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Invasion of Poland
After the policy of appeasement that other countries were putting on Germany, Hitler gained the confidence to eventually invaded and capture Poland. They justified it through propaganda, stating that Poland was persecuting ethnic Germans living in the state. Germany invaded and Poland mobilized late, and by September 27th, Warsaw fell https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939 -
Germany uses Blitzkrieg when WWII starts
Germany used their "lightning war" tactics on Poland first when they intentionally invaded Poland with their Panzer tanks which were very mobile and could pierce enemy lines quickly. Germany used these tactics so that they could quickly surround the enemy's army. before they could fortify and build trenches. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/blitzkrieg-lightning-war#:~:text=%22Blitzkrieg%2C%22%20a%20German%20word,a%20series%20of%20short%20campaigns. -
Fall of Paris
Paris fell after Germany used their Blitzkrieg tactics to push through Belgium and the Netherlands instead of the heavily fortified Maginot line. The French forces were also not completely mobilized inland of France. In a matter of weeks, Paris was captured and the Maginot line was destroyed. https://study.com/learn/lesson/fall-france-wwii-invasion-strategies.html -
Battle of Britain
After Germany took over France, Great Britain was the last direct opposition to the Nazi regime in Europe. Being naturally isolated from mainland Europe, Great Britain was carpet bombed by Germany. This attempt by the Nazis was futile and Great Britain was able to fend off the Luftwaffe with the Royal Air Force. This was a significant turning point in the war, even though it was naturally defensive. https://study.com/learn/lesson/battle-britain-history-significance.html -
Pearl Harbor
Just before 8 am on a Sunday, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor Hawaii, attempting to cripple the U.S. navy before we could fight back. More than 2,400 Americans died during the attack. No aircraft carriers were damaged and the U.S. declared war on Japan the next day on December 8th. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Battle of Coral Sea
The battle of coral sea was the first naval battle between opposing aircraft carriers. The Americans intercepted Japanese communications and preempted their attack on Port Moresby, stalling their advance and damaging the fleet enough to cancel the attack. Even though the Americans had the most casualties, they diverted the attack and kept Australia from being attacked. https://study.com/learn/lesson/battle-of-the-coral-sea-world-war-ii-summary-significance.html -
Battle of Midway
The battle of Midway was fought almost entirely with aircraft. The islands of Midway were only a total of 2.4 square miles but were needed by the U.S. because it has runaways where they could store, fuel, and launch planes. The battle ended with the U.S. destroying Japan's first-line carrier strength and most of its best-trained naval pilots. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Midway -
Battle of Stalingrad
In the summer of 1942, Hitler ordered Stalingrad to be taken. At first, the invasion went well for the Germans when they heavily bombed the city with their Luftwaffe and moved into the city where street fighting would commence. The Soviets held on to the city and it ended in a catastrophic defeat for the Germans. It was the bloodiest battle in the war and was the turning point for the Eastern Front. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-stalingrad -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The allied powers brought together their land, air, and sea forces to make the largest invasion force in human history. Troops stormed the beaches of Normandy France. This was the first offensive move by the allied powers on land and was the beginning of the end of the Nazi regime in Europe. https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/research/online-documents/world-war-ii-d-day-invasion-normandy#:~:text=The%20D%2DDay%20operation%20of,the%20beaches%20of%20Normandy%2C%20France. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto uprising was a violent revolt by the Jewish occupying the ghettos in Nazi-controlled Warsaw. They did this to stop the Nazis from transporting them to extermination camps. This revolt inspired other Jews to revolt against the Nazi regime in Eastern Europe. An estimated 7,000 Jews perished during the Warsaw ghetto uprising. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was fought in the Ardennes region of Belgium and was Adolf Hitler's last major offensive in WWII on the Western Front. He tried to split the Allied forces in an offensive move but this failed and Winston Churchill called it “the greatest American battle of the war” This failure by Germany paved the way to victory for the allies. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Iwo of Jima
After months of Naval bombardment, the Japanese were bunked into the volcanic rock of the small island. In thirty-six days of fighting, 7,000 marines were killed, and 216 Japanese soldiers were captured, the rest were killed. This was one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history and this was because they used flamethrowers to flush Japanese troops out of their bunkers. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/iwo-jima-fact-sheet.pdf -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was a victory for the U.S. but there were massive casualties on both sides. The Japanese tried to defend the island by launching over 1000 kamikaze attacks on the Americans, causing them to lose a lot of men and ships. The victory of the island gave a base for the U.S. to launch attacks on Japan. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-okinawa#:~:text=The%20Battle%20of%20Okinawa%20was,prisoner%2C%20defenders%20often%20chose%20suicide. -
VE Day
VE Day was the day that Germany unconditionally surrendered their military forces to the Allied forces, therefore, this was the victory in Europe day. This happened because Soviet troops reached Berlin and Japan was still fighting in the Pacific theatre. People still knew they had to work hard to fix the end of the war. https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/VE-Day/#:~:text=On%20Victory%20in%20Europe%20Day,World%20War%20II%20in%20Europe. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The U.S. didn't want to send more troops into battle to die so they went to rely on the atomic bomb. There were two different atomic bombs dropped on Japan. The first one was in Hiroshima and was called the "Little Boy". This was estimated to kill around 120,000 people. The Japanese refused to surrender and 3 days later on August 9th, a bigger bomb called the "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki. This eventually led to the surrender of Japan in WWII. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history