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WWII US History Timeline Project Caleb Jones
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German Blittzkrieg
Military tactic used to cause confusion to enemy forces with the use of mobile forces and local firepower. It saved time on military compaigns and decreased the number of deaths and loss of ammo. They used tanks to destroy the enemy lines and the soldiers would come in behind them and capture the land. http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg -
Fall of Paris
France telegrammed President Frankilin Roosevelt asking for aid against Germany. Roosevelt replied that the U.S. was prepared to send material aid, but Secretary of State Cordell Hull opposed this publication. He knew Hitler would take this as a declaration of war. 2million Parisians fled from Paris before German tanks rolled into Paris. The German Gestapo began arresting, interrogating and spying on people.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris -
Pearl Harbor
An American naval base in Hamwaii that was attacked by hundreds of Japanese fighter planes. the Japanese destroyed about 20 American naval vessels during the 2 hour fight. That included eight battleships and more than 300 planes. About 2,000 American sailors and soldiers died and 1,000 were injured. The day after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
High ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered to discuss "The Final Solution." This was a code name for the destruction of the European Jews. Hitler authorized this mass murder. At the time of the conference, most people involved were aware of the slaughtering of the Jews. About 11,000,000 Jews would fall under the provisions of the "Final Solution."
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005477 -
Battle of Midway
The Americans solved the Japanese fleet codes which helped them to understand the exact plans of the Japanese. Scouts found the Japanese and torpedo bombers became seperated from the the American dive-bombers and were slaughtered, but they diverted they diverted the Japanese long enough till the dive-bombers arrived. The Americans sank four fleet carriers while they were refueling and rearming their planes.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler's primary task for attaacking Stalingrad was to obtain the oil fields in the Caucasus. Stalingrad was also a center of communications manufacturing. The Germans were unable to completely capture their authority. The Germans captured area during the day but the Russians took it back at night. The Germans didn't have enough manpower and eventually surrendered.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/famous-battles-of-world-war-two/the-battle-of-stalingrad/ -
D-Day
More than 160,000 soldiers, 5,000 ships, and13,000 aircraft attacked a 50-mile stretch of heavily gaurded French coastline. They fought with Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. About 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or injured. This is one of the largest military invasions in history and took extensive planning. Northern Fance had been liberated by August of 1944 and the Allies had defeated the Germans by the following spring.
http://www.army.mil/d-day/
http://www.history.com/topic -
Operation Thunderclap
The Allied troops bombed the eastern most cities of Germany to disrupt tansporting on the Eastern front. This was also a way of showing the German population that their air defenses had failed them. There were two raids of bombing containing 796 Lancasters in total and only six aircraft were lost.
http://ww2today.com/13-february-1945-operation-thunderclap-raf-start-firestorm-in-dresden -
Battle of Iwo Jima
America needed a base near the Japanese coast, so they invaded the island of Iwo JIma. Iwo Jima is about 575 miles from the coast of japan. The island was defended by about 23,000 Japanese army and naval troops. They fought from a network of caves, dugouts, tunnels, and underground installations that were difficult to find and destroy. After bombing the island, three marine divisions attacked and defeated the Japanese army.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of OKinawa
The Japanese sent mass "suicide" air attack missions and sent their last big battleship. They also conducted a fierce defense by using pillboxes and strongpoints,caves, and even some ancient castles. The Japanese focused their strength on the defense. About 100,000 civilians died thoughout the war and the Japanese suffered the same amount of loss. Both commanding generals died during during the battle.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Allied troops encountered tens of thousands of concentration camp prisoners as they moved across Europe. The Germans tried to burn down the camps to hide evidence of the mass murder. The Sovietz, American forces and British forces liberated concentration camps across Germany.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005131 -
VE Day
Hitler commited suicice on April 30, 1945. He didnt want to surrender, so he killed himself and left Grand Admiral Donitz in charge. Donitz travelled to General Eisenhower's headquarters in France. There he surrendered unconditionally to the Western and Russian demands in the presence of senior officers from Britain, America, Russia and France.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/events/ve_day -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
America was warned that any attempt to invade Japan would result in mass casualties. They used the bomb the result in a quick end to the war. On August 6, 1945, America dropped a five-ton bomb over the city of Hiroshima. 80,000 died immediately and tens of thousands died later because of wounds and radiation poisoning. Three days later another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 40,000 more people. Japan surrendered a few days later.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-drop -
VJ Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan surrendered to the Allies. This ended World War II. Ever since this day is known as "Victoryover Japan Day or VJ Day."
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
Battle of the Bulge
Three German armies, containing more than a quarter of a million troops, launched the deadliest battle in the war. American units tried to stop the Germans from advancing, but were unsuccessful. The front lines of the Allied army looked like a large protrusion or bulge. This is where the name of the battle came from. Hitler and the German army were defeated because of a shortage of fuel and the largeness of American troops.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge
