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German Blitzkrieg
The German Blitzkrieg refers to Hitler's battle strategy during the early years of the war; his plan was to use a ton of firepower to conquer and move on quickly. This tactic was originally attempted in Poland, but was more successful in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France in 1940 and 1941. -
Rape of Nanking
Imperial Japan attacked and conquered Nanking, the Captial of the Chinese Republic. The massacre lasted for 6 weeks, from December of 1937 to January of 1938. An estimated 300,000 people were murdered. To this day, Japan claims that the attack was all military and was not as brutal as it was made out to be. The Japanese soldiers committed countless war crimes during this period, including rape, theft, arson, and murder. Some army leaders even held contests to see who could kill the most people. -
Germany Invades Poland
Poland was a strategic location for Adolf Hitler's plan to conquer Europe. After Hitler signed his non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, he ordered his troops to invade Poland. His plan was to attack from both land and air, so the country could be taken over quickly. Britain and France objected, and soon, the Soviet Army moved in, and the Poles ran out of hope. Poland surrendered to Germany on October 6, 1939. Poland would remain under German and Russian control until the end of the war. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Millions of Axis powers soldiers and thousands of war vehicles lined up across a 2,900 kilometer front to attack the Russians. Germany and Russia had signed a peace agreement prior to the invasion, but Adolf Hitler, the German ruler, disregarded the treaty in hopes to gain a strategic advantage during the war. Operation Barbarossa was a failure, but it was also the largest military operation to date. -
Pearl Harbor
Shortly after peace negotiations between the U.S. and Japan were being finalized, the Japanese organized an ambush on Pearl Harbor. The United States did not expect the attack, as peace negotiations were being drafted and the U.S. believed they were true. Japan may have attacked because the United States put an embargo on their trade, and this caused strife between the two countries. During the attack, over 3,500 Americans were either killed or wounded, and 18 ships were sunk and damaged. -
D-Day
D-Day is the name given to the day the Normandy beaches of France were invaded by the allied forces. Over 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches over a 50 mile stretch of land in effort to fight of the Nazi troops that were occupying France. D-Day was a turning point in the war in the Allies' favor, but cost thousands of lives. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a surprise attack made by Germany on the Allies. It happened in the Ardennes between Germany, Belgium, and Luxemborg. The environment was brutal, as supply lines were cut off. Many Americans died, but the Germans suffered losses from which they could not recover. On January 7 of 1945, Hitler's forces were withdrawn. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
American forces attacked the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in Febuary of 1945. It was an extremely difficult battle, as the terrain was rough and there were underground tunnels all across the island. Iwo Jima helped allied soldiers gain strategic advantages during the following Battle of Okinawa. This battle also resulted in the famous photograph of soldiers raising the American flag, taken by Joe Rosenthal. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
Throughout the campaign across Europe, soldiers encountered many concentration camps that either needed liberation or had been evacuated in effort to destroy evidence. The largest concentration camp, Auschwitz, was liberated in January of 1945. The prisoners that were still alive were starving and abused. On April 11, Americans liberated another camp, Buchenwald. When the camps were discovered and liberated, the true extent of horror Hitler put the prisoners through was realized. -
VE Day
VE Day is the name given to the day Germany surrendered to the Allies. It stands for Victory in Europe Day, and this day was hugely important, as it marked the end of the war in Europe. Japan, however, did not surrender until after the dropping of the atomic bombs. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
On August 9, 1945, a devastating atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, which caused Japan's unconditional surrender. Three days prior to this, on August 6, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and killed 90% of the cities population. Thousands of people died instantly, and thousands more died afterwards from radiation poisoning. This is an extremely controversial decision made by President Truman, and the controversy continues today. -
VJ Day
Japan refused to surrender until the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They finally surrendered on what was to be known as VJ Day, or Victory Over Japan Day. This term is also related to the surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.
