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Germany's invasion of Poland
One week after Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact, more than a million German troops along with 50,000 Slovakian soldiers invaded Poland. 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 2. -
German Blitzkrieg
German forced tried out the Blitzkrieg (also known as "lighting war") in Poland before successfully employing the tactic with invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands and France in 1940. The blitzkrieg was also used by German commander Erwin Rommel during the North African campaign of World War 2, and adopted by U.S. General George Patton for his army's European operations. The Blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization towards enemy forces with concentrated fire power. -
Operation Barbarossa
Adolf Hitler launched his armies eastward in a massive invasion of the Soviet Union: three army groups with over 3 million German soldiers, 150 divisions, and 3,000 tanks smashed across the frontier into soviet territory. This invasion covered from the North Cape to the Black Sea. Barbarossa was the crucial turning point in WW2, its failure forced Nazi Germany to fight a two- front war against superior resources. -
Pearl Harbor
Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. It lasted two hours, the Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, 8 battleships, and almost 200 planes. More than 2,000 American soldiers and sailors died, meanwhile 1,000 where wounded. The day after the assault Congress declared war on Japan with just one dissenting vote. -
Battle of Midway
Six months after the attack of Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan. The United States was able to preempt and counter Japan's planed ambush, inflicting permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. The victory allowed the U.S. and its allies into an offensive position. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Nazi army bombed the Soviet city of Stalingrad, launching one of the bloodiest battles. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor with the allies. -
D-Day
Was the day where 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50 mile stretch of France's Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest military assaults in history. Prior to D-Day, allies conducted a design that mislead the Germans about the intended invasion. -
Battle of the Bulge
Adolfo hitter attempted to split the allied armies in northwest Europe by a surprise blitzkrieg through the Ardennes to Antwerp. A major German offensive was launched against such the allies in the Ardennes Mountians region on the Western Front. American unites were caught off guard, fighting desperate battles. The allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving the battles name. -
Battle of Okinawa
Allied forces invade the island of Okinawa and engage the Japaense in the bloodiest battle of the Pacific. The campaign involved 287,000 troops of the U.S. By the end of the 82-day campaign, Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties including 14,000 dead. -
VE Day
On this day both Great Britian and the United States celebrate the victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations put out flags and banners, rejoicing the defeat of the Nazi war machine. -
Dropping the Atomic Bombs
During World War 2 and American B-29 bomber dropped the worlds first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion cleared out 90% of the city, immediately killing 80,000 people, more would die later on due to radiation exposure. Three days later a second B-29 atomic bomb on Nagasaki killed around 40,000 people. Japan's emperor surrendered on August 15. -
VJ Day
It was announced that Japan had surrendered to the allies, ending World War 2. Since then, both August 14 & 15 are known as "Victoryover Japan Day," or "V-J Day."
