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The Invasion of Manchuria
Japan was known as a growing population and needed more resources and territory. The Government split into civil and military factions. In 1931, China experienced inner political turmoil. Japan decided to take advantage of the situation. They invade Manchuria and captures it. They invaded Manchuria because they are a resource rich area and Japan lacks the source of natural resources. Because of Japan’s decision, the world protests it and Japan just ignores their words. -
Invasion of Manchuria cont.
This is important in the war because Japan started to build up their military and naval forces after the other countries comment on their actions. Japan then started to become aggressive towards the other countries, so both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. put pressure on Japan to see if they will back off. The U.S. was most nervous that Japan would try and take the Philippines from us. Our solution was to slowly make the Philippines independent. -
Blitz into Poland
This event begins at September 1st, 1939- 4:45 am. Blitzkrieg- also translates to Lighting war, it is fast moving troops that are supported by air power. Poland’s way of defending themselves uses horses and outdated technology that the Germans quickly overcome. They are related to the war in Europe because Germany and Russia agreed to equally invade Poland and after they can split their land for both. Germany claims their invasion on Poland was used to assert their dominance. -
Blitz into Poland cont.
This was an important part of the war because Germany’s main idea was to expand throughout the countries they would capture. To break the thought that the USSR would aid Poland during this event, Germany signed the non aggression pact to ensure they could not help. -
Battle of the Atlantic
It was a contest between the Western Allies and the Axis powers to see who would gain control of the Atlantic for the use of the sea routes. For the allied powers, their three objectives consisted of: blocking of the Axis powers, security of Allied movements, military power. Allies prepare for the cross-channel invasion by bringing supplies to Britain. Allies begin using convoys and Sonar device to detect objects in the water. Allies later win the battle and preparations begin. -
Battle of the Atlantic cont.
This was a significant event of the war because it occurred through a majority of it. German U-boats tried to control it with their stealth, but they were no match for the new technology that was combating that. The battle was between the Allies and Axis on who could control the waterways from Britain’s biggest producer of war products. -
Dunkirk
It was the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Forces and other allied troops from France’s seaport. Naval vessels and many civilians boats were used to move back to England. The evacuation started May 26, and ended on June 4th. 198,00 British troops and 140,000 French and Belgium troops were saved following the evacuation. -
Dunkirk cont.
This was important in the war because, their only option was to leave the seaport because Germany’s forces were getting too strong to handle. This war was also known as the “phony war”, it ended as soon as the Germans invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg. Germany used a blitzkrieg for a quick attack. -
Germany invades France
May 1940- Germany captures Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Next, Germany blitzes into France and drives a wedge between both country's troops. Then, they force British troops to evacuate Dunkirk back to Britain. Once Germany invades France, Hitler forces France to surrender in the same car the Treaty of Versailles was signed in. Germany then directly controls northern France to get a head start on the invasion of Britain. -
Germany invades France cont.
This was an important event because the French forces produced the Maginot Line to prevent any German forces from entering France. Little did France know, the German forces went around the line and came in from the countries surrounding France. -
Battle of Britain
The battle showcased how strong Britain's defense was while Germany was bombarding them. These raids lasted from July to Sep. 1940. If the German force gained victory from the raids, it would let them invade Britain. If they did invade Britain and gained control, they would then have control of French ports right across the English Channel. The battle was won by the Royal Air Force. Their victory blocked the possible chance of invasion but also led to the defeat of Nazi Germany. -
Battle of Britain cont.
This was significant to the event of the war because it one chance that Germany could have taken control of Great Britain and wiped out a large force against them. If Britain allowed for an invasion, Germany would have gained more land, thus becoming an even stronger force. -
Germany invades Greece
The Germans enter Athens on April 27th. They order one of the elite soldiers of the Greek army to remove the flag over Acropolis. The soldier listens to his order and commits suicide from the walls of the ancient fortress. Greece later goes into large famine. Rates of produce decreases from 15% to 30%. Germany and Italy later argue on whose responsibility it is to feed the country. Greeks believe that it is Germany’s plan to exterminate them with the use of starvation. -
Germany invades Greece cont.
This is relevant in the scheme of WW2 because it Germany’s idea to try and gain as many countries as possible. Mussolini was originally going to take Greece to show its dominance towards Germany, but Germany, the more dominant force, took power of Greece. -
Operation Barbarossa
Also known as Operation Fritz, this was known as the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. The German troops could not defeat the Soviet troops, and that led to a very important turning point in the war. At first, Hitler and Stalin created a nonaggression pact in 1939. This made them neutral towards each other, and even signaled that they were working together. Hitler later had a planned invasion of the Soviet Union in May of 1941. -
Operation Barbarossa cont.
This was an important part of the war because both countries made a neutrality pact towards each other. It shows how Hitler turned his back in trying to become the strongest power in Europe. Even though Russia had old technology, they could learn new technology from Germany. -
Pearl Harbor
360 Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor. After the event, it was later discovered that they had a model in Japan. They practiced to have the procedure go as smoothly as possibly. It connects to the war because it was a turning point for the United States. Before, the U.S. was declared as neutral in the war except for manufacturing war products. One reason it did happen was because the U.S. stopped trade with Japan, since they are not as resource rich as we are. -
Pearl Harbor cont.
This is significant in the events of the war because the U.S. was neutral with what was happening before we were attacked. With that attack, it really affected the country so much that they decided to join the war in hopes to stop the violence that could be brought on the country. -
Philippines Campaign
This battle was also known was the invasion of the Philippines by Imperial Japan. The U.S. was also trying to defend the islands with Filipino forces. Japan launched the invasion by sea over 200 miles away to the north of the Philippines. The Japanese forces moved their defensive positions in the Bataan Peninsula which allowed the U.S. and Filipino forces to hold for 4 more months. The invasion of the Philippines by Japan was the worst defeat for America they have every been through. -
Philippines Campaign cont.
This battle is significant because the U.S. was originally in control of the Philippines before the war started, but then Japan started to instigate the U.S. as if they were going to try and take it. The U.S. then let go of the Philippines and made them independent over a 10 year period. -
Bataan
March- 60,000 prisoners march 70 miles through steamy jungle to the Prisoner of War camps. Over 10,000 prisoners die from abuse, starvation and exhaustion. Without supplies, U.S. and Filipino forces were able to fight Japanese forces for 3 months. They were able to make the Japanese retreat south. The U.S. forces later surrendered to the Japanese forces with 76,000 soldiers. This was known as the largest surrender the U.S. has ever faced. -
Bataan cont.
This was a significant event of the war because in earlier times, Japan was threatening other countries by building up their military and Navy. U.S. first thought is that they were going to try and take the Philippines from them. To keep their best interests in mind, they slowly let go of their power there. They began to wean them off of their resources and governing. -
Doolittle Raid cont.
This event was significant because the U.S. was angered by the attack of Pearl Harbor. They decided to directly get back at them. Since Japan has strong forces, the U.S’s plan was quickly figured out. The U.S. did not get defeated but they did suffer from some minor damage to the aircraft. -
Doolittle Raid
It was a surprise attack on Tokyo by the U.S. Very little damage was made but it did help the overall feelings of the U.S. This only led to Japan’s leader to find a way to make an offensive attack. After Pearl Harbor, FDR wanted to attack Japan. Their original air craft was not good enough for Japan’s strong defense. They developed a new plan led by Colonel Doolittle. Their idea was to bomb Japan and then fly straight to China. Their idea worked, but they did run out of fuel and were spotted. -
Coral Sea cont.
This contributed to the events of the war because the Japanese tried to cover up the invasion by coding the message. They thought the U.S. would never find out, but they used Cryptographers to discover the message. Also, the use of air force became very popular since types of weapons also industrialized. -
Coral Sea
This battle lasted four days and was known for the first air/sea battle in history. Japan was trying to take control of the Coral Sea which is northeast of Australia. They were also planning to invade Port Moresby, located in southeast New Guinea. When the Japanese landed in the area, they were attacked by aircraft carrier planes. These planes were guided by Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher, both sides plane’s suffered damage to their aircraft carriers. Japan suffered while the Allies won. -
Midway
This battle was fought by the Navy in the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Navy defeated an attacking fleet of Imperial Japan, inflicting a large amount of damage on the Japanese fleet. Japan’s forces used the same strategy they used for the attack of Pearl Harbor, and they used it to prep for the later attacks on Fiji, Samoa and Hawaii. American Cryptographers were able to determine the date and location of the planned attack. -
Midway cont.
This battle was significant because Japan’s goal was trying to plan as many surprise attacks on the U.S. as possible. Overall, Japan tried to become the strongest force that controlled all of the Pacific Ocean. -
Guadalcanal
The U.S. was fighting for six months before we gaines control. Guadalcanal is located on the Solomon islands. Until that point, U.S. troops had no idea on how to fight in jungles. They learned from the Japanese on how to use this intense style of fighting. Also, U.S. troops brought over the use of Navajo. They used this language because it was very complex and it was a native language that not many know. -
Guadalcanal cont.
This was significant in the events of the war because the Japanese thought they could overcome the U.S. with their forces. The U.S. showed that they are equally as strong or even stronger enough to defeat them in a significant battle of the war. -
Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was campaign between Russian forces and German forces with forces from the Axis powers. This battle was known as the largest and longest with large amounts of bloodshed. From August 1942 to February 1943, more than 2 million troops fought in close proximity. About 2 million casualties and injuries occurred, along with ten thousand Russian civilians. -
Stalingrad cont.
The battle of Stalingrad took place in one of Russia’s most industrial cities. It change the ultimate outcome of World War 2 and changed it in favor of the Allied forces. Once Hitler turned against Stalin, he had no choice but to keep moving forward and eventually joined sides with the U.S.. -
2nd Battle of El Almein
This battle was apart of the campaign between the British Empire and the German/ Italian army. British commander Bernard Law Montgomery launched an infantry attack at El Alamein on October 23, 1942. German Field Marshal, Erwin Rommel tried to stop the attack, but Britain’s forces were much stronger than Germany’s. Another battle of El Alamein was first in WW1, but Germany used this location to try and defend their new land in North Africa. -
2nd Battle of El Almein cont.
This battle was significant because German forces thought they could destroy Great Britain and their forces when they first blitzed them earlier in the war. Britain then came back stronger and defended their land and moral. -
Operation Torch
The United States planned to invade Algeria and later move east. General Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower was the leader for that invasion. Germany’s Gen. Rommel was trapped between the U.S. troops and Britain, and were forced to retreat to Italy. Operation torch led to the allies gaining control to North Africa. They wanted to set up a second front right outside the Mediterranean Sea to catch the Germans. -
Operation Torch cont.
This relates to the important factors of WW2 because once the U.S. joined the war, they were helping the allies with whatever they needed. First they vowed to stay neutral and only supplies as needed, but as soon as they were brought in, they were big help. -
Kursk
This battle occurred in July 1943, in the Russian city, Kursk. Germany launched Operation Citadel, where Hitler responded to the defeat by the Red Army at Stalingrad. Hitler’s first idea was to use heavy tanks, artillery and air power to take out the Red Army in one shot. Instead, Germany let Russia prepare for what they were going to encounter. Germany did fail at taking out the Red Army for a final time but failed, and had many casualties on both sides. -
Kursk cont.
This battle contributed to the war because Germany and Russia had an anti-attack pact with each other, but Germany turned on them. After Germany turned on Russia, Russia joined the U.S. in hopes to finally destroy Nazi Germany. -
Anzio
The battle started with Allie forces trying to take German forces off the Gustav line during Operation Shingle. Gen. John P. Lucas was the leader of an expeditionary force, they secured a beachhead near Anzio. Gen. Lucas’s troops were very quickly snatched by German Field Marshal, Albert Kesselring. A large amount of attacks resulted in a large amount of casualties on both sides. Then, the allies left beachhead in late May, and that led to the capture of Rome. -
Anzio cont.
This was an important part of the war because Mussolini was in control of Italy. Since the U.S. was trying to take down the powers of Germany with the help of the Soviet Union, Italy was one of the large middle ground of the war. German forces used Italy for a place to stay while they retreated in Operation Torch. -
D-Day cont.
This is an important part of the war because it signaled the start of the end of the war. It took a lot of preparation to pull this off smoothly, but with all the times they practiced, it led to them being successful. -
D-Day
Codename: Operation Overlord, during the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June- August 1944. The Allies were then liberated of Western Europe from Germany’s control. The battle began on June 6th, 1944. 156,00 of combined American, British and Canadian forces came to the five beaches that were the equivalent of 50 miles. It was known of the largest beach attacks and required very tedious planning. By next year’s spring, the allies had finally defeated the Germans. -
Philippines 1944-1945
This battle was significant because the Japanese forces were threatening to steal the Philippines from the U.S. in the beginning of the war. Since the U.S. was declared neutral in the beginning, they let go of the Philippines in hopes to cut all American ties with them. -
Philippines 1944-1945
This battle was apart of the Philippines Campaign, American and Filipino forces were trying to defeat and get rid of the Imperial Japanese forces that stayed there during the war. The Japanese army took the Philippines in the first half of 1942, and later on, U.S. forces landed on the island of Leyte to try and liberate the island of Japanese control. The U.S. and Filipino military forces were in the progression of liberating before the Japanese army was forced to surrender. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
This was an air and sea battle, it destroyed Japan’s Combined Fleet. It also allowed the U.S. invasion of Philippines and made the Allies’ control in the Pacific even stronger. Japanese forces used a decoy to diver the U.S.’s third fleet. Japan’s forces were scattered throughout the battle. Admiral Nimitz and MacArthur converge on the islands. Japanese fleet meets the U.S. in gulf. U.S. traps then in a straight and destroys them. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf cont.
This battle was significant because Japan wanted to take the Philippines in hopes to instigate the U.S. The U.S. originally let the Philippines earlier in the war to decrease the amount of connections they had. Once the U.S. wanted to invade the Philippines, Japanese forces tried their hardest to defend it. -
Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, The Germans hit a weak spot in allied lines and created a 50 mile deep, 80 mile wide bulge. Some U.S. troops trapped in middle of the bulge at Bastogne. U.S. digs in, stops being offensive fighters and retreats. U.S. was severely caught off guard and desperately fought. The Battle of the Bulge proved to be a costly action to the U.S. force, and they were left with over 100,000 casualties. -
Battle of the Bulge cont.
This battle was significant in the war because it was a surprise to the U.S. forces. They originally did not expect to see a large set back such as a bulge in their way. It surprised them, and they tried their hardest to try and take down the German forces once and for all. -
Yalta Conference cont.
This was an important event that contributed to the war because then the other powers would not have a plan to defeat Nazi Germany. The alternate powers planned together so they could find the fastest way to destroy the German forces. After the German forces were terminated the Soviet Union then jumped into a war with Japan 3 months later. -
Yalta Conference
The three allied leaders: President of U.S.- Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union meet at Yalta, Crimea. They all came together to try and plan a final defeat again Nazi Germany. They decided that they would divide and conquer the force. Also, they discussed how the newly liberated countries from Germany would function. They knew that the countries would have nothing left over after the war. -
Iwo Jima
This battle was between U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan. Iwo Jima is located 750 miles off of the coast of Japan. The island had 3 airfields that could stage the potential invasion of Japan. American forces invaded on February 19. The battle lasted five weeks, it was believed that about 200 of 21,000 forces survived. Japan’s air force lost many of its war planes so it did make it difficult to defend their land from the sky. -
Iwo Jima cont.
This was a significant battle in the war because it was leading up to the potential capture of Japan. U.S.’s major goal was to slowly capture each one of Japan’s islands until they reached Japan. They became successful with capturing each small island, but Japanese forces tried their hardest to defend their mainland. -
Okinawa
The Navy’s fifth fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and Marine Corps troops dropped into Okinawa. This invasion was also known for being part of Operation Iceberg. Okinawa was their last stop before reaching Japan. The geography of Okinawa made it the best place for the Japanese to try and defend to Japan. The U.S. troops used a bombardment to support their troops landing. General Cho committed a ritual suicide on June 22, ending the Battle of Okinawa. -
Okinawa cont.
This battle was significant in the war because it was the last major one of the war. The U.S.’s last goal was to finally capture Japan. Their goal was to get back at them for the attack of Pearl Harbor. Once Japan was starting to suffer, we decided to drop two A- Bombs to show it was their time to stop. They did not seem to be affected that largely by the first one, so we dropped another one to really weaken them so much they had to surrender unconditionally. -
Hitler's Suicide and Germany's Surrender
Hitler was in his newly improved bunker and stayed there for the last important part of the war. He was later informed that the Russian forces were only a day out from overpowering the chancellery and he was urged to escape to Berchtesgaden, located in the alps of Bavaria. Eva Braun takes a cyanide pill and so does Hitler, and then he shoots himself in the head and passes away. Hitler’s loyal officers then cremate him and place him into a shallow grave. -
Hitler's Suicide and Germany's Surrender cont.
This was an important part of the war because after his suicide, the German forces had no leader to tell the next and final steps of the war. They had no chance but to surrender without the words of Hitler. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion from the bomb destroyed 90 percent of the city and killed 80,000 people, an additional 10,000 would die from the radiation exposure. Three days later, the second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an additional 40,000 people. On August 15, Japan’s Emperor, Hirohito announced the country’s unconditional surrender. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki cont.
This event is significant because Japan was the final power to be finally taken out. Once Germany’s powers were destroyed, the U.S. made it their final decision to destroy Japan’s lasting powers. Closer to the end of the war, their forces were becoming extremely weak, they even tried to get a conditional surrender, but the allies denied their rights. -
Japanese Surrender
The Allies’ naval forces blocked Japan and bombed the city. On November 16, the United States came across another option to put an end to Japan. Approximately 10 days later, Allies gave Japan one final option. They announced “Unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces.” They decided if there was failure to follow, they would drop the bomb. August 6th, they dropped the first A-bomb on Hiroshima, killing about 80,000 people. -
Japanese Surrender cont.
This event was important to the war because Japan was the sole reason the United States joined the war. First, America deemed itself neutral among the other countries involved. Once Pearl Harbor was attacked, The United States jumped in. They wanted to destroy the largest powers in the world. Germany was the first to go, then the U.S. detonated Japan with their new technology.
