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Janpanese Invation of China
In July of 1937, Japan invaded China as the second Sino-Japanese War. Japan did this because it needed more resources for their people than their land had. The invasion caused Japan's relations with the League of Nations to go down the toilet. They eventually left the League with no repercussions. (BBC) -
Germany Blitzkrieg
Germany's war tactic was called the blitzkrieg. It was a fast star at egg that involved them taking down countries quickly and by surprise. They did this so enemies would be easier to defeat and caught off guard. This caused Germany's empire to grow fast and was a very successful way to capture Europe. (BBC) -
Germany's Invation of Poland
In September of 1939 Hitler and the German army invade Poland after securing the neutrality of the Soviet Union. Germany did this to expand their empire and "take back what was theirs." This caused France and Britain to declare war starting WWII. This invasion led to the worst war in human history. (Ushmm) -
Fall of Paris
German invasion of France in 1940. Germany was still expanding on its blitzkrieg plan now moving into France. This causes some ruffled feathers in the allies and eventually they will get stormed in Normandy France on d-day. (BBC) -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was Germany's decision to bomb and invade Stalingrad Russia. They did this to quickly take Russia off guard just as they did with everyone else. However it did not work Russia fought back harder than expected causing a Two front war. This was the turning point of the war when Germany's plan began to fail.(ushmm) -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a devastating blow on America. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor to begin their invasion on the United States. This caused the United States to join the war. This also ultimately led to Japan's defeat. (Ushmm) -
Wannsee conference
The Wannsee conference was held by German officials to discuss the Final Solution. This was a plan to exterminate all Jews living in the territory. They did this because they believed the Jewish people were the roots of their problems. This caused even more backlash on Germany during and especially after the war. (BBC) -
Bataan Death March
March on Bataan Peninsula by POWs and Filipino natives. This was caused by an United States loss and thousands of POWs. This meant a huge blow to the US military and a morale booster for Japan however it doesn't last. (History Channel) -
Battle of Midway
Decisive naval battle in the middle of Japan and US territory. The United States victory at Midway was the turning point of the war. Defeating the Japanese fleet of naval and airborne forces weakened Japan to a point they couldn't recover from. As shown by the United States inevitable victory. (Ushmm) -
Battle of Stalingrad
German was neutral with the Soviet Union up until this point. When Germany attacked Stalingrad and their blitzkrieg strategy didn't work it turned the war around not in their favor. Now at war with Russia, Germany had to split its resources between two fronts proving to be their downfall. (History Channel) -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah involved the bombing of Hamburg Germany. US planes bombed it by day while Britain forces bombed it by night. They did this to demoralize and weaken Germany to win the war. (History Channel) -
D-Day
A massive invasion to take back France for the allies. The allies organized a surprise, amphibious invasion. This led to the allies breaking the Western front and into the battle of the bulge. This also ultimately led to the victory over the Nazis. (Ushmm) -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The Soviets and Allies both began liberating concentration camps as they got to them between 1944-1945. The holocaust would be ended and thousands of lives saved, although many had already been lost, however they need to be remembered. (Ushmm) -
Battle of the Bulge
After taking back and liberating France Germany orders one last push against the allies. They did this because they saw their failing efforts in the war and were desperate to return to their prior form. This loss directly led to the allies victory. (Ushmm) -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation thunderclap was the plan to bomb Eastern Germany to show the people that the Nazi regime had failed them. This was smart to lower morale and get their people to not be motivated. This was supposed to be implemented with a Soviet advance however it was later determined that it would not work and they didn't go through with it. (BBC) -
Battle of two Jima
The Japanese army occupied an island that the United States wanted from them which initiated this battle. The island had 3 Japan airfields and operation detachment helped to capture all 3. We did this to weaken Japan's army so that ultimately we could win the war. (Ushmm) -
Battle of Okinawa
Also known as operation iceberg Okinawa was a series of tough battles fought at the Ryukyu islands. It featured the largest amphibious assault of WWII, bigger than D-Day. This island was crucial in their plan to defeat Japan. They planned on using the island as their home base in the eventual invasion of Japan's homeland. (Ushmm) -
VE Day
Victory in Europe day. Marked the day of the allies win in Europe and Germany's unconditional surrender. This meant only Japan was left to defeat in the Pacific and Hitler was finally dead. Also the holocaust is over. (BBC) -
Atomic Bomb Dropping
A B-29 bomber drops the first ever deployed atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This was the move for the United States that made the most sense due to the lack of casualties. This directly caused Japan's surrender and victory in the war.(History Channel) -
VJ Day
The day the Empire of Japan surrendered. They did this because of the atomic bomb droppings and their inevitable loss of the war. This meant an end to debatably the largest war in history. (Ushmm)
