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Japanese Invasion of Manchuria
As a result of China's inability to unite and protect itself as one, resource needing Japan decided to take advantage of the situation for personal gain. The Japanese decided to invade the resource rich Chinese region of Manchuria due to the fact that it was full of raw materials (Even though they claimed the Chinese sabotaged one of their railways.) In the bigger picture, this gave Japan an opportunity to gain an immense amount of resource and fuel their future campaign to control the pacific. -
Blitzkrieg Into Poland
On September 1st, 1939 at 4:45 am, 1.5 million German troops stormed into Poland. Using the method of the Blitzkrieg(lightning war) in which fast moving troops used encircling movements to trap and kill the enemy and cover ground quickly. However, these ground troops and armor were also supported by the Luftwaffe(German Airforce) and Fallschirmijager(paratroopers)
The significance of this event is that it forced Britain and France to declare war on Germany due to a prior promise to defend Poland -
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was a naval campaign that lasted the whole of WW2. Essentially the battle of the Atlantic was a multi year Allied blockade of Germany, and German attempts to counter the blockade. The Axis powers also tried to cut off shipping lanes from the production giant United States to the Resource hungry Britain. In the grand scheme of things, The Battle of the Atlantic was a constant must-win for the Allies in order to not be cut off from supply and in danger or losing the war. -
German Invasion of France
Germany, newly allied with Italy, and knowing that Britain and France are gearing up for a fight, decides to strike preemptively by blitzing into France. The Germans drive right through the middle of France, after going around to previously reinforced Maginot line adding Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg (Line was now 0-2 in defending France)
The wedge between the British and French troops ultimately forced the Brits to evacuate by any means necessary, and destroyed their morale. Hope seemed lost -
Dunkirk
The Evacuation at Dunkirk occurred as a result of the 1940 German blitz into France. The event was notorious because Churchill sent out a call for all British civilians who owned boats to pitch in to "bring their boys back home." Many civilians did answer the call, and until June 4th, Naval ships, yachts, and fishing boats were used to ferry 300,000 men from the beach to larger ships. The Royal Air force also played a crucial role in keeping Luftwaffe attacks from happening on the beach. -
Dunkirk part two
In the grand scheme of things, Dunkirk played such a significant role because it kept Britain in the fight and all but saved them from the possibility of a full scale German invasion of the island. If a German invasion did occur, there would be no power in Europe strong enough to stop the Third Reich, and the second world war would have been essentially over before it even started. Lastly, it gave Churchill the opportunity to deliver a pretty kickass speech to give the British people hope. -
Battle of Britain Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, the British victories in the sky showed two things: The first of which being that the British spirit, especially under Winston Churchill, was nearly unbreakable. The second and most important importance of this event was that it showed the world that Hitler's regime was not invincible (he quit attempting to bomb). This was crucial in not only intrinsically motivating the Royal Army and Air Force, but gave foreign aid the belief that their help would mean something. -
Battle of Britain
After Hitler's claim that the Nazis would control Britain three months after France fell, the Germans launched a multitude of bombing campaigns on British airfields, ports, military bases, and Cities (Blackouts were imposed and Nazis couldn't hit jack. The reason why Britain claimed victory in the battle was because of the constant heroism the Royal Air Force put on display by holding off large scale air attacks by the Luftwaffe. The reason for the RAF's success was their much better equipment. -
German Invasion of Greece
After a horrible excuse for a military invasion by Mussolini, the Italians were pushed back into Albania by Greek forces. This in turn forced Hitler to intervene and come to the rescue of Italy. On the island of Crete, the previously mentioned Falschirmjager suffered extensive casualties but prevailed despite being woefully outnumbered. on the Greek mainland, the Germans swept through with their classic blitz technique and captured the British commonwealth backed Greece. -
German Invasion of Greece Part Two
The German invasion of Greece was seen as another display of the true power of the Nazis. But, it was almost as beneficial to the Allies because it delayed the German invasion of Russia just enough so that there was not enough time to take over the country before the harsh Russian winter hit. Although taking the loss, the Greeks, and British expeditionary force actually did play a vital role by slowing down the German attack. It also showed that Italy was essentially a German puppet -
Operation Barbarossa Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, the attempted (and nearly successful) invasion of Russia prompted the Russians to break diplomatic ties with the Axis. Essentially, Russia was the biggest free agent on the market with only one side to go to. This would prove pivotal because having the most populous country on your side is always a good recipe for winning a war. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa is better known as the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. During the invasion, 3 million German troops caught Russia completely off guard and used massive encircling movements to surround and force the enemy's surrender. All looked bleak for Stalin and company as German troops were on the outskirts of Moscow and some of the war's fiercest fighting was taking place at Stalingrad as well as other cities. The Russian's saving grace came to the rescue. The winter halted Germany. -
Pearl Harbor Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, Pearl Harbor was the exact push the United States needed to get involved in World War 2 because the day after the attack happened, Congress voted to declare war on Japan. This however was not the end of our immersion in the conflict, because of the previously signed Tripartite pact by Germany, Italy, and Japan, the rest of the Axis declared war on us two days later on December 11th. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was an attack by 360 Japanese planes on the main fleet of the US Navy. The attack on the outside seemed to cripple the United State's waterborne forces and nearly wipe out our pacific presence. However, the Japanese didn't destroy the majority of our aircraft carriers due to the fact that they were out on maneuvers. Even with the losses of 19 ships, 150 planes, and 2400 soldiers, we were able to get up and running quickly because our repair yards and submarine base were not attacked -
Philippines 1942
General and Supreme Allied Commander Douglass MacArthur led a force of troops into the Philippines shortly after The United States entered the global conflict. US occupation lasted three months, but was cut short due to the fact that there were no reinforcements and that we simply ran out of supplies. Since this was the case, MacArthur ordered a US retreat to to Australia while vowing to one day return. Japan would capture the Philippines after the US left. -
Philippines 1942 Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, the events of the Philippines in 1942 lead to the deaths of thousands, and the mistreatment of many more. Also, the Japanese occupation of the Philippines was another stepping stone across the Pacific ocean and gave the U.S. an even weaker grip on this front of the war. -
Bataan
The events at Bataan were a 70 mile march in which Japanese occupiers forced nearly 80,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war to different POW camps such as (O'Donnell, and Tarlac) On the way to these camps however, Japanese soldiers were inhumane in the treatment of their POW's, with abuse, starvation, and exhaustion all claiming lives. This resulted in over 10,000 deaths of Americans and Filipinos alike. -
Bataan Death March Part Two
Being the largest surrender in American history, the Bataan death march was the fuel that started a major propaganda campaign which in turn thrust us full force into the war in the pacific. Not only had the Japanese committed one atrocity, but this second one was considered almost the "last straw" and further dehumanized the Japanese people from an American's point of view. -
Doolittle Raid
The Doolittle Raid was ironically named for the US bombing campaign led over Tokyo in which specially modified American planes dropped their payload over the Japanese capital. Although to very little success in terms of damage to the city itself, the bombing campaign proved vital in boosting American morale by showing that we could attack the Japanese mainland as we pleased. -
Doolittle Raid Part Two
The Significance of the Doolittle Raid in the bigger picture of the war effort was that it showed the US that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to attacks. It gave the average person a sense of hope that the conflict in the pacific could be won by the US because of this vulnerability. Ultimately, it showed us that the island controlling monstrosity that the empire of Japan was had a soft core which could be compromised. -
Coral Sea Part Two
The significance of The Battle of the Coral Sea to the grand scheme of things was that it was the first naval battle in human history fought exclusively in the air. It was also the first battle in human history where the only ships on hand were aircraft carriers, and no one side so much as saw their opponent's vessel. Also, the American win was pivotal to the safety and strength of Australia, which was one of few crucial allied holdings in the Pacific - aside from Hawaii and Midway. -
Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea was a Japanese attempt to cut off shipping lanes between The United States and Australia so Japan could set up for a large scale invasion of the island nation. After days of fighting the US emerged victorious, with all shipping lanes intact, and forced a Japanese retreat. -
Midway Part Two
In the Grand Scheme of things, The Battle of Midway was the main turning point in the pacific theater. This is because with the heavily sustained loss of four carriers and 275 planes, Japan no longer possessed and offensive naval capability in the conflict, and could only hope to hold onto what territory they had gained. However, this prompted The United States to begin their island hopping campaign. Lastly, this was so important because it ensured the safety of the US mainland. -
Midway
In June, Japan went to work in an attempt to capture the first major stepping stone in bringing a defeat to the United States. After Chester Nimitz (who knew of the attack because of the work of our code breakers) promptly set up defenses of the islands. Over a four day period two international giants duked it out with heavy blow after heavy blow. Both sides suffering heavy losses, but The United States ultimately coming away victorious. Japan lost four aircraft carriers and 275 planes. -
Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was one of the most notorious Russian events of the war. It was the Russian victory at the ever important city of Stalingrad during the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Stalingrad itself was so memorable because the ferocity of fighting there was much more than anyone had ever seen, as the Russians who fought with an immense amount of heart were finally able to halt the German advance at the rubble of the once bustling city. -
Stalingrad Part Two
Overall, the battle of Stalingrad can be marked as the major turning point in the Allied war effort. The defense of the many armament factories and transport routes ensured that the Allies on the eastern front could keep their foothold and play their role in the destruction of Hitler's regime. The Stalingrad victory also helped the Russian defense of the Caucasus, which were oil fields vital to fueling the war machinery of Russia. In conclusion, Stalingrad was one of the major reasons we won. -
Guadalcanal
The conquest of the Solomon Islands was the beginning of the United States' island hopping campaign. It brought us tons of jungle fighting as well as giving us the opportunity to not mistreat our native people.The US and Japan fought on land for control of the island, but after six months, we did just that. Being a massive learning experience for us, we took the valuable skills of jungle fighting from this battle to the rest of the island hopping campaign. -
Guadalcanal Part Two
In total, this was the first step to defeating Japan and bringing Peace to the Pacific. The beginning of the island hopping campaign gave us the valuable tools we needed to push through the pacific while avoiding Japanese strongholds. Overall, the invasion of the Solomon Islands were the early beginnings of the end for the Japanese Empire. -
Second Battle of El Alamein Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, The Second Battle of El Alamein was the only land battle of the war that the British won without American participation. Also, it ended the struggle for control of the western desert. Lastly, it is recognized as the main turning point in the fighting in North Africa -
Second Battle of El Alamein
The second battle of El Alamein was fought between a joint force of Allied troops against the Axis powers. This battle was one of near World War 1 speed, with slow grinding advances made by the British. For ten days both sides fought, but it became ever more apparent that Rommel's forces would face annihilation. Hitler being Hitler, didn't care much for giving up as he ordered the forces to die for their country rather than retreat. But, eventually Hitler ordered them to withdraw from the area. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the Allied invasion of Algeria in an attempt to move eastward across North Africa. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the leader of the expedition. Essentially, the United States and Great Britain trapped Rommel's German forces between them, attacking from both sides. The operation was a major success as it forced a German retreat to Italy. In the bigger picture, this was the end of the desert campaign and Germany's biggest defeat in the war thus far. -
Kursk Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, The Battle of Kursk ended Germany's offensive ability on the eastern front. This was due to their heavy losses leaving them thin already along defensive lines, so territorial gains were out of the question. -
Kursk
The battle of Kursk was the Hitler's retaliation to his defeat at Stalingrad. He used his blitzkrieg technique in an attempt to take over the Russian city. However, Hitler made the fatal mistake of postponing the attack many times, which gave the Russians ample time to prepare for an impending assault. Both sides took heavy losses during the battle, and the tank battle was especially bloody - which is why it is the most well known, but Russia prevailed and emerged victorious. -
The Battle of Anzio
The Battle of Anzio was an attempted allied invasion and liberation of Italy. At first, it was successful, but then came grinding to a halt when the allied forces were pinned down by a German force that was dug in and ready to fight. Over a few months, the allies finally broke through and captured Rome. But after some prior consideration, the main Allied invasion target was moved to Normandy. -
Battle of Anzio Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, The Battle of Anzio is vastly underrated in it's significance to the war effort. This is because the battle provided space for operation overlord to be conceived. Also, the main reason why it proved such a vital role in the future was that the two German divisions that were sent to defend Italy were the same divisions that were tasked to defend Normandy, which is why Gold, Sword, Utah, and Juno beaches all were taken with relative ease, and were unlike Omaha. -
D-Day Part Two
Shortly after midnight on June 6, Allied special operations units, jeeps, and light tanks were dropped over Normandy behind enemy lines to soften up the defenses. The special operations forces did face some adversity by flooded fields causing drownings, but eventually railroad lines were cut and airfields captured for the 6am invasion. -
D-Day
Operation Overlord was the start of the Allied invasion of Europe. It involved special operatives being dropped behind enemy lines at Normandy France to soften up the German Defenses. Since the Allies had been preparing for this invasion for years by building at a pace never seen before, we were completely prepared for the hell on earth that would ensue. 3 million troops gathered in Britain, ready to storm across the channel at a moment's notice, and on June 5th, General Eisenhower OK'd the 6th. -
D-Day Part Three
At 6:30 am, the main invasion force made landfall at five beaches. Gold, Sword, Utah, Juno, and Omaha. The first four beaches were taken with relative ease because the attack was not at Calais, where Hitler expected it to be(shortest point between the channel) the Omaha landing however, was met with heavy resistance. But, the beachhead was eventually secured. The liberation of France had begun. -
D-Day Part Four
In the grand scheme of things, D-Day was the beginning of the end for the war in Europe. With Hitler's forces having no offensive capability in the east, and the Americans, British, and a plethora of other countries burning through the west at lighting speed - the war was really starting to have a clear victor. But with 80,000 US troops dead, it was a large price to pay. One however, that was well worth it. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf Part Two
In the grand scheme of things. This was another major turning point in the Pacific conflict, and it gave us control of the waters around the Philippines again. The second positive is the victory we took left the Japanese navy in ruins. Victory was becoming clearer by the day, and we were knocking on the door of the Japanese mainland -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Being arguably the largest naval battle is history, Generals MacArthur and Nimitz joined forces to gain control of the Philippines. However, the Japanese did show a flash of military prowess with Kamikaze pilots, who would guide their planes and crash into US ships. But, the battle would be won when the US trapped what was left of the Japanese navy in a straight and hit them with a complete bombardment. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the bulge was the last German offensive on the western front in the war(Ardennes). During the battle, the Germans hit a weak spot in the Allied line and created a massive 50 mile deep, 80 mile wide bulge which some US troops were trapped at Bastogne. The US then caught a hold of itself, dug in, stopped the offensive, and forced a retreat. over 80,000 American casualties resulted from that day, but they took 120,000 Germans with them. -
Battle of the Bulge Part Two
In the bigger picture, the Battle of the Bulge removed Germany's offensive ability on the western front, and also removed much of Germany's defensive abilities as a force overall. This then allowed the Allies to converge on Germany from both sides, causing it to crumble before them. As the Allies moved through liberating territories, they became aware of the atrocities to the human race that the Nazi's committed as concentration camps were being discovered left and right. -
Philippines 1944-45
After the battle of Leyte gulf, the United States, along with some Australian forces, began a signature island hopping style campaign to liberate the Filipino people from Japanese occupation. The US and Commonwealth of the Philippines forces were making advancements in territory all the way up to when Japan surrendered in August of 1945, although the majority of the Island saw it's liberation in February of 1945. -
Philippines 1944-45 Part Two
The significance of the liberation of the Philippines was that we were one final step closer to the Japanese mainland and victory was almost tangible at that point. Also, The invasion of the Philippines gave General MacArthur an opportunity to keep his word, as upon landing on the beach he exclaimed "People of the Philippines, I have returned! -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was a meeting between the big three (USA,Britain,Russia) to discuss a post war world. All three agreed that the only way this war would end was by an unconditional German surrender. Russia also demanded Poland and most of eastern Europe after the war. Russia's demands were approved on the condition that they help in the pacific, and free elections were held in Russian areas. In the bigger picture, the conference was a vital step in laying out the groundwork for postwar earth -
Iwo Jima Part Two
In the bigger picture, control over Iwo Jima meant that we had now control over pre war Japanese territory, and were one final battle away from being at the Japanese mainland. Also, we now had control over airfields that were only 750 miles away from the Japanese mainland, so bombing campaigns could be run with much more efficiency, convenience, and speed. And last;y, if need be, these airfields could be used to get air support in the sky for a potential mainland invasion -
Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima was an Allied assault on the island of Iwo Jima during the United States' island hopping campaign. US Marines made their patented amphibious landing on the beaches, and the Americans, assuming the pre attack naval bombardment had worked, walked up the beaches towards an enemy that was waiting for them. Artillery from the mountains rained down after a while to meet their assault, and gruesome battle raged for weeks until the Marines "officially" captured the island. -
Okinawa
The battle of Okinawa was the final major battle of the second world war. In the battle, the US landed on the beachhead of the island and went inland with no resistance, securing two airfields before the Japanese decided to attack. When the battle finally raged, it brought 180,000 US troops vs an opposition of 130,000 Japanese forces who would either win or die to finish the battle. This fighting was arguably some of the most fierce because Japan was fighting for what little it had left. -
Okinawa Part Two
In the grand scheme of things, the battle of Okinawa was the last part of the island hopping campaign before the Japanese mainland was up for invasion. The US, over the course of the invasion wiped out most of the defending Japanese force (110,000) to a staggering (12,520) American deaths. Most importantly though, the United States was faced with a dilemma: to launch a full scale invasion against 2 million Japanese troops that were eager to prove their honor, or decimate a nation in three days. -
Hitler's Suicide and German Surrender
After the Allies started invading Germany, the once powerful army of Nazis crumbled before them. On May 1st, Germany announced the suicide of Adolf Hitler which took place on April 30. Him and his lover, Eva Braun, took cyanide pills in an underground bunker, but Hitler sealed his fate by shooting himself in the head. His body was burned and buried in a shallow grave. -
Hitler's Suicide and German Surrender Part Two
In the grand scheme of things. Hitler's death, and the multiple mass surrenders of German troops marked effectively the end of the war in Europe. On May 8th, known as V.E. day, Germany agreed to unconditionally surrender.Now the United States could fully focus on ending the war in the Pacific. We were halfway to full victory -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
In August of 1945 President Truman told the Allies about the Manhattan project and A bomb as the solution to the war in the pacific, and how he will use it if necessary. On July 26th he gives Japan the ultimatum of unconditional surrender or prompt and utter destruction. Japan ignored us, so on August 6th, the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, it destroyed 80% of the city and killed nearly 68k instantly. On August 9th, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, with equally devastating effects. -
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Part Two
In the Grand scheme of things, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced the hand of the Japanese into unconditional surrender. Also, over the years after the war, both bombs being dropped resulted in the early death of over 200,000 people. The final way that this effected the overall picture was that it marked the beginning of the nuclear era, an era that has seen atrocities such as this one nearly repeated. And an era that has the power to end all life on Earth in an instant. -
Japanese Surrender Part Two
All in all, the Japanese surrender effectively marked the end of the second world war. The most deadly conflict in human history had passed, 55 million people would never wake up to see the light of day again, Europe was torn to pieces and dotted with craters from countless bombs, and two new bonafide superpowers emerged on top of the world, not as friends, but as soon to be bitter rivals. -
Japanese Surrender
V.J. Day was one the entire world was waiting for. Victory in the Japanese theater of war was one that the Allies felt great to see. The mission had been accomplished, and aboard the U.S.S Missouri, Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, and General Yoshijiro Umenzu signed on the behalf of the government and military respectively. Douglass MacArthur signed on behalf of the United Nations, while ten more signatures were made by representatives from all nations involved in the war in the pacific.
