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Japanese Invasion of China
In Beijing, China, a battle at the Marco Polo Bridge started an invasion of China by Japan. The Chinese would sink further into their own country. They did this so the Japanese had to waste supplies by expanding the war territory. The invasion resulted in a Japanese wasting their efforts in bringing one million of their soldiers into a war that was unsuccessful. href='http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii' >http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii</a> http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat2/sub5/ -
Germany's Invastion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland to gain more territory. France and Great Britain declared war on Germany because of this action. France had hopes that Poland would last until the spring so the French could come aid Poland with troops. In the end, France could not mobilize in time and Poland was dominated by Germany. History Net http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/invasion-of-poland.asp -
German Blitzkrieg
The German's main focus in a blitzkrieg was to avoid long wars and have shorter battles. Germany first attacked Poland with their blitzkrieg tactic. A blitzkrieg called for many weapons in a narrow front. Their defenses would block the opponents track for resupplying their resources. Their first blitzkrieg on Poland was successful. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437 http://www.flamesofwar.com/Default.aspx?tabid=112&art_id=2475 -
Battle of Britain
One of the first major air battles in history, the Battle of Britain, took place between Germany and Great Britain. German Luftwaffe faced Britain's RAF. Germany was trying to gain air control of Britain so that later they could invade Britain with their navy. The battle resulted in Hitler retreating his troops out of Britain and aborting his plans to take over Britain. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/topics/dogfight -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa included Germany taking areas from the Soviets ranging from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The Soviets were surprised by the German attack. Germany got all the way to Moscow successfully, but were halted in Moscow due to the Soviet's determination and their extremely large army. Eventually, the Germans had to retreat out of Russia. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1761.html -
Pearl Harbor
Japan planned on bombing Pearl Harbor to cripple the American's ships. They wanted to do this so that they could buy time to gain control of the land and then negotiate the terms later on. The United States then declared war on Japan and entered World War ll on the Allies' side. The Japanese's attempt at destroying their ships failed because most of the American's ships were out at sea on an assignment. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference marked the discussion of what was to be done with the Jews. The Germans talked about sending all of the Jews to Madagascar. In the end, it was decided that the Jews were going to be sent to concentration camps where they were to be worked to death. The minutes during this meeting lead to the execution of many in the Nuremberg crime trials. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-wannsee-conference http://www.jewishfilm.org/Catalogue/films/wannseeconference.htm -
Battle of Coral Sea
The Battle of Coral Sea was the first carrier vs carrier battle to take place. The Japanese were on their way to Australia when the Americans intercepted and deciphered a code sent by the Japanese. Due to severe weather, the Americans and the Japanese couldn't detect each others ships. Even though the victory went to Japan, they were limited in the Pacific Theater. http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/battle-of-coral-sea. https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/PTO/Magic/COMINT-CoralSea/PartOne.html -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a key battle for the Japanese. Japan wanted to take Midway Island so the Americans were farther away from Pearl Harbor. Then the Americans would most likely surrender and then Japan would negotiate terms into their favor. The Americans deciphered the Japanese code and planned a counter-attack for Japan. America has proved their presence in the Pacific Theater. http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/battle-of-midway.asp http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3296390/posts -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Soviets captured the Sixth German Army at the Battle of Stalingrad. In return, the Germans used a lot of men and materials and tried to destroy the Soviets at Stalingrad. Their attempt failed. The Soviet Union continued on and eventually reached Berlin in April of 1945. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.historywiz.com/stalingrad.htm -
Operation Gomorrah
British and American troops teamed up and raided Hamburg, Germany.The British wanted to get revenge on the Germans for dropping bombs on Britain earlier. The Americans would bomb during the daylight while the British would bomb at night. This operation provided destruction to Hamburg as well as the German psyche. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched http://ww2today.com/4th-august-1943-the-horror-of-hamburg-resounds-around-germany -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
The Western Allies attacked the Normandy Coast because Joseph Stalin wanted to open another front. This way Germany and other Axis Powers would stray away from the Soviet Union and have to worry about a front along Western Europe. Hitler was mislead and thought the attack would be held at Calais, the closest French port to England. At the end of D-Day, the Allies gained complete control of the air forces. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.army.mil/d-day/ -
Battle of the Bulge
The Germans were planning an attack near Antwerp. This was being done to bridge a gap between the Americans and the British. Germany wiped out two divisions of Americans. The two divisions held on long enough for Eisenhower to send over airborne divisions to help aid the Americans. The attack built a bulge into the American line. The Germans did have to retrieve to their start line. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-the-bulge -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap included the Allies firebombing the city of Dresden in Germany. The Allies chose Dresden because the city was known for manufacturing war goods and it was the center for communication. There was no other strategic plans for the bombing, just to weaken the German morale. Germany was already on the verge of surrendering and this pushed them over the edge. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/firebombing-of-dresden http://ww2orc.tripod.com/id15.htm -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American's main purpose for wanting Iwo Jima was to use it to store air supplies. The Japanese would dig underground tunnels to defend themselves. It is said that American soldiers never spotted a Japanese soldier at anytime during the battle. After the battle concluded, there were no Japanese survivors found on the Island. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of Okinawa
The Americans saught another island in the Pacific Theater, Okinawa. The U.S. sent 180,000 soldiers to rid 130,000 soldiers of their stay at Okinawa. Japanese propoganists convinced other Japanese to abandon the island. Families would jump off cliffs because they believed that the Americans would torture them. The battle resulted in 36 American and British ships sunk by kamikaze http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
Battle of Berlin
The Soviets created a plan to march in to Berlin and take control of it. The goal of this plan was to control the main city of the Axis Powers. Because of the devastation, Hitler and his new wife Eva Braun committed suicide. On May 1, the Germans finally surrendered and World War ll finally came to an end. http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/fall-of-berlin.asp http://www.angelfire.com/games2/warpspawn/BOB.html -
VE Day
The Russians were in a race to get to Berlin. All of the Western Allies wanted to take Berlin also. The Russians got there first and the day after they captured Berlin is known as VE Day. This day was the day that the Allies celebrated their victory over the Axis Powers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff7_veday.shtml http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/v-e-day.html -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
An American B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in hopes that Japan would surrender. When no surrender occured, the United States dropped a second bomb in Nagasaki. Massive devastation to civilians and property led to a Japanese surrender. Once Japan surrendered, World War ll was finally over and the Cold War broke out between two allies, the U.S. and the Soviets. http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/11th-grade-us-history-instructional-resource-dropp -
VJ Day
VJ Day was another day that celebrated surrender. VJ Day marks the surrender of the Japanese in World War ll. Japan surrendered after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now the war has both ended in the Pacific and Europe. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ff7_vjday.shtml http://pdxretro.com/2011/08/vj-day-on-this-date-in-1945/
