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Germany's Invasion of Poland (History.com)
Germany invaded Poland in order to regain lost territory and dominate their Eastern neighbor. Germany used the new "Blitzkrieg" strategy. In this strategy Germany excessively bombs enemy railroads, ports, artillery, transportation, and military. Hitler began terrorizing the Polish and setting up concentration camps. Poland made a couple military mistakes that allowed Germany to easily win. As a result, Great Britain bombed Germany. -
German Blitzkrieg (History.com)
Blitzkrieg means Lightning War where you concentrate all of your forces on one target instead of dispersing the forces. Germany used it to invade Belgium, Norway, Netherlands, and France. Germany quickly dominated Europe with this tactic. -
Fall of Paris (History.com)
Germany realized that a war with Russia meant a war with France, so they quickly acted on France by attacking them through Belgium. Nazi Germany took control of Paris. There was much backlash to this. The workers and people of Paris as well as the Allied Powers rebelled and went against the Germans. The Germans backed down quickly. The French Republic was restored. -
Battle of Britain (History.com)
This was a battle between Britain's Royal Air Force and Germany's air force. It happened because Germany wanted control of the English channel. It was the first battle ever to be solely fought in the war. Germany was forbidden to have an air force after Treaty of Versailles but still did. Germany suffered a huge defeat and both countries lost many troops and air crafts. This battle was hugely significant. -
Pearl Harbor (History.com)
This was a surprise attack by the Japanese on American territory. The Japanese did it in an attempt to destroy the US's military and naval port, but instead just committed a terrorism attack. They did much damage on American soil, causing US president Franklin Roosevelt to declare was on Japan and join WWII. This led to the US being one of the most powerful nations, as they were able to dominate in WWII. -
Battle of Midway (History.com)
This was a battle between the US and Japan over the control of naval power and territory in the Pacific. It was an air and sea battle. The US decoded a Japanese message and found out where they were attacking. The US won, causing Japan to remain on defense for the rest of WWII and stop trying to gain territory in the Pacific. -
Battle of Stalingrad (History.com)
This battle is known as one of the longest and bloodiest battles ever, and it was between the Soviets and Nazis as well as the Axis powers. This battle turned the war in favor of the Allied powers. Germany attacked Stalingrad because it was an industrial center for Russia. The Russians surrounded the Germans and cut off their supply, causing them to die off. The Russian winter ruined the Germans. -
Allied Invasion of Italy (History.com)
The Allied powers invaded Italy in order to remove them from WWII. Under little retaliation, the Italians agreed to terms with the Allies because they needed help against Germany. Mussolini was captured and executed. The Germans were defeated in Italy and six days later all of Germany was forced to surrender, due partly to its losses in Italy. -
D-Day (History.com)
D-Day was a battle that took place in Normandy, France. This is known as the beginning of the end of the war and is also the largest amphibious attack of the time. The Germans suffered from confusion and being overrun, and suffered a huge defeat. The Allied Powers dominated. Nazi Germany surrendered soon after and Hitler committed suicide. -
Battle of the Bulge (History.com)
This was a battle between the Americans and Germans, and is the Germans final offensive of WWII against the western front. Hitler wanted to split the Allied powers on their fight to Germany, but failed, and the Allied powers marched right in. There were huge numbers of casualties on both sides. Germany could now only defend what they had left. -
Battle of Iwo Jima (History.com)
This was a battle between the US and Japanese, where the US wanted to gain a good position where they could invade Japan from. Japan was much weaker and couldn't recover and rebuild like the Americans, so the lost in a bloody battle. It mainly served after the American victory as a runway for American military. -
VE Day (History.com)
Victory in Europe Day. This is a day that the US and Great Britain celebrate in order to celebrate their termination of the Nazi Germany. May 8th is the day that Germany surrendered. It is also used to celebrate the sheer power and world domination that these two countries possessed after WWII. -
Potsdam Declaration (History.com)
This was a meeting held between the US, Great Britain, and USSR following the defeat of Germany. It was an attempt to balance the power of these countries post WWII, but in reality it only hinted at the tensions between these countries. The Soviets were upset, so they received German machinery. The Germans were held on trial and punished for their crimes against humanity. -
Dropping of the Bombs (History.com)
The US had to choose between invading Japan and losing many of their own troops, or bombing Japan and not losing any troops and putting an immediate end to the Japanese cause. They bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki and killed many people and leveled much of Japan. This is known to have been the end of WWII, but the start of the Cold War, which has continued until modern times. -
VJ Day (History.com)
Victory Over Japan Day. This day caps a decade of brutal and horrific sights that occurred in and surrounding Japan. Between the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this date marks the day when Japan finally signed that they were done with the war. This day is held to honor those that lost their lives and celebrate the fact that Japan lost the war.