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Japanese Invasion of China (1937)
sourceChina was a divided country in the 30's, with a nationalist and communist government fighting for control. Japan basically mainly invaded for China's vast resources, which could be highly useful in their current war. China defended its land well, and during the 40's the United States came for oil and ended the war. Before the U.S. it could've been a stalemate for much longer. -
Rape of Nanking (1937)
sourceThis is often regarded as the absolute worst single event in World War II. The atrocity was caused by Japan's invasion of China, and into the city of Nanking. They murdered 300,000/ 600,000 of the civilians and units in the area. The Japanese were merciless to the people of China, often thinking of them as less than human, -
Fall of Paris (1939)
sourceBefore Germany had even rolled units and tanks into France, over two million people fled the country. Many knew that they were likely doomed. The United States wasn't prepared for such a battle, but leaders like Winston Churchill and the French Prime Minister gave every effort in the face of defeat to win. It was a devestating loss for France, and the Nazi flag hung over Paris. -
German Blitzkrieg (1939-1940)
sourceThe german word for lightning warfare. It is a very fast and focused attack with artillery followed by infantry that causes great disorganization of enemy troops if done correctly. This was used by Germany to take places like Belgium, the Netherlands, and France but was later adopted by United States general, George Patton and his troops. -
Operation Barbarossa (1941)
sourceThis is the date that Hitler attempted to invade Soviet Russia. Despite any pacts he had made with them, he went ahead and disregarded all of them. At first, the invasion went pretty well for Germany, and they even got within 100 miles of the capital. But Russia, (being Russia) was very harsh on the troops and a heavy rain caused them to lose steam in their efforts. The operation was abandoned -
Pearl harbor (1941)
sourceJust before 8 a.m. on december 7th, 1941, hundreds of japanese fighter planes attacked the United States military base on Hawaii. More than 2,000 american soldiers died, and over 1,000 were left injured. Three days later, Germany, Italy, and Japan declared war on the U.S. This officially put us into World War II. -
Wannsee Conference (1942)
sourceOn January 20th, 1942, German officials came together in Berlin to discuss what they should do about the Jews basically. “Final Solution” was just a codename for how they were about to try and kill off jews. They were pretty much already doing this before the conference, but it just became more official at this point. Mass murder probably wasn’t the first plan on the table to be considered, but it was (by vote) the way to go for them. Obviously, the impacts of this decision are well known. -
Bataan Death March (1942)
sourceThis takes place after the Bataan Peninsula was surrendered to the Japanese. American and Filipino troops were forced to walk 65 miles to Japan's death camps. Thousands died in intense mistreatment and pain. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion- 1944)
sourceJune 6th, 1944, about 160,000 allied troops landed on a 50 mile coastline in France that was heavily fortified by Nazi Germany. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircrafts helped support the allies, so this was an enormous battle. We were trying to strike Germany right in the heart of operations and end this war, They needed nothing short of a full victory. More than 9,000 soldiers died in a sacrifice to allow more than 100,000 to continue their journey. -
Battle of the Bulge (1945)
sourceIn December 1944, Nazi Germany tried to split United States troops in NW Europe using Blitzkrieg tactics. The United States soldiers were successful in this battle with the help of George Patton, and Hitler’s plans were thwarted. -
Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)
sourceThe United States began a water based invasion on the coast of Japan on the 19th of Feburary, This was essentially payback for Pearl Harbor. The Japanese fort was very heavily guarded with more than 23,000 army and navy troops ready to defend. Iwo Jima is a small island about 500 miles off the coast of Japan, but it was a difficult battle for America. We eventually won. -
VE Day (1945)
sourceThis is the day celebrated when European countries finally defeated the Nazis. Many celebrated by hanging up flags and sporting other patriotic things of that nature. German soldies at this point were fighting just to stay out of the imprisonment of Soviet Russia. Tons of POWs were released on this day. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps (1945)
sourceSoviets and Americans alike went to search for the concentration camps left by the Nazi Regime. Soviet Russia liberated one of the most popular, Auschwitz. We were just trying to salvage as many lives as we could in the aftermath of the largest war the world has ever seen. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs (1945)
sourceWe become literally the first and only nation to ever use an atomic weapon. We dropped the bomb on a major city in Japan called Hiroshima. The Nazis had been defeated, but we still needed to take Japan out once and for all in this war. So, in one swift motion, America ened World War II with a bang. -
VJ Day (1945)
sourceThis is the day that Japan announced that it surrenders to the U.S. The Formal surrender of the Japanese took place on the U.S.S. Missouri, which was anchored in Tokyo Bay.
