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Germany’s invasion of Poland
Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion on Poland was a defensive action, but Britain and France were not convinced.
Because Germany invaded Poland, which means breaking their agreement, Britain and France declared war, starting World War II. They invaded Poland on Sept. 1,1939. After signing the non-aggression pact HItler had a surprise attack, German tanks and troops rumbled across the Polish border. -
Japanese invasion of China
In July 1937, Chinese and Japanese forces clashed south of Beijing and hostilities spread. The Japanese seized the Chinese capitol of Nanjing in December. Chiang Kai-shek refused to surrender even though the Japanese pushed onward. Chinese civilians experienced extreme brutality and aerial bombing, The Chinese were defeated by the Japanese. -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg in German was the term meaning "lightning war". It was used to describe Germany's novel military tactics in World War II. These tactics involved the rapid movement of infantry, tanks, and airpower over large areas -
Pearl Harbor
President Franklin Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." On that day, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans who most were just citizens. It completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. -
Bataan Death March
April 1942, American soldiers were forced to march 60 miles to prison camps by their Japanese captors. It is called the Death March because so may of the prisoners died en route. They did from the harsh weather, the lack of medicine, and dehydration. -
Battle of Midway
U.S. naval victory over the Japanese fleet in June 1942, in which the Japanese lost four of their best aircraft carriers. It marked a turning point in World War II. -
Allied invasion of Italy
180,000 Allied troops landed in Silicy, capturing it from Italian and German troops by August and toppling Mussolini from power. Italy surrendered on Sep 3, 1943. Fighting in Italy (against the Germans) continued until May 1945 when Germany fell. -
D-Day
Canadian soldiers land on Courseulles beach in Normandy, on June 6, 1944 as Allied forces storm the Normandy beaches. The turning point in the war; was the day of invasion of Normandy; over 9,000 soldiers died -
Liberation of concentration camps
Soviet soldiers were the first to liberate concentration camp prisoners in the final stages of the war. On July 23, 1944, they entered the Majdanek camp in Poland, and later overran several other killing centers. On January 27, 1945, they entered Auschwitz and there found hundreds of sick and exhausted prisoners. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
As a major battle in which the U.S. Marines landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Marines landed in the Pacific in what was the largest all-Marine battle in history. It was also the bloodiest in Marine Corps history. The U.. suffered over 7,000 casualties. It was a US victory. -
Battle of Okinawa
First Japanese island to be invaded. It was an island of immense strategic value. Involving over 500,000 troops and over 1,200 ships. Battle showed Japanese determination to resist invasion. Am's lost over 12,000 lives and Jap's over 100,000 defenders. it lasted 3 months and the Allies won. -
VE Day
March 1943-Russian army crosses the German border.
US and Russian forces meet on the Elbe River, anc
Hitler commits suicide after the Soviet Army surrounded Berlin
Victory in Europe Day- May 7, 1945, Germany surrenders -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
President Harry S. Truman was warned by some of his advisers that any attempt to invade Japan would result in horrific American casualties. He ordered that the new weapon be used to bring the war to a speedy end. On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five-ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. -
VJ Day
News of the surrender was announced to the world. This sparked spontaneous celebrations over the final ending of World War II. On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri. At the time, President Truman declared September 2 to be VJ Day. VJ stands for Victory over Japan Day.
