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Japanese Invasion of China
Source Japan-China War started in July 1937 when the Japanese claimed that they were fired on by Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. Using this as an excuse, the Japanese launched a full-scale invasion of China using the conquered Manchuria as a launching base for their troops.
The Japanese came up against little organised resistance. The Guomintang put up little resistance though they were up against a formidable enemy. In November 1937, China’s most important port, Shanghai, fell -
The Rape of Nanking
sourceOn December 13,1937 was the start of one of the most horrific acts of brutality of WW2, the Rape of Nanking.150,000 Japanese soldiers who took Nanking were given licence to murder and rape on a massive scale. Men were killed and women were raped all around the streets. People were buried alive and thrown into fired. A memorial was built for the men and women who had to go through this trauma. -
Germany Invades Poland
Source
German forces bombard Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland. World War II had begun.The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war–what would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy. This was characterized by extensive bombing early on to destroy the enemy’s air capacity, railroads, communication lines, and munitions. -
German Blitzkrieg
SourceA German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland in 1939 before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands and France in 1940. -
Operation Barbarossa
SourceOperation Barbarossa, original name Operation Fritz, during World War II, code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war. -
Pearl Harbor
sourceJust before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The barrage lasted just two hours, but it was devastating: The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked -
Wannsee Conference
source15 high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to discuss and coordinate the implementation of what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question."The "Final Solution" was the code name for the systematic, deliberate, physical annihilation of the European Jews. At some still undetermined time in 1941, Hitler authorized this European-wide scheme for mass murder. -
Bataan Death March
source75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to march 65-mile to prison camps. The marchers made the journey in intense heat and dealt with harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands died during the march. After the invasion of the Philippines began. AFter only a month the Japanese captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the American and Filipino defenders of Luzon were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. -
Battle of Midway
sourceJapanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto wanted to lure the US Pacific Fleet into a battle where he could surprise and destroy it. To do this he planned an invasion of Midway Island which would provide a base for attacking Hawaii. Using decrypted Japanese radio intercepts, Admiral Chester Nimitz was able to counter this offense -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
sourceGermans murdered around 300,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. SS and police units deported 265,000 Jews into Treblinka killing center and 11,580 Jews to forced-labor camps. The Germans and their auxiliaries murdered more than 10,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during the deportation. Jewish underground organizations created an armed self-defense unit known as the Jewish Combat Organization. -
Kasserine Pass
sourceOn this day, German General Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps launch an offensive against an Allied defensive line in Tunisia, North Africa. The Kasserine Pass was the site of the United States’ first major battle defeat of the war.General Erwin Rommel was dispatched to North Africa in February 1942, along with the new Afrika Korps, to prevent his Italian Axis partner from losing its territorial gains in the region to the British. Rommel set his sightd on Tunis, Tunsia's capital. -
Operation Gomorrah
sourceBritish bombers raid Hamburg, Germany, by night in Operation Gomorrah, while Americans bomb it by day in its own “Blitz Week.”
Britn had suffered the deaths of 167 civilians as a result of German bombing raids in July. Now the tables were going to turn. The evening of July 24 saw British aircraft drop 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs on Hamburg in just a few hours. The explosive power was the equivalent of what German bombers had dropped on London in their five most destructive raids -
D-Day Normandy
sourcemore than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
sourceWhen Allied troops moved across Europe after a series of offensives against Germany, they began to encounter thousands of concentration camp prisoners. Many prisoners survived marches into Germany from camps in Poland. These prisoners suffered from starvation and disease. piles of corpses were found. Soviets and US forces both liberated many camps. After many were freed, many found other members of families. -
Battle of the Bulge
sourceAdolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
SourceThis battle took place during February 1945 between the United Stated and Japan. The US thought that the bombings from the US planes would take them down instantly but they were wrong. Japanese dug holes and tunnels around the whole island waiting to attack. The battle was fought for 36 days until the US finally secured Iwo Jima. The reason why Iwo Jima was wanted by the US was because the island had a strategic location for US fighter planes and bombers could land and take off when attacking -
Battle of Okinawa
sourceBattle involved the 287,000 US troops against 130,000 Japanese soldiers. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan. By the end of the 82-day campaign, Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties including 14,000 dead. Known as the bloodiest battle of the Pacific -
VE Day
sourceVE Day announced the end of World War Two in Europe. On Monday May 7th at 2:41. German General Jodl signed the unconditional surrender document that formally ended war in Europe. Celebrations were made -
Atomic Bomb is Dropped
sourcePresident Harry S. Truman, discouraged by the Japanese, made the decision to use the atom bomb to end the war in order to prevent a greater loss if Japanese invaded the mainland of the US. First Atomic Bomb was released on Hiroshima. Released on August 5,1945 at 8:16 am. 80,000 people were killed directly -
VJ Day
sourceAnnounced that Japan had surrendered. This surrender made an end to WW2. Known as Victoryover Japan Day. Celebrations were helf in the streets of New York. This is where the famous photo of the sailor and nurse kissing picture was captured. Celebrations raged through the streets throughout the whole day.
