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Japanese invasion of China
The Second Sino Japanese War was a conflict that broke out when China began a full-scale resistance to the expansion of Japanese influence in its territory. -
German Blitzkrieg
The term "Blitzkrieg" in German means "Lightning War". Germany used these tactics during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and the invasion of Poland in 1939. It is a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces, including armored tanks and air support.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Fall of Paris
German invasion of France during WW2. When France and low countries were conquered it ended land operations on the Western Front until the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. -
Pearl Harbor
In 1941 Japanese forces bombed a naval base called Pearl Harbor that was located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese were trying to "eliminate" a threat by attacking one of US' military bases. After that day, FDR asked congress to declare war on Japan. -
Wannsee Conference
Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the “Final Solution” of the “Jewish question.” The minutes of this conference were kept with meticulous care, which later provided key evidence during the Nuremberg war crimes trials.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference -
Battle of Midway
This battle was almost entirely fought with aircraft. The United States destroyed Japan’s first-line carrier strength and most of its best trained naval pilots. the Battle of Midway ended the threat of further Japanese invasion in the Pacific. -
Operation Thunderclap
In 1944, there was a plan called operation thunderclap. The idea was to bomb Berlin, which would inflict many casualties. This plan was never put into action. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944, the invasion of Normandy became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. US, Canadian, and UK troops all were apart of the invasion. This invasion began to turn the tide against the Nazis.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day?scrlybrkr=f2105f92 -
Battle of the Bulge
(1944 - 1945) Hitler's last major offensive in World War II against the Western Front. German troops tried to divide Britain, France, and America. Claiming victory of the battle on January 25, 1945, and the Allies headed for Berlin. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The beginning of the Nazi concentration camp and extermination camps where more than a million people were murdered. This was apart of the Nazi's " Final Solution". -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a military campaign between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan. The US was determined to capture Iwo Jima. In the end Iwo Jima ended up falling to the American soldiers. -
Battle of Okinawa
Also known as operation iceberg was a war fought on the island of Okinawa. This provided the Allied forces with an airbase from which bombers could strike Japan and an advanced anchorage for Allied fleets. -
VE Day
VE day means "Victory in Europe" day. In 1945, the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, bringing an end to World War II in Europe.
https://ge.usembassy.gov/remembering-ve-day-honoring-the-end-of-world-war-ii/#:~:text=May%208th%20marks%20a%20significant,World%20War%20II%20in%20Europe. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
An American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later a bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. combined an estimated 12,000 people were killed. Plenty more people would die due to radiation exposure.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
VJ Day
VJ Day (aka Victory over Japan day) celebrated in the United States on the day formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/v-j-day#:~:text=on%20Pearl%20Harbor.-,Victory%20over%20Japan%20Day%20(V%2DJ%20Day)%20would%20officially%20be%20celebrated,light%20of%20the%20war's%20destructiveness.