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The Holocaust
The Holocaust is a period of tme between 1/30/33 - 5/8/45. The Holocaust is the mass killing of 6 million Jews. Many of the deaths took place in concentration camps. The Germans thought the Jews were an inferior race. They were a threat to the German race, community, and culture. Hilter ordered this mass murder and called it the Final Solution. -
Japan Invades China
The Japan-China war began in July 1937 when Japan said that China fired on the Japanese in Beijing at the Marco Polo Bridge. Japan then invaded China. The Chinese were not very strong. Japan first invaded Shanghai, an important port. Japan then invaded Nanjing which was Chiang Kai-shek's capital. This was called the Rape of Nanking. The final death count was 250,000. The Chinese people were now under Japanese control. -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conference the meeting of Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy. Germany wanted to annex Sudetenland in western Csechoslovakia. Hitler wanted control over Sudeten area because there were 3 million Germans living there. The wanted total power in Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister and Hitler tried to settle the dispute of the Czechoslovakia annexation. The Munich Agreement showed the power of the totalitarian state. Hilter wanted supreme power. -
Non-Agression Pact
Nazi Germans and the Soviet Union met on August 23, 1939. They signed the Nazi-Soviet Non-Agression Pact. This guaranteed that Germany and the Soviet Union would not attack one another. Germany was now protected from having to be in a 2 front war. The Soviet Union was given parts of Poland and the Baltic States. The Non-Agression pact was broken when Germany attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. -
Germany invades Poland
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The Polish army was quickly defeated. The Germans used 2,000 tanks and 1,000 airplanes. Germany had a massive encirclement attack on Warsaw. Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. Britain and France declared war on Germany. The Soviet Union then invaded eastern Poland. -
Blitzkrieg
The meaning of Blitzkrieg is lightning war. The speed and surprise technique was used by the German in WWII. The military force that was used light tanks, planes, and soldiers on foot. It was originally introduced by Alfred von Schlieffen in WWI. Blitzkrieg was used by Hitler in WWII on Russian forces. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain started on July 10, 1940 and lasted many months. Germany needed to invade Great Britain. Germany bombed Great Britain and tried to destroy Britain's Royal Air Force. Germany's Air Force called the Luftwaffe had more planes than Great Britain's Royal Air Force, but the Royal Air Force strongly fought back. They were defending their country. Great Britain had the advantage because their radar let them know when and where the German planes were going to attack and won. -
Lend-Lease Act
President Roosevelt wanted to help Great Britain against the Germans in WWII. Great Britain needed military equipment to fight in the war. The Lead-Lease Act was signed on March 11, 1941. It the the President sell, trade, or lease any equipment for war. Great Britain in return had to pay for or return any equipment of the US that was not destroyed. Americans questioned Roosevelt about this program. Roosevelt said that we need to help our Allies and neighbors. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the secret name for Germany invading the Soviet Union during WWII. Hitler ordered this invasion. The Germans were initially successful invading the Ukraine. The Germans were stopped outside Moscow. The Sovietss would not let them in the city of Moscow. The Soviets forced Germany into war. Hitler still wanted more Soviet territory. Hitler led other operations in the Soviet Union but all failed. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed out Naval base in Hawaii. What led up to this event was when the Japanese started to branch out of China to the southeast Asia. The US passed an Export Control Act to stop shipments of arms and materials to Japan. Japan needs the US oil to run their Navy. The US stops selling them oil with the Export Control Act. The US is now planning for peace with Japan but they were planning an attack. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting where the Nazis planned their attempt to kill the entire Jewish population in Europe. It took place on January 20, 1942. The Nazi plan was to get the Jews confined in the ghetto hear the railroad, force them into concentration camps, and then exterminate them. It was lead by the senior officials of Nazi Germany in the Berlin suburb at the Wannsee House. Reinhard Heyrick was leading most of the operations, and the administrative leaders that helped with it -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March began on April 9, 1942. It was a march that started at Marivelles to Camp O'Donnell. The Phillipino and American prisoners of war had to participate. Many prisoners died before they got to Camp O'Donnell. It was a 60 mile gruelling treck until they were loaded on box trains and brought to the camp. This was later noted as a Japanese War Crime. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway took place between June 4, 1942 and June 7, 1942. The Japanese had a plan to attack the US base on Midway Island. The US military was aware and ready for the plan. The US made a plan to sneak attack the Japanese. The Japanese sent fighter planes and bombers on aircraft carriers to attack Midway. The US aircraft carriers called the Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown were going to attack. The US first dropped torpedo bombs on the Japanese aircraft carriers. Japan fought o -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad started when the German Air Force bombed the city of Stalingrad and the Volga River. The Germans crushed the city but the Soviet military fought back. Soviet soldiers hid in Stalingrad and battled the Germans. The Soviets attacked and trapped the Germans in Stalingrad. The Germans did not have anything to eat and froze. Almost all of the Germans surrendered. General Paulus led the German army. Hitler was angry her surrendered. It was the largest battle and had th -
D-Day
D-Day was the day the Allies launched an invasion of Europe Mainland during WWII. It occurred on June 6, 1944. The Normandy Landing showed the Allies effort to gain mainland Europe from Nazi control. This was the biggest seaborne invasion that ever occurred. The invasion started with an amphibous landing. Then aerial support and naval bombardment continued. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge took plae in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. The Germans attacked the Allied forces. Many of the Allied forces were American soldiers. It was in the snowy, cold winter and the Americans were not ready. Some Germans were dressed in American uniforms and they tried to trick the American soldiers. Many American soldiers were killed but the US kept fighting. They did not want Hitler to rule again. There were back up forces sent. General George Patton's 3rd Army reinfo -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This was a battle between the US and Japan. Iwo Jima is a 8 square mile island south of Tokyo, Japan. The US wanted a place for the US planes to land during their attack on Japan. When the US Marines landed here the Japanese were waiting. The Japanese had dug 11 miles of tunnels where they could hide and move around. The Japanese fought hard. The US took over 1 month to capture Iwo Jima. The Japanese would sneak and kill many American soldiers. A US Flag was put on Mt. Suribachi at the e -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa is also known as Operation Iceburg. It was fought over 82 days on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. Allies wanted to use Okinawa as a base for air operations for invading the mainland of Japan. This battle is also referred to as the Typhoon of Steel because of the strength and fierceness in fighting and the intensity of kamikazee attacks by the Japanese. It was the largest land/sea assault in the Pacific in WWII. -
V-E Day
V-E Day is known as Virtory in Europe Date or V-Day. It was the national public holiday celebrated on May 8, 1945. V-E Day marked the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies in WWII. This meant the end of WWII in Europe. Crowds gathered all over the world including Piccadilly Circus, London to celebrate V-E Day and the end of the war. The original date was planned for May 9th but it was moved to May 8th because too many journalist found out about it. The US and Great Britain -
The Bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki
Japan would not surrender to the US at the end of WWII. President Truman decided to drop an atomic bomb named Little Boy on Hiroshima, Japan. Over 100,00 people died. He did not want any more US soldiers to die in battle. Emperor Hirohita of Japan still did not surrender. On August 9, 1945 another atomic bomb called Fat Man was Nagasaki, Japan. Now 70,000 more people died. Finally six days later Japan surrendered. -
V-J Day
V-J Day was the surrender ceremony performed by the Japanese in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri. Japan surrendered on the date of September 2, 1945. When the Japanese surrendered it officially ended WWII in the Pacific. It is also known as "Memorial Day for the end of the War". Americans celebrate this day because they had been rationing so long. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact is an alliance set up by Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union. It was dominated by the Soviet Union. Each member of the Warsaw Pact had to promise to defend other members if they were attacked. Young men and women were forced to serve in their country's military. The Warsaw Pact was a powerful tool for the Soviet Union.