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Japanese Invasion of China
SourceThe Japan-China War began when the Japanese claimed that they were fired upon by Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. Using this as an excuse, the Japanese launched a full-scale invasion of China using the conquered Manchuria as a launching base for their troops. The Chinese army put up little resistance to the Japanese and were easily overthrown. -
German Blitzkrieg
Source In English, "blitzkrieg" is translated to "lightening war." This military tactic is designed to create chaos among enemy forces through the use of tanks and other vehicles while using rapid fire. The German army used blitzkrieg during the invasions of Poland, Belgium, France, and even the Netherlands. Germany used this strategy to avoid a long war by quickly eliminating their enemies with the use of 'rapid fire.' -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
SourceThis agreement is officially the Treaty of Non-aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It was signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in Moscow. It's intentions were to guarantee no war-like behavior from either party towards the other and neither party would ally itself to the other's enemy. The pact also included a secret protocol that divided the territories of Romania, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland into German and Soviet land. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
SourceThis was a joint invasion by Germany, a small group of Slovaks, and the Soviet Union. The German invasion began one week after the signning of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, while to Soviet Union moved in following the Molotov-Togo agreement. The campaign ended, which resulted in Germany and the Soviet Union dividing and annexing the entirety of Poland. -
Fall of Paris
Source On this day, Germany had invaded Paris, France. Prime Minister Winston Churchill endlessly attempted to convince the French government to not sue for peace and that America would come to their rescue. However, no help came. Many civillians had already fled by the time German tanks had arrived, but those who weren't as fortunate risked being arrested and interrogated. Paris was now the property of Adolf Hitler. -
Operation Barbarossa
SourceOperation Barbarossa was the was the code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II. Over the course of the operation, around four million soldiers of the Axis powers invaded Soviet Russia, making it the largest invasion in the history of warfare. The cause of this operation was from Adolf Hitler's desire to conquer Soviet territories. -
Pearl Harbor
SourcePearl Harbor was a surprise military attack by the Japanese Navy against the United States naval base in Hawaii. It was intended to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan. The base was attacked by Japanese fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes. This led the United States into World War II. -
Wannsee Conference
SourceThe Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior officials of Nazi Germany to ensure the cooperation of leaders of various government departments in the execution of the final solution to the Jewish question. The final outcome was to deport the Jews to the East. However, the "final solution" was to mass-murder all of the Jewish in an organised manner. -
Battle of Stalingrad
SourceThis was a major battle during World War II, in which Germany and its allies fought against the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad, Russia. This battle is considered to be the turning point in the war on the Eastern front. After six long months of fighting, the Soviet Union became victorious. This loss was a huge himiliation to Hitler and hs=is army. -
Operation Gomorrah
SourceOperation Gomorrah created one of the largest firestorms raised by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces in World War II. On average, it killed a total of 42,600 civillians. In this operation, there wre numerous strategic bombing missions and diversion raids. Hamburg was well defended, equipped with Radars and anti-aircraft defenses. The Americans and British created this operation in order to put a stop to, or at least warn, Hitler and his army. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
SourceDuring this time, the Allied invaded the Italian penninsula, crossing the Strait of Messina from Sicily and landing at Calabria. Once the Allies had landed, the Italian government secretly agreed to surrender. However, it did not go public until five days after the arrangement had been made. Mussolini's attempts to create a Fascists country failed due to numerous militray defeats. -
D-Day
SourceThe Normandy landings, also known as D-Day, were landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The operation had begun a year earlier, and in the months leading up to the attack the Allies had come up with a shceme to trick the enemy. The Allies mainly used air attacks, bombing Normandy. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive campaign throughout France and the Western Front towards the end of World Was II. Eric von Manstein planned the offensive with the goal to recapture an important harbor of Antwerp. The attack caught the Allies completely off-guard, resulting in a high casualty rate. Germany's armed forces were also diminished and were unable to replace. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
SourceThe Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States Armed Forces landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. America's goal was to capture the entire island, including the three Japanese-controlled airfields to provide an area to practice future attacks on Japan's main islands. -
Battle of Okinawa
SourceThe Battle of Okinawa included the largest anphibious assult in the Pacific War during World War II, which was supplied by the Allies. The Allies had planned to use Okinawa as a base for air operation on the planned invasion of Japanese mainland. It was codenamed Operation Downfall, in hopes that this attack would be the downfall of Japan's armed forces. -
VE Day
SourceVictory in Europe Day was the public holiday to celebrate the surrender of Germany and its armed forces. On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler had committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin, leaving Germany without their leader. Without someone in control, German forces had no clue what to do, thus resulting in their surrender. This is what ended World War II. -
Liberation of the Concentration Camps
SourceAs the Allies moved acorss Europe to fight Germany, they came upon nearly 10,000+ concentration camps. As they came closer to German territroy, the Germans attempted to cover up their 'mess' by demolishing them entirely. The Soviets began to overrun the remaining camps, liberating each. After Germany had surrenered, U.S. forces joined in and liberated some camps as well. -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
SourceSource On this day, the world's very first atomic bomb was dropped over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. As a result, approximately 80,000 people were killed due to the blast. President Herry Truman decided to use the atomic bomb on Japan to hopefully end the war and prevent future invasions between the United States and Japan. -
Operation Thunderclap
SourceOperation Thunderclap was the codename for a canceled operation that was postponed for later, but never happened. The plan was to unleash a massive attack on Berlin in the belief that it would cause millions of casualties. However, it was later decided that it was unlikely to work. The plan was reconsidered in 1945, but was again rejected because it was too impractical. -
VJ Day
SourceVJ Day, otherwise known as Victory Over Japan Day, was the day in whice Japan surrended to the United States, thus completely ending World War II. Japan surrendered only because of the bombing of Hiroshima. If it weren't for that, it is possible that the fued between these two countries could have lasted a lot longer.
