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Japanese invasion of China
InvasionJapan invaded China in July of 1937 after claiming that China launched an attack on Japan first. Most of China, including China’s most important port, Shanghai, and Nanking, Chiang Kai-shek’s capital, were seized and captured by Japanese forces. All of the major Chinese cities and communitation ports were captured by the Japanese by the end of December 1937. This gave Japan more power to turn on their other enemies. -
Rape of Nanking
The Rape of NankingThe Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Chinese city of Nanking in late 1937. The Japanese Army brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of Chinese men, women, and children. The attack was known as the Rape of Nanking because between twenty thousand and eighty thousand women and children were brutally sexually assaulted and murdered. -
Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact
Ribbentrop/Molotov PactShortly before World War II began, a historical meeting took place. On August 23, 1939, the leaders of Germany and the Soviet Union, whp were enemies, signed an agreement that stated that Germany and the Soviet Union would not take military action against each other for the next ten years. The agreement became known as the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact. This pact lasted until June 1941, when Nazi forces broke the aggreement and invaded the Soviet Union. -
Germany's invasion of Poland
Invasion of PolandThe German-Soviet Pact was made in 1939 which allowed Germany to attack Poland without the fear of Soviet intervention. Germany took advantage of this pact and invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939. The Polish army was weak and was defeated in weeks with Germany's two thousand tanks and one thousand planes. Poland surrendered to Germany on September 27, 1939. Britain and France, Poland's allies, declared war on Germany due to this invasion. -
German Blitzkrieg
http://olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_ops_battles_1940blitzkrieg.php Blitzkrieg was a war strategy utilized by Germany in World War II. These tactics allowed Germany to invade Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, and France. Blitzkrieg utilized modern warfare technology such as heavily armored anks, air power, and artillery power to overpower the opposing forces. This strategy allowed Germany to take over countries faster and more efficiently. -
Fall of Paris
Fall of ParisOn June 14th, 1940, Germany invaded Paris, France. German troops entered Paris and told the citizens over a loudspeaker that they would be setting an eight pm curfew on all the citizens. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill assured the French government that the United States of America would enter the war soon and would help them out, but America did not enter the war for about another year. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa "Operation Barbarossa" was the codename given to Germany's invasion of Russia. Russia was invaded by the Nazis on June 22, 1941. Out of all on Wrold War II, Operation Barbarossa was the largest military attack. Germany used three million soldiers, 3580 tanks, 7184 artillery guns, 1830 planes and 750,000 horses to invade and conquer Russia. Russian prinsoners were captured and lots of their equiptment and weapons were destroyed. This was a huge victory for Germany. -
Pearl Harbor
Peal HarborJapan and the United States had been nearing war, but no actions had been taken until December 7, 1941. On this infamous day, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor at Honolulu, Hawaii. American naval vessels, battleships, and airplanes were destroyed. Nearly two thousand American lives were lost, both soldiers and sailors, and one thousand others were severely wounded. This attack led President Roosevelt to declare war on Japan the next day. -
Wannsee Conference
Wannsee ConferenceOn January 20th, 1942, 15 Nazi officials gathered to discuss what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." They were going to decide what to do to eliminate the remaining Jewish people in Europe. This meeting established what would later be known as the Holocaust. The mass murder of Jewish people had already begun, but this meeting established procedure on this practice. -
Warsaw Ghetto uprising
Warsaw Ghetto uprisingThe Warsaw Ghetto was a place of containment of Jewish people in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Three hundred thousand jewish people were killed or deported in the Warsaw Ghetto between July 22nd, 1942 and September 12th, 1942. Nazi police force deported 265,000 Jews to the Treblinka killing center and 11,580 to forced-labor camps. There were very few survivors. -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation GomorrahOperation Gomorrah was an attack against Germany that occurred on July 24th, 1943. Hamburg, Germany was bombed by the British by night and the Americans by day. The British used a radar-jamming device called “Window" to effectively confuse German radar. This was an important defeat for Germany. -
Allied invasion of Italy
Allies invade Italian mainlandOn September 3rd, 1943, an allied invasion led by The British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery invaded Italy. The Italian government immediately and secretly surrendered to the allied forces, but made no announcement of the surrender until September 8th, 1945. Under an agreement with the allies, Italy would be safe if they aided the allies in taking down the Germans. -
D-Day
D-Day
D-Day was the nickname given to an attack on Nazi Germany. The attack was between the United States and Allied forces and Nazi Germany and was fought on the shores of Normandy, France. The troops entered the battle from both the sky and sea, employing 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft. This battle was a victory for the Allies. -
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the BulgeThe Battle of the Bulge was a battle fought between December 16th, 1944 until January 25th, 1945. The battle was fought because Adolf Hitler wanted to split up Britain, France, and the United States of America, who were allied at the time. Hitler also tried to cut off the allience's supplies. The Allies fought hard and Germany quickly ran out of fuel and lost. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation ThunderclapOperation Thunderclap was an Allied plan to bomb the Germans. The bomb would hit the eastern German cities so that transportation into and out of Germany would be stopped so Germany could not receive supplies and would be forced to surrender to the Allied forces. The plan was ultimately abandoned. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought between February 19th, 1945 and March 26th, 1945. The American troops fought this battle because they needed a base near the Japanese coast. The American attack was one that was amphibious, meaning it was fought on both land and sea. Roughly 23,000 Japanese army and navy troops fought against the Americans, which resulted in an American victory. -
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa The Battle of Okinawa was fought from April 1st, 1945 until June 22nd, 1945. This battle was fought between American soldiers and Japanese soldiers. This battle was the biggest and last of the Pacific island battles of World War II. This battle implemented Japanese suicide air pilots used to blow up ships. This battle suffered major loses for both sides. -
Liberation of concentration camps
Liberation of concentration camps The liberation of concentration camps took place around the spring of 1945. Concentration camps were horrible places where Jewish people, gypsies, homosexuals, handicapped people, and other groups were sent to either perform forced labor or be put to death. Throughout a few months near the end of the war, allied forced liberated these camps and freed the survivors they found inside. -
VE Day
VE Day May 8th, 1945 is known as VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day, because it is celebrated as the day that Britain and the United States of America won the war against Nazi Germany. On this day, Germany finally laid down its arms. The American and British troops were sent home on this day. It marked the end of the war in Europe. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
Atomic bomb droppedThe world's first atomic bomb was dropped by an American B-29 bomber on August 6th, 1945 at 8:16 a.m. Japanese time above the city of Hiroshima. Three days later on August 9th, 1945 11:02 am Japanese time, another bomb was dropped on the city Nagasaki. These two occurrences resulted in Japan's surrender and the end of the war. -
VJ Day
VJ DayOn August 14th, 1945, Japan officially surrendered to the American forces. It was announced on this day that the war was officially over and American forces and allied forces were the victors. The Japanese surrender was a result of the dropping of the atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The war was officially over.
