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Polish Invasion
Hitler invades Poland.
German & Soviet Casualties: 59,000
Polish Casualties: 859,000
This is an important event as it is the period of which many people see as the trigger to commence WW2. Hitler had already took so much but Poland was the last straw. -
British & French Declaration
PM Neville Chamberlain declares war on behalf of the UK and France on Germany after the assault on Poland.
This is the technical start of the war but not much was done to help the Polish army. -
German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg was in 1940 when the Germans invaded Belgium, The Netherlands and France. The Blitzkrieg was an application of air power and airborne infantry. It was nicknamed the lightning war because it was so fast and quick. They also stormed in with Tanks and artillery after the airborne strikes. This event would be significant because Hitler invaded all of these countries without giving them much/any notice of what they were doing. -
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Evacuation of Dunkirk
The evacuation occurred in Dunkirk, France. British, French, Canadian and Belgium troops had been forced backwards into Dunkirk by the advancing German troops. When Hitler ordered an attack on France, the allied armies had underestimated the power of the German army. Destroyers and transport ships were sent to evacuate the troops. However Hitler ordered his troops to Halt for three days. The term ‘Dunkirk spirit’ is used now for people bonding together when faced with adversity. -
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Battle of Britain
The battle of Britain was from the 10th of July 1940 - 31st of October 1940. It occured in British airspace. The battle of Britain was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air force defended the United Kingdom against large scale attacks by Nazi Germany’s air force. It has been described as the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. It's significance being the first defeat for Hitler's forces. -
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Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the codename for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. There was over 3 million German invaders making it the largest invasion force in history. This invasion enlarged the battlefield to eastern Europe and was a pivotal point for the allied coalition as another nation joined their ranks. Although the Germans won many battles their inability to take Moscow would lead their forces to eventually lose in a war of attrition. -
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German and Soviets on the streets of Kharkov -
Attack on Pearl Habour
The pearl attack was a surprise attack on The United States of America. The attack led to the formal entry entry of America into World War II. In the attack 2403 people died. With the addition of America, the tides of war had changed to favour an allied counterattack. -
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The Fall of Singapore
The Fall of Singapore was a battle fought in the South-East-Asian theatre of World War II from the 8th to the 15th of February 1942. The outbreak was caused when the Empire of Japan invaded the British stronghold of Singapore otherwise known as the “Gibraltar of the East”. The event should be considered significant for it was the largest British surrender in History, it symbolises Japan’s power to take control over other Asian countries. -
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Surrendering Troops held at gunpoint by Japanese infantry. -
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Attacks on Australia
In 1942 Japan proceeded to make attacks on Australia. There were 242 Japanese aircrafts that attacked Darwin’s townships. From the extreme results of the bombing there were many casualties and they were lightly defended relative to the size of the attack. The significance of the location of the bombing the allies were unable to use the area for bases to contest the invasion of Timor and Java during the war. It goes down as the single largest attack ever mounter by a foreign power on Australia. -
Battle of Midway
It was only 6 months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour. It was the United States Navy who inflicted an attack on the Imperial Japanese Navy. In success the American’s caused irreparable damage. Military historian John Keehan quotes “the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare” which is a reason why this event appears so significant, and it also demonstrates the pure power of the United states how they are able to cause much stress upon other powerhouse Japan. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was the largest battle in the history of warfare.
The soviets faced Germany, Italy, Romania, Hungary and Croatia for control of the city of Stalingrad in the south of the Union. The Soviets were pushed back onto the Volga River but in November were able to push back the weaker armies of Romania and Hungary encircling the German army for 2 months.
It is important as it was the end of German advances into Eastern Europe. It was one of the first German losses in WW2. -
D-Day
Operation Overlord was the largest naval military assault which resulted in the liberation of western Europe. The start of the battle of Normandby. British, American and Canadian troops stormed the beaches in northern France. Allied troops were able to start securing the areas allowing for more vehicles, troops and equipment to be brought over. This battle proved significant as the battle was finally brought back on to French soil. Considered to be the beginning of the end of the War. -
The Battle of the Bulge
The battle of the Bulge was the final major German counter-offensive through the Ardennes as they had done many times before. More than a quarter of a million Germans stormed through the heavily forested ardennes against two small US divisions. The 106th were battered but bought time for a new allied front. This front resembled a bulge. This was important as the allies were able to hold off the Germans and exhausted their resources giving an opportunity to continue pushing forward. -
The Battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima
Were battles fought between America and Japan. This would be the first of the war on the Japanese home islands. Almost all of the Japanese were killed and was significant as it allowed the possibility of invasion as allied forces were within reach. The Japanese homelands were now also within bombing range. -
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Battle of Berlin
The Soviet's final push on Germany to end the fighting in Europe. In Stalin's attempt to steal the glory 70,000 Russians died. Hitler was gone and the Germans were left in rubbles. The Soviets had taken their revenge and almost a quarter of a million casualties were reported in those final 3 weeks. It's importance lies in the purge of the belief that a thousand year reich was plausible. -
Hiroshima
With assistance from the Manhattan project and the surrender of Germany the allies turned their attention to the pacific front. The atomic bomb 'Little Boy.' The bomb devastated the land killing between 90,000-146,000. This event marked the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. This was in an attempt to force the Japanese to surrender. -
Nagasaki
3 Days after the horrific bombing of Hiroshima, the Japanese continued fighting and so the Americans decided once again to drop a B-29 atom bomb. The 22 kiloton blast killed 80,000 and forced a surrender. Emperor Hirohito announced surrender on the 15th to "a new and most cruel bomb."
