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Japanese invasion of China
Japanese troops massacred thousands of civilians. Japan invaded China because it was seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries. (Trumanlibrary.gov) The eight-year Japanese invasion resulted in tremendous losses sustained by the Chinese people. (Sciencedirect.com) -
German Blitzkrieg
Germany quickly overran much of Europe and was victorious for more than two years. Blitzkrieg tactics required the concentration of offensive weapons along a narrow front. (Holocaust Encyclopedia) It was Germany's strategy to avoid a long war in the first phase of World War II in Europe. (Holocaust Encyclopedia) The psychological effect on civilians was major panic, something that the opposing military could not control. (Study.com) -
Fall of Paris
During the Fall of Paris hostilities between France, Germany, and Italy were ended. (Britannica.com) The Franco-Italian armistice was concluded at the Villa Incisa outside Rome. (Britannica.com) More than half of France was occupied by the Germans. (Britannica.com) -
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Operation Barbarossa
Nearly 4.5 million troops launched a surprise attack to realize Hitler's ambition of a vast eastern imperium. (Iwm.org.uk) Hitler had always wanted to see Germany expand eastwards to gain Lebensraum or 'living space' for its people. (Iwm.org.uk) The mission to completely destroy Soviet fighting power and force a capitulation was not achieved. (Iwm.org.uk) -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (Census.gov) Japan decided to attack the U.S Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, hoping that the U.S would negotiate peace. (iwm.org.uk) President Roosevelt declared War on Japan, which Congress accepted. This was the beginning of America entering WWII. (Banyantreatmentcenter.com) -
Wannsee Conference
On January 20, 1942, 15 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." It happened to further the coordination of a policy aimed at the physical annihilation of the European Jews. (Holocaust Encyclopedia) By the end of 1942, six extermination camps were in operation. (TheHolocaustExplained.org) -
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Bataan Death March
The prisoners of war were forced to march through tropical conditions, enduring heat, humidity, and rain without adequate medical care. (Nationalww2museum.org) It happened because they surrendered to Japanese troops. (Nationalww2museum.org) As many as 11,000 of the POWs died on the Death March as a result of the cruelty and inhumanity of their guards. (Nationalmuseum.af.mil) -
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Allied invasion of Italy
The Italian government agreed to surrender to the Allies. (History.com) It happened because the allies invaded Italy looking for a way into mainland Europe. (Study.com) It led to the collapse of Mussolini's government. (History.com) -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
D-Day brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history. (Eisenhowerlibary.gov) D-Day was born in the immediate aftermath of America's entry into the war, and agreement on a 'Germany first' strategy. (Iwm.gov.uk) D-Day put the Allies on a decisive path toward victory. (Loc.gov) -
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Battle of the Bulge
During the fighting, captured American soldiers and Belgian prisoners were murdered by Waffen SS units. (Encylopedia.ushmm.org) Hitler hoped that the German counter-attack would surround the British and American armies and stall the Allied offensive against Germany. (Encylopedia.ushmm.org) The catastrophic losses on the German side prevented Germany from resisting the advance of Allied forces following the Normandy Invasion. (Britannica.com) -
Liberation of concentration camps
Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz. In the following months, Soviet units liberated additional camps in the Baltic states and Poland. (Holocaust Encyclopedia) It happened because the Soviet troops encountered a number of prisoners who had not been evacuated in the spring, mostly Soviet prisoners of war. (Holocaust Encyclopedia) Only after the liberation of these camps was the full scope of Nazi horrors exposed to the world. (Holocaust Encyclopedia) -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
Nearly 7,000 U.S. Marines were killed. Another 20,000 were wounded. Marines captured 216 Japanese soldiers; the rest were killed in action. (Nationalww2musuem.org) It happened because the U.S. determined that Iwo Jima must be captured. (Nationalww2musuem.org) Iwo Jima served as an emergency landing site for more than 2,200 B-29 bombers, saving the lives of 24,000 U.S. airmen. (Nationalww2musuem.org) -
VE Day
Germany unconditionally surrendered its military forces to the Allies, including the United States. (Defense.gov) Celebrations erupted around the world to mark the end of World War II in Europe. (Defense.gov) VE day marked the end of most of the fighting in Europe, where tens of millions of service members and civilians were killed since the start of hostilities. (Defense.gov) -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
It razed and burnt around 70 per cent of all buildings and caused an estimated 140,000 deaths by the end of 1945, along with increased rates of cancer and chronic disease among the survivors. (Icanw.org) The U.S. wanted to force a quick surrender by the Japanese to reduce the number of American lives lost. (City.hiroshima.lg.jp) By the end of 1945, the bombing had killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and a further 74,000 in Nagasaki. (Icanw.org) -
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VJ Day
This day marked the formal signing of the Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Japan's Tokyo Bay. (Uso.org) It happened because Japan had surrendered unconditionally, war-weary citizens around the world erupted in celebration. (Defense.gov) The news that Japan had surrendered, brought a feeling of relief, to Allied servicemen. (Iwm.org.uk)