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Germany Invades Poland
Info LinkNazi invasion of Poland Documentary
The Germans invaded Poland on September1, 1939, to reclaim their land that had been taken by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler thought that he needed to come in and save the Germans that were in Poland. He wanted to take back his land and his people. He broke the Treaty of Versailles and built up a large army to take over the whole country, which he did. The event set off the war in Europe. -
Germany Invaded France and Captured Paris
Info LinkHitler in Paris
In May of 1940, German forces made their way through neutral Belgium, to the Ardennes forest. From there they attacked France's border with Belgium and took France completely by surprise. Hitler was invading everyone and France was bound to fall. This event caused Germany's reign to grow and the allies to shrink. It caused the rest of the world to fear Germany and also created some anger with Germany as well. -
The Battle of Britain Began
Info LinkBattle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was caused by the Germans wanting to destroy the RAF. The Germans wanted to destroy Britains air fleet so as to increase their chances of winning the war. -
The Lend Lease was put into place
Info LinkLend-Lease
Lend-Lease Act was the principal means for providing U.S. military aid to foreign nations during World War II. It authorized the president to transfer arms or any other defense materials for which Congress approved. By allowing the transfer of supplies without compensation to Britain, China, the Soviet Union and other countries, the act permitted the United States to support its war interests without being crippled in battle. -
Operation Barbarossa
Info LinkOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. Germany broke its non-aggression pact with the USSR. Barbarossa was the crucial turning point in World War II, for its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two-front war against a coalition possessing immensely superior resources. -
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor
Info LinkBombing of Pearl Harbor Footage
The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. -
The United States declares war on Japan and Germany
Info LinkAmerica Declares war on Japan
On December 8, 1941, the United States Congress declared war on Japan in response to that country's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day. Germany had an alliance with Japan so since Japan went to war with America, Germany had to defend Japan. This caused the U.S to join fully in the war. -
Bataan Death March
What Was The Bataan Death March?
After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese, the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. This trek caused many soldiers to perish and created a lot of anger within America. -
The United States won the Battle of Midway
Info LinkBattle of Midway Documentary
The United States was able to preempt and counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers, inflicting permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. An important turning point in the Pacific campaign, the victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position. This battle caused even more tension between America and Japan. -
The Soviet Union defeated Germany at Stalingrad
Info LinkNazi defeat footage
The Battle of Stalingrad was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. It caused The Soviet Union to hate the Germans even more. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Info LinkThe Story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
From April 19 to May 16, 1943, residents of the Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, Poland, staged an armed revolt against deportations to extermination camps. The Warsaw ghetto uprising inspired other revolts in extermination camps and ghettos throughout German-occupied Eastern Europe. -
D-Day
Info LinkD-Day Documentary
The Battle of Normandy resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. The battle known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe. It caused the end of the war to come into light. -
Battle of the Bulge
Info linkBattle of the Bulge
As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. Lieutenant General George S. Patton’s successful maneuvering of the Third Army to Bastogne proved vital to the Allied defense, leading to the neutralization of the German counteroffensive despite heavy casualties. It led to an allied win. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Info LinkLiberation Statement from Bergen-Belsen
Soviet soldiers were the first to liberate concentration camp prisoners in the final stages of the war. The Germans had been forced to leave the prisoners behind in their hasty retreat from the camp. British, Canadian, American, and French troops also freed prisoners from the camps. This showed how close the end of the war really was. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Info linkIwo Jima Footage
Three U.S. marine divisions landed on the island in February 1945. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, who fought from an elaborate network of caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. This event caused America to show off its superiority to Japan. -
Dropping the bomb on Hiroshima
Info linkFirst-Hand accounts of the Hiroshima Bombing
An American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. This caused the bombings of more Japanese cities and Japan to fear America.
