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Pearl Harbor
At 7.55 a.m. on December 7, 1941, 183 Imperial Japanese Navy airplanes attacked the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Within two hours, 18 US warships had sunk or been damaged, 188 aircraft had been destroyed, and 2,403 US servicemen and women had been killed. -
Battle of Coral Sea
Between 4 and 8 May 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea was a series of naval battles off Australia's north-east coast. It was fought between four large groups of warships by Allied (US and Australian) and Japanese aircraft. The fight ended the Japanese sea-borne invasion of Port Moresby. -
Battle of Midway
The U.S Navy's victory in the air-sea combat (June 3-6, 1942) and effective defense of the important base at Midway Island effectively ended Japan's dreams of neutralizing the U.S as a naval power. The Battle of Midway was one of the most significant victories for the United States during WW2. American leaders were able to predict Japanese moves thanks to code-breakers who were able to interpret Japanese naval code. The US Navy was able to surprise Japanese force and launch an attack. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
The Guadalcanal Campaign lasted from August 7, 1942, to February 9, 1943. Weeks after Japan begins construction of a major airstrip on Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific Ocean, US forces conduct a surprise attack, seizing control of the airfield and forcing the Japanese to retreat. The engagement marked the first time the US had gone on the offensive and attacked the Japanese since entering the war. -
Invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was an amphibious landing by the Allies on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, during the early stages of World War II's Italian campaign. General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group led the operation, which came after the victorious Allied Invasion of Sicily. -
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and related airborne operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in WW2 Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944. It was the greatest seaborne invasion in history, codenamed Operation Neptune and commonly referred to as D-Day. The D-Day invasion was crucial in World War II history. D-Day signaled the end of Nazi Germany's reign of terror; the Allies formally acknowledged Nazi Germany's surrender less than a year after the invasion. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23–26, 1944) was a significant WW2 air and sea battle that damaged the Japanese Combined Fleet, allowed the United States to invade the Philippines, and strengthened the Allies' control of the Pacific. This was important because it eliminated the Japanese navy from the war. This give the US an advantage over the Soviet Union. -
The Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference brought together three World War II allies: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. In February 1945, the three met for the first time. The goal of the Yalta Conference was to discuss what to do with Germany once it had been defeated, with an Allied victory looking likely. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
In early 1945, the Battle of Iwo Jima was a massive military battle between US Marines and the Imperial Japanese Army. All but 200 or so of the 21,000 Japanese men on the island, as well as nearly 7,000 Marines, were killed in some of the deadliest fighting of World War II. -
Manhattan Project
During World War II, the Manhattan Project was a research and development project that resulted in the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States, with the United Kingdom and Canada on board. As a result, fatman and little boy were created. -
Victory In Europe
Both the Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945. Cities across both countries, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, raised flags and banners in celebration of the Nazi war machine's defeat during WWII. -
V.J. Day
Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) would be celebrated in the United States on September 2, 1945, the day the formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. However, despite the joy of victory over Japan, the day was bittersweet in light of the war's damage.