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Japanese invasion of China
This invasion of China is also known as the Second Sino-Japanese War. A major war was fought between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan before and during World War II. It was the largest Asian war in the twentieth century. -
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German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg means the lighting war and was Germany’s strategy to avoid a long war period in the first phase of WW2 in Europe. Germany successfully used the Blitzkrieg tactic against Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Despite the continuing war with Great Britain, German forces invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. At first, the German Blitzkrieg seemed to succeed. -
Fall of Paris
This was also called the Battle of France. Britain and France entered the Second World War following the German invasion of Poland. Paris was declared an open city meaning it would not be defended. -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but Japan and the United States had been edging toward war for decades. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including sailors, soldiers and civilians. -
Wannsee Conference
A group of Nazi leaders met to coordinate a continent-wide genocide. It took place in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to plan the “final solution”. The conference marked a turning point in Nazi policy toward the Jews. -
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Battle of Stalingard
The Battle of Stalingrad was a brutal military campaign between Russian forces and those of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers during World War II. The battle is infamous as one of the largest, longest and bloodiest engagements in modern warfare. The Battle of Stalingrad ultimately turned the tide of World War II in favor of the Allied forces. -
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Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw ghetto uprising began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. Jewish insurgents inside the ghetto resisted these efforts. This was the largest uprising by Jews during World War II and the first significant urban revolt against German occupation in Europe. -
Operation Thunderclap
It was an Allied unrealized plan to end the war against Germany by the use of bombing to bring about the destruction of Berlin. They used bombs to destroy Berlin. The Americans planned to bomb the railroads and the British wanted to destroy other vital areas or targets. -
D-Day
This event brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in. This was known as the largest invasion force in human history. The operation, given the code name overload, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. -
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Battle of the Bulge
Frost covered much of the soldiers’ equipment, and tanks had to be chiseled out of ice after they froze to the ground overnight. It marked the last German offensive on the Western Front. The allies won the Battle. -
Liberation of concentration camps
They encountered concentration camps, mass graves, and other sites of Nazi crimes. The unspeakable conditions the liberators confronted shed light on the full scope of Nazi horrors.The first major Nazi camp to be liberated was Majdanek, located in Lublin, Poland. -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
This conflict between the United States and the Empire of Japan. The United States mounted an amphibious invasion of the island of Iwo Jima as part of its Pacific campaign against Japan. A costly victory for the United States, the battle was one of the bloodiest in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps and was cited as proof of the Japanese military’s willingness to fight to the last man. -
VE Day
This stands for Victory in Europe. Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies, including the United States. Also the celebrations erupted around the world to mark the end of World War II in Europe. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
An American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address. -
VJ Day
Victory over Japan Day, marks the end of World War II, one of the deadliest and most destructive wars in history. When President Harry S. Truman announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally, war-weary citizens around the world erupted in celebration. Japanese Emperor Hirohito broadcast the surrender to the Japanese people on Radio Tokyo.