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German Blitzkrieg
This is a warfare term used by the Germans that was first put into action in the year 1939, exact date not specified. Blitzkrieg is the term meaning 'lighting warfare'. The overall idea of the military tactic was disorganization. It was designed for mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. The term itself is called a post-facto. They never used the actual term until much after the war. -
Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact
This pact is pretty simple. Hitler and Stalin met up to set a non-agreesion pact between them. Through this pact, they also had a secret agreement that when the time came, the Soviets and the Germans would together decide how to split up Eastern Europe. The pact fell apart in June of 1941 when the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union -
Germanys invasion of Poland
Hitler signed a nonagression pact with Poland in order to neutralize French-Polish military alliance against Germany. Germany attacked because they wanted the territory and the resources from Poland. This was known as the start of WWII. -
Fall of Paris
The fall of Paris began when Germany launced an invasion of France. Their plan was called 'Case Yellow'. Within 4 days of the initial attack, German troops had broken through French lines. When Hitler haulted his troops, 200,000 British and 140,000 French soldiers evacuated to England. By June 5th, French resistance had collapsed. 4 days later the capital fell and not 7 weeks after the battle, the entire government system had capitualiated. -
Operation Barbarossa
In late June of 1941, Hitler launched armies in the Eastern Soviet Union. 3 million German soldiers in 150 divisions attacked the Union with over 3,000 tanks. The attack took place over 2,000 miles from North Cape to the Black Sea. The Germans severely underestimated the power and resources of the Soviet Union. They fought a two-front war that was impossible for them to win due to their lack of preperation overall. -
Pearl Harbor
The morning of December 7th, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the naval base near Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack itself only lasted about 2 hours. 20 American vessels were destroyed along with more than 300 airplanes. 2,000 soldiers were killed and over 1,000 were injured. The next day, the US declared war on Japan. Then Germany declared war on US. This was our first involvement in WWII. -
Wannsee Conference
Put simply, the Wannsee Conference was set for approval of annihilation of the Jewish people. 15 Nazi and German officials gathered to discuss what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." At this point, majority of the officals present were already aware of the mass murders of Jews that were happening. The members wanted to inform and secure support from the government. No officials objected to the "Final Solution". There were 1,000,000 Jews that were to be killed. -
Bataan Death March
This march took place when US surrendered to the Japanese of the Bataan peninsula. More than 75000 Filipino and US troops were forced to take a 65 mile march to prison camps. They had to make the trip (under enforcement of Japanese soldiers) and traveled through heat and harsh treatment. Thousands of men were killed due to these conditions. To take the march, men were divided into groups of 100 and it required up to 5 days to complete the trip. -
Battle of Midway
On this day in history, the US defeated Japan in one of the most decisive battles of WWII. This only happened 6 months after Pearl Harbor. The United States got into Japanese codes and was able to preempt and counter their plan. They used this information to ambush Japan. It became a turning point in the war and the United States moved into an offensive postion. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This was the first successful soviet defense of Stalingrad in the USSR. The Russians consider it the greatest battle of the entitre conflict. This battle stopped German advance in the Soviet Union and turned the war in favor of the Allies. It was one of the bloodiest battles in history. Nearly 2 million people were killed at Stalingrad. -
Warshaw Ghetto uprising
German authorities sent 300,000 Jews to the ghetto and 265,000 to the Treblinka killing center. They also sent 11,580 to forced labor camps. In the Warsaw ghetto, more than 10,000 Jews were murdered. Onl 35,000 were permitted to stay in the ghetto but 55-60,000 were occupying them for escaping was much to risky. Groups such as the ZOB and ZZW joined together to oppose Germany. It was the largest and most symbolic uprising for the Jewish people, lasting over one month. It inspired many others. -
Operation Gomorrah
British bombers raided Hamburg, Germany on this day; later that night, so did the Americans with their own 'Blitz Week'. In just a few hours, 2300 tons of bombs were dropped and 1500 Germans were dead. On that first day of attacks, only 12 out of the 791 British airplanes were lost, which was a very insignificant price for them to pay. By the end of the raid, 9000 tons of explosives were dropped, 30,000 German people were dead, and 280,000 buildings were destroyed. -
D-Day
Also known as the Battle of Normandy. This lastest from June until August. 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces joined together in France for this day. It resulted in Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany. It is known frequently as the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler attempted to split the Allied arms in North-West Europe by a surprise blitzkrieg attack. His attempt went from Ardennes to Antwerp. The battle was given its name due to the appearance of the Allies while standing on the line. They stood together and resembled a large bulge. Lieutenant General George S. Patton lead the Allied with the Third Army to Bastogne which caused a neutralization of German counteroffense. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle happened through the water and caused a need for a base near the Japanese coast. Iwo Jima was defended by 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops. US attacked with 3 marine divisions. They brought 68 hundred tons of bombs and 22 thousand shells. US lost 5,900 soldiers. -
Battle of Okinawa
This was the last and biggest battle that took place in the Pacific during WWII. 287,000 US soldiers fought against only 130,000 Japanese. The Japanese air bases were at stake, which were vital to the success of Japan in the war. At the end of the battle, 77,000 Japanese and 14,000 US soliders lay dead. It was possibly one of the bloodiest battles of the war. -
VE Day
May 8th was known as Victory in Europoe Day, It was the time that Great Britain and the United States joined together to celebrate their victory in World War II. It was the defeat of the Nazi war machine. German troops laid down their guns, Berlin surrendered, and slaves were released and sent home. It was the official mark of the end of the war. -
Potsdam Declaration
This was an allied conference that took place in Berlin. It was held to organize procedures for peace in Europe. Although things were said, no official written peace treaties were made or signed. The conference suggested continuted harmony between to Allies but no other conferences were held after Potsdam. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
In August of 1945, American B-29 bombers attacked the Japanese town of Hiroshima. This was the first ever deployed atomic bomb and was hideously destructive. 90% of the city was in shambles and 80,000-100,000 were dead instantly from the blast. In the days and weeks to follow, over 10,000 slowly were killed from radiation exposure. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped in Nagaski and 40,000 were killed. On August 15th, Emperor Hirohita annouched Japans surrender from World War II. -
VJ Day
The official date of Japanese surrender to the United States. It took place on the U.S.S. Missouri that was anchored in Tokyo Bay, It represents the overwhelming feeling of relief that the US felt when the battle was over. It is also known as 'Victory over Japan Day'.
