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Japanese Invasion of China
On July 16 1937, Japanese and Chinaese troops had clashed near Peiping in North China. Tension soon began to swell further due to the constant Japanese military activity near China.The Secretary of State Hull then urged Japan to restrain themselves from attacking.The Secretary of Sate Hull then stated that a first class country cannot afford to waste resources on a war.By restraining themselves they could develop a better attitude.
Source:https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/china.htm -
Rape of Najing
The Japanese Army murdered Chinese civillians.The Japanese soldiers then began to loot and rape civilians.The massacre lasted for six weeks starting from December 13 2016. They had murdered 300,000 soldiers and civilians out of the 600,000.The Japanese soldiers gained an upper hand due to the fact that the Chinese soldiers at Naking were loosely organized.50,000 Japanese soldiers had marched toward Nanjing in November.
Source:http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/nanking.htm -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
A non-aggression pact signed between Nazi-Germany and the Soviet Union in Moscow.At the same time this was an economic pact as well.The pact remained in force until Germany's Government broke the pact by attacking Russia.This pact guaranteed non-violence between the two nations.
Source:https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005156 -
Invasion of Poland
It was the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany. This was also known as the September Campagin.The Polish attempted to retaliate, but it proved ineffective due to thier forces being weakened in the Battle of Bzura.The campaign ended on the 6th of October the same year with the Soviet union dividing and annexing Poland altogether.
Source:https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070 -
Germany BlitzKrieg
This ment Lightning War and was a concept that helped in World War I.These tactics had overwhelmed Poland and other countries as well like Denmark.The soldiers would use momentum and speed to their advantage. They as well used heavily armored tanks and aircrafts to sweep the battlefield.
Source:http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Fall of Paris
The Germans conquered France, Belgium and the Netherlands and the end of land operations on what had been the Western Front. Germans pushed through the Ardennes and then along the Somme valley surround the Allied units, that had advanced into Belgium to meet the expected German threat. When British, Belgian, and French forces were pushed back to sea the British government decided to retreat. After the withdrawl, the German forces launched a second operation to completely "capture" Paris. -
Operation Barbarossa
The Nazi Germany's name for the invasion on the Soviet Union. Hitler tried to invade the Soviet Union mainly succeeded because he conquered the most economic areas in the Union, but could not control the defenses of Moscow. This led to Hitler to try to attack the other areas of the Union, but those all led to failure as well. -
Attack on pearl Harbor
The surprise attack by the Japanese to prevent action of the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interferring with their plans of attacking the overseas territories of the United Kingdom and some of the European front. This attack was comprised of 353 Japanese fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers damaging 8 aircraft carriers and 4 were sunk. -
Wannsee Conference
A meeting of senior officials of Nazi Germany, held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee.The purpose of the conference was to ensure the cooperation of administrative leaders of various government departments in the implementation of the final solution to the Jewish question, whereby most of the Jews of German-occupied Europe would be deported to Poland and murdered. -
Bataan Death March
The transfer of Philipino and American prisoners to Camp O' Donnel by the Imperial Japanese. These prisoners were mistreated, physically abused, and even bayoneted. On the march the prisoners were not fed at all and were given small rassions of water which led to them dying of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and starved. -
Battle of Midway
battle of midway info
The Battle of Midway was a naval battle that took place in the Pacific. 7 months after the Pearl Harbor attack and the Battle of the Coral Sea, the United States Navy defeated the Japanese fleet leaving their naval in terrible condition and is the most decisive blow in the history of naval warfare -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation GormorrahOperation Gomorrah is when British bombers raid Hamburg, Germany, by night in Operation Gomorrah, while Americans bomb it by day in its own “Blitz Week.”Britain had suffered the deaths of 167 civilians as a result of German bombing raids in July. The evening of July 24 saw British aircraft drop 2,300 tons bombs on Hamburg in just a few hours. The explosive power was what German bombers had dropped on London in their five raids -
Normandy Invasion "D-Day"
The Allied invasion of western Europe with the simultaneous landing of U.S., British, and Canadian forces on five separate beachheads in Normandy, France. By the end of August 1944 all of northern France was liberated, and the invading forces reorganized for the drive into Germany, where they would eventually meet with Soviet forces advancing from the east to bring an end to the Nazi Reich. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe to send a surprise blitzkrieg through the Ardennes to Antwerp as American units fought desperate battles to fight off the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. As the Germans went deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving the battle it's name. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was the code for a cancelled operation planned in August 1944. The plan was a massive attack on Berlin in the belief that would cause 220,000 casualties with 110,000 killed, this would shatter German morale. However, it was later decided that the plan will not work. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Three U.S. marine divisions landed on the island in 1945. 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops defended the island; fighting from caves, dugouts, tunnels, and underground installations. After a month of fighting, they wiped out the defending forces. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Okinawa campaign involved 287,000 troops of the US tenth army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese thirty-second army. During the capaign, the carriers of the BPF began striking Japanese airfields in the Sakishima islands. Japan lost more than 77,000 soldiers at the end of the campaign and 14,000 of the allies ended up dead.
By mounting few attacks, the Japanese saved their strength and energy for defense. On June 18th, Buckner was killed by enemy artillery while at the front. -
VE day
Great Britain and the United States celebrate victory on this day. It marks the formal acceptance by the Allies of WW2. Essentially, it marked the end of WW2 in Europe. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
When an atomic bomb is dropped in Hiroshima, it marked the end of WW2. The five-ton bomb caused deaths of over 80 thousand people from radiation poisoning and wounds. Japan announced its surrender a few days later. -
VJ Day
Japan's unconditional surrender to the allies was announced on August 14th, 1945. A formal surrender ceremony was performed on September 2nd, and this all ended the war.
