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Japanese invasion of China
Japanese amry fought with the Chinese in North China, on July 7, 1937. They occupied several principle cities, including the capital, an action that drew rebuke from the League of Nations, but had no other real effect. Japan's invasion of China was due essentially to Japan's desire to be an imperial power. Japan needed more resources. Japan wanted to be an industrial and military power. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/china.htm' -
Rape of Nanking (1937)
On December 13, 1937 a Japanese Army stormed China's capital city of Nanking and murdered 300,000 Chinese civilians. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/nanking.htm -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
This treaty stated that both countries agreed to remain neutral and to refrain from acts of aggression against each other if either went to war. The Nazis wanted to ensure that their planned takeover of Poland would not be opposed by the USSR. Germany could deal with the France and Britain in the west without having to simultaneously fight the Soviet Union on a second front in the east. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/german-soviet-nonaggression-pact -
Germany's invasion of Poland
On September 1, 1939 German forces under Hilter's command attacked Poland. Hitler wanted to regain lost territory and rule Poland. German forces drop bombs from planes onto Poland. After this Hitler began terrrorizing Poland's civilians, until Great Britain came to Poland aid.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
"The Germany Blitzkrieg" was supposedly the German military doctrine developed before the war and used throughout it. Germany's doctrine consisted of surprise attacks, rapid movement, and avoiding enemy strongpoints. http://olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_ops_battles_1940blitzkrieg.php -
Fall of Paris
German forces outflanked the Maginot Line to attack the larger territory of France. Italy declared war on France on 10 June. The French government fled to Bordeaux, German troops enter and occupy Paris on June 14, 1940 at 8p.m. France was divided into a German occupation zone in the north and west, France remained under German occupation until after the Allies landed in 1944. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris -
Operation Barbarossa
A massive invasion launched by Adolf Hitler on June 22, 1941. Three million German soldiers attacked Russia, Different groups of German soldiers had different objectives: Northern Front objective was Leningrad. Central Front objective was Moscow.
The Southern Front objective was to capture the city of Kiev. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
Early morning on December 7, 1941 Japan attacks the U.S naval base at Pearl Harbor, more than 2,000 people were killed both military and civilian. Soon after the U.S declares war on Japan. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior officials of Nazi Germany, held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on 20 January 1942. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
Bataan Death March
The U.S. surrendered the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese during World War II. The Japanese forced 75,000 Filipino and American troops to march 65-miles to prison camps. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the 1943 act of Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland during World War II. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
Operation Gomorrah
The Allied bombing of Hamburg during World War II included numerous strategic bombing missions and raids. During the first week of july by British and American militaries. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II in Europe. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was a series of air raids to be launched against east German population centers. This didn't happen until January 12, 1945. http://ww2orc.tripod.com/id15.htm -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the U.S. Marines landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a series of battles fought in the Ryukyu Islands, centered on the island of Okinawa, and included the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day, VE Day or simply V Day was the public holiday celebrated on 8 May 1945 to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
President Harry S. Truman, warned by some of his advisers that any attempt to invade Japan would result in horrific American casualties, ordered that the new weapon be used to bring the war to a speedy end. On August 6, 1945, the American bomber Enola Gay dropped a five-ton bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
VJ Day
On August 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. This sparked spontaneous celebrations over the final ending of World War II. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
