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Nazi Germany Invades Poland
The invasion of Poland was carried out with a combination of ground troops, tanks, and air power. The Polish army was unable to withstand the invasion, and Poland was quickly taken over by German forces. The invasion was followed by a campaign including the creation of ghettos and concentration camps for the Jewish people.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939 -
Introduction of German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a military tactic developed by the German army in the 1930s, and it means "lightning war." The strategy involves using a combination of air power, armored vehicles, and infantry to quickly and aggressively attack an enemy's weak points, and disrupt their lines of communication and supply. The goal of blitzkrieg was to achieve a swift and decisive victory by overwhelming the enemy with a series of rapid and coordinated attacks.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
The Fall of Paris
The Fall of Paris occurred during World War II on June 14, 1940, after the German army invaded France. The French had believed that the Maginot Line, would prevent an invasion, but the Germans were able to bypass it by attacking through Belgium. The German army, using their Blitzkrieg tactic, swiftly moved through France and encircled Paris. French resistance then crumbled.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/paris-liberated (not full link) -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain took place from July to October 1940 and was a major air campaign fought between the German Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force (RAF) of Great Britain during World War II. The German Luftwaffe launched a massive aerial assault on Britain, with the aim of gaining air superiority in preparation for a planned invasion. However, the RAF was victorious, forcing the Germans to abandon their plans for invasion and marking a crucial turning point in the war. britannica.com -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which began on June 22, 1941. The invasion was the largest military operation in history, involving over four million troops and a massive deployment of tanks, artillery, and aircraft. The objective of the invasion was to conquer the Soviet Union and obtain the vast resources of its territory. The failure of Operation Barbarossa marked a turning point in the war.
history.com -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack was intended to prevent the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese military operations in Southeast Asia, but it had the opposite effect, drawing the US into World War II.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was a brutal forced march of approximately 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war by Japanese forces in 1942 during World War II. The prisoners, who had surrendered after a long and grueling battle on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines, were forced to walk over 60 miles to a prison camp without adequate food, water, or medical attention.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a crucial naval battle fought between the United States and Japan in June 1942 during World War II. The Japanese navy, seeking to expand its control of the Pacific, planned a surprise attack on the American base at Midway Island. Though this would backfire as the US would win the crucial battle.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-midway-begins#:~:text=During%20the%20four%2Dday%20sea,the%20previously%20invincible%20Japanese%20navy. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major turning point in World War II fought between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1942-1943. The battle was fought for control of the city of Stalingrad, which had strategic importance due to its location on the Volga River and its industrial capabilities.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was an armed resistance by Jewish inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The ghetto was established in 1940 to confine and segregate the Jewish population of Warsaw, and conditions were extremely harsh, with starvation and disease rampant. Despite being outnumbered the resistance fighters inflicted significant casualties on the German forces and slowed the deportation of the remaining inhabitants of the ghetto.
ushmm.org -
Allied Invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was a major military campaign during World War II in which Allied forces, consisting primarily of American, British, and Canadian troops, invaded Italy in September 1943. The invasion was carried out in two phases: an initial landing on the island of Sicily, followed by an invasion of the Italian mainland.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland -
D-Day (Invasion of Normandy)
D-Day was a major military operation carried out by Allied forces during World War II, in which they launched a massive invasion of Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944. The operation involved the largest amphibious landing in history, with over 156,000 troops landing on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France.
https://www.army.mil/d-day/index.html -
Battle of Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major military campaign fought during World War II in December 1944 and January 1945. It was the last major German offensive of the war and took place in the densely forested Ardennes region of eastern Belgium, northeastern France, and Luxembourg. In which Nazi Germany would lose.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was a major military campaign fought during World War II in February and March 1945. The battle was fought between the United States and Japan, with the aim of capturing the Japanese-held island of Iwo Jima, located in the Pacific Ocean.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
The Dropping of the Two Atomic Bombs
The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan was a significant event that took place during the final stages of World War II. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, followed by another bomb dropped on Nagasaki three days later.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-atomic-bombs-that-ended-the-second-world-war