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Invasion of Manchuria
This event was when the eastern seaboard of China, known as Manchuria, was attacked by Japan. Japan had been suffering from overpopulation and lack of natural resources, but once the great depression hit, they could not manage without them. This caused them to attack Manchuria in a desperate attempt to gain control back. this began on September 18th of 1931 and ended on February 27th of 1932. -
Tripartite Agreement
This was an agreement between France, the United States, and Great Britain to try and stabilize currency values between France. France still used a gold standard, unlike Great Britain and the United States. -
Rape of Nanjing
During the Sino-Japanese war, the capital of China, Nanjing was overtaken by Japanese forces. As a sick tactic to break spirit, the Japanese military saw to it that the city was destroyed. As well as the sickening treatment of Chinese citizens throughout, which aided in the creation of the name "rape of Nanjing." over 200,000 people were killed. including women who were raped and/or mutilated. The rest being "was prisoners" or mere citizens. this lasted from Dec 1937 to Jan 1938 -
Anschluss
Anschluss was the the announcing of the union between Austria and Germany. This news, brought about by Adolf Hitler, was caused by the small dream of both Hitler and Austria Social Democrats, that finally came true on march 12th of 1938. This union caused Austria to be absorbed and creating a greater, more powerful Germany. -
Munich Pact
the Munich Pact was the agreement of the cession of Sudetenland to Germany, and the evacuation of the Czechoslovakian population. This was caused by Hitlers demands of such, paired with France and Britain's fear of going to war with Germany. Their fear caused them to eventually give in to all of his demands, as he wouldn't settle for any less and was prepared to take it by force if needed. -
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also known as "Night of Broken Glass" was the event in which Nazis in Germany stormed around, injuring and killing Jews, burning and vandalizing any Jewish schools, homes, or businesses, as well as synagogues. Almost 100 Jews were killed. Before this night, the Nazi policies against Jews generally avoided violence. This act of aggression increased the dangers of living in Germany as a Jewish citizen. -
Non Aggression Pact
The Non-Aggression Pact was an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union that they would not take any military action against each other for the next 10 years. This was beneficial for the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin to ensure peace between themselves and Germany as the Soviet's needed time to build their military and avoid any impending wars. Adolf Hitler used this pact as a tactic to more easily invade Poland. This agreement soon fell apart when Nazis invaded the Soviet Union. -
Invasion of Poland
In the early hours of the morning, around 1.5 million German troops stormed Poland from the German controlled border. German U-boats began attacking from the Baltic sea. This even pushed France and Britain over the edge, and they declared war on September 3rd. Hitler claimed the invasion of Poland was a defensive act. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
The evacuation of Dunkirk was the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and Allied troops from Dunkirk, the French seaport, all the way to England. Around 340,000 people were saved, including British, French, and Belgian troops. This was caused by German forces cutting off British soldiers from the Allied French. -
Lend Lease Act
the Lend Lease Act was the U.S's means of aiding other nations in WW2. This included giving supplies and military power without the need for compensation. Countries such as Britain, China, Brazil, and the Soviet Union received supplies and weapons without payment. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was the major mission launched by Hitler in an invasion of the Soviet Union. Hitler sent over 9 million soldiers, separated into three army groups. The invasion front was a massive 200,000+ miles. Traveling all the way from the Black Sea to North Cape. The inevitable failure forced Germany to fight a two front war. -
Pearl Harbor
The event that took place at the U.S naval base near Honolulu was an attack from Japan. It started with no warning and had grave consequences. This attack destroyed many ships, airplanes, and other naval vessels. around 1,000 Americans were wounded, and 2,400 died. The U.S declared war on Japan the next day. -
Battle of Midway
This was a battle between the U.S and Japan, fought just about entirely with aircraft. The victory of the U.S eliminated the threat of Japanese invasion of the Pacific. This battle caused major damage to the Japanese navy. Thanks to code breakers, the U.S was able to predict this attack. -
D-Day Invasion
This was a battle of American, Canadian, and British forces against French. Within days, northern France had been taken. Months later, the Allies had defeated the Germans. These evens are known as the beginning of the end of war in Europe. -
Liberation of Paris
Before the Liberation of Paris, it was under the control of the Nazi party. Then the U.S 4th Infantry Division and the French Armored Division liberated, and took power from the Nazis. There was little German resistance to this event. -
Battle of The Bulge
The Battle of The Bulge began with a surprise attack initiated by Hitler, which caught American troops off guard. As German forces advanced it seemed hopeless. Then the Allied forces formed to appear like a large bulge & with skilled maneuvering they were able to neutralize the German threat. -
Adolf Hitlers Suicide
Adolf Hitler, German fuhrer, & Nazi leader, committed suicide by shooting himself with a pistol. Hitler had stayed behind in Berlin for the final phase of the war. Warned about Russian threats and visualizing his inevitable defeat. Hitler chose to commit suicide rather than attempt to escape. -
Surrender of Germany
After the suicide of Adolf Hitler, the new main German power, General Alfred Jodl, thought it best that Germany surrendered and accepted unconditional terms of surrender of Germany. Initially he tried to raise some terms of the agreement, but with Germany cornered he was forced to accept the terms given. Western war was officially over, and eastern war was soon to end. -
Hiroshima
This event was the dropping of a U.S bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Hiroshima contained a lot of Japans military power and forces, and had a population of over 300,000. This was the only use of nuclear power in the history of warfare. This happened because the surrender of Germany allowed the Allies to focus all their attention on the Pacific war. After the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan surrendered, ending WW2.
