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Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
Japan was becoming over crowded because of it's large population and small territory. Manchuria seemed to have an abundant amount of natural resources and plenty of land for the Japanese to expand to. Seeing this, the Japanese jumped on this hoping it would help fix there issues at home. When Japan attacked the League of Nations did not help them. This showed that the League of Nations was unorganized and could not show their authority. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/manchuria_1931.htm -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Part of the reason Germany invaded Poland was because the German citizens did not like that Poland received lost German provinces from the Treaty of Versailles. The other reasons were that Britain and France were following appeasement because they feared of another war and Russia signed a peace pact. These things allowed Hitler to invade Poland with no punishments. The Polish army was defeated in several weeks. This led to another nonaggression pact that was later broken by Hitler. ushmm.org -
Fall of Paris
Germans invaded France using what they called the "Schlieffen Plan". They left from Germany, marched through Belgium, going around the French defenses, and into Paris. Once the Germans knocked the French out of the war the French had to salvage what they could of their government. One side of France was French and the other was the German government. With the armistice they signed the French army was disbanded and the Germans got 2/3 of France. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/francesurrenders -
German Blitzkrieg
The German blitzkrieg, also known as "lightning war", drove back the Soviets over 600 miles. The second blitzkrieg was in 1942 and was aimed towards Stalingrad. But the Soviets made an unexpected comeback and destroyed the German blitzkrieg outside of Stalingrad. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437 -
Operation Barbarossa
The Germans advanced deep into Soviet territory where both forces were quiten large. The Germans took Red Army by suprise and let the German push farther into Russia. However, the Germans did not account for the weather when they attacked. This ultimately led to the defeat of the German army and a major turning point in the war. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52772/Operation-Barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
This was another effect of the Japanese expansionism. The Japanese thought the only way to solve their economic issues was to expand and take over the resources the area had. After America stopped trading with the Japanese, they were "forced" to invade Pearl Harbor. This ended up taking out several aircraft carriers but more importantly, a war between America and Japan. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
A German conference discussing the "Final Solution" to the Jewish people. This solution they talked about was the "systematic, deliberate, physical annihilation of the European Jews". This led to many Jews and other types of outcasts at the time to be sent to camps where they were treated cruelly and murdered. This process of sending people to camps was named the Holocaust and also deemed one of the most horrible events in human history. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005477 -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was trecherous march that the Filipino and American troops on Bataan had to make to prison camps. The walk was 65 miles and was during intense heat. Through these rough conditions, they were also treated harshly by the Japanese guards. This ended up happening because of the Japanese capturing Manila and then having to retreat back, forcing the prisoners to come with them. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was an important naval battle between the United States and Japan. The Japanese planned to attack an area close to Pearl Harbor in order to crush American troops. However, with the Japanese fleet codes solved, Americans were able to set up a counter attack. This important info helped the United States reposition their fleet and plan for the coming attack. This led to victory for the United States and ended up winning the war for them. http://www.history.com/ -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was between the Germans and the Soviet Union. The Germans were digging deeper into Russia and reaching the outskirts of Stalingrad. However, with Russian defenses built up and the Germans unprepared for the harsh winter weather the Soviet Union was able to make a comeback and drive the Germans out of Russia. This hurt Germany severely because they wasted a lot of resources in the battle and came back with nothing in return but a new offensive aimed towards them. -
Operation Gomorrah
In retaliation against the Germans for their bombing raids against Britain, they set up Operation Gomorrah. This plan included Britain bombing Germany by night and the U.S bombing by day. More than 30,000 people were killed and more than 280,000 buildings were destroyed. This proved demoralizing to Germany as defeat began inching towards them. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched -
Allied Invasion of Italy
When the Allies landed in Italy, the Italian government agreed to the Allies terms for surrender secretly. This allowed Allies to march threw Italy towards Germany with only German opposition. Germans did not think this would happen and ended up defeated with a way for the Allies to get into their capital. Followed by the Allied invasion, Mussolini was captured and executed. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/italy-invaded.htm -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
D-Day, also called Operation Overlord, was one the largest amphibious military assaults in history. 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces attempted to break through German defenses. This victory was possible because of the Allies conducting a deceptive campaign to mislead the Germans on the invasion target.This battle resulted in the Allies victory over Germany and ultimately the end of WWII. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of Bulge
In an attempt to split the Allied armies by a suprise blitzkrieg from Ardennes to Antwerp. However, by pushing farther and farther into Ardennes Hitler created a bulge on the Allied front. This followed by a German shortage of fuel ensured certain victory for the Allies. This ended up being the costliest battle ever fought by the U.S Army ending with over 100,000 casualties. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge# -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was similar to Operation Gomorrah in which the Allies carpet bombed Germany. However, in Operation Thunderclap they were much more specific in their bomb targets. They primarily bombed to disrupt the transportation infrastructure and as an attempt to demoralize Germany. Once Hitler saw this he knew that his reign was near an end. http://ww2today.com/13-february-1945-operation-thunderclap-raf-start-firestorm-in-dresden -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was between the Japanese and the U.S. The Japanese primarily fought from a system of caves, dugouts, and tunnels. These cave systems were difficult for the marines to pinpoint but they came out on top. Americans suffered 23,300 casualties, 5,900 dead. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima# -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the largest Pacific island battle of WWII where the Japanese army faced the Allies' army, which was almost double the size of the Japanese. This is the battle where the Japanese resorted to kamikaze tactics against the allies. This made it one of the bloodiest battles in the war. The casualties were enormous for both sides. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa# -
VE Day
This day was marked as the end of war in Europe and the defeat of the Nazi Party.After being surrounded, the Germans realized surrender and attempted to flee from the Soviets. About a million Germans attempted exodus but were intercepted by Russian forces. The Russians ended the war with over 2 million prisoners. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Dropping of the Atomic Bomb
This day was when the United States dropped the worlds first and only atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This marked the end of WWII and possibly started the Cold War to come in later time. Without the use of nuclear weaponry there would have been enormous American casualties so in order to limit them Truman let the atomic bomb go. The day after the bombing Japan surrendered. Japan suffered over 120,000 casualties from impact and radiation poisioning. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bo -
VJ Day
VJ Day was the end of World War 2. This was after the dropping of the atomic bomb. After seeing their civilians and troops gone in the blink of an eye, Japan realized they had no hope of winning. This led them to their decision to unconditionally surrender to the Allies. Japan suffered massive casualties and land ruined forever. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day
