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Japanese invasion of China
What happened
Allied counterattacks, principally in the Pacific and on Japan's home islands, brought about Japan's.
Why did it happen?
Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries.
What was the impact?
When Japan was finally defeated in 1945, China was on the winning side, but lay devastated, having suffered some 15 million deaths -
Rape of Nanking
What happened?
Over a period of six weeks, Imperial Japanese Army forces murdered hundreds of thousands of people, including both soldiers and civilians in the Chinese city of Nanjing (or Nanking).
Why did it happen?
Conflict that broke out when China began a full-scale resistance to the expansion of Japanese influence in its territory.
What was the impact?
They brutally killed thousands of people. -
German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
What happened?
- Blitzkrieg tactics were used in the successful German invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and France in 1940.
- Why did it happen?
Was Germany's strategy to avoid a long war in the first phase of world war 2 in Europe. Germany's strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns.
- What was the impact?
Germany quickly overran much of Europe and was victorious for more than two years -
Fall of Paris
What happened?
The Maginot Line fortresses fell one by one, though some held until July.
Why did it happen?
France and the Allies attempted to hold off against the Germans but were no match for the quicker, better trained, and more advanced German army.
What was the impact?
gave the Germans dominance in Continental Europe with no significant allied forces to contest them for two years -
Pearl Harbor
What happened?
surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II.
Why did it happen?
Japan hoped for a short war, seeking to quickly weaken US naval strength and capture strategically vital oil supplies.
What was the impact?
the entrance of the United States into World War II. -
Wannsee Conference
What happened?
The meeting between the Nazi officials
Why did it happen?
To determine an efficient ways to kill jews in camps
What was the impact?
They started using gas in camps to kill the jews -
Warsaw Ghetto upspring
What happened during?
A total of 13,000 Jews were killed, about half of them burnt alive or suffocated.
Why did it happen?
To oppose Nazi Germany's final effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to the gas chambers of the Majdanek and Treblinka extermination camps.
What was the impact?
The SS and police deported approximately 42,000 Jews to forced-labor camps and to the Lublin/Majdanek concentration camp. -
Allied invasion of Italy
What happened?
made the Italians surrender and tied down German strength
Why did it happen?
In Casablanca, Morocco, in January 1943, Allied leaders decided to use their massive military resources in the Mediterranean to launch an invasion of Italy
What was the impact?
Instead, the Allies found themselves attacking what US General Mark Clark called 'a tough old gut. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
What happened?
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.
Why did it happen?
D-Day was born in the immediate aftermath of America's entry into the war, and agreement on a 'Germany first' strategy.
What was the impact?
put the Allies on a decisive path toward victory -
Battle of the Bulge
What happened?
German forces launched a surprise attack on Allied forces in the forested Ardennes region in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France
Why did it happen?
the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor
What was the impact?
marked the last German offensive on the Western Front. -
Liberation of concentration camps
What happened?
The soviets found concentration camps near the end of world war II
Why did it happen?
Cause the soviets were going west of germany and found them
What was the impact?
The discovery of lots of dead people -
Battle of Iwo Jima
What happened?
nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action.
Why did it happen?
The US wants to use the island as an airbase from which to attack Japan's home islands.
What was the impact?
Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen. -
VE Day
What happened?
Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies, including the United States.
Why did it happen?
On April 30, 1945, Hitler committed suicide. On May 5, German forces in North-West Europe surrendered. Victory in Europe, or VE, Day was officially celebrated three days later.
What was the impact?
people marked the victory with street parties, dancing and singing. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
What happened?
On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and
Why did it happen?
The US wanted to force a quick surrender by the Japanese to reduce the number of American lives lost.
What was the impact?
razed and burnt around 70 per cent of all buildings and caused an estimated 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945, along with increased rates of cancer and chronic disease among the survivors. -
VJ Day
What happened?
marks the end of World War II
Why did it happen?
Japan had surrendered unconditionally, war-weary citizens around the world erupted in celebration.
What was the impact?
The surrender gave Canadians and the people of other Allied nations an overwhelming sense of relief.