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Concentration Camps
Nazi police had the power to arrest people with the idea of ‘preventative detention’. People qualified would be political opponents or groups Nazis found to be deviant. Camps started as labor camps, but soon became known as death camps. They were called death camps because of the amount of lives lost in the camps. The SS gained more control of the camps in 1937 and expanded their power to selectively kill entire groups of people. -
European Theatre
Hitler took over Austria and Czechoslovakia. The world did nothing to help and Europe was afraid that another WWI was going to happen. From there, Hitler signed an agreement to not go after other lands after taking Czechoslovakia. -
Euthanasia Program
Hitler signed an order called the Euthanasia Program. This was to selectively ‘kill’ children that are under the age of five, that showed signs of mental or physical disabilities. This order was so successful that it was then expanded to older teens and adults. -
Atomic Bomb Letter
Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President FDR about the possible construction of nuclear bombs with the use of the new element uranium. -
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Hitler attacked Poland, and France and England declared war. Germany and Russia decided that they would split up Poland. First, Germany invaded and two weeks later, Russia met with the retreating Polish army and Poland was lost. Hitler killed undesirables and Jews in Poland. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was attacked and 2,403 Americans died. 180 U.S. aircrafts sank. 18 U.S. naval vessels were sunk or destroyed.
This was also the date the Pacific Theatre started. The Pacific Theatre was the war fought in Asia against Japan. It was defined by the Allied Powers. -
Germany and Italy Declare War
Germany and Italy declared war on Japan and President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Germany and Italy. -
Japan Gains Control
Japan gained control over 4 islands. The Philippines, Guam, Dutch East Indies and Wake Islands. -
Hitler Invades Russia
Hitler invaded Russia. Their plan took longer than expected. Winter started and many soldiers started to die. 85,000 Germans died in 6 weeks. -
State of the Union Address
FDR state of the Union address was signed and they called for: Freedom of speech, worship, fear and want. -
The Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a secret plan to develop an Atomic Bomb to save lives, demonstrate the U.S. Military to Russia and test a really expensive bomb. -
The Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death march was a 5-12 day, 60 mile march to a POV camp. If they stopped or stepped out of line they would be killed. 10,000 to 13,000 Americans and Filipinos died. -
War Goods
American companies started to make war goods. They organized national drives which involved: scrap metal, paper, cooking fat, cloth, and anything that could make war goods. -
African Americans
African Americans were hired to do unskilled work at home and in the military. The Tuskegee Air Pilots became the first, all black, WWII fighter pilots. They were the only air pilots to have a perfect record. -
Women in War
Women in the war made up one third of all factory workers. Women made 60% of what a man made. They were accepted for non-combat assignments. Rosie the Riveter was a role model for women. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. More than 5,000 Japanese soldiers died, 4 aircraft ships sank and 322 planes were shot down. -
D-Day
Operation Overlord was the invasion of the German occupied beaches of Normandy. It was and is still, the largest sea, land and air overtake ever. Allied forces won. Eisenhower was the General. -
Okinawa
Okinawa was a last large scale battle of the war. 200,000 Japanese died and 19,000 Americans died. -
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima was a small island off of Japan. By the time Americans were able to secure the island, 200,000 Japanese people died and 7,000 Americans died. -
Germany Issues
German soldiers were met by Soviet and American troops; Germany was almost done for. On April 30, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe. During the last few months of the war, the SS tried to hide evidence of their concentration camps by killing as many prisoners as they could. This was known as the "Final Solution". -
Hiroshima
Hiroshima was named Little Boy and 80,000 died instantly. 60,000 died within the year and another 60,000 died throughout the year. -
Nagasaki
Nagasaki was named Little Boy and 60 to 80 thousand people died in only a few months. -
Japan Surrenders
Hirohito finally surrendered and the US won the war.
