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Japanese invasion of China
Japan had basically wanted to expand their land and decided in doing such they would start with Manchuria. This then led to many attacks on China in them trying to get land. Not only this but during this time is the Japan had entered the war and became an axis power alongside Germany and Italy. Once they signed the Tripartite Pact bringing them into the was they proceeded to stop attacking China.
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Germany's invasion of Poland
Germany had wanted to sign something with Poland having prior knowledge that they had land Germany lost in the Treaty of Versailles. Many were against this idea. However Germany ended up invading and taking down their army only in a few weeks. The US and Britain and the US didn't do much cause they tried to keep the peace. They annexed the land they priorly had that Poland got and remained under German rule for a while. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005137 -
German Blitzkrieg
This is a German term for lightning fire. It was a military tactic. The purpose of this tactic was to try and disorganize and confuse the enemy. Many of the times they performed this tactic they would use tanks, aircraft or motor vehicle. They wanted to attack enemy communication and cause them to have to fight in directions and ways that they never thought they would.
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Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched his armies into an invasion of the Soviet Union. This was the crucial turning point in WWII because due to its lack of success it caused the germans to have to fight a two-front war. They came in thinking their opponent was weak and they would exterminate all the jew and enslave the slavic but the didn't know they entered a battle they would not win.
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Pearl Harbor
This was a surprise attack by the Japanese on one of Americans naval bases Pearl Harbor, Hawaii near Honolulu Hawaii. The attack destroyed around 20 of the navel vessels and that included 8 of the battleships that were located on the base at the time. Not only that but it destroyed over 300 airplanes and killed more than 2,000 american solders and sailors and wounded another 1,000. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii -
Wannsee Conference
This is where the head and tops of the Nazi party came together and devised a plan on how the attempt to exterminate all of the Jews in Europe. They wanted to exterminate all 11 million of the jew in a plan that they would soon enough call the "Finial Solution" https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005137 -
Bataan Death March
the US had surrendered the Bataan Peninsula to Japan during WWII. All of the solders on these places were to make a march to a bunch of different prison camps. While during this march to the camps they were under harsh treatment and many had died on the march, hence the name.
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Battle of Midway
Japan was defeated by the US in probably one of the most decisive battles of WWII. The US was able to intercept all of the Japanese naval codes and crack and understand them so they were always one step ahead. The Japanese wanted to attack the US again but they were able to understand and attack them before they got to attack the US. The US was able to find their ships and planes while refueling and take them out.
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Battle of Stalingrad
This was a great Russian defense battle and what the Russians believed to be their greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War. This battle was one of the bloodiest battles in history and marked the turning of the war in favor of the Allies. This was a great disgrace in Hitlers eyes because believe the plan for battle they had was good. Both leaders were either going for the city or defending the city they knew to be a symbolic of importance. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii -
Operation Gomorrah
This was the day that the British bombed Hamburg, Germany at night and then during the day America bombed them. This was sorta revenge for when Germany bombed Britain in July. During this the created a new radar-jamming device that they called "window" the aircraft that they sent dropped 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs. In the process they sent out 791 and only 12 were loss in the process of the bombing.
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D-Day
This was the battle of Normandy. This started with 156,000 American and British solders landing on a 50 mile stretch of beach and 5 different beaches. This was one of the largest amphibious military assaults known to man. It was supposed to happen early but due to weather it was pushed back a day. At the end it caused Western Europe to be liberated from Nazi Germany's control.
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Battle of the Bulge
Adolf Hitler had wanted to try and split of the allied armies by means of a surprise blitzkrieg through the Ardennes to Antwerp. The German armies had launched the deadliest and most desperate battle of the war. America was very caught off guard as they fought desperately to stop German advancement. The battle had gone on for a while as both sides fought very hard. The name comes from when the Allied line had resembled a large bulge.
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Liberation of concentration camps
The solders who had come to liberate and help the people of the camps had no idea what they were gonna walk in on and were very shocked to see so many thin and sick inmates. They moved from camp to camp freeing all the inmates being shocked at each camp of how cruel the Nazis were to these people and finding the crematoriums and so many bodies surprised them greatly!
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Operation Thunderclap
This had been an idea that was executed by the Allied powers where they would bomb the Eastern most cities of Germany in hopes to disturb what was becoming the Eastern front. This was in hopes that the Eastern front would not be able to grow that much due ti the bombing cause they believed it was capable of being the biggest front seen yet.
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Battle of Iwo Jima
This was an amphibious invasion. 3 different US marine divisions landed on the island. Upon approach the island itself was heavily guarded by a bunch of Japanese solders. They had an elaborate root of caves and dugouts. Also rather than defending the beach its self the Japanese solders were more in-land in their caves and tunnels where they fought from.
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Battle of Okinawa
This was the last and the biggest Pacific island battle of the war. During this the Japanese had sent air plane that were supposed to attack and crash, so they were sending their people out on suicide missions and they sent their last battleship. The Japanese didn't strike America that much cause they were saving strength for defense. The commanding generals of both sides died in this battle.
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VE Day
VE Day is as well known as "Victory In Europe Day". This was the day that the Nazis had basically surrendered and put all their arms down and back away and left places where they were. The main reason for this was the Germans didn't want anyone to get ahold of their forces seeing as how other countries were approaching the strength that they had so they decided to just withdraw.
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Dropping of the atomic bombs
America dropped two different atomic bombs on Japan. American dropped the first atomic bomb onto Hiroshima. The bomb immediately took out 90 percent of the city and killed more than 80,000. 3 days later a bomb was dropped on Nagasaki killing around 40,000 people. Due to the bombs it had caused the Japanese to surrender.
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Potsdam Declaration
This was the document of the terms and conditions of the surrender of Japan ending WWII after the bombing of Nagasaki happened. The commander of Japan called the US President for a meeting about the document of their total surrender. Some of the things brought up was the Japanese army being stripped of arms and return home for a peaceful life with no more worry. -
VJ Day
This was the day where the Japanese announced their surrender to the Allies officially ending WWII. The name stands for "Victoryover Japan Day". Many people in American were excited it was over and had a big sense of relief. There were many celebrations all over the United States celebrating the war finally ending.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii
