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Germany's invasion of Poland( start of war )
The war began when Germany invaded Poland. The first war battle was on September 1, 1939, when a German aircraft bombarded the Polish town of Wielun. A couple of days later, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. They began mobilizing their armies and preparing their civilians. But on September 17, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east causing Polish forces to surrender in October after 65,000 troops and thousands of civilians died. https://www.theatlantic.com -
Fall of Paris
On May 10, German forces invaded France, and the Maginot Line was formed. The Germans went through the Ardennes Forest and the French did not cover the area with military forces. This allowed the Germans to quickly take land. The Germans also bombed and invaded France until they captured Paris. The Germans were able to capture Paris on June 14, 1940.
https://www.history.co.uk/history-of-ww2/fall-of-france -
German Blitzkrieg
"Blitzkrieg," a German word meaning “Lightning War,” was a German strategy to avoid a long WWII. This required the concentration of offensive weapons. This would drive a breach in enemy defenses causing shock and disorganization among the enemy defenses. German air power prevented the enemy from quickly resupplying or redeploying forces. German forces could in turn encircle opposing troops and force surrender. encyclopedia.org -
Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain was the successful defense of Britain against unremitting and destructive air raids conducted by the Luftwaffe after the fall of France. Victory for the Luftwaffe in the air battle would have exposed Britain to invasion by the German army, which was then in control of the ports. The battle was won by the RAF Command, whose victory not only blocked the possibility of invasion but also created the conditions for Great Britain’s survival, and the defeat of Germany. britannica.com -
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. Adolf Hitler predicted a quick victory, but after initial success, the brutal campaign dragged on and eventually failed due to strategic blunders and harsh winter weather, as well as a determined Soviet resistance and attrition suffered by German forces.
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Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a U.S. territory. A surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. A hundred Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they destroy/damaged nearly 20 American naval vessels, eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. https://www.history.com -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting held by the Nazis and the SS leaders, Planning "the final solution" to execute the Jews. After the meeting, the concentration camps were established and murdered millions of Jews by Labor, gas chambers, and executions.
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Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was when the Japanese forced 76,000 captured Allied soldiers to march about 80 miles across the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese General planned to move the prisoners to Camp O'Donnell and turn it into a prison. The Japanese divided the army into smaller groups, took their weapons, and told them to start marching. Later the prisoners were rescued in early 1945 when the Allies retook the Philippines. General Homma, was executed for "war crimes against humanity." ducksters.com -
Battle of the Coral Sea
The first modern naval engagement in history. Japanese invasion force succeeded in controlling Tulagi in an expansion of Japan’s land. But the U.S. was able to break Japan’s secret war code, wanting to intercept Japan. Countries lost aircraft carriers and tons of warplanes. Although Japan was able to control the Solomon Islands, its victory was not successful. After the loss of experienced pilots and aircraft carriers, Japan had to cancel its expedition to South Pacific targets. www.history.com -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was between Japan and the U.S. in Japanese desired to expand their Empire and they want to control the Island of Midway. The U.S. did not like this because if they gained Midway then they would be able to attack the U.S. in Hawaii. The war lasted 5 days with the Victory of the U.S. after Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers destroying its fleet.
www. history.com -
Battle of Stalingrad
In 1942, Hitler launched an offensive into southern Russia, seeking to destroy the Soviet Army and capture the Caucasus oilfields. Stalingrad was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe, and the ruins became the scene for months of street fighting. Later on, Soviet General Zhukov built up forces on both sides of the city, and in November launched an assault to surround and trap von Paulus’s army. The German Army stayed until February 1943, when they surrendered. iwm.org.uk/ -
D-Day
In the Battle of Normandy, from June 1944 to August 1944, Th allies got the allied land back from Nazi Germany’s control. In June, American, British, and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. By August 1944, all of northern France had been taken back, and by spring, the Allies had defeated the Germans. www.history.com -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was one of the bloodiest and coldest battles. The Germans attacked through the Ardennes Forest in eastern Belgium, where their tanks and troops broke through the American lines. The U.S. managed to delay the enemy and block reinforcements to the German forces. The "Malmedy Massacre" was an execution of captured American soldiers and Belgian prisoners found by Waffen SS units. The allies won due to the great defense of the Americans. encyclopedia.ushmm.org -
Battle of Iwo Jima
In the battle, US marines landed on the shores of Iwo Jima. The soldiers weren't attacked by the Japanese at first and the Americans thought the Japanese had all died from the bombing. But the Japanese hid in tunnels and hiding places all over the island. They waited for the marines to get more inshore shore to attack. Troops put torches in the bunkers to burn or drive the Japanese out. After 36 days of fighting, the US secured Iwo Jima and placed a flag on top of Mount Suribachi.ducksters.com -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The dropping of the atomic bombs was in Japan and killed thousands of civilians. It was a big debate for the US president to be able to use the first atomic bomb because Japan refused to surrender. There was the use of 2 atomic bombs and it basically disregarded people out of existence. After the second bomb drop the Japanese surrendered. This has caused a lot of hate and the leading of every country to want to create an atomic bomb to use against each other. historyextra.com