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Japanese Invasion of China
The Japanese people were in a radical time after WWI. They thirsted for wealth, power, and to get equal for all the unfair treaties placed upon them. China was weakened by the Open-Dorr policy and exposed to outside threats. The Japanese people wanted to expand their country and have a more unified Asia. This liberalism was a driving factor into Japan's invasion of China. The Chinese people wanted the Japanese out, but were no match for their forces. This led the Japanese to ally with Germany. -
Germany's Invasion of Poland
Hitler desired Germany to expand and spread its reach to all surrounding countries. Therefore, he began to invade Poland. The German forces attacked fast and hard, and unlike the Czechs, the Poles attempted to fight back. Sadly, they were no match for the strong and well prepared German armies. Hitler didn't believe that France and Britain would retaliate with war because they were too scared of beginning a war. However, they saw this as the final step, and declared war on the Germans. -
German Blitzkrieg
The German troops began to use a new and effective warfare style nicknamed Blitzkrieg. It involved the German troops attacking with new technology in full force. Specifically, the Germans used tanks and planes to drop bombs on Allied troops. This strategy would destroy cities, civilians, and war resources. It was a very effective way to advance in the war and prevent a WWI-like scenario. However, the strategy angered some members of the Allies because it was causing the deaths of many civilians. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was a Nazi Germany strategy to overtake the Soviet Union. They pushed a huge amount of weapons and their best soldiers into the Soviet Union. However, the Nazis underestimated their opponent and lacked enough resources to defeat them. Due to the harsh winters in the Soviet Union, the Nazis couldn't continue on and had to retreat. This operation was a turning point in the war because it led to Germany having to fight a two front war it couldn't win. -
Pearl Harbor
Link text The American people were practicing isolationism and were not involved in the war. Japan desired to fight the Americans and decided to bomb their major naval port, Pearl Harbor. Japan launched a strong attack, which destroyed nearly 20 ships and more than 300 airplanes. The attack also killed or injured 3000 American soldiers. This event motivated the American people into action, and it was the reason the US joined the fight. -
Bataan Death March
The American and Filipino forces entered the island of Luzon, but the Japanese forces forced them to retreat to the Bataan Peninsula. The American General Edward King Jr. was forced to surrender his 75,000 troops there. Then, the Japanese forced the Allied troops to march from the for about five days. 1000s are estimated to have died from the brutal starvation and beatings from the Japanese on the way to a pow camp. This led Douglas MacArthur to declare his eventual return to the Philippines. -
Wannsee Conference
The Nazi leadership met to discuss the "Final Solution" of the Jews. The Nazis needed to make a plan to eliminate the Jewish people. Many ideas were discussed, including mass sterilization and shipping the Jews off to Madagascar. However, the leaders finally decided to work the Jews to death in work camps. There was debate over this solution because it would take too long. They agreed on the "Final Solution" and began to send Jews to concentration camps. There, millions of Jews were killed. -
Battle of Midway
Six months after the attack of Pearl Harbor, the Americans were able to break the Japanese code and prepare for a Japanese strike stemming out of Midway. During this battle, the Americans knew where and when the Japanese were going to strike, so they had the upper hand. They were also able to inflict lasting damage on the Japanese navy. This assisted the Allied forces in winning the war in the Pacific theater because the Japanese powers lost many mechanics and ground crews. -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Polish Jews were forced into ghettos by the Nazis that were filled with unemployment, disease, and starvation. The Jews rallied a tiny bit and managed to establish some programs to maintain a little bit of normal life. Then, the Nazis began to ship people out to death camps in the Warsaw ghetto. It was then that the Jews began to assemble into underground rebellion groups. The rebellions were easily and systematically destroyed by the Nazis, but it inspired hope in other ghettos to rebel. -
Operation Gomorrah
The British forces had just developed a new radar blocking device called "Window," and they began to blitz the city of Hamburg, Germany. The British bombers dropped extreme firepower on the city and turned the war in their favor. In the first raid alone, more than 1500 German civilians were killed. Also, during daylight, the Americans began to bomb all of Northern Germany, including two raids on the city of Hamburg. The raids killed German morale, especially that of Hitler. -
D-Day
The Allied forces planned for many months the largest amphibious attack in WWII. They saw it as an opportunity to deceive the German forces and take back France. Over 5000 ships and supplies and over 11000 planes were involved in landing on the beaches of Normandy. Less than a week after the initial invasion, over 326,000 troops had landed in Normandy. Due to the lack of German preparation, the Allied forces easily pushed through France. This turning point caused the war to favor the Allies. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Allied forces began to cut through northwest Europe in an attempt to gain more land. They completely destroyed the German forces they encountered. However, when the Allies thought they were done, the Germans fought back strong. They pushed against the weak and tired Americans, and they pushed them back to Ardennes. By that point, the US was able to find enough troops and take the appearance of a bulge to stop the Germans. This was the deadliest war for the US army with over 100000 deaths. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
On this day, the Soviet Union advanced into Poland and reached the concentration camp Auschwitz. It was the main killing ground of Jews in WWII. There, the Jews experienced torturous conditions. Before the Soviet arrival, the Nazis killed more Jews and destroyed evidence of their crimes. This was the last major death camp to be liberated, and it showed the end of the war for Germany. Link text -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Allied forces, mainly the Americans, were island hopping in order to gain valuable land, an island at a time. The Allies needed the island of Iwo Jima for a base near the Japanese mainland. This battle signaled a shift in fighting tactics however because the Japanese soldiers began to hide in the trees and use elaborate tunnel systems. The battle was extremely bloody, but even when the situation looked bad, the Japanese didn't surrender. This was a turning point in the Pacific theatre. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation Thunderclap was the controversial decision to begin focusing on and bombing German cities. The Allied forces believed that Dresden, Germany was a central hub for the Nazis, and they made the decision to bomb the city heavily. The effects of the bombings were catastrophic on the people and on German morale. The infrastructure of the town was also destroyed. It was extremely controversial because so many civilians died for such little gains. Link text -
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last and the largest battle in the Pacific theater. It lasted 72 days and involved over 400,000 soldiers. This was the first time the Japanese began their kamikaze attacks, sending aircrafts hurdling into Allied ships. The Japanese held a strong defensive of Okinawa due to their pillboxes, caves, and ancient castles. This battle harmed lots of civilians because the island was populated, causing over 100,000 civilian casualties. The Japanese suffered immense losses. -
VE Day
On this day, the German forces, to elude the force of the Soviet forces and become prisoners, surrendered to the Allied forces. The people declared a cease fire and, when the new finally got to all the troops, the fighting in Europe was over. Russia took about 2 million German prisoners, while more than 13,000 British POWs were released back to Britain. The world rejoiced! Link text -
Potsdam Declaration
The Potsdam Declaration was an agreement set by the Big Three Allied powers. They met at a conference to agree upon the terms of the end of the war because it looked like the Allies were going to win the war. The Declaration stated that Japan needed to submit to an "unconditional surrender" and let the people choose the new government. However, the leaders had already compromised with Japan and agreed to let them keep their emperor. This is the declaration that the Japanese would surrender to. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
The Americans believed that in order to end the war, without fighting on American soil or extreme loss of American lives, they needed an ultimate weapon to defeat Japan. The President ordered the design of an atomic bomb, the new deadliest weapon. Therefore, the US dropped this bomb on Hiroshima in hopes of surrender, when Japan didn't, they also bombed Nagasaki. The bombing of Nagasaki led to the surrender of Japan, but the people in those major cities were either killed or extremely injured. -
V-J Day
After the drop of the atomic bombs, the Japanese accepted the terms of the Postdam Declaration and surrendered, as declared on his radio announcement. The Japanese Emperor Hirohito begged his country to surrender, even though their national pride told them not to. He believed that if they kept fighting it would result "in the ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation." This was the final day of the war and called Victory Over Japan Day. The American people were overjoyed!
