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Germany's invasion of Poland
On September 1st, 1939, German forces bombarded Poland on land and from the air, as Hitler was seeking to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland, and that's when World War ll began. -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a German term for "lightening war". Blitzkrieg was a military tactic designed to created disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. German forces tried out the blitzkrieg in Poland in 1939. Fuller and Hart insisted that their concepts of mobile war were fundamental to the German victories of 1939-1940. -
Fall of Paris
This day, Parisians awaken to the sound of German accented voices announcing via loudspeaker that a curfew was being imposed for 8pm that evening as German groups enter and occupy Paris. While Persians who remained trapped in their capital, Canadian troops rolled through their region, offering hope for a free France. -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union: three great army groups with over 3 million German soldiers. There were 150 divisions, and three thousand tanks smashed across the frontier into Soviet territory. This happened because the Germans wanted to have preparations for a sustained war, and this made the war yet to begin. -
Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack lasted about 2 hours, but it was devastating. The Japanese destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels, including 8 enormous battleships, and almost 200 airplanes. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died in the attack. Roosevelt declared war on Japan and three days later, Japanese alleles; Germany and Italy, also declared war on the U.S. -
D Day(Normandie Invasion)
The battle of Normandie which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944 resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Garmanys control. The allies invaded Western Europe in the largest amphibious attack in history. Prior to D Day the allies conducted a campaign to dislead the Germans about the intend invasion target. Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler attempted to split the allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg through the Ardennes. As Germans dove deeper in the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battles name. It's objective was to split the allied armies by means of a surprise blitzkrieg, making a repeat of what the Germans had done 3 times previously. The battle of the Bulge suffered 100,000 casualties. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American soldiers made their first strike on the Japanese Home Islands at Iwo Jima. The invasion of Iwo Jima during World War ll, stemmed for the need of a base near the Japanese coast. Three U.S marine divisons landed on the island in Feburary 1945. Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops. The marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting, and the U.S flag being raised in victory. -
VE Day
On this day, both Great Britain and the United states celebrate victory in Europe day. Cities in both nations put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. May 8th spelled the day when German troops finally laid down their arms, and Germans surrendered to their Soviet antagonists. The Russians took the Germans as captive and took 2 million prisoners after the German surrender. -
Potsdam Decleration
The Potsdam Deceleration or the Proclamation, defined terms for the Japanese surrender is a statement that called for the surrender of all Japanese armed forces during World War ll. The proclamation stated that if Japan did not surrender it would face "prompt and utter destruction." -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The United States became and the first and only nation to use atomic weaponary during wartime when it dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Through the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan, this marked the end of World War ll. This was a blast equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT reduced 4 square miles of the city and killed 80,000 people. A few days later, Japan announced its surrender. -
VJ day
On Augusr 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. This sparked celebrations over the final ending of World War ll. On September 2nd, a formal surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri. At the time, President Truman declared Sprember 2nd to be VJ Day. -
Fall.
