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Japanese invasion of China
Marco Polo Bridge Incident On July 7, 1937 in North China near Peiping, Chinese and Japanese troops had a confrontation. As a result of this confrontation State Hull Secretary urged the Japanese government to obtain a policy of self-restraint. The Secretary thought this was the best option due to the militaristic actions taken by Japan. This is known as the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident". -
Rape of Nanking
The Rape of Nanking The capital of China, Nanking fell to Japanese power; throughout the Sino-Japanese War. This results in the Chinese government fleeing to a different inland, Hankow along the Yangtze River. The General of Japan, Matsui Iwane commanded that Nanking must be demolished. Most of the city burned, and the Japanese troops started a campaign against civilians. This became known as the “Rape of Nanking". -
Germany's invasion of Poland
Germnay's invasion of Poland September 1, 1939 Germans invaded Poland. The Polish army was conquered after the invasion within a few weeks. With over 2,000 tanks, and more than 1,000 planes Germany broke through Polish barriers. Poland had insisted war on Germany on September 3, 1939...just two days after Germany's invasion. The war had crumbled on September 27, 1939. -
German Blitzkrieg
German BlitzkriegBlitzkrieg also known as “The Lightning War", was a concept developed as a resolution to the trench warfare of World War I. German forces tested the Blitzkrieg tactic in 1939 in Poland prior to successfully using this method with their invasions of France, Belgium, and the Netherlans in 1940. By using the Blitzkrieg method Germany was able to quickly overrun much of Europe, and was successful for more than two years. -
Fall of Paris
Fall of Paris On June 14, 1940, Parisians woke up to sounds the of Germans announcing that a curfew was being set for eight that evening because German troops were entering and occupying Paris. By the time that the Germans had invaded Paris, two-millionParisians had already fled. President Roosevelt then froze the Axis powers, Italy and Germany. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl HarborOn December 7, 1941 hundreds of fighter planes from Japan bombarded Pearl Harbor which was an American naval base near the coast of Honlulu, Hawaii. This attack destroyed twenty American naval vessels...including eight massive battleships, and more than three hundred airplanes. subsequently around two-thousand died, and one-thousand were left wounded. After this attack President Roosevelt demanded that congress declare war on Japan. -
Wannsee Conference
Wannsee ConferenceOn January 20, 1942, the Wannsee Conference was held, it was a senior meeting with officials of Nazi Germany. It was held in Berlin suburb of Wannsee. The Wannsee Conference was the "final solution" and was formally presented to non-Nazi leaders. -
Bataan Death March
Bataan Death MarchAfter the U.S. surrendered the Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese, on April 9, 1942 approximately 75,000 American and Filipino troops were forced to make a laborous sixty-five mile march to prision camps in San Fernando. As a result the troops made this journey in intense heat, and were subjected to cruel treatment by Japanese guards. Thousand died in what is now known as the Bataan Death March. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of StalingradJuly 17, 1942, was a successful day for Soviet defense on the city of Stalingrad; known as the Battle of Stalingrad. The Russians and most historians consider this to be one of the greatest battles of World War II. This battle stopped the Germans from advancing into the Soviet Union, and was also the turning tide of the war, at least for the Allies. This battle was very gruesome with close to two-million casualties. -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising
Warsaw Ghetto uprising During World War II, on April 19, 1943 people of the Jewish ghettos in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, Poland, staged an amred revolt against transportation to death camps. In addition to revolts, the Germans destroyed the bunkers where many Jews had been hiding, therefore killing and capturing thousands of Jews. Approximately 7,000 Jews died during the uprising, and surviors were sent to labor camps. -
Allied invasion of Italy
Allied invasion of ItalyThe Allies began their invasion on July 10, 1943, with Axis-controlled Europe landing among the island of Sicily, in Italy. The came in contact with little resistance from Sicilian troops. Within a few days, 150,000 Allied troops were on shore. Patton arrived to Messina before Montgomery did…therefore completing the Allied conquest of Sicily, and winning the Race to Messina -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
D-Day (Normandy Invasion) On June 6, 1944, 156,000 British, American, and Canadian forces stormed onto five beaches along the fifty mile coast of France's Normandy Region. D-Day was one of the most amphibious assualts in military history, and required substantial planning. As a result this invasion began to turn the tide to the Nazis, this halted Hitler from building up his Eastern Fronts against the advancing Soviets. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima The American takeover of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945 proceeded from the need for a base along the Japanese coast. Following complicated conditions, three U.S. marine divisions landed among the island, guarded by 23,000 Japanese troops, who fought from caves, dugouts, tunnels, etc. Regardless of the difficulty faced by the marines, they abolished defending forces a month after fighting. -
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of OkinawaThe battle of Okinawa was the last and largest battle during World War II...287,000 troops of the U.S. Army were involved against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Army. At the end of the eighty-two day battle Japan had lost over 77,000 soldiers, and the Allies had been affected with over 65,000 casualties. -
Liberation of concentration camps
Liberation of concentration camps On April 12, 1945, British Armed forces had moved towards the Aller River. The Germans had opened negotiations for the surrender of the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen.The British belived that of approximately 50,000 inmates living, 20,000 were seriously ill. After all the inmates had fled the camp or died, the British burned down the camp to prevent the spread of diseases. -
VE Day
VE DayVE Day also known as the Victory in Europe is remembered on May 8th. German troops in Europe laid down their weapons. Germans surrendered to the Soviet antagonists, after they had lost more than 8,000 soldiers, with the Germans that considerably lost more soldiers. Eventually surrender documents were signed in eastern Germany, and Berlin. -
Potsdam Declaration
Potsdam Declaration On July 26, 1945, one day after the bombing of Nagasaki occured; Japan submits its consent to the Potsdam Conference terms of surrender. President Truman odered a halt to atomic bombing, and Japan was given the opportunity to end this war. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
Dropping of the atomic bombs President Truman was warned by advisors that any effort to invade Japan would cause horrible American fatalities. On August 6, 1945, an American bomber, Enola Gay delivered a five-ton bomb on top of Hiroshima, a city in Japan. -
VJ Day
VJ Day On August 15, 1945, the announcement of the surrender spread around the world. This was the ending to World War II. A formal ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. President Truman then formally declared September 2 to be VJ Day. -
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge On December 16, 1945, Hitler ordered a surprise Blitzkrieg in attempt to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe. Desperate battles were faught by American units in order to fend off German advances. Lt. George S. Patton’s success of the Third Army defense lead to neutralization of the German counteroffense, regardless of the fatality outcome. This was the costliest action ever by the U.S. Army.
