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Japanese invasion of China
The Japanese invasion of Japan first occurred on Jul. 27th, 1937 and lasted until Sept. 9th, 1945. Japan and China had fought intermittently since 1931 but engaged in full scale war in 1937. This event occurred do to Imperialist Japan seeking to try and secure China's resources.The conflict was brought to an end by Ally intervention. By the end of the the conflict, nearly over 21 million troops and civilians had been killed. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Second_Sino-Japanese_War -
Rape of Nanking
From early December to late January, Japanese armed forces committed brutal acts of horrifying brutality. The Japanese army massacred and raped Chinese civilians of Nanking. The city of Nanking was left poorly defended by the Chinese army and was easily overtaken by the Japanese after their successful takeover of Shanghai. The result was the death of 200,000-300,000 civilians and rape of 20,000-80,000 women.http://www.history.com/topics/nanjing-massacre -
German Blitzkrieg
German Blitzkrieg was a German military strategy that translates to "Lightning War". It was first used during their invasion of Poland in 1939 and was used on other countries such as the Netherlands, France, and Belgium in 1940 and during their North African campaign. This was proved successful for Germany as it proved to overwhelm the enemy army. The result of this was Germany being able to conquer countries in only a short amount of time. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany's invasion of Poland lasted from Sept. 1st to October 6th 1939. Poland was conquered within weeks due to Germany's new strategy, blitzkrieg(Lightning Warfare). The German invasion of Poland occurred because of Hitler wanting to conquer Europe. Germany and Russia agreed to invade Poland from both sides and to split evenly. The result of this event was Great Britain and France declaring war on Germany, thus officially starting WW2. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070 -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the failed Nazi invasion of Soviet Russia. The reason for the invasion of Russia was because Hitler thought communism was invented by the Jews. When the invasion failed, Russia allied itself with the allied powers. The result of this was the opening of two war fronts for Germany and Russia joining the allied powers. -
Pearl Harbor
The U.S. navy base in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, was attacked on December 7th, 1941. The attack was carried out by Japanese warplanes, and lasted for 2 hours. The attack killed 2,000 soldiers and sailors and sank 20 American naval vessels. The attack was in response to U.S. economic sanctions against an aggressive Japan. The result was the entrance of the U.S. into WWII. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a meeting of Nazi Party members and government officials to discuss plans for the Jewish population. Hitler and the Nazi party had antisemitic beliefs and blamed the Jews for Germany's problems. The government officials meat in Wannsee to discuss how to coordinate the eradication of the Jews. This would result in the genocide of 6 million Jews, in what would become the Holocaust. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005477 -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March took place on April 9th, 1942. The march took place in the Philippines, shortly after the Japanese had taken over the Bataan peninsula, thus getting rid of the American forces. The march included 75,000 U.S. and Filipino troops that made a 65 mile march through rugged terrain and were brutally mistreated by their captors. The result was the death of thousands of U.S. and Filipino troops. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad occurred from July 17th, 1942 to February 2nd, 1943. The battle was fought between the Soviet Union and the invading Nazi Germany. This occurred because Adolf Hitler wanted to expand his empire by conquering Russia. The result was a Soviet victory, leading to a turning point in the war, though with a casualty toll of 2 million troops and civilians. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising occurred from April 19th to May 16th, 1943. In the Warsaw Jewish ghetto, underground Jewish organizations organized themselves to create an uprising when Nazi police came to liquidate, or deport, Jews. The organizations fought for three days, and smaller groups kept fighting for nearly a month. The result was the Nazi defeat of the uprising and further deportations of Jews to death camps. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005188 -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah was the allied bombing of Hamburg Germany. During this bombing, the British Air Force bombed at night while the American Air Force bombed during the day. Hamburg was bombed due to it being a major industrial center that produced Germany's weapons. The result of the bombing( which continued to November) killed 30,000 people and destroying 280,000 buildings. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allied Invasion of Italy lasted from September 3rd to September 16th, 1943. The invasion took place through amphibious landing and the allies were able to capture Sicily. The invasion occurred because the Allies were trying to open a second front, to lessen Germany's focus on Russia. The result was an Allied victory and Italy being mostly taken out of the war. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland -
D-Day
D-Day is was the allied invasion of Normandy, located along the French coastline. The invasion consisted of 160,000 allied troops. The invasion was launched because the allies needed to gain a foothold in Nazi occupied Europe. This event resulted in a major victory for the allies, and resulted in forcing the Germans to fight a two front war. https://www.army.mil/d-day/?from=features -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was the code-name for an operation planned in August 1945. The plan was to launch a massive attack on Berlin that would destroy German morale. The allies intended it to be used in coordination with a Soviet advance. The result was to not use the idea and instead to launch small attacks and intensely bomb Berlin, Dresden, Chemnitz and Leipzig. http://ww2today.com/13-february-1945-operation-thunderclap-raf-start-firestorm-in-dresden -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was an attempted German counteroffensive that lasted from December 16th, 1944 to January 25th, 1945. The attack involved more than a quarter of a million German troops that attacked the inexperienced armies in Northwest Europe. The attack was intended to split the Allied armies in Northwest Europe. The attack failed, however and resulted in a neutralized German army and more than 100,000 U.S. casualties. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a battle fought between U.S. and Japanese forces from February 19th to March 26th 1945. The U.S. launched an amphibious attack on the Japanese controlled island of Iwo Jima. The battle was an attempt by U.S. forces to capture an island only 575 miles from Japan, so that they could make bombing runs more frequently. The U.S. captured the island and was able to make more frequent bombing runs.http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa lasted from April 1st to June 22nd, 1945. The Okinawa campaign included 287,000 U.S. troops and 130,000 Japanese soldiers. The goal of the invasion was for the U.S. to capture air bases that could help project an invasion on the Japanese mainland. The result was an American victory, though the U.S. lost 14,000 soldiers, and the Japanese losing 77,000. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
VE Day
On May 8th, 1945, cities in Great Britain, the U.S., and formerly occupied nations celebrated the defeat of the Nazis. The celebration occurred because German troops throughout Europe finally surrendered. German soldiers surrendered in Prague, Copenhagen, Oslo, Karlshorst, and in Berlin. The surrender resulted in the end of the war in Europe. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The atomic bombings occurred first in Hiroshima on August 6th and in Nagasaki on August 9th in 1945. The bombs were dropped from American B-29 bombers. The bombings were intended to bring an end to the war with Japan and to avoid a costly invasion of the Japanese mainland. The result was the death of 120,000 Japanese civilians, and surrender of Japan the following week. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki -
VJ Day
VJ Day occurred on August 15th, 1945. The celebration recognizes the end of the war with Japan, officially ending WW2. The surrender of Japan was due to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed 120,000 people. The surrender of the last Axis power,Japan, officially ended WW2.
