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Japanese Invasion of China
Due to the country's desire to be an imperial power, Japan invaded China. The warfare was brutal, leading to an estimated of 10 to 20 million Chinese civilians deaths. When the West got involved by economic sanctions against Japan, the war changed. It was due to these sanctions that Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor, which started World War II (history.co.uk). -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
1.5 million German troops invaded Poland along its border. the German Luftwaffe bombed Polish airfields, and German warships and U-boats attacked Polish naval forces in the Baltic Sea. Hitler believed that this conquest would bring Lebensraum, or “living space,” for the German people. On September 3, France and Britain declared war on Germany, initiating World War II. -
German Blitzkrieg
Germany used the Blitzkrieg tactic against Poland. Germany used this surprise to quickly overtake Poland's territory. As a result of this aggression against Poland, the British and French declared war on Germany. -
German Blitzkrieg
On March-April 1940, after the invasion on Poland, Norway was in the hands of Germany. On May 1940, Holland, Belgium, and Luxemburg were attacked. On June 1940, Germany had finally used Blitzkrieg against France as well. These victories gave Germany so much power and Europe lay at Hitler's feet. (olive-drab.com). -
Fall of Paris
On June 1940, Germany announced to Parisians via loudspeakers that there was going to be an invasion by Germany on Paris. While Germany attacked Paris with their tanks, the people of Paris were despaired. Canadian troops offered help to France, and from that day, Roosevelt stopped taking advantage from the Axis powers (history.com). image: (wikipedia.org). -
Operation Barbarossa
On 22 June 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union and it is called Operation Barbarossa. It was the largest military operation in history, involving more than 3 million Axis troops and 3,500 tanks. It happened because Hitler thought that Germans should seek ‘lebensraum’ (living space) in the east. However, the failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces was a significant turning point in the war. It was the beginning of the end of Hitler’s success (theatlantic.com). -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan attacked the United States because President Roosevelt banned the exporting goods to Japan. This ban affected the Japanese economy and military harshly so they decided to attack them. Japanese planes attacked the U.S Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. This bomb killed more than 2,300 Americans. It destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. This attack affected WW2 because it got the U.S involved in the war and declare war against Japan (history.com). -
Battle of Midway
Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base to attack Pearl Harbor. Early morning on June 4th, four Japanese aircraft attacked and harshly damaged the US base on Midway. The Japanese did not know that America already knew about this attack and were on the east of the island ready for battle. America won, and Midway brought both countries on the same level and marked a turning point of the military struggle between the two countries (nationalww2museum.org). -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Germans found it necessary to invade Stalingrad because from this strategic point on the Volga River they could continue to attack even further in the Caucasus. The Russians did not allow that and wanted to defend their city. On September 3, the German army reached the outskirts of Stalingrad, expecting to take the city easily. But the Russians were strong and defensive. Hitler was humiliated when Germany lost the battle, and Stalin gained confidence in his military (history.com). -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project is a U.S. government research project established to produce the first US nuclear weapon. The Americans were afraid that Nazi Germany would build and use a nuclear weapon during World War II, triggering the start of the Manhattan Project. The bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, causing Japan to finally surrender (britannica.com). -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation Gomorrah happened as Britain desired victory against Germany. On July 24, Britain dropped 2,300 tons of bombs on Hamburg, and the attacks continued until November of that year. When it was over, 17,000 bomber sorties dropped more than 9,000 tons of explosives, killing more than 30,000 people and destroying 280,000 buildings. Hitler was devastated and and defeated, which was a turning point for Germany (history.com). image: (thetimes.co.uk). -
D-Day Normandy Invasion
On June 6, 1944 the Allied forces attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy. the Allies attacked and gained a victory that became the turning point for World War II in Europe. The invasion happened because Germany had invaded France and was trying to take over all of Europe, including Britain. As a result, Britain and the United States bombed railroads, bridges, airfields, and other strategic places in order to slow down and hinder the German army (ducksters.com). -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was the last attempt by Hitler to defeat the Allies and destroy their ability to supply themselves. He ordered a massive attack against the American forces. Hitler's plan failed, and The battle resulted in a massive loss of American and civilian life.(historylearningsite.co.uk) -
Battle of Iwo Jima
America invaded Iwo Jima because they needed a base near the Japanese coast. U.S. marine divisions landed on the island in and the Japanese were defending it by 23,000 navy troops. They fought from caves, dugouts, tunnels and underground installations. However, these defenses were destroyed by the American marines after a month of fighting. This battle changed the Japanese defense tactics. They no longer defended at the beach, instead they concentrated on the land (history.com). -
Battle of Okinawa
America wanted to capture an island near Japan so that they will have a base for air operations. They decided to land on Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands. In June, the Japanese had lost the fight for Okinawa. On July 2nd, Okinawa was declared secure by the Americans. It was bad for both sides, as the Americans lost 7,373 men and The Japanese lost 107,000 men (historylearningsite.co.uk). -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day was on May 8th 1945. VE Day officially announced the end of World War Two in Europe. German General Jodl signed the surrender document that formally ended war in Europe. Winston Churchill was informed of this event at 07.00. Within minutes of this announcement,so many people gathered on the streets of Central London to celebrate. People got hold of fireworks to give the celebrations more color (historylearningsite.co.uk). image: (telegraph.co.uk). -
Dropping of Atomic Bombs
On August 6, an American B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay, dropped the world’s first atomic bomb over Hiroshima. About 80,000 people are killed as a result, and 35,000 are injured. Truman decided to use this atomic bomb against Japan to make them surrender and end the war because he thought that Japan would cause much greater loss of lives (history.com). -
Potsdam Declaration
Just a day after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan accepts the Potsdam Conference terms of surrender, since President Truman bombed Japan. "It seems obvious that the nation is no longer able to wage war, and its ability to defend its own shores is doubtful”, said emperor Hirohito. Since Truman didn't want the Japanese people to suffer any longer, he ordered the bombs to be stopped as a result of the Potsdam Declaration (history.com). image: (wikipedia.org). -
VJ Day
On August 14, 1945, it was an announcement that Japan had surrendered to the Allies, finally ending World War II. Ever since that day, August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory over Japan Day,” or “V-J Day.” This resulted in the World War 2 finally ending (history.com). -
Operation Thunderclap
The Allies' motive in Operation Thunderclap was to bomb the eastern cities of Germany to destroy the eastern front (Dresden). This is to show the German population that Germany's defenses are now weak because the Nazi regime had failed them. This attack weakened Germany and the Allies won (2today.com).
