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WWII Timeline
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Invasion of Poland
In September of 1939, the Nazi party of Germany invaded Poland, beginning World War II. On this day, Germany began the invasion with having their marines enter into the harbor of Danzig in a Polish fort. Germany used aerial bombs to clear the Polish border and allow room for their tanks to enter. German planes bombed Polish troops, and they ruined their communication lines. Their air force was demolished, and their army was outnumbered. Over 200,000 Polish troops were captured or killed as well -
Invasion of Poland II
as 100,000 civilians. Germany only lossed about 40,000 of their troops in the process. Most of Poland was either captured of killed by Germany, that they had no trouble stepping in and taking the country for their own. They used Poland for thier resources, and as a base during the war. This event marked the begining of World War II in the European theatre. -
The Battle of Britain
Beginning in July of 1940, the Battle of Britian was the first attack on Great Britian by the nororious Germany. After Adolf Hilter and the Nazi Party defeated France, they set their sights on Britian. Germans used the stategy known as Operation Sea Lion. This required the German Air Force, know as Luftwaffle, to use bombs and air strikes to defeat the British Royal Navy as well as the British Royal Air Force. During July and August,
the Luftwaffle kept attacking and bombing Britain's coast. -
Battle of Britain II
However, Britain struck back on August 24 when they bombed Berlin. It caused little damage, but it worried the Germans. Germany started bombing London, killing hundreds of poeple daily. The British never surrednered and on October 12, Hitler called the battle off. There was no declared winner of the war, despite Britain's demolished towns and hundreds of thousands of lives lost. This was the battle that brought Britain into the war. It also showed the wolrd that Germany could be stopped. -
Operation Barbarossa in Russia
Operation Barbarossa was another name for the invasion of the Soviet Union into Russia. Germany attacked thier former ally Russia for different reasons. One being that there was "too many Jews and Bolsheviks" living there. Also, the Soviet Union had important resources that would help them carry out war, like oil supplies. Hitler signed a non-Agressive Pact with the Soviet Union in August of 2939, promising them that Germany would not go to war with them. This pact was borken on June 22 -
Operation Barbarossa II
during this operation. About three million German soldiers invaded the Soviet Union on this day and they killed many from the Russian Red Army, as well as the Soviet Air Force. However, this battle ended with failure for Germans. The Soviets recieved reinforcments and the cold winter totaled Germans weapons, and Germany retreated. This battle was the one that brought Russina into WWII, and along with the deaths of German soldiers, Germay entered an expensive two-front war that lead to defeat. -
Battle of Moscow II
the Germans using many small scale offensive operations. The Soviet Union transfered 1,500 aircrafts, and 1,700 tanks from the far east. Germany could not hold up against the Soviet, and they was unable to take Moscow. For the first time in the war, Soviet forces stopped the Germans, and they drove them out of their country. This battle infuriated Hitler and after it, he took control of all military decsions.Ths also resulted in Stalin expanding Russia's offensive. -
Battle of Moscow
The city of Moscow was a primary target for German invasion during WWII. It was the largest Soviet City, and with it, Germany could easily take the Soviet Union. Germans used 'Operation Typhoon' was used to conduct 2 attacks to Moscow; 1 to the north, and 1 to the south. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Soviet troops were on the defense, and new reserve armies were raised to fight. Also, Siberian and other eastern military districts were brought in to fight. the Soviets surrounded -
Battle of Stalingrad
On this day, the German Sitch Army and the Fouth Panzer Army combined attack Russian troops in Stalingrad, Russia. The Russian army forced Germany's 2 armies apart however, the Germans still attacked the Soviets. Soviet troops lost a lot of land as Germany advanced farther into Russia. Germany captured the city of Chuikov. On November 19, the Russians creatded a counterattack, planned by Joeseph Stalin. Soviet troops circled the German Sixth army and both armies went on attacking one another. -
Battle of Stalingrad II
With little food, and harsh conditions from the oncoming Russina winter, the Germans suffered many losses. In Janurary, the Russians offered a chance for Germans to surrender, but by Hitler's oders, they innitially refused. However, on January 30, Germany surrendured to the Soviet Union and retreated back to their country. Germany's loss in this important battle showed that they could be defeated. It also exposed the failure of Germany's Third Reich. They could not fight this two-front war. -
Battle of Kursk
In 1943, the Germans planned a surprise attack on their former ally, the Soviet Union. Their plan was to invade Russia from the north and south, in an attempt to surround and destroy them. This attack was planned to include over 800,000 troops, and 2,700 tanks and assault weapons. However, the Soviet Union had a feeling the Germans would attack them, so the Soviet army prepared for battle. They withdrew many of their troops that would be targets for German invasion. On July 5, 1943, the Germans -
Battle of Kursk II
began their attack but they ran into minefields and attacks from the prepared Soviets. Only advncing ten miles into Kursk, the German army lost many of their tanks and troops. This battle ended on August 23, with victory going to the Soviet Union. This will be remembered as the largest tank battle in history, with over 6,000 tanks, but it's also one of the battles of World War II where Germany was stopped. This gave the Allied countries hope that Germany would eventually be defeated. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944, over 150,000 Allied troops, lead by the United States stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. At this point in the war, Normandy was under German control after they defeated France in 1940. With the help of air cover, infantry, and tank reinforcements, the Allied soldiers were able to break through German's coastal defense. The Allied troops suffered many losses during this battle that their rate of casutlies was 90%.
This battle was part of "Operation Overload" -
D-Day II
Fighting between the Germans and Allies continued through late June and it ended in a stalemate. This battle was a monumentous occasion in WWII. It gave the Allies the upperhand in the war and it gave them a foothold in France. This lead to the liberation of the French Republic on August 25, 1944. Thereafter, the Allies set out to recapture Europe, ending in victory in 1945. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was German's offensive launch on Belgium, France, and Luxembourg in 1944. This battle occured during the end of the war, on the western front. On december 16, the Germans attacked through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, crossing with hundreds of tanks, and hundreds of thousands of troops, breaking through American lines. The Germans battle with the Americans in Belgium and although they faced many deaths, the Americans were able to delay the Germans, with enough time to -
Battle of the Bulge II
bring in reinforcements. The American soldiers attacking in smaller groups, coupled with the below freezing temperatures stopped the Germans from advancing any farther into Belgium. By December 26, After Britsh troops join this battle, the Germans withdrew from the Bulge on January 8, 1945. The battle ended in loss for Germany, with over 100,000 casualties. The U.S joined forces with the Belgium army and together, they drove Germany out. This all lead up to the Battle of Berlin. -
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin was the final key battle on the European Theatre of WWII. This offensive began with the Soviet's Red Army breachin the German front and advancing into Germany. Once in Berlin, two Soviet fronts began attacking Berlin from the noth, south, and east. Other Allied countries were involved in this massive battle besides the Soviet Union like Ukraine, Great Britian, and the United States. The Germans and Soviets fought from April 20 to May 2. After -
Battle of Berlin II
many days of brutal fighting, on the night of May 2, commander of the III German Panzer Army, General Hasso von Manteuffel, surrendered to the United States Army. The Soviets lost over 80,000 and Germany lost over 400,000 in this battle alone. It's also estimated that about 125,000 German civilians were lost here. This battle marks the surrender of Germany and victory to the Ally countries. Many cities and home were demolished, many people straved, and even more lost their lives. -
Hiroshima&Nagasaki
Despite the end of the war in Europe, the war in the Pacific carried on. The Allies entered their fourth year of fighting Japan in 1945 and they wanted to end it. After destroying many Japanese cites, the Allies invaded Japan. At this time, the Allies that inaved Japan were the United States, China, and the United Kingdom. They faced Japan with a choice; Japan could surrender to the Allies, or be faced with promt destruction. Japan ignored their warning, and the U.S bombed two of Japan's cities. -
Hiroshima&Nagasaki II
On August 6, they dropped the 'Little Boy' bomb on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, they dropped the 'Fat Man' on Nagasaki. After four months, over 100,000 people died in Hiroshima and about 80,000 people died in Nagasaki. In the following months, even more people died because of radiation and burn effects. On August 15, Japan surrendered to the Ally countries, offically putting an end to WWII. Although this act ended the excruciating war, over 200,000 innocent people died in Japan.
