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Japanese Invasion of China
This was a war fought between Japan and China from 1937 to 1945. Japan invaded Manchuria which led China, who was ruling it, to appeal to the League of Nations. They didn't, however, interfere, which ultimately led to a more blown out war in the Pacific Theatre as well as a greater understanding of how useless the League of Nations was proving to be.
source: HISTORY.com -
Germany invades Poland
Hitler invaded Poland claiming it to be a defensive action, but shortly after this caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany as they did not believe him. The Germans had bombed Polish fields and attacked their naval forces which was why Britain and France felt this way.
source: HISTORY.com -
German Blitzkrieg
The first published account of Blitzkrieg warfare was in 1939, when Germany attacked and invaded Poland. It was an organized method in which the German military could quickly and aggressively overcome its enemies in a mobile fashion. It changed the battleground in WWII, forcing other nations to adapt their battle tactics to what Germany was doing.
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Fall of Paris
This was when Nazi Germany invaded France, and its capital city of Paris, meaning that France was officially invaded and taken over by the Nazis. This meant a bigger threat from Germany in Europe and more prompting for the U.S. to join the way from Britain.
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Operation Barbarossa
This was the military invasion of the Soviet Union by the Third Reich, with over three million soldiers in 150 divisions. It was meant to be the turning point in the war in Germany's favor, but they severely underestimated the enemy and their own numbers/capability which ultimately led to a defeat. It ended up being a turning point in the other favor.
source: HISTORY.com -
Pearl Harbor
This was the surprise bombing of American naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by Japanese aircrafts. It occurred because Japan wanted to destroy the United State's ability to interfere with their expansion into the South Pacific. However, after the attack, America declared war on Japan and became a part of WWII.
source: HISTORY.com -
Wannsee Conference
This was the day in which Hitler's second in command of the SS to coordinate the Final Solution. The Nazis wanted to completely exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe. This led to the creation of concentration camps where millions of Jews were murdered.
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Bataan Death March
After the United States surrendered to Japan after the battle on the island of Bataan, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced to march 65 miles to a prison camp without water by Japanese soldiers who treated them ruthlessly, shooting anyone who fell behind. This act was a war crime which caused Americans at home to feel more hatred for the Japanese.
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Battle of Stalingrad
Prompted by the German want to spread out and control all of Europe, Nazi Germany tried to invade the Russian city of Stalingrad, which lasted for months, as the battle was fought in streets in a disorganized fashion, the USSR eventually pushing the Germans away with the cold winter.
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Operation Gomorrah
The British had suffered the deaths of 167 civilians because of the German bombings in London, and planned to get their revenge. British bombers raided Hamburg during the night as the Americans did by day, dropping 2,300 tons of bombs. This continued until November. Not much was caused by this other than the deaths of about 30,000 people.
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Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allies wanted to push into Italy, a place in Europe which could provide them a way to Germany. The Allies pretty simply came into Sicily as the troops there didn't really care anymore, and from there, Mussolini in Rome was forced to step down and then arrested, the new leader of Italy making plans with the Allies to get them onto the peninsula.
source: HISTORY.com -
D-Day
This was the amphibious military invasion of Nazi-controlled France by American, British, and Canadian troops in order to hopefully begin the end of the war. Hundreds of thousands died by ultimately the mission was successful as Normandy was taken by the Allied forces, meaning that they would be able to push further into Europe to eventually conquer Nazi Germany.
source: HISTORY.com -
Battle of the Bulge
This was Hitler's attempt to separate the Allied armies now in Europe. He sent a surprise blitzkrieg through Antwerp, which led to the American forces desperately trying to push them back. Eventually the Germans were neutralized, though there were many casualties on both sides.
source: ushmm.org -
Operation Thunderclap
This was a planned operation that never actually followed through. It was meant to be an Allied attack on eastern German cities as well as Berlin which would bring about around 200,000 casualties along with a plethora of destroyed land, which was meant to crumble German morale.
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Battle of Iwo Jima
The U.S. needed a base in the South Pacific to better fight Japan, which led to the amphibious invasion of island Iwo Jima. The island was bombed previous to the actual invasion, wherein it was defended by 23,000 Japanese troops. All but around a thousand prisoners were killed. The U.S. was successful in making it their base.
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Battle of Okinawa
This was the last and largest American invasion of Japanese territory. It was an 82-day campaign in which the Japanese utilized the now famous tactic of kamikaze pilots, essentially suicide bombers. The Americans needed more air bases closer to Japan and they won this battle so they got them.
source: HISTORY.com -
VE Day
This was "victory in Europe day", in which formally, the Allies were victorious over Nazi Germany. This occurred because of Nazi Germany's surrender and caused an international celebration.
source: HISTORY.com -
Potsdam Declaration
A conference in which Allied leaders met to discuss the terms for a Japanese surrender they hoped would come soon. The victory in Europe caused most people to strive for the end of the war altogether, and after this conference the bombs dropped on Japan cause it to do so.
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Atomic Bombs dropped in Japan
America wanted to prevent a land invasion of Japan, believing that it would cause too many casualties. So instead they dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, which was meant to cause Japan to surrender immediately. They didn't, so America dropped another bomb on Nagasaki on August 9th. Japan surrendered due to the loss of an estimated 120,000 citizens.
source: HISTORY.com -
VJ Day
Much like VE Day, this was "victory over Japan" day, which was mainly celebrated in the United States, due to Japan's surrender. This, since the war in Europe had already ended, was essentially the end of WWII.
source: HISTORY.com
