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German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg (meaning 'Lighting War') was warfare that powered Nazi Germany's military victories in WWII. War weapons were used, but radio communications were the key to most successes. Radios helped Nazi commanders to coordinate ahead, to throw them off balance. These tactics came in handy during battles such as Dunkirk, as Hitler cut off the British Force. This was Germany's strategy to avoid a long war, and to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns.
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Fall of Paris
German troops enter Paris on June 14,1940, to occupy Paris. France eventually surrendered eight days later and signed an armistice with Germans. A puppet France state controlled by Germany, was set up in the capital city of Vichy.
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Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor. Eighteen US warships had been suck or damaged, 188 aircraft destroyed, and 2,403 American servicemen and women had unfortunately died. This attack had three main reasons, Japan had an increased need for natural resources, so their need for expansion in Asia and the Pacific increased. The US Congress placed restrictions on doing business with Japan, and Japan decided to attack first.
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Wannsee Conference
On this day fifteen high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to discuss and coordinate the implementation of what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." Which in short, is basically a meeting to discuss the plans to mass-kill Jews. This conference marked a turning point in Nazi policy towards jews.
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Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway was a clash between the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy that happened six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This was the US Navy's successful attempt to dash Japan's hopes of neutralizing the United States as a naval power.
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Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was a revolt in Warsaw, Poland. This was a revolt against the Nazi Party, to try and stop the deportation of non-Germans, (but mainly Jews) to extermination camps. This happened mainly because after Germany's invasion in Poland, more that 400,000 Jews in Warsaw, were put and held in one tiny part of the city that was a little less than 1 square mile. The Nazis suspended deportations from Warsaw for several months after being ambushed by a ZOB unit.
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Operation Gomorrah
On the night of July 7, 1943 British bombers raided Hamburg, Germany, in Operation Gomorrah, while Americans bomb it by day in its own “Blitz Week.” Britain had suffered the deaths of 167 civilians as a result of German bombing raids in July.
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D-Day (The Normandy Invasion)
156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region. This invasion was one of the largest military assaults in history and required extensive planning.This was important because in a month Paris was liberated and the Allied forces were preparing to enter Germany, and eventually defeat the Nazis.
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Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes region f belgium was Adolf Hitler's last major effort in WWII. Hitler's aim was to split the Allies in the drive toward Germany. Hitler and Germany failed and this was the beginning to the victory for the allies.
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Liberation of Concentration Camps
The Germans had tried to cover up the concentration camps by destroying them in 1943, after most of the Jews of Poland had already been killed. The Soviets liberated Auschwitz, the largest killing center and concentration camp, in January 1945. (yay :)
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Battle of the Iwo Jima
American forces invaded the island Iwo jima on February 19,1945 and lasted five weeks. It is considered t be one of the bloodiest fighting of the WWII, and it's believed that 200 out of the 21,000 Japanese forces on the island were killed and 7,000 Marines. This was important because it allowed the US to see how long and hard Japanese forces would fight to keep control of the islands.
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VE Day
On May 8, 1945, the Allies celebrated th defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Hitler's rule. VE stands for Victory in Europe, and it's significant because it meant the end of nearly six years of war that had caused the loss of millions of lives.
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Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration issued by the United States, Great Britain, and China on July 26, 1945, called for the surrender of Japan. The declaration was made at the Potsdam Conference near the end of World War II. Japan accepts this term of conditional surrender, and President Harry S. Truman orders a halt to atomic bombing.
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Dropping of the atomic bombs
During WWII, American B29 bomber dropped the world's first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bombing killed about 80,000 people. Tens and thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. This was important because it was the first deployed atomic bomb, and it impacted the connection from Japan and the US for a long time.
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VJ Day
The day that Japan has surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, and effectively ending WWII. This stands for "Victory Over Japan Day." or simply "V-J Day" . This was also used when Japan's formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay.
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