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Genocide
Part of Hitlers plan in creating the perfect Germany was to filter Germany from "impure" people. These people were arrested and sent to concentration camps were they would eventually die. -
Rape of Nanjing
Japanese General Matsui Iwane order the destructing of the city of Nanking in order to bring down the spirit of the Chinese resistance. Most of the city was burned and 150,000 male prisoners of war and 50,000 male civilians were killed. Alongside this, around 20,000 women and girls of all ages were raped and killed in the process. This event showed the cruelty and ruthlessness of Japan. -
Munich Conference
An agreement was reached between Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy in which a piece of western Czechoslovakia was given to Germany in order to prevent another war from breaking out. -
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
Before World War II, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a pact in which they agreed to not attach each other in the next 10 years. This pact was later broken when Germany unsuccessfully invaded Russia. -
Invasion of Poland
Germany successfully invades and takeover Poland, requiring land lost in the Treaty of Versailles. This event marks the beginning of World War II -
Battle of Moscow
German forces tried to invade and take control of the city of Moscow as it was the largest city in the USSR and had the most political and military influence in that nation. While the Germans were initially making good progress, Russian resistance and the tough weather slowed them down significantly. Once they got near Moscow, fresh Soviet troops attacked them and forced them to retreat. -
Pearl Harbor
In the morning of December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter plans made a surprise attack on a U.S. Naval base near Honolulu Hawaii. This attack resulted on the destruction of 20 American naval vessels, 300 airplanes, and the death of around 2,400 Americans. -
Battle of El Alamein
The Allied powers were trying to take back control of North Africa from the Axis powers. While German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was able to hold back the British troops, the tides later started to turn in favor of the Allies once the British were reinforced. With more troops and supplies, the Allies were able to take back control of North Africa. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Stalin and his generals were expecting another attack aimed at Moscow, but Hitler had other plans. Instead of attacking Moscow again, Nazi and Axis troops were sent to the city of Stalingrad as it was an important industrial city in Russia. While the Soviets were able to hold them back at the beginning, things started to change once the German Lafwaffe air forces controlled the skies. Stalin ordered his troops not to retreat, a choice that payed off once the harsh Russian winter came. -
Invasion of Italy
Allied forces began invading Axis-controlled territories in Europe, one of those being Italy. With the help of opposition groups in Italy, the Allied powers were able to put an end to Benito Mussolini's fascist government. The Italian government agreed to surrender, taking out one of the main axis powers. -
D-Day
On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), around 156,000 Allied troops landed on France's Normandy region. Before D-Day, the Allies had made a large-scale campaign, designed purely to deceive Germans about their next invasion target, so the attack on France would be unexpected. This assault was a huge success which resulted in France being liberated from Germany. -
Kamikaze
Kamikaze attacks were Japanese aerial attacks involving a suicide pilot who would crash a plane into warship, causing massive destruction. The planes used in these acts of aggression often carried bombs and gasoline in order to make the explosion greater and more prominent. Kamikaze pilots were proud to do this as doing this was seen as a great honor. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, An American dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing around 140,000 people. Just three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped, this time in Nagasaki, Japan, killing around 74,000 people. This was a very important event in world history as it was the first time atomic bombs had been used and this showed the world how powerful and destructive nuclear warfare can be.