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Ribbentrop/ Molotov Pact
The non aggression pact involving Germany and the Soviet Union, states that the two countries agree not to attack each other, neither directly nor indirectly. Stalin sought to maintain the Soviet Union at peace with Germany. Hitler desired the pact, so that his soldiers could invade Poland unchallenged by the Soviet Union. Those exact reasons were the effects this pact had on the war; it allowed Germany to invade Poland and fight in other wars while avoiding a two front war. -
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German Blitzkrieg
Germany had a tactic called the “Blitzkrieg” or “Lightning War'', which was the plan to beat Germany’s foes in a series of brief battles. The reason behind this was because Germany thought this was the way to prevent a possible long war in the opening phase of World War Two. The effects of this lead to Germany overrunning many countries because of the effective tactic before being defeated by the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States. -
Pearl Harbor
The Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise bomb attack on the US Naval facility at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The Japanese Navy did this so that the US Navy would not be able to fight against their proceedings across the South Pacific. The impact was 20 American ships and almost 300 planes were disabled or destroyed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Most importantly, 2,403 sailors, soldiers, and civilians were killed, with approximately 1,000 others injured. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was the meeting of Nazi officials to correlate a plan, they called the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question.” They were not discussing whether or not to utilize the plan but how they would employ this plan successfully. Their hopes were to get support from the government and to inform participants about Hitlers involvement with the coordination of the plan. This conference impacted the invention of gas chambers and the origin of the mass killings of the Jewish people. -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March is the event in which 76,000 captured Allied soldiers were forced by the Japanese military to walk 80 miles across the Bataan Peninsula. The purpose for this was that the Japanese planned to have the soldiers march to a railhead inland to then be transported by train to a prisoner war camp, after surrendering following a three month battle. This march impacted many Allied soldiers' lives, killing close to 10 000 soldiers due to malnourishment, dehydration, and violence. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the Soviets defense against Germany's advances into the city of Stalingrad. Hitler wanted to embarrass Stalin by overrunning the city that was named after him. The battle ended as a turning point in the war for the Allies because a combination of many faults from German leadership led to their failure in taking control of the city. This battle is considered one of the most important battles in WW2 because it had a big influence on the resolution of the war. -
D-Day
D-Day was when the Allied troops, consisting of men from multiple countries, landed on the Normandy beaches in France, breaching German defences. This took place since the Allies sought to beat Germany, and they needed to break the German army in two in order to relieve pressure from the Soviet Union. This day was impactful to the war because the tables turned for Nazi Germany's campaign of violence. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was Germany's final major military effort in Europe. It’s purpose was to try and force the Allies back from German territory, but it was unsuccessful. This battle, initiated by the Germans, backfired and caused them to have many casualties and the loss of military surprise and four months later they surrendered to the Allied forces. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
American forces invaded the island of Iwo JIma, lasting for five weeks, and is known as being one of the bloodiest fights in World War Two. They did so because it was a strategic invasion for the Allies. They could utilize the island's airfields and not have the Japanese mainland alerted of their activities as well as they could use it as a WW2 staging area. In the end, the Allies won but they were not able to fulfill their plan, although they did get to rebuild and use the airfields. -
VE Day
VE Day was the celebration in America and Britain, of the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945. Germany surrendered because they were suffering from heavy losses, the Soviets were in Berlin, and Germany was suffering domestically in ways such as food shortages. This day was so impactful because it meant there was an end to the six year long war and an end to the so many losses people experienced all over the world. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The first atomic bomb was dropped by the United States in 1945, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and the second was dropped on Nagasaki. The U.S. prompted Japan to surrender but after the decline and no sight of surrender in the foreseeable future, dropping the atomic bombs was their plan for a quick end to the war. The bombs killed hundred thousands of people both from the bomb and from radiation poisoning after the explosion. The bombs did evoke Japan to surrender, bringing an end to the war. -
VJ Day
VJ Day was the day celebrated for the surrender of Japan to the Allies in WW2, officially bringing an end to the long war. The term for this day is used for both August 14, 1945 and September 2, 1945. The day in August was when it was announced that Japan surrendered and in September were when the formal surrender took place, but both are celebrated. This day marked the many countries allied together working to have this victory over Japan. -
Liberation of concentration camps
Allied and Soviet troops liberated the Nazis largest killing centre Auschwitz in 1945 and continued to liberate additional concentration camps. This was done to relieve the camp's prisoners from its unimaginable conditions. The world had no idea of the horrible actions being brought out in the liberation camps but after the liberations, people got a look into those awful acts and what the prisoners went through. From these liberations, we also got a chance to hear survivors' stories -
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration was designed to serve as a legal foundation for dealing with Japan after the war. The Potsdam Declaration served as the legal foundation for the occupation's reforms when the Japanese government surrendered. The conference failed to resolve the majority of the pressing concerns at hand, paving the way for the Cold War to begin soon after World War II ended. -
Battle of Okinawa
The final significant battle of WW2 was the Battle of Okinawa, between the U.S. and Japan. The U.S. saw this invasion as being a crucial part in their ground invasion of Japan because it would be a large base for them to start their invasion further into the Japanese homeland. The win is looked at now as being a vital step in Americas victory in the war because after winning this battle, the U.S. came to the decision to use atomic bombs rather than plan a whole invasion.
