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Japanese Invasion of China
In the 1930's, the Manchurian railway was controlled by the Japanese. In 1931, Japan claimed the Chinese had sabotaged the railway. The Chinese refused to fight back because they knew the Japanese just needed a reason to invade. Thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed. The League insisted that Japan withdraw from China but Japan refused. The League also did not stop arms sales because they were afraid Japan would declare war. (http://www.johndclare.net/EL5.htm) -
Fall of Paris
By the time German tanks rolled into Paris, 2 million Parisians had already fled. The German's went to work: arrests, interrogations, and spying were the order of the day, as a gigantic swastika flew beneath the Arc de Triomphe. While Parisians who remained trapped in their capital despaired, French men and women in the west cheered-as Canadian troops rolled through their region, offering hope for a free France yet. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-enter-paris) -
Rape of Nanking
Over a period of six weeks, Matsui Iwane ordered the Japanese army to attack the Chinese city of Nanking and kill thousands of people, including civilians and soldiers. Between 20,000 and 80,000 women were sexually assaulted, which helped give the event its name. This horrific time in history left the city devastated and it took decades for the city to recover. (http://www.history.com/topics/nanjing-massacre) -
German Blitzkrieg
The German term blitzkrieg stands for "lightning war." It was a strategy used to create disorganization for the enemy through mobile forces and concentrated firepower. Germany first tried this tactic in Poland to see if it was effective. After merely perfecting it, they used it against Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and during the North African campaign. (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg) -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Led by Adolf Hitler, Germany sent brutal attacks on Poland using a strategy called "blitzkrieg." Germany's land was taken by Poland and they were determined to get it back. Hitler had also sought-out to rule Poland but the main concern was to regain lost territory. Poland's forces were no match for Germany's military advancements. Poland was eventually partitioned and Germany was invaded by Britain. (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germany-invades-poland) -
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler sent his army eastward toward the Soviet Union. The German army covered a span of two thousand miles. The army was one of the most prepared and finest army in the world, but what they had coming was a huge misfortune. Hitler's troops were stopped and were unprepared for the Soviet's harsh and brutal winter. The plan of attack by the Germans was halted and had ultimately failed. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa) -
Pearl Harbor
This horrific event was a surprise attack on the US (Hawaii) by Japan. The US was unhappy with the way Japan treated China. The US made economic sanctions and trade embargoes which greatly angered Japan, which eventually caused the attack. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and over 1,000 were wounded. About 20 US naval vessels and 300 airplanes were destroyed. The following day, the US declared war on Japan. (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor) -
Battle of Midway
The United States broke many codes and was able to counter attack Japan's plan of ambush. Japan had planned on destroying the last of the US's aircraft carriers but instead got many of their ships damaged or destroyed. The US won and allowed the Allies to move into an offensive position. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-midway) -
Bataan Death March
The US surrendered the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island to the Japanese. Approximately 75,000 American and Filipino troops on Bataan were forced by the Japanese to march 65 miles to prison camps. The prisoners suffered intense heat and were treated very cruelly by the Japanese guards. Thousands died or were killed during this long and dangerous trek. (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march) -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
People living in the Jewish ghettos occupied by the Nazis in Warsaw, Poland, staged an armed revolt against the soldiers who were trying to deport them to extermination camps. This uprising inspired many other revolts throughout other ghettos and camps in German occupied Eastern Europe. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/warsaw-ghetto-uprising) -
Operation Gomorrah
Britain had suffered the deaths of 167 civilians as a result of German bombing raids in July. The evening of July 24 saw British aircraft drop 2,300 tons of incendiary bombs on Hamburg in just a few hours. The explosive power was the equivalent of what German bombers had dropped on London in their five most destructive raids. More than 1,500 German civilians were killed in that first British raid. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/operation-gomorrah-is-launched) -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Soviet soldiers were the first to liberate the concentration camp prisoners. They freed prisoners from a camp in Poland and later liberated the sick and exhausted prisoners of Auschwitz. Concentration camps all around Europe were liberated and the mistreated prisoners were now free. (https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007724) -
Battle of the Bulge
The German army tried to separate the Allied armies in northwest Europe using the tactic of blitzkrieg. The American forces were not prepared and fought a desperate war. As the Germans pushed farther and farther into the Ardennes, the Allied line took on the look of a large bulge, giving the events the name. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge) -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
156,000 American, Britain, and Canadian troops landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of heavily armed and protected coast of Normandy, France. This was the largest land and water attacks recorded in history. By August 1944, all of Northern France had been freed and the Allies had eventually defeated the Germans. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day) -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The invasion started because the US needed a base near the Japanese coast. Three US marine divisions landed in February if that year. The island was protected by about 23,000 Japanese soldiers. After a month of fighting, the US claimed victory after the marines destroyed defending forces. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima) -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The US was the first and only country to ever use nuclear weaponry. Truman knew that dropping the bombs would be the only way to attack without losing thousands of American lives. This surely ended World War II but cost millions of innocent Japanese lives. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima) -
Operation Thunderclap
In February of 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the “Florence of the Elbe” to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 135,000 people. It was the single most destructive bombing of the war—including Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and all the more horrendous because little, if anything, was accomplished strategically, since the Germans were already on the verge of surrender. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/firebombing-of-dresden) -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last major battle of World War II, and one of the bloodiest. The Navy’s Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps troops descended on the island of Okinawa for a final push towards Japan. The invasion was part of Operation Iceberg, a complex plan to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-okinawa) -
VE Day
Great Britain and the United States both celebrate Victory in Europe Day. This is the day that the Germans finally laid down their arms and surrendered. The Germans did this in order to keep from being taken prisoner by the Soviets. To celebrate, Western European cities and the US put out banners and flags in rejoice of defeating the Nazis. (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe) -
VJ Day
On this day, Japan surrendered to the Allies, which ended World War II. Japan chose to surrender after the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After Japan's defeat was announced to the citizens of the US, everyone celebrated the new sense of relief. (https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/v-j-day)
