in the Chinese city of Nanking.The horrific events are known as the Rape of Nanking, as between 20,000 and 80,000 women were sexually assaulted. Nanking was left in ruins, and it would take decades for the city and its citizens to recover from the savage attacks. Thee death toll ranges from 200,000 to 300,000 people.
https://www.history.com/topics/japan/nanjing-massacre -
Miracle at Dunkirk
On May 12th, 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of France.The Allied forces had underestimated the strength of the German forces and had to retreat to the harbour and beaches of Dunkirk where they were trapped. On May 26th, 1940, Winston Churchill ordered "Operation Dynamo" where nearly 330,000 Allied troops were evacuated. It was a miracle as the evacuation seemed impossible. The operation ended on June 4th, 1940.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Dunkirk-evacuation/The-miracle-of-Dunkirk -
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany and its Axis allies began a massive invasion of the Soviet Union named Operation Barbarossa. 4.5 million troops launched a surprise attack deployed from Poland, Finland, and Romania. More than 800,000 Soviets had been killed. Despite massive advances, Hitler's plan to conquer the Soviet Union before winter had failed. This would be a key turning point. The operation ended on December 5th, 1941. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was the meeting of Nazi officials on January 20,1942, in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to plan the “final solution” of the Jews. Many ideas were discussed but it ultimately led to the Mass extermination of the Jews.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Wannsee-Conference -
Bataan Death March
After the April 9, 1942 U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a 65-mile march to prison camps. It became known as the Bataan Death March. Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu, commander of the Japanese invasion forces in the Philippines was held responsible for the death march and was executed.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
D-Day
D-Day was a day in World War II in which Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy. Many soldiers were killed, but the allies secured the victory. The Normandy invasion began to turn the tide against the Nazis. It also prevented Hitler from sending troops from France to build up his Eastern Front against the advancing Soviets.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was an epic military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan in early 1945. American forces invaded the island on February 19, 1945, and the ensuing Battle of Iwo Jima lasted for five weeks. In some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II, it’s believed that all but 200 of the 21,000 Japanese forces were killed, as were almost 7,000 Marines. The Americans had captured Iwo Jima.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Tokyo Fire Raids
The bombing of Tokyo was a firebombing raid (codenamed “Operation Meetinghouse”) by the United States on the capital of Japan during the final stages of World War II. This raid killed at least 80,000 people, and likely more than 100,000; some one million people were left homeless. The Japanese later called this the “Night of the Black Snow.” This wasn't the first time the U.S. bombed the Japanese but it was one of the deadliest.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bombing-of-Tokyo
