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Japan Invades Manchuria
Japan was struggling with population growth and little space to accommodate. Also, the Japanese had limited natural resources, which Manchuria could provide. With the 200,000 square kilometers and resources such as forests and agricultural land, Japan found it easy to invade Manchuria. It helped that the Japanese did not care for the Chinese at all. This is significance because it led to the occupation of Japan in China during WWII. -
Munich Pact
This was an agreement between the European powers to prevent an outbreak of war. It is significant because it resulted in handing over Czechoslovakia and appeasing Hitler. This turned out to be bad because the peace was not long lasting and by 1939 Czechoslovakia was no longer a nation, it was just used for German forces. -
Germany Invades Poland/Blitzkrieg
German forces attacked Poland from land and air as a start for making up for lost land and more space to rule and have territory in. The Germans bombed their way through Poland, annihilating any resistance and then created a secure place for further discrimination and getting rid of those against Nazi ideologies. This is significant because it started WWII. Three days after Germany's invasion, Great Britain bombed Germany. -
Battle of the Atlantic
The battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous battle that went on during the war. It lasted for nearly 6 years. It wasn’t really a battle. It was more of a constant fight to gain control of the Atlantic ocean. The Atlantic was important because it was essential to bringing goods into and out of the country. -
North Africa 1943
This was a back and forth battle of gaining control of multiple countries in North Africa. It was started by Italy in 1940 and continued until 1943. The formation of colonies in Africa decades earlier are what started up this battle in the first place. It was important to gain control due to the surplus of oil in North Africa. -
Battle of Britain
Hitler had planned to invade Britain but then was daunted by the Royal Air Force (RAF), so he decided to postpone the battle. This was a military campaign in which the RAF was protecting Britain and France and gaining air superiority. The battle was significant because it marked the first time Hitler's military forces were defeated and was also the first battle fought almost completely from the air. -
Germany Invades Russia (Operation Barbarossa)
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Germany had long wanted to gain the rich land of the Soviet union and eliminate the threat of Communism. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The Bombing of pearl harbor was a Japanese invasion on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii. Japan thought that this attack would prevent the US from interfering with the military actions going on in the east. Ironically it was the event that got the US involved in the war. -
Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad took place from August 23 , 1942 to February 2, 1943. It was fought between The soviet union and Germany and their allies, over control of Stalingrad. This turned out to be the largest confrontation in WWll, it is remembered by its close quarter combat and known to be one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. -
Normandy Campaign/D-Day
D-day was the largest seaborne invasion in history. 24,000 allied troops landed on the Normandy coasts of France. This invasion gave the allies a foothold in the war and led to them expanding their push into France. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last offensive push on the western front made by the Germans. It went on in the densely forested ardennes of Wallonia in Belgium. It caught the allied forces off guard and led to their largest amount of casualties of any operation. This battle was the begining to the end of Germany’s many years of terror. -
Battle of Okinawa
The battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945. It was a Major battle of the pacific war, and fought between the US marines and army against the Japanese imperial army. It was the largest amphibious attack in the pacific theatre in WWll. -
Death of Hitler
Hitler died April 30, 1945. Hidden in his underground bunker he takes a cyanide pill before shooting himself with a pistol. He dies along with his wife Eva whom he married two days prior to their double suicide. He decided to take his own life after receiving news that Germany was less than two days away from overtaking the chancellery. -
Germany Surrender
Germany surrenders to the allies on May 7, 1945. General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of the East and West forces in reims, France. The signing of this treaty took affect the following day, May 8th was declared Victory in Europe (VE) day. -
Atomic Bombs on Japan
In hopes of ending the war in the east, the US dropped two nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first one killed 80,000 people just from the initial blast and around 70,000 more died from the effects of radiation poisoning and other injuries from the bomb. The second bomb killed less people but posed as the event that ended the deadliest 6 years in -
Japan Surrenders
Japan officially surrenders on September 2, 1945. The announcement of Japan’s surrender was declared August 15th on National radio by Emperor Hirohito. The US immediately accepted Japan’s surrender, and on September 2, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the official document on behalf of the Japanese government. This is significant because it ended world war 2.
