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Japanese invasion of China
The Japanese policy of Imperialism caused an escalation of tension and battle. Japan ended up invading China. This was considered a leading cause into WWII Source: Benesch, Oleg. "Castles and the Militarisation of Urban Society in Imperial Japan," Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Vol. 28 (Dec. 2018), pp. 107-134 -
Rape of Nanking
Japanese troops set loose to do whatever they wanted to Nanking, China's capital at the time. Mass murder and rape against civilians. One of the worst recorded mass war crimes in history. Sources: The Nanjing Incident: An Examination of the Civilian Population -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is german for "Lightning War". It involves fast attacks to disorganize, traumatize, and scare opponents as well as just kill them. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany made a pact with the USSR to split poland in half between them. Poland was Conquered from two sides. Shocked allies that fascism and communism could co-exist. Sources: Baliszewski, Dariusz (10 October 2004). "Wojna sukcesów". Wprost (in Polish) (1141). Retrieved 24 March 2005 -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese launched an attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval base in Hawaii to try and scare America out of ever joining the war. This sent America into a mechanical rage that would end up turning the tide of the war. "The Long Blue Line: The attack on Pearl Harbor—"a date that will live in infamy"". coastguard.dodlive.mil. Retrieved December 8, 2017 -
Bataan Death March
After a huge series of battles, a large amount of allied prisoners needed to be transported. Many were wantonly killed along the way, americans included. Murphy, Kevin C. (2014). Inside the Bataan Death March: Defeat, Travail and Memory. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 328. ISBN 978-0786496815 -
Battle of Stalingrad
Germany confronted and blockaded the city of Stalingrad, and spent around five months fighting for it. In the end however, they depleted their resources and had to surrender to the soviets -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The holocaust was resisted by those who were suffering under it. The Jewish populations in Warsaw fought back against the Nazis so they wouldn't end up in a work camp, or worse. -
D-Day
The Allies had to create a new front for the germans to fight on. They did so with a five pronged attack on five beaches in northern france. Only one attack was a true success, but it gave the germans a whole new direction to worry about. Ambrose, Stephen (1994) [1993]. D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-67334-5 -
Battle of the Bulge
The german offensive to cut Allied supply lines. The germans ended up exhausting their resources and Allies took a heavy victory. Grossman, Vasiliĭ Semenovich; Beevor, Antony; Vinogradova, Luba (2007). A Writer at War:A Soviet Journalist with the Red Army, 1941–1945. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-307-27533-2.* Hellbeck, Jochen. (2015) Stalingrad: The City That Defeated The Third Reich. New York, NY: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-61039-496-3
