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Germany's invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland and after weeks, They knew that they could attack Poland without fearing the Soviets intervening. Poland's army lost. German units including 2,000 tanks and 1,000 planes broke through the border of Poland and advanced on Warsaw. Warsaw endured heavy shelling and bombing until they surrendered to the Germans. As a result, Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939 and the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939. -
German Blitzkrieg
This is a war tactic that was used. Internal combustion engines were combined with modern communications technology. This would disorganize the opposing side. It was first used in Poland. Once when it was used, in less than 6 weeks, the German army was able to defeat the combined forces of four nations. It was extremely effective. -
Fall of Paris
The french needed help from the U.S. They asked for help, and the United States tried to do so by sending materials; however, before the aid came, German tanks arrived in Paris and 2 million Parisians had already fled. Soon, the German Gestapo began arresting, interrogating, and spying. -
Operation Barbossa
Adolf Hitler sent three great army groups eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union. German combat was the most effective at this point in the war, for training, doctrine, and fighting ability. This was the turning point of the war because its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war. -
Jewish Concentration and Death Camp
Germans established three extermination camps. The Nazis built these camps as a way to have a system to murder Jews. Gas chambers were used and methods such as cremating bodies were used to cover up the traced of the murders that were committed. These camps resulted in the deaths of 1,700,000 Jews. -
Bataan Death March
The U.S. surrendered the Philippine peninsula of Bataan to Japan. About 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced to march 65 miles to prison camps. This trek was made in intense heat. Thousands died due to this as well as harsh treatment from British guards. -
Battle of Midway
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan. They were able to interpret a code from Japan, showing them all of Japan's plans. They were able to plan an counter to Japan's attack, causing permanent damage to the Japanese navy. This was an important turning point. It allowed the Allies to move from a defensive position to an offensive position. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Hand to hand combat broke out in Stalingrad. Germans were trying to capture the city. Russia was trying to prevent the city's capture. Germans questioned why they were fighting. The answer to this is to fuel the egos of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. This Battle resulted in stopping the Germans from advancing into the Soviet Union. Essentially, the tide of the war had turned in favor of the Allies. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allies invaded Italy. They did this for many reasons. The British Chiefs of Staff thought that invading Italy would let them use troops that would have otherwise remained unused for another year to continue the ground war with Germany. It would also draw Axis troops away from France and the Soviet Union. The allied invasion of Italy gave the Allies victories that helped them in reconquering the Mediterranean and northwest Europe and gave the Allies experience in amphibious operations. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
This event is also known as Operation Overlord. It was considered to be one of the largest battles that happened on both land and water. Before D-Day the Allies made a diversion to trick the Germans about the actual target that they intended to invade. As a result, all of northern France was liberated by August 1944, and the Allies were victorious over the Germans by the following spring. The Normandy landings were considered to be the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Soviet forces approached a major Nazi camp. The Nazis were surprised by the advancement of the Soviets and tried to rid the area of the evidence. They tried to demolish the camp. They burned the crematorium that was used to burn bodies but the gas chambers were not destroyed. The Soviets also overran other execution cams, resulting in the Germans dismantling the camps in 1943. -
Battle of the Bulge
The war looked as though it was ending; however, Hitler had devised a counterattack, surprising the Allies. Nearly 80,000 were killed, maimed or captured. Hitler's plan was to split the American-British Alliance, causing the to quarrel which in turn will prevent the negotiation of peace. By the end of the war, 16,000 Americans had died and 60,000 were either wounded or captured. German casualties were said to be double that amount. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
America made an amphibious attack on Iwo Jima because of the need for a base near the Japanese coast. There were about 23,000 Japanese troops defending Iwo Jima from an elaborate network of caves, dugouts, tunnels, and underground installations. Although conditions were difficult, U.S. marines made a victory after about a month of fighting. -
Battle of Okinawa
The U.S. fights Japan. The U.S. had to attack Okinawa because they needed a base to stage an invasion of mainland Japan. There were 287,000 U.S. troops and 130,000 Japanese troops involved. It lasted 82 days. By the end of the battle, 77,000 Japanese soldiers died and there were 65,000 casualties for the Allies. -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
About 80,000 people were instantly killed when an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later. This caused 40,000 more deaths. This was the only nuclear attack in history. In the following months, 100,000 more people died due to radiation poisoning. This attack was ordered by President Harry Truman.
