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Germany and Soviets invade Poland (German Blitzkrieg)
In August of 1939, Germany and the Soviets signed the German-Soviet pact which stated the Poland would be split between the two nations. Germany invaded Poland without worry that the Soviets would try to fight them. This invasion was easily won by the Germans and set off war throughout all of Europe. Germany used soldiers, tanks, and planes (that caused lots of damage with bombings). The city of Warsaw surrendered on Sep. 27, but war had already sparked in Europe. Source: www.ushmm.org -
U.S. gives British war supplies and naval warships in return for military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean (Lend-Lease)
The U.S. started sending supplies to the Allies in Sep. of 1940. These supplies eventually made it to the U.K. and to the rest of the Allies. The U.S. had declared neutral and didn't have a side in the war, but they were helping the Allies, just not fighting with them. This got the U.S. more involved with the Allies and lead to them to quickly join the war in 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Source: history.state.gov -
Germany invades France and captures Paris
French and British armies had assumed that Germany would attack near the border of Belgium and France so they sent soldiers there, but Germany advanced through southeast Belgium and quickly broke through defensive lines with tanks and other artillery. Germans bombed the Netherlands that month which caused lots of destruction. Belgium and the Netherlands surrendered later in May. France stayed in the war, but the French capital Paris, fell to Germany on June 14, 1940.
Source : www.ushmm.org -
Germany bombs London, starting Battle of Britain
The Luftwaffe sent a large bombing to London and other major British cities. Hitler sent these bombs because he was frustrated with the RAF's power over the Luftwaffe. So he sent these bombs to target and destroy the RAF. Almost 1,000 German aircraft (including 300 bombers) invaded Britain. It was the largest collection of aircraft ever seen. 430 civilians were killed and 1600 were seriously injured.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk -
Operation Barbarossa
On June 22, 1941, Hitler launched an operation that was definitely a huge turning point in the war. Hitler's mission was to get Russia out of the war and not have to worry about them in the future. Though there was one big problem.. Russia and Germany had a pact to not attack each other. Operation Barbarossa lead to the bloody battle of Stalingrad. Russia forced German troops to surrender and move back into Germany. Russia gave the Allies more strength and eventually won the war.
Source: bbc.co -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan bombs a U.S. military base in Hawaii. 3 days later, the U.S. joined WW2. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor because they knew that keeping the U.S. out of the war was not going to happen. So they were trying to wipe out the U.S. navy by the element of surprise. Instead, they got the U.S. heavily involved with the war and the fall of the Axis Powers began.
Source: historyonthenet.com -
Germany declares war on U.S. America declares war on Japan and Germany.
After the Bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, then Germany declared war on America. So basically, America joined the Allies against the Axis. Even though the war took another 3.5 years to officially end, when the U.S. joined the war the Allies gained a lot of strength. They had been beaten up by the past 2 years and the U.S. really gave them a boost.
Source: owlcation.com -
Bataan Death March
After the April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese, the 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced make a rough 65-mile long hike to prison camps. The marches were very hot and the soldiers were subjected to harsh treatment by Japanese guards. Thousands of soldiers died in what is now known as the Bataan Death March. This almost wiped out the Filipino army as they suffered 9,000 deaths.
Source: bataanmarch.com -
America wins Battle of Midway over Japan
Japan was trying to expand its control into the Australian islands, but they knew that Midway was closer to the U.S. so they tried to lure American ships into a battle there. Japan was 100% confident that they would win, even a little over-confident. Japan started the battle with a bombing of the U.S. Midway base, but America quickly rebounded and won a decisive victory. This began the fall of the Japanese navy.
Source: http://www.molossia.org -
Germany invades U.S.S.R, Soviets defeat Germany at Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the biggest turning point in WW2. Germany had a pact with Russia no to attack each other, but Germany wanted to defeat Russia and get them out of the war. This didn't work. German troops advanced into Stalingrad and were immediately surrounded by Russian troops. They forced German troops to retreat back to Germany. This battle was the bloodiest in all of WW2. It resulted in 2 million military and civilian casualties. Source: history.com -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
On this day, German forces planned to liquidate the Warsaw ghetto. By the time the troops got there, the residents had all hidden in bunkers. Mordecai Anielewicz was the leader of the uprising. The Jewish people were armed with homemade weapons and armor. Anielewicz was killed in by the Germans, but the residents were able to hide for more than a month. The residents were taken by the Germans to concentration camps, but the uprising sparked a flame in the Jewish people.
Source: ushmm.org -
America and other Allied troops land in Normandy, France, on D-Day to begin the liberation of Western Europe
On June 6, 1944, about 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. There were almost 5,000 ships and 13,000 sent by the Allies. This was a successful battle for the Allies who would take nothing less than a victory. This heavily depleted Germany's army and was the beginning of the end for the Axis Powers. Source: www.army.mil -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German attack in WW2. Hitler and the Nazis were trying to launch a surprise attack in northern France on the Allies, but the American troops were ready. The Germans started in the Ardennes forest on a 75-mile long front. After a month of fighting, the Germans finally were defeated. They had lost so many experienced troops and equipment that there was almost no way for them to stay strong in the war.
Source: historynet.com -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
On January 27, 1945 the Soviets began a string of concentration camps being liberated. The first one was the liberation of Auschwitz . The Soviets found hundreds of sick and tired people. Auschwitz was the largest killing center and concentration camp in the war. Germans had forced the prisoners to do death marches so many of the prisoners had died. The Soviets found about 6,000 alive people when they entered the camp.
Source: ushmm.org -
America drops 2 atomic bombs on Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki), forcing Japan to surrender and ending World War 2
President Truman was trying to find a way to end WW2 quickly. The U.S. military was losing strength and he did not want to force them into another battle. Japan was a key part to the Axis Powers at this time so he decided to strike them. President Truman dropped the first bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Then three days later American dropped a bomb on Nagasaki. The bombs caused lots of destruction and radiation for many city blocks. This did end the war quickly.
Source: history.com
