-
Germany invades Poland
Hitler used a early version of his blitzkrieg strategy to capture Poland. Hitler had made a base of operations right outside the country that had been ready to attack Poland.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland -
Germany takes over France and Paris
Germany had invaded France but by the time they got to Paris over 2 million of their citizens had already fled.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris -
Germany bombed Britain
Germany sent 120 bombers to attack a convoy of British ships. 70 other bombers were sent to attack a dockyard installation in South Wales.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-battle-of-britain-begins -
The U.S. had a lend lease with Britain
The British desperately needed planes, tanks, and ammunition. FDR decided to introduce the lend lease act to help the British with these needs.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-introduces-the-lend-lease-program -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched his armies to take over the USSR. They had underestimated the power of the Soviet Union. This plan had the code name "Operation Barbarossa".
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attack a U.S. convoy fleet at Pearl Harbor. Over 2,000 Americans died.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Germany declares war on the U.S.
The U.S. declares war on the Germany and Japan the same day that Germany declares war on the U.S. The U.S. enters the war because of Japans attack on Pearl Harbor.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-declares-war-on-the-united-states -
Bataan Death March
U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the Philippians island of Luzon. 75,000 Americans and Philippians marched 65 miles to prison camps.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
The U.S. wins battle of midway
Six months after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. beats Japan in one of the most important naval battles of World War 2. This was a turning point in the the war going on in the Pacific.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Germany invades the USSR
Germany tries to invade the USSR and loses at the battle of Stalingrad. This is the turning point of the war in Eastern Europe. The Russians consider it the greatest battle of their great Patriotic war.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
An uprising began in Warsaw ghetto after police and German troops enter to deport the surviving inhabitants. The Germans eventually crushed the uprising and sent the survivors to concentration camps.
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005188 -
D-Day
More than 160,000 American troops landed along a 50 mile stretch in Normandy to fight against Nazi Germany. More than 9,000 allied soldiers died on the beach.
https://www.army.mil/d-day/ -
Battle of the Bulge
Three German Armies were sent to do a blitzkrieg on the allied troops.A fuel shortage caused the Germans to lose the battle.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
When the Allies finally got to the concentration camps, the Germans had already fled and had just left behind the prisoners and their belongings. They found hundreds of sick and tired prisoners inside of Auschwitz when they liberated it.
https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007724 -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Americans invaded Iwo Jima which was a key island in the Bonin chain. The Marines had to endure horrible conditions but they still continued to push through and wipe out the Japanese force after a month of fighting.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
The U.S. dropped 2 nukes on Japan
The U.S. dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan. One bomb hit Nagasaki and the other bomb hit Hiroshima. They completely destroyed the cities. They caused Japan to surrender the war.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
