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German Invasion of Poland
Poland was invaded by Germany (Germans used the Blitzkrieg strategy). The Blitzkrieg Strategy means that the Germans used extensive bombing early on to take out their enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions dumps. This was then followed by a large land invasion that included mass numbers of troops, tanks, and artillery. Once the German forces had plowed their way through, devastating a swath of territory, infantry moved in to pick off any remaining resistance. -
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Miracle of Dunkirk
The harbor at Dunkirk was bombed out of use, and small civilian vessels had to ferry the soldiers from the beaches to the warships waiting at sea. But for nine days, the evacuation continued, a miracle to the Allied commanders who had expected disaster. By June 4, when the Germans closed in and the operation came to an end, 198,000 British and 140,000 French troops were saved. These experienced soldiers would play a crucial role in future resistance against Nazi Germany -
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Battle of Britain
In the summer and fall of 1940, German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom, locked in the largest sustained bombing campaign to that date. A significant turning point of World War II, the Battle of Britain ended when Germany’s Luftwaffe failed to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force despite months of targeting Britain’s air bases, military posts and, ultimately, its civilian population. Britain's victory saved the country from a ground invasion. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
7:55 am Hawaii time –a Japanese dive bomber, bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings, appears out of the clouds above the islands of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a brutal assault. Much of the Pacific fleet was rendered useless: 5 battleships, 3 destroyers, and 7 other ships were sunk/severely damaged. More than 200 aircrafts were destroyed. A total of 2,400 US men were killed and 1,200 were wounded. -
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Japanese Internment
People in the US that had Japanese ancestry were imprisoned in concentration camps, due to the fear that they might still be loyal to their home land. An executive order, that was signed in 1942 by President Roosevelt, ordered the relocation of the American Japanese. People were forced to sell their homes, their stores, and most of their assets. Many citizens in the concentration camps signed up for the armed forces to prove how loyal they truly were to America. -
Bataan Death March
The surrendered soldiers were rounded up by the Japanese and forced to march nearly 65 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, to San Fernando. The men were divided up into groups of 100, and it took each group approximately five days to complete. It's believed that thousands of troops died because of the brutality of their captors, who would starve and beat the marchers. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
One of the bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The battle took place because each of the leaders realized the importance of controlling the Stalingrad area. -
D-Day Invasion
Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima was where the damaged American B-29 bombers could land without returning all the way to the Marianas, an a base for escort fighters that would assist in the bombing campaign. It was defended by nearly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops. Except for 1,083 prisoners, the entire garrison was wiped out. American losses included 5,900 dead and 17,4000 wounded. -
The Manhattan Project
Einstein wrote a letter to Roosevelt urging the development of an atomic research program, Roosevelt didn’t see the necessity nor the utility for such a project, yet he agreed to proceed slowly. Roosevelt and Churchill agreed that the Stalin would be kept in the dark. Keeping 120,000 people quiet would be impossible; therefore only a small group of inner scientists and officials knew about the development. Vice-President Truman had never heard of the Manhattan Project until he became President.
