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Rape of Nanking
"To break the spirit of Chinese resistance, Japanese General Matsui Iwane ordered that the city of Nanking be destroyed. Much of the city was burned. The Japanese butchered an estimated 150,000 male “war prisoners,” massacred an additional 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of all ages, many of whom were mutilated or killed in the process." https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-rape-of-nanking -
Germany Invades Poland
"At 4:45 a.m., some 1.5 million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. Simultaneously, the German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, and German warships and U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action." https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
German Blitzkrieg
"A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands and France in 1940." http://bit.ly/2FzMU9m -
Pearl Harbor
"Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, and was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on 12/7/1941. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including 8 enormous battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan." http://bit.ly/2tsSPIA -
Bataan Death March
"The day after Japan bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines began. Within a month, the Japanese had captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and the American and Filipino defenders of Luzon were forced to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. On April 9, with his forces crippled by starvation and disease, U.S. General Edward King Jr. surrendered his approximately 75,000 troops at Bataan." http://bit.ly/2D8D9tP -
Japanese Invasion of China
Conflict that broke out when China began a full-scale resistance to the expansion of Japanese influence in its territory. The war, which remained undeclared until December 9, 1941, may be divided into three phases: a period of rapid Japanese advance until the end of 1938, a period of virtual stalemate until 1944, and the final period when Allied counterattacks, principally in the Pacific and on Japan’s home islands, brought about Japan’s surrender. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Shortly after the German invasion of Poland, in September 1939, more than 400,000 Jews in Warsaw, the capital, were confined to an area of the city that was little more than 1 square mile. In November 1940, this ghetto was sealed off by brick walls, barbed wire and armed guards, and anyone caught leaving was shot on sight. http://bit.ly/2oW96Ai -
D-Day
"During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region." https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
British, Canadian, American, The Soviets, and French troops also freed prisoners from the camps. The Americans were responsible for liberating Buchenwald and Dachau, while British forces entered Bergen-Belsen. The soviets entered the Majdanek camp in Poland, and later overran several other killing centers. Although the Germans had attempted to empty the camps of surviving prisoners and hide all evidence of their crimes. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007724 -
Battle of the Bulge
"In December 1944, Hitler tried to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name." http://bit.ly/2tmwEE8 -
Battle of Iwo Jima
"The American amphibious invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II stemmed from the need for a base near the Japanese coast. Following elaborate preparatory air and naval bombardment, three U.S. marine divisions landed on the island in February 1945. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops, who fought from an elaborate network of caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations." The Marines won the battle after roughly a month of fighting. -
Battle of Okinawa
"The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of World War II, and one of the bloodiest. On April 1, 1945—Easter Sunday—the Navy’s Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the Pacific island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. The invasion was part of Operation Iceberg, a complex plan to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa." https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
VE Day
"On this day in 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine." https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
"The United States becomes the first and only nation to use atomic weaponry during wartime when it drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Though the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan marked the end of World War II, many historians argue that it also ignited the Cold War." https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima -
VJ Day
"On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day,” or simply 'V-J Day.'" https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
