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Japanese Invasion of China
In late 1937, over a period of six weeks, Imperial Japanese Army forces brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of people–including both soldiers and civilians–in the Chinese city of Nanking. The death toll in the Nanking Massacre, estimates range from 200,000 to 300,000 people. Soon after the end of the war, Matsui and his lieutenant Tani Hisao, were tried and convicted for war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and were executed. -
German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and concentrated firepower. It was first used Sept. 25, 1939 in Poland. The use of these tactics have led to quick victories, these tactics were not always successful. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
On this day in 1939, German forces bombard Poland on land and from the air, as Adolf Hitler seeks to regain lost territory and ultimately rule Poland.The German invasion of Poland was a primer on how Hitler intended to wage war –what would become the “blitzkrieg” strategy. The Germans plowed through Poland eliminating any resistance. It ended Oct. 6th, 1939 -
Fall of Paris
A military hero during World War I, Marshel Petain was appointed vice premier of France in May 1940 to boost morale in a country crumbling under the force of the Nazi invasion. Instead, Petain arranged an armistice with the Nazis. The armistice, signed by the French on June 22, went into effect on June 25, and more than half of France was occupied by the Germans.It ended June 25, 1940 -
Operation Barbarossa
On this day in 1941, over 3 million German troops invade Russia in three offensives, in what is the most powerful invasion force in history. Hitler invaded because he saw his Balkan oil supply threatened by Russia. However, Itthe failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces signaled a crucial turning point in the war. It ended Jan. 7th, 1942 -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The Japanese destroyed about 20 American naval vessels, which included eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. Nearly 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in this attack, and another 1,000 were badly wounded. After this took place, FDR declared war on Japan. -
Wannsee Conference
In July 1941, Hitler instructed Reinhard Heydrich to devise a plan that would render a “final solution to the Jewish question” in Europe. It seemed Hitler wanted an "elimination" of some sort. Many proposals were discussed, however the “gas vans” in Chelmno, Poland, which were killing 1,000 people a day, proved to be the “solution”. Information from this meeting was used in the Nuremberg war crime trials. -
Japanese Internment
TAfter Per Harbor, Americans questioned the loyality of Japanese residents. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 ordering all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the West Coast. This resulted in the relocation of approximately 120,000 people, many of whom were American citizens, to one of 10 internment camps located across the country. Many lost personal property &suffered emotionally. Congress later compensated survivors. It ended June 30, 1946 -
Battle of Midway
Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of World War II. Thanks in part to major advances in code breaking, the United States was able to preempt and counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers, inflicting permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. An important turning point in the Pacific campaign, the victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive positions. Ended June 7, 1942 -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the successful Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad in the U.S.S.R. during World War II. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The Battle of Stalingrad was one of bloodiest battles in history, with combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. Ended Feb. 2nd, 1943 -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
From April 19 to May 16, 1943, during World War II (1939-45), residents of the Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, Poland, staged an armed revolt against deportations to extermination camps. The Warsaw ghetto uprising inspired other revolts in extermination camps and ghettos throughout German-occupied Eastern Europe. It ended May 16th, 1943 -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe. The invasion officially ended May 8,1945 -
Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg through the Ardennes to Antwerp. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. This maneuvering of the 3rd Army to Bastogne proved vital to the Allied defense. The Battle of the Bulge was the costliest in US history. Ended Jan. 25,1945 -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
As WWII ended, US and troops from other countries freed the millions of prisoners from the Nazi concertration camps. These camps had been used to eliminate Jews. Many prisoners were on the verge of death when liberated. 1944-1945 -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The American amphibious invasion of Iwo Jima during World War II stemmed from the need for a base near the Japanese coast.Three U.S. marine divisions landed on the island in February 1945. Despite the difficulty of the conditions, the marines wiped out the defending forces after a month of fighting. It ended March 26th, 1945 -
Battle of Okinawa
Last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of World War II, the Okinawa campaign involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan. By the end of the 82-day campaign, Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties—including 14,000 dead. ended June 22, 1945 -
VE Day
On this day in 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. May 8th. spelled the day when German troops throughout Europe finally laid down their arms.Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine.
Ended May 8, 1945 -
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, during World War II, the US dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90% of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Three days later, a second B-29 dropped another A-bomb on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito announced his country’s unconditional surrender in World War II in a radio address on August 15. -
VJ Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victoryover Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.” Coming several months after the surrender of Nazi Germany, Japan’s capitulation in the Pacific brought six years of hostilities to a final and highly anticipated close.
Ended August 14, 1945 -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan project was a secret project to develop the first nuclear weapon. America’s secret development of the atomic bomb began in 1939. On July 16, 1945 at 5:29 am scientists first successfully tested /exploded an atomic bomb at a test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Less than a month later, the 1st atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Two days later, a 2nd atomic bomb exploded at Nagasaki. Japan quickly surrendered and WWII ended.
