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Japanese invasion of China
The Japanese were risking a lot with conflicts with other countries when wanting to invade China. This move for Japan rised a bit of criticism in the United States. Japan wanted to exploit the economic resources in French Indochina but the US objected. The U.S. threatened to apply economic sanctions, which Japan relied on heavily, if they didn't withdraw back to its borders. -
Ribbentrop/ Molotov Pact
Nazi Germany and Soviet Union signe a German Soviet non-agression pact. This pact was to say that the Soviets and Germany would not have a war against each other for ten years. Stalin saw this as an opportunity to build up his army. Hitler saw this as a chance to invade Poland without any opposition. Later broken when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. -
Germany Invasion of Poland
Britain and France responded to the invasion of Poland by declaring war on Germany. After about a month of fighting, Poland was defeated by Germany and Soviet Union and split up between the two for land. -
Fall of Paris
On this day, German troops enter Paris trying to take control. they give every citizen a curfew of 8:00 P.M. Winston Churchill convinced the French Government to not sue for peace. He claimed that the U.S. would come to the aid of Paris. As a declaration was made up to promising aid, Sectretary of State, Cordell Hull, opposed the idea of a written promise. He did so because this would show to Hitler and the Germans and they could take it as an act of war. Over 2 million Paris people fled. -
German Blitzkreig
Marshall Phillipe Petain was the French President that sued for peace with Hitlers German Third Reich. Petain agreed to the negotiations of giving three-fifths of French territory to German control. -
Operation Barbarossa
Ending on August 5th, 1941. This Opperation was an attack the the Germans were planning on the Soviet Union. Germany allied up with Romania, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, and Finland and they split into three different axis army groups. The North axis was in charge of the Baltic and going to take over Leningrad. Center axis was to drive into Smolensk and then to Moscow. The South axis was going straight for Ukraine and into the Caucuses. -
Pearl Harbor
This was a surprise attack on the United states by Japan. Japan had come in on this day and bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Immediatly, the US declared war with Japan. Japan went for the battleships first on the harbor, killing many sailors and civilians before they even knew what was happenning. -
Wannsee Conference
This conference was the meeting of senior officials of the Nazi party.This meeting was to talk about what they were calling "the final solution of the Jewish question." This meeting was held in the suburb of Berlin, Wannsee. -
Bataan Death March
The Americans had to give up the Bataan islands. They had to make trechurous marches for 65 miles to Japanese prison camps. The march was during harsh conditions and treatment from gaurds and many american soldiers died along the way. -
Battle of Midway
This attack took place six months after Pearl Harbor. The United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. This was due to major advances in code breaking, the United States was able to prepare for and counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Considered the bloodiest battle of all World War II with nearly 2 million casualties. This was an attack on the Russian Cities, Stalingrad, by German Soldiers. They Surrounded the city so no one could escape and bombed it. This was known also as the turning point for the Allies after they pushed them back on February 2nd. -
Operation Gomorrah
This opperation was also known as "blitz week' because the U.S. would bomb Hamburg, Germany in the day while Britain was bombing them at night. Britain wanted a little revenge from the 167 civillian deaths that they suffered. So on this night, British bombers dropped 2,300 tons of bombs within an hours time. causing 1,500 german civillian deaths. -
D-Day
Allies had been planning an invasion of France from Britain, across the Channel for about a year. Forces landed on the beach of Normandy under U.S. general Dwight D. Eisenhower. These allies were able to get past and through underwater mines, barbed wires, and heavy machine gun fire. This was beleived to be a diversion at first so the Germans took there time responding, giving the allies time to set up and work there way inland. -
Battle of the Bulge
this was a surprise attack that the Germans pulled withon of their biggest artillery bombardment ever. The Germans and some of the SS soldiers were able to beat off one of the U.S. lines in Aachen and Bastogn. As they moved on, the U.S. lines were stronger and prepared for what was coming as they were able to hold their ground. In the end, this surprise attack from the Germans turned out to be unsuccessful. -
Operation Thunderclap
The proposal of this operation was to go and bomb the eastern most cities of Germany to destroy the transportation structures. They could show the Nazi's that they have failed once more and the Allied Forces had more advanced ways to get around the air defenses. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American invasion of Iwo Jima during started from the need for a base as close to the Japanese coast as they could get. Three U.S. marine divisions landed on the island as Iwo Jima was defended by roughly 23,000 Japanese troops, who fought through a network of caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. -
Battle of Okinawa
This was the last but biggest battle of all thePacific Island battles. This battle, ending on June 22, involved 287,000 people of the U.S. Tenth Army against the 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese thirty-second army. The Japanese set up defense lines across the North and South of Americas landing beaches, giving them an advantage on the incoming of U.S. soldiers. -
VE Day
This day is one that nobody living in Great Britain and The United States at this time will ever forget. This is the day of victory in Europe. German soldiers throughout all of Europe laid down their weapons for they no longer wanted to be captured or to fight anymore. After the surrender, over 13,000 British POW members were released from captivity and sent back to britain. -
Dropping of the atomic bombs
The U.S. was the one and only country to use atomic weaponry in the whole wartime. Even though the war was over with Germany, tensions were still firing up between the U.S. and Japan. The U.S. had decided to drop a 15,000 ton atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing 80,000 people. this didnt cut it for the U.S. Another Atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing 40,000 more people. -
VJ Day
This is the day that the Japanese announced that they are surrendering to the Allies, ending World War II.September 2nd is also considered in with this as well for that is when the Japanese officially surrendered on the U.S.S Missouri.
