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Japanese Invasion of China
A clash occurred between Chinese and Japanese troops near Peiping in North China, this was the Japanese invasion. -
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Rape of Nanking
A period of six weeks, Imperial Japanese Army forces brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of people–including both soldiers and civilians–in the Chinese city of Nanking -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union also signed a ten-year nonaggression pact, in which they agreed not to attack each other. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. This led to Britain and France declaring war on Germany. -
German Blitzkrieg
German term for "lightning war." Military tactic, made to create disorganization among enemy forces. -
Pearl Harbor
hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded. -
Bataan Death March
U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese. About 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. -
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Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was far more than an epic WWII clash somewhere far away at sea. It was an American victory that forever changed the course of world history. This is the battle that turned the tide of the war -
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Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia, on the eastern boundary of Europe. -
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Allied Invasion of Italy
Montgomery’s 8th Army began its invasion of the Italian mainland and the Italian government agreed to surrender to the Allies. By the terms of the agreement, the Italians would be treated with leniency if they aided the Allies in expelling the Germans from Italy. -
D-Day
160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy. -
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Battle of the Bulge
The German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor. -
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Battle of Okinawa
A series of battles fought in the Japanese Ryukyu Islands, centered on the island of Okinawa, and included the largest amphibious assault in WWII. -
VE Day
Victory Day in Europe, more commonly known as VE Day, occurred on May 8, 1945. This day was when the United States and Great Britain celebrated the last day of the war, when the German soldier laid down their arms. -
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Atomic Bombs
Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, 1945. This was the world's first atomic bomb that was actually deployed. 3 days later, August 9, 1945, another atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. -
V-J Day
it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory over Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.”