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German invasion of Poland
September 1, 1939 – October 6, 1939
Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action, but Britain and France were not convinced. On September 3, they declared war on Germany, initiating World War II. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler claimed the massive invasion was a defensive action, but Britain and France were not convinced. On September 3, they declared war on Germany, initiating World War II -
Battle of the Atlantic
September 3, 1939 – May 8, 1945
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Germany in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany's subsequent counter-blockade. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941
Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. It completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was important because it sparked the United States' entrance into World War II. The day after the Japanese attacked Honolulu's Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on Japan. -
the Bataan Death March
April 3, 1942- April 26, 1942 April 9, 1942, U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during WWll, the approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65 mile march to prison camps. Bataan Death March: April 1942. surrendered Filipinos and Americans soon were rounded up by the Japanese and forced to march some 65 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, to San Fernando -
Battle of Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea was important for several reasons. It was the first pure carrier-versus-carrier battle in history as neither surface fleet sighted the other.. One of the first naval battles fought in the Pacific during World War II. The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought from 4 May – 8 May 1942. It was a major naval battle fought, about 500 miles northeast of Australia, between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the United States and Australia. -
Battle of Midway
Jun 3, 1942- June 7, 1942
An enormous battle that raged for four days near the small American outpost at Midway Island, at the end of which the US, despite great losses, was clearly victorious. The American navy destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and lost only one of its own; the action regained control of the central Pacific for the US, The United States Navy defeated a Japanese attack against Midway Atoll, marking a turning point in the war in the Pacific theatre -
Battle of Guadalcanal
August 7, 1942 – February 9, 1943
The landing at Guadalcanal was unopposed – but it took the Americans six months to defeat the Japanese in what was to turn into a classic battle of attrition. The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II. -
Allied invasion of North Africa (Morocco and Algeria)
November 8, 1942 – November 10, 1942
Allied Invasion of North Africa. On November 8, 1942, the military forces of the United States and the United Kingdom launched an amphibious operation against French North Africa, in particular the French-held territories of Algeria and Morocco. -
the invasion of Normandy
June 6, 1944 – July 1944 The Battle of Normandy was a critical battle because it opened a second major front against the Germans in Europe during the Second World War. Normandy represented one of the most heavily fortified areas the Germans possessed, so the fighting was intense and extremely costly. The Western Allies of World War II launched the largest amphibious invasion in history when they assaulted Normandy -
Battle of the Bulge
December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945
On this day, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. On this day, the Germans launch the last major offensive of the war, Operation Mist, also known as the Ardennes -
Battle at Iwo Jima
February 19, 1945 – March 26, 1945
The invasion of the volcanic island of Iwo Jima was the bloodiest battle of the war. Approximately 7,000 Marines were killed, another 23,000 wounded. The Japanese suffered casualties of nearly 22,000 men. -
Battle of Okinawa
April 1, 1945 – June 22, 1945
As the U.S. forces prepared to make land, little did Higa realize that he was to witness and participate in "Operation Iceberg," the bloodiest and most bitterly fought battle of the Pacific War where almost 240,000 American, Japanese and Okinawan lives were lost and the island of Okinawa left devastated and ravished. -
Liberation of Dachau and Buchenwald
29 April 1945
It was the first Nazi camp liberated by US troops. Buchenwald was partially evacuated by the Germans from April 6, 1945, until April 11, 1945. In the days before the arrival of the American army, thousands of the prisoners were forced to join the evacuation marches -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day, generally known as V-E Day, VE Day or simply V Day was the public holiday celebrated on 8 May 1945 to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. -
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 6, 1945
World War II was drawing to a close, the United States dropped two atomic bombs in Japan. The first target was Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and the second was Nagasaki on Aug. 9. The explosions wrecked the cities but resulted in an Allied victory.