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German Blitzkrieg
The Blitzkrieg was a German tactic used to overcome and confuse their enemy. The term had appeared in 1935, in the German military periodical Deutsche Wehr, in connection to quick or lightning warfare. The key elements to the blitzkrieg's success were shock and surprise, movement on the battlefield, initiative and flexibility, rapid movement into the enemy's flanks and rear, and tactical air superiority. It was to minimize the length of the war but quickly overcome their enemies. -
The fall of Paris
Paris fell to Nazi Germany on June 14, 1940, one month after the German Wehrmacht stormed into France. The Germans used blitzkrieg tactics that quickly overcame France with German troops, forcing France to surrender. The capture of France was a huge loss for the Allied war effort and would take a couple of years to regain some power. losing in France also showed that Germany had a more powerful military as well as better strategy overall. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese bombed a military harbor in Hawaii, the attack killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including 68 civilians, and destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy ships, including 8 battleships. The Japanese hopped for a quick war, trying to quickly cripple the US for a vital oil supply. The biggest effect of the pearl harbor bombing was the United States entering the 2nd world war. -
The Wannsee Confrence
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of senior government officials of Nazi Germany and Schutzstaffel leaders. It was held in the Berlin town of Wannsee on January 20th. It was used for discussing “the Jewish problem” and finding “Solutions”. Bringing about the holocausts, Causing the deaths of eleven Million people. -
Bataan death march
The bataan death march lasted 5 to 10 days, the captives were beaten, shot, bayoneted, and, in many cases, beheaded as they marched to Camp O'Donnell. American and Filipino troops were captured by Japanese forces after three months of fighting. 11,000 of the POWs died. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was one of the largest, longest and bloodiest battles in WW2 lasting from July 17 of 1942 through February 1943. More than two million troops fought during the battle of Stalingrad. Germany and its allies wanted control over Stalingrad in Southern Russia. Approximately 1.2 million people died during the fighting with the Russians coming out victorious. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was one of the largest, longest and bloodiest battles in ww2 lasting from July of 1942 through February 1943. More than two million troops fought during the battle of Stalingrad. Germany and its allies wanted control over Stalingrad in Southern Russia. Approximately 1.2 million people died during the fighting with the Russians coming out victorious. -
The allied attack on italy
The Allied attack on Italy made the Italians surrender and weakened German strength. Their allies believed that if Italy fell it would hasten the fall of Germany. The invasion forced the Italians to surrender and tied down German strength. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap. The plan was to bomb Berlin, which would inflict many casualties. However, the plan was never put into action. It was planned to put a swift end to the war but was not used because of bad weather. It impacted nothing because it was never used but it would have destroyed railways and other vital targets. -
D day
The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. D-Day was made for the immediate aftermath of America's entry into the war, and the agreement on a 'Germany first' strategy, a strategy of targeting the Germans before taking on Japan. Forcing the Germans out of the war. -
Liberation of concentration camps
On July 23, 1944 Soviet forces reached the Majdanek camp near Lublin, Poland and liberated it. As these camps were liberated more and more horrors of what the Germans were doing got uncovered. They were liberated as the Germans started losing these camps and the people were set free. After liberation, many Jewish survivors feared to return to their former homes because of antisemitism. -
The Battle of The Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge started on December 16, 1944, when German forces launched a surprise attack on Allied forces in a forest in Belgium and France. Hitler planned this attack in the hopes that they could overcome the British and American forces. This ambush caused Hitler 100,000 casualties and tremendous losses in military equipment. -
Iwo Jima invasion
Iwo jima was invaded by the United States marines on february 19th 1945. The marines started the invasion after months of bombardment from lanes and naval ships. The Japanese dug bunkers into volcanic rock, with approximately 70,000 marines fighting 18,000 Japanese soldiers. The U.S. wanted the island for an air base to attack Japan's heart from. Securing Iwo Jima prepared the way for the last and largest battle in the Pacific: the invasion of Okinawa. -
VE day
May 8th, 1945 was Victory in Europe Day, or V-E Day, Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies. VE day celebrations erupted around the world to mark the end of World War II. It marked the end of most of the fighting in Europe, ending the German assault. The Germans surrendered because of the loss of their Fuhrer, Adlof Hitler, after he shot himself. -
Atomic Bomb droppinng
Dropping of the first atomic bomb was on August 6th, 1945, in Hiroshima. During the blast, statues melted, tiles fused together, and the exposed skin of people miles away burned from the intense energy unleashed. At least 80,000 people died instantly. The Atomic Bombs were dropped to avoid a bloodier, longer drawn out battle against the japanese. -
VJ day
V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day, marks the end of WWII. On August 14, 1945, America announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, war-weary citizens around the world erupted in celebration. This was a celebration over our victory over japan. The Japanese surrendered after the two atomic bombs were dropped on two of their cities.