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Annexation of Sudetenland
The Annexation of the Sudetenland started on September 30, 1938 when Neville Chamberlain of the United Kingdom, Édouard Daladier of France, Adolf Hitler of Germany, and Benito Mussolini of Italy met in Munich and agreed to cede the Sudetenland, the surrounding edge of Czechoslovakia, to Germany. Chamberlain thought he had brought peace to Europe via appeasing Hitler but Hitler actually exploited this to invade all of Czechoslovakia. War has started. Sudetenland video -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The Attack on Pearl Harbor was performed by the Japanese on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, HI. Japan wanted to keep the US from interfering with their invasive behaviors in Southeast Asia. The Japanese flew in at about 8:00am utilizing about 353 aircraft from 6 aircraft carriers wounding 1,178 Americans and killing 2,403 Americans in the process. This attack propelled the US into war as Congress declared war on Japan the day afterwards. FDR Infamy Speech -
Philippines
The US-territory Philippines were subject to a Japanese invasion from December 7, 1941 to May 5, 1942. It started on the same day as the Attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese came in strong and quick. The defense forces outnumbered the Japanese but the Japanese were more skilled and better trained. The campaign was brutal and consisted of many attacks and the Japanese arose victorious. This is often considered the worst military defeat in US history. Philippines -
Japanese Internment Camps
Japanese internment camps were established during World War II by President FDR via his Executive Order 9066. From 1942 to 1945, it was the policy of the US government that people of Japanese ancestry would be placed in isolated camps. Issued as result Pearl Harbor and the war, the internment camps are now considered one of the worst violations of American civil rights in the 20th century. Japanese Internment Camps -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway lasted from June 4, 1942 to June 7 between the US and Japan. It comes 6 months after Pearl Harbor. America was greatly outnumbered but the surprise attack was too overwhelming for the Japanese to handle. America's victory in the battle and its successful defense of the major base located at Midway extinguished Japan’s hopes of neutralizing the US as a naval power and effectively turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific. Midway -
Guadalcanal
On August 7, 1942, US forces landed on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to gain an upper-hand on Japan in the Pacific. They surprised the Japanese there by bombing them from the skies and disabling their airbase while ground troops stormed the beaches. They outnumbered and overwhelmed the Japanese and claimed victory. The US were victorious and it marked the Allied transition from defensive operations to taking the strategic initiative in the theater. Guadalcanal -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad started on August 23, 1942 and lasted until February 2, 1943. It was fought in the city of Stalingrad in the USSR, which is now Volgograd, Russia, between Soviet forces and the Axis Powers. The Axis forces pushed east on land while being aided by the Luftwaffe. However, the brutal winter in the USSR made it very difficult for the Axis forces to progress and they suffered many casualties and eventually surrendered. Stalingrad Footage -
Los Alamos
Los Alamos, New Mexico, was the site of Project Y, or the top-secret atomic weapons laboratory, established by the Manhattan Project. It was established on January 1, 1943. Its mission was to design and build the first atomic bombs. This was a success as this lab produced "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" which were the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. It contributed to the American victory over the Japanese propelling the US as a world power. Los Alamos -
Island-hopping
Island-hopping was a military strategy executed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Axis powers (especially Japan) during World War II. It involved taking over an island and establishing a military base there. They would repeat this process for multiple islands in the Pacific to gain ground on Japan and to gain naval power. Island-hopping -
D-Day
D-Day is the name given to the Normandy landings by Allied forces in the German-occupied region of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. This was in an effort to liberate the German-controlled parts of France. This symbolized all Allied resistance to Axis authority on the Western Front. Ground troops stormed the beaches while airborne troops landed and joined in. While not much success was brought on the first day, the Allies eventually defeated the Germans later. D-Day -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a meeting that lasted from Feb. 4, 1945 to Feb. 11 with three World War II leaders: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. They met in February 1945 in the city of Yalta. The Allied leaders discussed the post-war fate of defeated Germany and the rest of Europe, the terms of the new Soviet war in the Pacific against Japan and the creation of the United Nations. Yalta -
Fall of Berlin
The Fall of Berlin was one of the last events in the European Theater of WWII. It lasted from April 16, 1945 to May 2, 1945 and involved the Soviet Union and Germany. On April 23, the first Soviet ground forces started to penetrate the outer suburbs of Berlin. By April 27, Berlin was entirely cut off from the outside world. The battle ended on May 2, with Berlin falling to the Soviets. Hitler committed suicide during the battle symbolizing the end of his regime. Berlin -
Death of Hitler
On April 30, 1945, during the Fall of Berlin, Hitler committed suicide as he saw his regime collapsing before him. The opposing forces were in the capital of the city of Berlin and of the empire he had built up in prior years. They were knocking on his door and he had reached the end of his tenure. He did not want the opposing forces to find him and capture him or kill him themselves. He committed suicide in his bunker by either gunshot, poison, or both. Hitler's Death -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference lasted from July 17, 1945 to August 2 consisting of US President Harry S. Truman, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. They established different plans and resolutions for the fate of Germany. The leaders arrived at various agreements on the German economy, punishment for war criminals, land boundaries and reparations. They also issued a declaration demanding “unconditional surrender” from Japan. Potsdam -
Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This was the first and only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict in history. About 125,000 to 225,000 people, mostly civilians. Many more were injured initially. Large numbers of people continued to die for months afterward from the effects of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness and malnutrition. Japan surrendered days later. Hiroshima
