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Pearl Harbor
Japan and the United States had had many disagreements and aggression, and this instituted the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a military base in Honolulu, Hawaii, by Japanese planes. The bombing of Pearl Harbor killed and injured many American soldiers and destroyed many supplies, and lead the US to declare war on Japan. -
Battle of Midway
A naval battle between the US and Japan six months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The United States was able to decode and counter Japan's planned ambush. It was a turning point in the war in the Pacific, and allowed the US to take the offensive. -
Operation Gomorrah
In an attempt to defeat Germany, the US and British air forces raided Hamburg, Germany. The United States bombed by day, while the British bombed by night, resulting in heavy German civilian casualties and destruction of thousands of buildings and infrastructure. -
Battle of the Bulge
As the Germans tried to split Allied forces in northwest Europe, they made an attempt to destroy vital bridgeheads. To stop them, Allied forces shaped themselves into large bulges. There were many casualties, but this tactic proved effective, and lead to the failing of the German counteroffensive. -
D-Day
D-Day, code-named "Operation Overlord", was a large-scale invasion of France's Axis-occupied and heavily fortified Normandy region by American, Canadian, and British forces, aiming to liberate Western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. It lead to the liberation of France and soon, the defeat of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
To obtain a naval and military base near the Japanese coast, American forces launched an invasion of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. After months, the US won, and the battle is now famous for the picture of American soldiers raising the flag in victory. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps
American troops first discovered and liberated a recently-abandoned labor camp in Germany, and Allied troops soon liberated and helped thousands of people imprisoned in these camps. -
VE Day
VE stands for Victory in Europe, and is when the Germans surrendered and the Allied forces won the war. It was celebrated in both Britain and America as the defeat of the Germans and the end of the war. -
Dropping of the Atomic Bombs
In order to end the war quickly, Americans dropped the newly created atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. Thousands of Japanese were killed, both instantly and in the time to follow, and destroyed both cities, and lead to Japan's surrender. -
VJ Day
VJ stands for "Victory over Japan" and both August 14 and 15 mark the surrender of Japan to the US in 1945. It brought the much-anticipated end of several years of hostility.
