-
Germany's Invasion of Poland
In the fall of 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Germany invaded Poland, because they felt like the land still belonged to them. This event led to the beginning of World War II -
Period: to
German Blitzkrieg
This is the period of time when Germany began to quickly take over other countries. The German blitzkrieg lasted for roughly 2 years, in which countries like France, and Britain got angry over the blitzkrieg and began to take action. Blitzkrieg means “lightning war” and was first used against Poland in 1939, and last used against France in June of 1940. -
Battle of Britain
Began on July 10, 1940 and only lasting a few months, ending on October 31, 1940. After a period of constant bombing Britain began making planes to combat the German bombers. The battle ended when the German air force failed to gain superiority over Britain’s air force. This was a huge turning point in the war, as it was Germany’s first major loss. Germany’s loss raised the morale of multiple countries, which inevitably helped countries like Britain and France overcome Germany. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack against America, in which hundreds of Japanese planes bombed the american naval base located at Pearl Harbor. Japan attacked the naval base in hopes to capture it, so that they could more easily transport/get goods required for the war (such as oil). This attack is led to the US joining the war. with president Roosevelt and congress declaring war on Japan only a day later. -
Battle of Midway
The battle of Midway occurred between June 4 and 7, 1942. This was a naval battle between Japan and the US. Japan wanted to cripple the US navy, so that they could take land in East Asia. The US knew about this attack and retaliated, leading to the most decisive victory in naval warfare. This reduced Japan's navy to almost nothing, as they lost 4 carriers, roughly 300 planes, and about 3500 men. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Being one of the deadliest battles in history, this battle began on July 17, 1942 and lasted until February 2, 1943. This battle is considered to be one of the most important battles in WWII as it marked the turning of the tide to favor the allies. The battle of Stalingrad was the Soviet Union defending itself successfully against the German invasion. The cause of the battle was Germany trying to take more land, in hopes to gain more power to win the war. -
D-Day
With Hitler having control over most of Europe, the allies knew they needed a strong point to begin reclaiming lost land. So on June 5, 1944 Eisenhower gave permission to go ahead with the operation to take back France. D-day (also known as the Normandy Invasion) happened on June 6, 1944 when the allies landed on the beach of Normandy to begin ridding France of German troops. The victory allowed the Allies to start taking back countries under the control of Germany. -
Battle of the Bulge
The battle of the Bulge, was Hitlers final gamble. Hitler launched a surprise blitzkrieg in hopes to capture the important harbor of Antwerp and split Allied lines. Allied forces were not ready for this attack.It's called the battle of the Bulge because of the way allied troops grouped into a big 'bulge' to counter the German offensive. The failure of the blitzkrieg left Hitler with a crippled army, and he would not have enough time to replenish his army before the war ended. Ended Jan 25, 1945 -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Lasting from Feb 19 to Mar 26, 1945 it was when the US launched the first in a series of attacks against the japanese island of Iwo Jima. The attack was part of the US's three-point plan, and the first point was to capture Iwo Jima. FIrst the US bombed the island to make it easier to capture. The island was used by Japan to launch air strikes,make emergency refuels, and had important industries on it. The loss of Iwo Jima was the beginning of the end for Japan, -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
On August 6, 1945 the US dropped the most destructive bomb ever created (at the time) on Hiroshima. The bomb was dropped by the plane, Enola Gay, and this was ordered by president Truman. Truman knew that any attempt to invade Japan would result in an incredible amount of american casualties. but he knew the war needed a speedy end. So after 5 years of research the Atom Bomb was created and forced Japan to surrender, or suffer even greater loss.
