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Invasion of Manchuria
On September 18th, 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, without a warning. Japan had a good industry but didn't have enough resources. Japan invaded Manchuria for oil, rubber and lumber to make up for the lack of resources they have. China got help from the League of Nations but they didn't punish Japan because they can't punish country who is already in depression. Because of this, League of Nations was basically useless, which means later they can't stop Germany from building a force either. -
China falls to Japan
The fall of China began when Japan invaded Manchuria. Manchuria was one of the biggest resource that Japan conquered. It was filled with natural resources. It helped the Japanese with new resources and also solved overpopulation issue. -
Blitzkrieg into Poland
On September 1st, 1939, Germany used blitzkrieg tactic to go into Poland. The term "Blitzkrieg" is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of tanks and other firepower. Germany used this tactic to invade Poland. Germany claimed this to be a defensive action. But Britain and France didn't believe that so they declared war on Germany. This also allowed Germany to build concentration camps in Poland, away from Germany. -
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of Atlantic started on September 3rd, 1939, when Britain declared war on Germany. During the 6 years thousands of ships sunk and tens of thousands of men were killed in the Atlantic Ocean. America had to face Germany. Germany had submarines, aircraft, and surface raiders. Germany was mostly using unrestricted submarine warfare against Britain. America in the beginning also tried to help Britain with 50 Destroyers. Everything depended on the Allies winning the war. -
German Invasion of France
On May 10th, 1940, Germany attacked France. British and French commanders had believed that Germany would attack through Belgium like WWI. So they rushed their forces to Belgian border to counter the attack. German forces though went through the Ardennes Forest. German tanks broke through the French defensive lines and rolled towards the coast. This cause more than 300,000 French and British troops to evacuate to Dunkirk across the English Channel to Great Britain. Germany controlled the coast. -
Dunkirk
On May 26th, 1940, more than 300,000 French and British soldiers evacuated Dunkirk to Great Britain. It was called a "miracle" by Churchill. As Germany used Blitzkrieg, both French and British troops couldn't stop Germany. Because many soldiers lives were saved, Britain that enough troops to make a come back towards Germany with the help of The United States of America. -
Battle of Britain / The Blitz
After Hitler captured France, he declared that he would capture Britain in a couple of months. So, on July 10th, 1940, Germany began bombing British cities during WWII. The city that was bombed the most was London. With the bombs, Germany was bombing civilian places which would cause the government to surrender. But instead Britain used blackouts to prevent the bombers from seeing London and bombing. This cause the British public to have high morale. In the end Germany lost the Battle of Britain -
Germany takes Greece
On April 6th, 1941, German air force launched Operation Castigo, they used 1,200 tanks to drive into Greece. The attack on Yugoslavia was brutal and killed 17,000 civilians. All of Yugoslavia's airfields were bombed, destroying 600 air crafts. German forces also attacked German port city of Piraeus, as Germany swept south. On that day Germany held control of Greece using its air forces and their massive tanks. -
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Operation Barbarossa took place. It was Germany's plan of invading Soviet Union. In 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed a treaty. They agreed not to attack each other, and that they would split up Poland's territory. Then on June 22, 1941, Germany stabs the Soviet Union in the back. This was good for the Allies because they could then team up with Russia and surround Germany using two fronts. One would be in France and the other in Russia. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941 - 7:55am, 360 Japanese planes attacked the military base near Honolulu, Hawaii. The bombings lasted 2 hours, destroying most ships and planes. They destroyed 19 ships, 150 planes and killed 2,400 soldiers. Fortunately, America's Aircraft carriers were out into the ocean practice and were not harmed at all. Using this as an advantage, Roosevelt got the opportunity to declare war on Japan. Later, Japanese allies declared war on America. US now joined WWII after 2 years. -
Philippines 1942
On December 8, 1941, the Japanese won the battle at Bataan. The American soldiers had to surrender due to the loss of the battle. General Wainwright ordered a retreat to Australia. Many soldiers managed to escape. General Wainwright's last words were, "I shall return." The loss of Philippines and also soldiers, America still had a chance of winning the battle in the Pacific. -
Bataan (Battle and March)
On January 7th, 1942, The United States lost the battle of Bataan. General Wainwright and many soldiers managed to escape to Australia preventing the March. The march was refereed to as the Bataan Death March. 60,000 prisoners marched 70 miles through steamy jungles to POW camps. Over 10,000 died from abuse, starvation, and exhaustion. It was a very deadly march that will be remembered by all Americans. -
New Guinea
On January 23, 1942, Japan invaded Australian territory named New Guinea. In the Second phase the Allies removed Japan from New Guinea and other territories. It was a crushing defeat and heavy losses for Japan. Disease and starvation was the mostly the cause of Japanese soldier deaths, only 3% of the Japanese died from battling the Allies. This was a battle that Japan had no chance of winning because of the lack of soldiers. -
Doolittle Raid
On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25 bombers left USS Hornet to attack Japanese mainland. It was a raid that needed very brave pilots, because they only had enough fuel to over Japan but not to come back. They also had small bombs which did not that much damage to Japan. But it was good for the US morale because after a long time we were the ones who bombed Japan. -
Coral Sea
On May 7, 1942, The Battle of Coral Sea took place Northeast of Australia. The Japanese were hoping to cut America's shipping lanes with Australia and to set up an invasion of Australia. It was a two day air-battle. It was the first naval battle fought in the air. In the end both sides were damaged but Japan didn't have enough planes to attack Australia. This was a significant win for the US because now they can work Australia to take down Japan. -
Midway
On June 3, 1942, the Japanese wanted to capture Midway, which would get them close to conquering Hawaii. In a long shot, it was a good plan but US code breakers learned the risk on Midway. Admiral Chester Nimitz prepares to defend Midway. The Battle of Midway was a 4 day battle. In the end it was a heavy loss for USA. It was even a heavier loss for Japan. Japan lost the battle, 275 planes, and 4 aircraft carriers. Japan in the end lost the ability to fight an offensive war on the US. -
Stalingrad
On July 17th, 1942, Germany attacked Stalingrad, a town named after the dictator, Stalin. The Soviet Union successfully defended Stalingrad for their morale from Germany's attack. This battle was the most patriotic battle for the Russians. This battle stopped the Germans from moving forward into the Soviet Union and turned the war around for the Allies. It was known as the bloodiest battle in history because of how many men were sacrificed from the Russians side. -
Guadalcanal
On August 7th, 1942, Guadalcanal was the first offensive victory for the Allies in the Pacific. US Marines launched a surprise attack on the 7th and took control of the military base. In the end both sides suffered great losses. But Japan took the most hits of casualties and were forced to retreat from Guadalcanal. Because of this win this gave the United States the ability to communicate with Australia. -
El Alamein (2nd Battle of...)
On October 23rd, 1942, it was a battle between Britain and Germany. British commander Bernard Law Montgomery launched an infantry attack at El Alamein. It was a huge morale booster for the Allies since Operation Crusader. In this battle the Germans were being crushed at the same time in Stalingrad. Both the battles had a huge impact on both sides. On the Allies, it helped them increase their morale and on the other side it was a big loss for Germany. -
Operation Torch
On November 8th, 1942, United States invade Algeria and move to the east. The invasion was led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, he was an excellent strategist. Later in the battle, Rommel, German commander was trapped between US and Britain. He was later forced to retreat to Italy. The benefit of this battle was that now the Allies controlled North Africa, which would help them with Operation Husky. -
Kursk
On July 5th, 1943, the German offense was shut by the Soviet Union. German tried to win the battle by coming at the Soviet Union from different directions. With Soviet Union having enough time to set up defenses, they managed to hold of the Germans before launching a counter attack. Hitler saw the United States working their way into Sicily, he shut the battle of Kursk. Attacking two sides caused the Germans to diverse their power making them much more vulnerable. -
Sicily
After defeating the German-Italians in North Africa. The US and Britain started to look at defeating Germany and taking Europe. The Allies move toward Italy also known as Operation Husky. They battled the Germans in Sicily and drove them out. The Allies then started thinking about taking control of the mainland. This also ended Mussolini's control in Italy and Italy unconditionally surrendered to the Allies. -
Salerno
On 9th September, 1943, Lieutenant General Mark Clark's forces move towards Salerno's beaches. They eventually capture Salerno, Italy. This was a big deal because Mussolini is jailed and then killed. The new government surrenders to the Allies. But, Germany takes control of Italy and continues to fight the Allies. -
Gilbert & Marshall Islands
On November 1st, 1943, the US Marine launched an assault on the Marshall islands, where Japan had a defense army. Winning the Gilbert and Marshall Islands would help the Americans to advance towards the goal which was the Philippines and Tokyo. -
Anzio
On January 22nd, 1944, soldiers commanded by U.S. Major General John P. Lucas secured beachhead near Anzio. But the Germans surrounded the Allies causing casualties on both sides. Allies eventually breaking free which led to them moving on and take Rome from the Germans. This was a big break free because of the Allies counter attack. Allies can continue their operations towards Germany to capture it. -
D-Day
One June 6th, 1944, after midnight paratroopers drop behind German lines and cut Railroad lines, and capture airfields from preventing help for Germans. 6:30 AM troops land in Normandy, France where Germany didn't expect the invasion. Many beaches were easy to invade, but others needed lives to be invaded. Many people got killed on the boats when the doors open. Others managed to get out and hide behind mines in water. Germans had bunkers built to prevent Allies to win. But in the end Allies win -
Guam
Japan had captured Guam in 1941. On July 21st, 1944, the United States launched an attack on the Japanese in Guam. During the battle many lives were lost. The US lost 7,000 men and Japan lost 18,000. As Japanese supplies started to decrease, Obata the General of Japan escaped and later committed suicide. This was a good victory for the United States because they built five airfields, making it a military base. -
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon is given the name based on the Southern invasion of France by the Allied forces. On August 15th, 1944, Operation Dragoon started to take place. This operation was a huge success for the allies. Not only the allies were able to liberate France, but also caused casualties to all German forces. The operation almost failed but French railway system helped transport supplies to the Allies giving them victory. -
Philippines 1944-1945
On October 20th, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur returned to the island of Leyte. He fulfilled his promise while escaping from the Philippines that he will return and take back what was their's in the first place. The Japanese forces at Bataan were cut-off and Corregidor was captured. The good news was that the One-Third men, MacArthur left behind survived to see him. Taking back the Philippines gave the United States access to Tokyo. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
On October 23rd, 1944, the United States landed on the Philippines island of Leyte Gulf. The Japanese were also there do defend what they invaded. In the war, Japan had many casualties like losing 3 aircraft carriers, 3 battleships, 8 cruisers, 12 destroyers, and more than 10,000 died. The Japanese crippled by their losses, marked the last time they would conduct large-scale operations during the war. Which means the United States could focus on capturing Tokyo. -
Battle of the Bulge
On December 16th, 1944, Hitler wanted to split his Allied army. So he used blitzkrieg to go through Adrennes to Antwerp. The Allied army found that tactic off guard, and fought toughly. The Germans drove their army deeper and deeper into the Adrennes, creating a large bulge into giving this battle a name. The General of this Allied army maneuvered the army proving Hitler's plan wrong. This saved the Army making a comeback for the Allied army. -
Bastogne
On December 20th, 1944, the Battle of Bastogne took place. Many troops were trapped in the middle of the battle surrounded by the Japanese. The troops outside of the circle dug in and helped the troops get out of the trap and survive. In the end 80,000 Allied troops died and 120,000 German troops died. -
Yalta Conference
On February 4th, 1945, the big three met again for the second time during the war. The Soviet Union and the others talked about getting Germany to surrender unconditionally. Also the Soviet Union requested many land. Soviet Union broke his promise to not set up governments into the new territory but he still did which caused the result of the Cold War. -
Iwo Jima
On February 19th, 1945, the United States attacked Iwo Jima. It was a hard place to attack because there were a lot of Japanese soldiers protecting it. The Japanese used tunnels and secret places to get around which were very hard for the United States army to find. Even though it was tough for the US to win but they still did. This caused big casualties for the Japanese and also helped the United States to continue their plans towards Tokyo. -
Okinawa
On April 1st, 1945, the United States attacked Okinawa. It involved a lot of the American army and the Japanese soldiers. The thing at stake was the military bases of the United States. It was a 82 day battle. In the end the both sides suffered heavy casualties. 65,000 were dead in the battle out of 250,000, from the United States. -
Hitler's Suicide
On April 30th, 1945, Hitler was in his bunker protecting himself and his wife. It was a shelter with 18 rooms. Hitler rarely left the shelter, and had everything like water, and electricity to get him through the war. In the end Hitler was given the news that the Russians weren't far from invading the chancellery and urged to escape to Berchtesgarden, where Hitler owned a home. Instead he chose to commit suicide. He gave his wife cyanide pills and then he shot himself with his service pistol. -
German Surrender
One May 7th, 1945, the German High Command, General Alfred Jodl signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces. In the beginning Jodl only wanted to surrender to those forces fighting in the West. But General Dwight Eisenhower demanded complete surrender. Even though Germany surrendered, fighting in the East went on for another day. This was significant for the United States and the Allies because the war in Europe was finished. Now America was ready for the one int he Pacific. -
Potsdan
On July 17th, 1945, the Big Three met again, and it was the last time. All the countries came with their own ideas of what to do with Germany and the land they conquered on the way. In the end they talked about how Japan should unconditionally have to surrender to end the war. Also they discussed about a nation that would prevent another World War from happening. -
Hiroshima
On August 6th, 1945, American B-29 bomber dropped the first atomic bomb in history. It was dropped over Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion was so devastating that it wiped out 80% of the city and 68,000 people die instantly, thousands die later (118,000 + total). It was also a bomb that caused radiation. Even the pilot which dropped the bomb was hit by the enormous radiation of the bomb. -
Nagasaki
On August 9th, 1945, another B-29 bomber dropped another Atomic bomb on Nagasaki. It killed 35,000 instantly, and thousands died later. It was good because Japan never say this kind of devastation. We let them investigate and they knew what happened. This got them to think about how much more destruction America could do. So later they surrendered. They didn't know that we had only two working bombs at the time. -
Japanese Surrender
On August 15th, 1945, also known as VJ Day, Japan surrendered unconditionally. Emperor Hirohito went on national radio for the first time to announce the Japanese surrender. On September 2, 1945, 250 Allied warships invaded Tokyo Bay. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamory Shigemitsu signed on behalf of the Japanese government. It was a happy day for all Americans because WWII had ended and people could return back to their family in America.
