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Japanese Invasion of China
Also known as the second Sino-Japanese war, was a conflict between China and Japan which lasted 8 years. It started all because both countries wanted supremacy in Korea. In result, both countries had a bunch of damage after the war, and China's government was weakened.
http://www.britannica.com -
Rape of Nanking
During the Sino-Japanese war, the capital of China, Nanking landed in the hands of Japanese forces. Japanese general Matsui Iwane ordered Nanking to be destroyed. Not only was the city being burned, many women and girls were being raped and killed in the process. Japanese had 150 000 male war prisoners and 50 000 male civilians going around doing these crimes. About 300 000 people were killed during this massacre and will never be forgotten.
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German Blitzkrieg
It is a German term for lighting war, it is a military tactic to create disorganisation in the enemy's forces using concentrated fire power. The Germans used this tactic during the Second World War 1 and 2. It was created because of the loss of World War 1 and the treaty of Versailles.
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Attack on Pearl Harbour
Pearl Harbour was a U.S naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. Japan attacked the Pearl Harbour by surprise on December 7, 1941. They destroyed or damaged nearly 20 American naval vessels, 8 battle ships, over 300 air planes, 2400 Americans were killed and 1000 people were wounded. Japan wanted to take down U.S in order to help them in the fight with China. U.S declared war with Japan after this attack.
http://www.history.com -
Wannsee Conference
Nazi officials all gathered together to discuss the "final solution" for Jews in 1942. 15 Nazi seniors attended this conference. They wanted to make some laws against the Jews, which led them to describe what can now be known as the Holocaust. The holocaust was a horrible thing where a lot of Jewish people were injured or killed.
http://www.britannica.com -
Bataan Death March
It was a 66 mile march that 76 000 prisoners of war were forced to do by Japanese military during the early stages of WW2. The prisoners were beaten, shot, bayoneted and beheaded during this march that lasted 5-10 days. In the end only 54 000 prisoners made it to the camp. It was known as one of the most evil things to happen in the war.
http://www.britannica.com -
Battle of Stalingrad
Germany was trying to take over the city of Stalingrad, instead it become a loss for the Germans because the Russians fought back and won. Hitler wanted this victory because it would one up the Soviet Union. This battle made a big impact for the allies, and is one of the reasons that led to the defeat of Hitler.
http://www.britannica.com -
Operation Gomorrah
British bombers raided Hamburg, Germany because of the bombs the Germans sent them that killed 167 civilians. The very first raid from the British in Germany had killed over 1 500 civilians, the bombing didn't stop there. Many raids were sent over to Germany which resulted in 30 000 people killed and 280 000 buildings destroyed. This affected Hitler a lot which made him feel defeated.
http://www.history.com -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Many American, British, and Canadian soldiers were fighting Germans in order to get control over Normandy. After WW2 began, Hitler invaded and occupied Normandy, so the allies wanted to take it back. Once the Allies won, this was the beginning of the end. This was one of most largest fights during the war which lead to the defeat of Germans.
http://www.history.com -
Battle of the Bulge
After the successful victory in Normandy, the war seemed over but Germany surprised attacked the allied forces. This battle had turned the favour over to Hitler, his plan was to split the Canadian, British, and American forces apart. More than 88 000 German soldiers died and 77 000 American soldiers died as well. Eventually the Americans won the battle of the Bulge making it the greatest battle in American military history.
http://secondworldwarhistory.com
http://www.army.mil.com -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The Manhattan Project, which was a bunch of scientists working together to create the first atomic bombs during WW2. Although the Allied forces had defeated Germany, Japan had no plans in stopping from fighting so this lead to Hiroshima and Nagaski being bombed which lead to 90 percent of the towns being destroyed and 120 000 people killed. This lead to the surrender from Japan.
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Liberation of Concentration Camps
After the victory for the Allied forces, they wanted to put an end to concentration camps put up by Germany. The Germans were trying to hide any evidence of concentration camps but the Allied forces still found out. They did everything to help all those who had to suffer through these camps which many did not survive. It was the final step to putting an end to this war.
http://www.iwm.org.uk -
Battle of Iwo Jima
It was an epic military campaign between American marines and Japan army. American forces invaded the island Iwo Jima and this battle lasted for 5 weeks. Japan was so beaten up in early stages of WW2, American forces used this to their advantage so they invaded the island knowing Japan was weak. More than 250 000 casualties and 7 000 deaths resulted from this short but bloody battle.
http://www.history.com -
VE Day
VE day stands for Victory in Europe Day, it is the day official fighting in Europe in WW2 ended. It is celebrated on May 8th, 1945 after the Germans surrendered with no conditions. It was a good day because of how much fighting has been going on for so long, so many young men and soldiers were dying, it was good to finally put an end to it. The day the Germans were finally defeated.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.org -
VJ Day
VJ stands for Victory over Japan day in the United Kingdom. In August 15th, 1945, Japan surrendered in World War 2, finally putting an end to the war officially. The two atomic bombs in Japan were the reason Japan surrendered because the bombs did a lot of damage for Japan.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
