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Nanking Massacre
In the Chinese city of Nanking, the Imperial Japanese Army forces brutally murdered atleast 200 000 people including both soldiers and civilians. This horrific massacre is also known as the Rape of Nanking because atleast 20 000 women were sexually assaulted during the attack. The purpose of this attack was to break the spirit of the Chinese resistance so they would not fight against the Japanese. As a result of the six week massacre, many Chinese people were hurt and the city was left in ruins. -
Ribbentrop and Molotov Pact
The Ribbentrop and Molotov Pact, or the German-Soviet Non Aggression Pact, was an agreement between these two countries promising they would take no military action against each other for 10 years. Stalin viewed the pact as a way to keep peace with Germany, and to build up his military. Hitler saw the pact as a way to invade Poland without trouble and to avoid a two-front war. But the pact fell apart in the war in June of 1941 when Germany had no more use for the pact and invaded the Soviet. -
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German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a term for a method of highly offensive warfare that is designed to strike swiftly and take the enemy by surprise. It is often exercised through mobile and maneuverable forces like tanks and air support. Because of it’s speed it was found to be highly effective, due to the quick victories and limited loss of soldiers and artillery. This method was most famously used by Nazi Germany at the start of WWII, and with it Hitler overtook, Poland, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and France. -
The Fall of Paris
During the beginning of the second world war, Nazi Germany set out to get more land by invating countries, including France. The seemingly strong army of France managed to be defeated by the Germans in six weeks. Paris, France, fell on July 14. Hitler was also seeking revenge from the humiliation the Germans faced at the hands of the French in the first world war. Because France was under German control, a lot of the war took place in France, but the country was liberated in September of 1944. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a gathering together of Nazi officials to disscuss the “final solution of the Jewish question.” At this meeting many gruesome proposals were discussed. An SS general had suggested that they take all the Jews from all over Europe, put them in concentration camps and work them to death. Sadly, his proposition was decided upon and later poison gas was used to kill large groups of people at a time. This decision impacted many Jews and resulted in many of their deaths. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a U.S. Naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was attacked by Japanese fighter planes. The planes decended on the base and destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels and killed more than 2,400 Americans in the attack. For the Japanese this was a preventive action to ensure that the United States Pacific Fleet would not interfere with their military plans. This event pushed America to declare war on Japan and join the second world war. -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March occurred when 75 000 Filipino and American troops were captured and forced to march to a prison camp, by the Japanese. These troops were there to defend the main Philippine island, but were forced to retreat. The troops were forced to walk 85 miles in six days, with only one small meal the whole journey, on top of enduring the brutality of the Japanese guards. It is known as the Bataan Death March because hundreds of Americans and many more Filopinos died on the way. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a battle fought in land and sea, between the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Occurring after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese sought out to crush the rest of the U.S. Pacific Fleet with a surprise attack on the Allied base of Midway Island. The island is located almost directly between the U.S. and Japan. After a successful defense of the base, the Japanese abandoned their plan to expand, and as a result they remained in a defensive position for the rest of the war. -
D-Day
D-Day, or The Battle of Normandy was one of the most memorable battles in the whole war. On D-Day some 156 000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of France's Normandy region to fight against Nazi Germany and liberate France. This was one of the largest military assaults in history and it required much planning. As a result of this invasion, by the end of August, all of northern France had been liberated and Germany was soon to be defeated the following spring. -
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The Liberations of Concentration Camps
The first major liberation of a concentration camp was in July of 1944, as the Soviets advanced westward into Germany. As 1945 came, the Allies moved inward on Germany and more and more camps were liberated by the Soviet, American and British forces. Some memorable liberations were Auschwitz and Dachua. All the camps were liberated by May 1945 and all the atrocities were unleashed along with the survivors. The hidden horrors of the camps would haunt the rest of the world forever. -
The Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was fought between the Allied forces, mainly the U.S., and Germany, in the Ardennes region of Belgium. The battle was fought in freezing weather conditions in a densely wooded area. The battle was named after the bulge-like formation the Allies lined up in around the Germans. The Allies suffered many casualties, but there were even more for the Germans.This battle was Hitlers last major effort to win the war, so the loss of this battle greatly contributed to their defeat. -
The Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a battle between Japan and the U.S. Marines and the Imperial Army of Japan on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. American forces invaded the island for strategic reasons because of its three Japanese airfields that could be of use to the Americans if they invaded the mainland. The battle lasted a total of five weeks. This was a particularly bloody battle, and the effects which killed 7,000 Marines and left only 200 of the 21,000 Japanese. -
V-E Day
V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, is the day that Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allied forces. V-E Day was celebrated in both America and Britain upon the German surrender. The Allies had been encircling the Germans until they overtook the city of Berlin. The war wasn’t completely over because Germany's Allies and the Japanese would continue to fight for many months, but the war in Europe had ended that day. The events of this day greatly contributed to the end of WWII. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The Atomic Bombs were dropped by the Americans on August 6 and 9 on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When the bombs were dropped they killed about 120 000 people instantly and later tens of thousands died of radiation. The bombs were to be used agaist the Germans but when they surrendered, the intended target turned toward the Japanese. The bombs were used with the intention of ending WWII. The dropping of the atomic bombs changed warfare forever by introducing nuclear warfare. -
V-J Day
V-J day is the day that Japan surrendered. Their surrender was announced on August 14 and their formal surrender followed. They surrendered months after their allies Nazi Germany surrendered. Many thought that they would never see the surrender of the Japanese because in their culture there is honor in dying in a war. This mentality made them persistant, but after two of their cites were obliterated by atomic bombs, they had no choice. This decision to surrender effectively ended the war.