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Japanese Invasion of China
in 1937, Japan was hungry for more territory. Their goal was seize China and fill it with Japanese influence. Obviously, this caused tensions between the two nations and war broke out. Japan was far better prepared for conflict and were quickly able to take over the country. China, however, never stopped fighting. In 1945 with help from the United States, China was able to regain control of their own country. The result was the Japanese suffering the shame of their defeat. -
Japanese invasion of China
This picture shows Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek discussing with his team what the next step in this war should be. Although they were greatly over powered by Japan, they never gave up. This perseverant attitude was one thing that allowed them to regain control of their country -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a word meaning lighting war. This was a new strategy used by the Germans involving surprise, speed, and concentrated forces. Its goal was to cause a lot of confusion and was completely different than World War 1. This was a very successful strategy at the beginning of the war but it resulted in the Germans taking too many risks, ultimately losing the war and their power.
(Zoerb Notes: Blitzkrieg- Lightening War)
picture: historycrunch.com/blitzkrieg.html#/ -
German Blitzkrieg
The picture depicts the style in which this type of war took place. Tanks had developed a lot since World War 1 and they were important to the Blitzkrieg. They provided a great amount of power that was necessary to overwhelm the opposition. -
Fall of Paris
In the middle of June, Germany was successful in taking over Paris. Paris was a very big and powerful influential country and Hitler was hungry for revenge after the result of World War 1. The defensive system that the French had in place ended up working against them instead. Once the city was in German control, strict was laws were put in place for the citizens. This attack made the Germans willing to take more risks, which ultimately led to their downfall. -
Fall of Paris
The picture depicts a very smug Hitler standing in front of the Eiffel tower. This was a redeeming moment for him because he felt that he had finally made up for the humiliation of World War 1. It was the treaty of Versailles that had motivated much of his devastating actions in World War 2. -
Operation Barbarossa
This was a huge offensive launched by the Germans against the Soviet Union. They planned to quickly take over the Soviet union and exterminate all Jews within the country. The Nazis severely overestimated their own army and it cost them greatly. The Russian weather proved to be an obstacle for the Germans but an advantage for the Soviet Union. The result of the Germans not winning this war was them being forced to fight a two front war which was a massive turning point in WW2. -
Operation Barbarossa
The map visually expresses Germanys plans in Operation Barbarossa . Their goal was to take over the main cities of the Soviet Union but when it came to follow through and a harsh winter, they were overall unsuccessful. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbour
With the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Japan planned to destroy America's Pacific fleet. This was an important step for Japans success but it essentially brought America into the world war. This resulted in the destruction of nearly 20 American ships and over 300 planes. Almost 2500 people were killed, including soldiers and civilians. In addition to this, over 1000 were injured.
history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbour
This image shows views of what citizens could have seen from the island in which the attack took place. It was incredibly unexpected and caused the Americans a great deal of damages. It would have been terrifying as a citizen of Hawaii during a time when technology was not well developed to not understand what was really going on. -
Wannsee Conference
This was a conference between the many Nazi officials to discuss what to do about the "Jew problem". The ultimate objective was to completely exterminate all Jews in Germany. This is where the idea of work camps came about. These became terrible places where camp residents were worked to death. Those who didn't die were to be "dealt with accordingly".
history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/wannsee-conference-and-the-final-solution -
Wannsee Conference
This picture depicts the location at which the Wannsee conference took place. It is now open to tourists to gain a better understanding of what really happened -
Allied Invasion of Italy
Although Germany and Italy were very strong Allies, Italy made the decision to surrender without discussing with the Germans. The invasion took place over the entire summer of 1943 and by September the government began to officially surrender. However, it wasn't until 1944/45 that major cities began to fall and Italian leaders were captured. Shortly after Italy's fall, Germany surrendered as well. This was the conclusion of the war in Europe. Focus could now be put on defeating Japan. -
Allied invasion of Italy
The Map shows where in Italy the Allies invaded and the major cities they recovered. It helps with the big picture when imagining how these battles would have went -
D-Day: Normandy Invasion
Normandy is a region in France where Germany was finally defeated in World War II. Much planning was required to make this invasion a success and it ended up being one of the biggest in history. It resulted in many casualties but was ultimately what ended up giving the Allies the World War II win in all of Europe. By the end of summer, 1944, victory was eminent and the Nazi's had entirely been removed from France.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
D-Day: Normandy Invasion
This image shows what the surrounding area was like at Normandy beach. It was a costal area, and today it is quite beautiful. It is not the type of place that a war would usually be fought and it took some adjustments of the soldiers to get used to fighting on a different type of soil. -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was known as the last German offensive of World War II. It took place in the Ardennes region of Belgium during the coldest part of winter. This was a very costly battle for the Allied forces, many died in battle, and many more from the cold conditions. However, the Allies still came out of the battle successful. The battle was over by the end of January and Germany surrendered within 5 months.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Bulge -
Battle of the Bulge
This image portrays the conditions in Belgium at the time that the battle took place. This was a cold battle and the snow only proved to be another obstacle for the armies -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The liberation of Nazi Concentration Camps took place over a period of months. This began as early as January 1945 with the liberation of Auschwitz. The Germans tried to prevent this liberation by marching the prisoners further away from the incoming Allies. Eventually, however, the Allies were able to save the surviving prisoners from the nightmare that had been their life for years. The impact of this liberation was a wider knowledge base of what really had occurred during WW2. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
The picture shows the prisoners of the Auschwitz being freed after long, torturous periods of time. The joy on their faces gives and idea of the terrible things they may have gone though -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This battle took place on the island of Iwo Jima off the coast of Japan. It was fought between the American and Japanese armies and both sides suffered major losses. This island was targeted because it was one of the major defence lines that Japan relied on. Within five weeks, the Americans had successfully taken over, and held onto this island. This battle was important because it gave the United states resources that they needed for the rest of the war. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This is a well known photograph. It shows the Americans as they raised the flag in Iwo Jima after conquering the Japanese in battle. -
VE Day
This is the day known as 'Victory in Europe' day. It was the day when German troops finally stopped fighting. Many big, German occupied cities were recovered by the Allies. One reason that this was finally the day the Germans surrendered was because they wanted to avoid being captured and taken captive. This ultimately allowed the Allies to focus their attention on Japan, and entirely win the war.
history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52557524 -
VE Day
This image depicts the celebrations in America after it was announced that they were victorious in Europe. It's clear from peoples faces that this was a long awaited day, and that this was the good new they needed in order to maintain good spirits for the remainder of the war. -
Potsdam Declaration
This was an ultimatum given to Japan at the end of WW2. It was given by the United States, Great Britain, and China to seek out a surrender rather than cause even more death and destruction in the war. Essentially it stated that if Japan surrendered, there would not be any more negative consequences on them. However, Japan did not agree and the result was the two atomic bombs being dropped causing more destruction than Japan could have possibly imagined. Their surrender came shortly after. -
Potsdam Declaration
The image shows the amount of discussion and planning that went into the Potsdam Declaration. Things had to be done in such a way that the chances of Japan agreeing to it were high. However, this is not what happened, and the newly developed atomic weapons were put to use -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
This image really portrays the mass destruction caused by the atomic bombs dropped in Japan. Considering that the picture was taken from very far away and very high up, the mushroom cloud is huge. Unlike anything the world had ever seen before. The real devastation however could be seen in pictures of the aftermath. -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
For years prior to 1945 the Americans were developing an Atomic weapon to be used when necessary. It was eventually used near the end of the war on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. This was the first ever atomic bomb to be used. 80 000 people were immediately killed and thousands more would die in the days to come from exposure. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later, killing 40 000 more people. Japans surrender came shortly after this devastation and the war was won by the Allies. -
Victory in Japan Day
This is another very famous photograph depicting the celebrations after the United States had won the war in Japan. It was taken in times square New York after the news broke in America that they had been victorious. -
Victory in Japan Day
The surrender of Japan came shortly after the Atomic bombings. The many years of tension and destruction between the United States and Japan ultimately led to this day. The German surrender allowed the Allies to focus their attention on Japan, and defeat them by means of massively destructive weapons. This was a widely celebrated day, and it allowed the world to begin to heal from the many traumatising years of war.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
Sources that didnt fit
history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge#:~:text=The%20day%20after%20Christmas%2C%20units,with%20Germany's%20May%207%20surrender. https://www.businessinsider.com/battle-of-the-bulge-allies-crush-the-nazis-last-great-offensive-2017-1 history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima britannica.com/topic/Battle-of-Iwo-Jima https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
https://theconversation.com/even-before-hiroshima-people-knew-the-atomic-bomb-45271 -
More sources that didn't fit
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/liberation-of-nazi-camps#:~:text=Shortly%20before%20Germany's%20surrender%2C%20Soviet,Nazis%20began%20evacuating%20the%20camp.
britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War/Stalemate https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-europe-blitzkrieg-2361455 https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-France-World-War-II/The-fall-of-France-June-5-25-1940 https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Sources that didn't fit Pt3
https://aminoapps.com/c/world-war-ii-amino/amp/item/operation-barbarossa/qke8_6ooS3IdlwGkZ2a0Y6ozm70YwxljENl https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/allies-invade-italian-mainland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Declaration https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/map-of-allied-invasion-of-italy-september-1943 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Potsdam-Declaration
