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Japanese Invasion of China
The war broke out because Japan wanted to take over China for their raw materials. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident was the beginning of the full scale war between Japan and China.
www.brittanica.com/event/Sino-Japanese-War-1937-1945 -
Rape of Nanking
December 13, 1937-January 1938. Japanese General Matsui Iwane ordered his troops to destroy the city of Nanking, China. After the end of WWII, the men involved in the rapes and murders of the people in the town were found guilty of the crimes committed and were killed. They had killed an estimated 150,000 war prisoners, 50,000 male people in the town, and raped at least 20,000 women and children.
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-rape-of-nanking -
Germany's invasion of Poland
This was the official start of World War II. Germany's 1.5 million troops invaded Poland. Hitler wanted the living space for his people that Poland was occupying. Germany used blitzkrieg as its war strategy. On September 18, Poland's government and leaders left the country, and on September 28, Poland surrendered. The battle was officially over on October 6, 1939. www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
German Blitzkrieg
"Lightning War." Germany wanted to avoid a long war, so they tried out this tactic to end things quickly. The German's would use weapons along narrow fronts and push back enemy lines which would allow armored tanks to infiltrate and would cause confusion among enemies. It was used first in Poland in 1939. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437 -
Operation Barbarossa
June 22, 1941-December 5, 1941. Over three million German soldiers invaded the Soviet Union. It took place across 2,000 miles from the North Cape, to the Black Sea. Hitler wanted to conquer the land to provide more space for his people. The mission ended in failure, which would cause the Germans to end up having to fight the war later on two fronts instead of one. https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005437
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes attacked the American Naval Base in Honolulu, Hawaii. The day after the attack, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan, officially making the U.S. part of WWII. The Japanese wanted to destroy the U.S. naval fleet to prevent us from being able to fight back as they spread their territories. More than 2,000 U.S. soldiers died, 20 American ships destroyed, and over 300 airplanes.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
Wannsee Conference
Nazi's convened around Wannsee, Berlin to discuss how they would go about the "Final Solution." It was led by Reinhard Heydrich and included 15 Reich leaders. Heydrich wanted to gain support for the plan from the other leaders there, and begin the extermination.
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005477 -
Bataan Death March
75,000 American and Filipino's were forced by the Japanese to march 65 miles to a prison camp near Cabanatuan. The march took six days and the only meal they were given was rice. The Japanese captured them the day after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march -
Battle of Midway
The U.S. was able to intercept and decode a message the Japanese had sent. The message said their upcoming attack was going to be in Midway, Oahu. The official attack date had been intercepted on May 16. Japan wanted to destroy and naval ships that they hadn't destroyed in the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Germans tried to invade Stalingrad, Russia, but the German's stopped their advance. The Germans wanted Stalingrad because it could have been a strategic point for their army. It is estimated that 1.1 million Russian soldiers died and 84,000 Germans.
www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Remaining Jewish people in Warsaw banded against the Germans who had been deporting them to Treblinka, led by Mordecai Anielewicz. 750 Jewish people fought against the Germans and lasted for a month and were defeated by the Germans. 56,000 Jews were captured and 7,000 killed and the rest were taken to concentration camps.
www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?Moduleld=100077745 -
Operation Gomorrah
Britain aircrafts dropped 2,300 tons of bombs in the first raid on Hamburg, Germany. The raids were to last for three days but ended up only lasting two due to weather delays. Ten miles of Hamburg was destroyed from the bombs, killing 40,000-50,000 civilians. Britain did this as a response to German raids earlier in July. The British bombers carried "windows" (aluminum foil strips that would disrupt German radars when dropped).
militaryhistory.about.com/od/aerialcampaigns/p/gomorrah.htm -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
June 1944-August 1944. 156,000 British, American, and Canadian soldiers landed on beaches in Normandy, France. This battle liberated France from the German's control. It is said to be "the beginning of the end of the war in Europe."
www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Operation Thunderlcap
February 13-15, 1945. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) bombed the Germans in Dresden. It was aimed to be the final attacks to defeat the Germans. Charles Portal had suggested that as soon as the German military was about to collapse, to launch the series of attacks in and around Berlin, Germany. There was a lot of controversy over the raids and caused the end of strategic bombing. 3,900 tons of bombs were dropped.
www.pbs.org/thewar/detail_5229.htm -
Battle of Iwo Jima
February 19, 1945-March 26, 1945. Three U.S. naval divisions went to the island because the U.S. needed a naval base near the coast of Japan. 23,000 Japanese soldiers defended their island against 6,800 tons of United States bombs. The Japanese fought from farther inland and from caves, and tunnels which were harder to find. The battle lasted for approximately one month and ended with 5,900 U.S. soldiers dead, but in victory for the U.S.
www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
Battle of Okinawa
April 1, 1945-June 22, 1945. Codenamed "Operation Iceburg." The Allies and the Japanese were fighting over the island which had an air base on it that could have been vital to either side and invasions of their lands. It is said to have been the bloodiest battle in the Pacific. After 82 days of fighting, the Japanese had lost 77,000 troops compared to the U.S. 65,000 casualties (14,000 dead), ending in American victory.
militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/p/battle-of-okinawa.htm -
VE Day
"Victory in Europe Day." Germany surrendered unconditionally to Britain and the Allies on May 7, 1945, and the next day was the official celebration day. But, Japan was still fighting in the Far East.
www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/ve-and-vj-days-1945 -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. The bomb killed 80,000 people and destroyed almost the entire city. Three days later the U.S. dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, which killed 40,000 people. The second bomb finally caused Japan to surrender unconditionally.
www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-is-dropped-on-hiroshima -
VJ Day
August 14, 1945 Japan surrendered to the Allies, and on September 2, 1945 was Japan's formal surrender on the U.S.S. Missouri. It marked the "end of the Pacific war."
www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day -
Battle of the Bulge
December 16, 1944-January 25, 1945. The battle took place in the Ardennes Forest. Previously, the Allies had taken the city of Antwerp from the German's and in an effort to get the city and its ports back, the German's used 200,000 soldiers to try to split up the Allies. The German's created a "bulge" among the Allies line of troops which gave this battle its name. 90,000 Allies died, and 100,000 Germans. The German's ultimately lost the battle.
www.history.net/battle-of-the-bulge
