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Japanese Invasion of China
On this day, the Japanese and Chinese forces fought on northern Chinese land. The Japenese were the instigators of the attack. This launched the second Sino - Japanese war. This battle was caused by the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Many Chinese people, including those uninvolved, were hurt. Source -
German Invasion of Poland
German forces bombed Poland. The Germans did this becaues they wanted to regain lost territory and rule Poland. The Germans used the "Blitzkrieg Strategy". Germany successfully took over Poland by capturing railroad and communication lines. Source -
German Blitzkrieg
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German Blitzkrieg
This term meant "Lightning War". It was a military tactic made to destroy enemy forces. This tactic was used to attack Poland. They used concentrated firepower and bombing
techniques to win a battle. Source -
Fall of Paris
On this day the people of Paris woke to the news that German soldiers where moving in to paris. This was happening because the French asked for peace with Germany. Many people of France fled going to new homes trying to escape Germany but many stayed. -
Operation Barbarossa
The Germans invaded the Soviet Union. Germany wanted to show power. The Nazis won this battle. Germany got very deep into Soviet territory. Source -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked the U.S. navy base located at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. More than 2000 people were killed. Less then 24 hours after the attack, the U.S. declared war on Japan. The Japanese did this because they wanted to disable the American military. Source -
Wannsee Conference
Nazi officials met to discuss the final details of what to do with the Jews imprisoned in concentration camps. They decided to kill at least 1,000 people per day. They made this meeting because they wanted to get rid of the Jewish people for good. -
Bataan Death March
approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. The marchers made the trek in intense heat and were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands perished in what became known as the Bataan Death March. This was a very cruel punishment to the prisoners and many died. -
Operation Gomorrah
One this day in 1943 British bombers raided Hamburg, Germany. While Britain did this, the U.S.A. bombed Blitz Week, Germany. The Allies did this because they wanted to stop Germany from taking over Europe. The bombed were cities were devastated. -
Allied Invasion of Italy
On the day of the landing, the Italian government secretly agreed to the Allies’ terms for surrender. When the Allies did invade they got little resistance from Italy and it was very easy to push in the Italy. this was good for both the Allies and Italy because Italy no longer wanted to fight along side of Germany. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The U.S. and Great Britain invaded German occupied France. Their goal was to liberate France from the Nazis. Though 156 million soldiers were lost in the process, the Allies were successful. -
Battle of the Bulge
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Battle of the Bulge
The Germans launched their last offensive operation of the war. Their goal was to push the Allied forces west and away from France. The Germans were able to push the Allied forces west. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps (Auschwitcz)
Auschwitz-Birkenau, was the biggest concentration camp.more than 1 million people, by some accounts, lost their lives at Auschwitz. On 27, January 1945, with the Soviet army approaching, Nazi officials ordered the camp abandoned and sent an estimated 60,000 prisoners on a forced march to other locations. This saved many peoples lives that had to live in these camps and many good this happened from the shutting down. -
Operation Thunderclap
This operation was used throughout the war, and this is one of the dates it was used. The attack on this day was a bombing of Dresden, Germany. This was one of the most destructive bombings. The Allied Powers wanted to cause destruction so Germany would surrender. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
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Battle of Iwo Jima
This was an amphibious invasion of an island, Iwo Jima, made by American Soldiers. The United States needed a base near the coast of Japan. The island was defended by 23,000 Japanese soldiers, but the Americans were still able to take over. -
Battle of Okinawa
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Battle of Okinawa
The Allies invaded the Okinawa island of Japan. The Allies wanted to take over the Japanese air bases. There were 287,000 American soldiers and 130,000 Japanese soldiers. This was the last big battle of the war. The Allies were successful in taking over the island. -
VE Day
VE Day was Victory in Europe Day. This was the day that Great Britain, the United States and other previously occupied countries celebrated the end of the Nazis and the war. This was the day that German soldiers in Europe gave up. Many British prisoners of war were released and sent back to their home country. This was a day of celebration for all of the Allied Powers. -
Potsdam Declaration
the Potsdam Declaration was the last of the World War II meetings held by the “Big Three” heads of state. The leaders arrived at various agreements on the German economy, punishment for war criminals, land boundaries and reparations. Although talks primarily centered on postwar Europe, the Big Three also issued a declaration demanding “unconditional surrender” from Japan. This was the end of the war. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
On this day an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan by the United States. An atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. These two dates were the only days for an atomic bomb to ever be dropped to this day. The U.S. dropped this bomb on Japan because Germany had surrendered by Japan was still fighting. This event officially ended the war. The blast was enormous and killed thousands of people instantly. There were effects of this bomb for years in Japan. -
VJ Day
VJ day is also known as "Victory over Japan Day". This was the day when Japan formally surrendered. After Japan refused to surrender, the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on two different Japanese cities. After that devastating event the Japanese agreed to surrender and the surrender agreement was signed in Tokyo. This ended WWII.
