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German Blitzkrieg
What happened was that the Germans created a system of warfare that was supposed to cause a quick, focused blow to other nations using aircraft, tanks, and then cavalry. The reason they used this system was because back in WWI, it was more defensive, and that led to their defeat. So, they tried a new, much more offensive approach. The effects of this was absolute decimation of towns and cities due to the constant bombing. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany had an incredible advantage over Poland with the strength of their army and Poland wasn't nearly as prepared as Germany. On September 1, 1939, Germany sent in 2,000 tanks, 900 bombers, and 400 fighter planes to take over Poland along with nearly 1.5 million troops. The Soviet Union sent in support from the East and this led to a quick takeover of Poland. The result of this was that Poland was split between the USSR and Germany. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/ -
Fall of Paris
Britain and France had declared war on Germany, and Germany finally advanced towards France in an attempt to expand. They quickly made it through the Dutch, and were met with the French and Belgians, who were also not nearly prepared enough. The Allies sent in support, but that failed. As Germany advanced, the French and British evacuated from Dunkirk over to Britain. On June 25, the Germans took Paris. This resulted in the German occupation of France. www.history.co.uk -
Battle of Britain
Germany made an attempt to take Britain by bombing London, but Britain successfully defended against the German attack. Hitler carried out this attack because Britain was one of the last main European nations he wanted to take, and he felt constant bombing would be able to take them over. The result of this was that Germany retreated out of Britain, and a lot of damage was done to Britain, but not enough to take them out of the war, and it was seen as a great victory for Britain. britannica.com -
Operation Barbarossa
Germany wanted to expand their territory further East and Hitler felt like the Soviet Union would be relatively easy for him to take over. Hitler sent in around 1.8 million German troops to the Soviet Union, and he planned on using his Blitzkrieg tactics to quickly take Russia. The Soviets were caught off guard at first but then they surprised the Germans with their numerical advantage and strength of resistance. Germany failed and it resulted in the USSR joining the Allies. www.history.com -
Pearl Harbor
The reason for the attack was because of constant tensions between the US and Japan that were always rising, due to the fact that Japan was invading China, and the US was against that. It was a surprise attack from the Japanese on a US harbor which damaged around 20 US naval vessels, and over 300 aircraft. 2,400 people were killed and that included citizens. The result was that the US finally decided to officially enter the war. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle happened because Hitler had conquered much of the East and he aimed for Russia next. Germany sent in heavy amounts of aircraft and relentlessly bombed the city, and the Soviets removed all of the food and supplies out of Stalingrad so they couldn't take it. Once winter sets in, the Soviets surround the Germans in the city and starve them out. The result was that it was the first part of the war Hitler publicly acknowledged as a failure It ended in February of 1943. www.history.com -
Bataan Death March
The Japanese wanted to take more land in the Pacific, so after Pearl Harbor, they went to the Philippines. The US ended up surrendering to the Japanese, and the Japanese took the surrendered troops and went on the Bataan Death March. The troops had to march for 65 miles and often died from starvation, or brutality of their captors. This resulted in the United States invading the island of Leyte in October of 1944. Many atrocities were committed on the troops that had to march. www.history.com -
Battle of the Coral Sea
The US broke the Japanese secret war code by trying to intercept a Japanese armada. This led to 4 days of battles between American and Japanese aircraft carriers. It resulted in 70 Japanese and 66 American warplanes being destroyed. This was happening in the Solomon Islands. This was the first air-naval battle in history. The result was that Japan lost many of their experienced pilots and had to give up territories because of it. www.history.com -
Battle of Midway
The reason that Japan attacked Midway was because it would allow them to have better access to the rest of the Pacific where their plan was to expand their reach in the Pacific. The US and Japan sent attack after attack on each other until Japan eventually lost and had to give up. The result of this battle was that Japan became defensive for the rest of the war and gave up on their plan to expand into the Pacific, and they also lost many of their most experienced pilots. www.history.com -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The allies wanted to invade Italy because they saw them as a weak link in the Axis powers. July 10 of 1943, the Allies started an invasion of Italy. They found little resistance and came on the shore of Sicily. The allies make it to Rome which leads to the collapse of Mussolini's fascist government. On September 3rd, the full invasion of the mainland started, and the Italian government agreed to surrender to the Allies. This eventually leads to the surrender of Germany in Italy. www.history.com -
D-Day
The allies liberated Western Europe from Germany, and that was the spark that caused this battle. 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops landed on a 50 mile stretch of Normandy Beach in France, which was heavily fortified. They conducted a large deception campaign and through this battle, all of Northern France had been liberated from Nazi control in late August, 1944. The result of this was the beginning of the end of the war. www.history.com -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler wanted to split the allies in their drive towards Germany. The allies, including the US, fought against Hitler's Germany, who was taking the offensive. They formed a formation which resembled a bulge, and that is how the war got its name. The Germans captured troops, and surrounded them, but the allies sent in more troops and broke through the German lines. This resulted in a serious blow to the German army. www.history.com. -
Iwo Jima
The US wanted to take the island of Iwo Jima as it would allow for them to launch an invasion on mainland Japan. The invasion started on February 19, 1945. Out of the 21,000 Japanese forces, only 200 survived, and 7,000 marines were killed as well. The US suffered heavy losses as well as the Japanese had artillery and troops hiding in the mountains and they were able to surprise the US soldiers. In the end the US was unable to use the Iwo Jima airstrips. www.history.com -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
President Harry Truman called for the surrender of Japan, but they refused, even with the threat of "Prompt and utter destruction." So, the US dropped and atomic bomb called Little Boy on the city of Hiroshima. It leveled 5 miles and killed 80,000 people instantly. Then, when Japan didn't surrender, they dropped another one called Fat Man on the city of Nagasaki. It killed around 40,000 people on impact. This lead to the surrender of Japan and the end of the war. www.history.com