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Rape of Nanking
Mass murder and mass rape by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanking, the capital of the Republic of China. Soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army murdered an estimated 40,000 to 300,000 Chinese civilians and disarmed people. there was also widespread rape and looting. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Germany wanted its resources and to expand its empire. So 1.5 million German troops invaded Poland, bombed Polish airfields and warships, and attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. A few day later, Poland declares war on Germany, starting WII. -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg means “lightning war” in German. Blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland with Blitzkrieg, then again in 1940 in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Luxemburg. It was the most effective way. There was quicker victories for Germany. -
Fall of Paris
The Fall of France was the successful German invasion of France and the Low Countries, defeating primarily French forces. This defeat made an unbalance of power in Europe. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was a code name for Germany's invasion of Soviet Russia. Germany invaded Russia because Hitler wanted to kill or make slaves out of all the Slavs. They fought and Germany lost. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese wanted to make sure the U.S. wouldn't join the war so they bombed Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Navy surprise attacked Hawaii. Then the U.S. declared war on Japan joining WWII. -
D-day Invasion of Normandy
They invaded Normandy so they could attack Germany. D-day was an invasion of Western Allied forces in Normandy. They attacked by air and naval bombardments. This led to the US taking back France, Belgium, and attacking Germany. -
Battle of the Bulge
Hitler wanted to split the allies into two so he decided a major attack would do the trick. But when the allies fought back, Germany didn't have enough fuel. So Germany lost. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The battle of Iwo Jima was a major battle in which the United States Armed Forces landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Imperial Army. The U.S. won the battle. -
VE day
A public holiday that marked the day Germany surrendered. VE stands for Victory in Europe. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bomb
The U.S. wanted Japan to surrender so they dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This resulted in the death of thousands and had a lasting effect because of the radiation that was still in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
VJ day
Celebration of Victory in Japan. This ended the war.
