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Rape of Nanking
The Japanese Armed Forces brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of people, including citizens and soldiers, in the Chinese city of Nanjing. Fearing the loss of his military forces in battles, China’s Nationalist leader CHaing Kai-Shek ordered the removal of nearly all the official Chinese troops, leaving the citizens defended by untrained auxiliary troops. Source : https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/nanjing-massacre -
Japanese Invasion of China
China was seeking raw materials for growing industries, so because of this China began a full-scale resistance to the expansion of Japanese influence in its territory. These attacks brought about Japan's surrender. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
This was a German Soviet Pact that allowed Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to invade Poland in September of 1939. It was an alliance between enemies that promised not to attack each other for 10 years, but to carve out pieces of Europe for territory. Less than 2 years later, Hitler launched an attack on the Soviet Union. Source : https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/german-soviet-pact -
German Blitzkrieg
These were tactics used in the successful German invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and France in 1940. During this time, lots of airborne infantry and applications of power were used. Source : https://www.britannica.com/topic/blitzkrieg -
Fall of Paris
In early June 1940, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands had fallen and the British had been driven into the sea by the Germans. The Germans had successfully taken more than one million Allied prisoners in the space of three weeks. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-France-World-War-II/The-fall-of-France-June-5-25-1940 -
Pearl Harbor
The Pearl Harbor Attack was a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that led to the entry of the United States into WW2. The Japanese saw this as a major U.S. asset and thought that attacking it would cripple their military. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack -
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched this operation for the sole purpose of the invasion of the Soviet Union. It was the beginning of a campaign that would ultimately decide the Second World War. Hitler regarded the Soviet Union as his natural enemy. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/Operation-Barbarossa -
Wannsee Conference
A meeting between Nazi officials to discuss and implement the “final solution” to the “Jewish question”. They discussed evacuating the Jews and a systematic plan for murder of Jews across all of Europe. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/Wannsee-Conference -
D-Day - Normandy Invasion
The Allied invasion of Western Europe, which was launched on June 6, 1944, was the simultaneous landing of the U.S., British, and the Canadian forces on five separate beachheads in Normandy, France. This attack was launched to drain German resources and block access to key military sites for the German Military. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/Normandy-Invasion -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The first atomic bomb, named 'little boy’ was dropped on Hiroshima from the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, at 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945. The second bomb, named Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki from the Bockscar, also a B-29 bomber. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/atomic-bombings-of-Hiroshima-and-Nagasaki -
Battle of the Bulge
This was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War 2, it was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German home territory. Hitler hoped that the German counter-attack would surround the British and American armies and stall the Allied offensive against Germany. Source : https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The United States launched an amphibious invasion on the island of Iwo Jima as part of its Pacific campaign against Japan. A costly battle for the United States, one of the most bloody battles for the U.S. Marine Corps. The U.S. launched this attack because it would make a great base for Allied fighters and needed to be captured. Source : https://www.britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Iwo-Jima -
VE Day
On Victory in Europe Day, Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies, including the United States. Germany surrendered because Hitler committed suicide. Source : https://www.britannica.com/story/why-is-christmas-in-december -
VJ Day
On Aug 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito broadcasted the surrender of the Japanese people on the Radio Tokyo. This marked the End of WW1. Source : https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/VJ-Day/#:~:text=Aug.,-15%2C%201945&text=15%20as%20V%2DJ%20Day.,news%20of%20the%20day's%20events. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As allied troops moved across Europe against Nazi Germany in 1944 and 1945, they encountered concentration camps, mass graves, and other sites of Nazi crimes. The unspeakable condition the liberators confronted shed light on the full scope of Nazi horrors. Source : https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation-of-nazi-camps