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Rape of Nanking
During the Sino-Japanese War, Nanking, the capital of China, fell to Japanese forces. To break the spirit of Chinese resistance, Japanese General Matsui Iwane ordered that the city of Nanking be destroyed. Japanese butchered an estimated 150,000 males massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were mutilated or killed in the process. -
German Blitzkrieg
German blitzkrieg is a military tactic used during the events of WWII. Blitzkrieg is a term used to describe a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces, including armored tanks and air support. Blitzkrieg was a military tactic used by the Germans that started in the year 1939 that resulted in many german successes. -
Battle of Britain
The battle of Britain took place during WWII between Britain’s Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe, Nazi Germany’s air force. This battle was the first battle to be solely fought in the air at this point in history. In the end the Nazis failed to win and this is significant because it was the first major loss for Hitler in the war. -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched a major attack against the Soviet Union. The invasion covered a front from the North Cape to the Black Sea, a distance of two thousand miles. The result of the battles was a tremendous loss for Hitler and the Nazis this resulted in a turning point of the war. Hitler could not focus on the two fronts so his troops moved back to Europe. -
Bataan Death March
After American and Philippine troops surrendered to Japanese forces on the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon. Approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make a dangerous 65-mile march to prison camps. Due to the conditions of the march thousands of people died on the journey. -
Allied invasion of Italy
Montgomery’s 8th Army began its invasion of the Italian mainland and the Italian government agreed to surrender to the Allies. By the terms of the agreement, the Italians would be treated with leniency if they aided the Allies in expelling the Germans from Italy. -
D-Day
D-Day was an invasion 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. This was the largest invasion of all time. The results of D-Day was an allied victory by liberating Northern France the allied prepared to invade Germany and meeting up with the Soviets. -
Iwo Jima
Battle between the United States and Japan. It was an extremely bloody battle resulting in the deaths of an estimated 21,000 Japanese and 7000 Americans in a five week period. The battle resulted in a win for the Americans but the strategic location was questioned after taking over the land. -
Tokyo Fire raids
On March 5, 1945 the US launched a large scale bombing offensive against Japan. US planes were stripped of their guns and loaded with as many pounds of fire bombs as they could carry. The bombs were dropped on cities in Japan with many wooden buildings and resulted in heavy casualties of Japanese citizens and destruction of entire cities. -
Potsdam Declaration
After Germany surrendered, Allied leaders gathered in Potsdam, Germany, to discuss peace settlements, among other issues. The parties also drafted a peace agreement with Japan. The Japanese did not agree to peace.
