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Germany invaded Poland on September 1st of 1939 to begin its expansionist policy in Eastern Europe. This invasion was preceded by Nazi propaganda that falsely accused Poland of persecuting ethnic Germans and claiming the country was about to attack Germany. This invasion is widely considered the start of WWII. -
The Battle of Britain was a military campaign during World War II. It was when the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm defended the United Kingdom against attacks by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe. And, it was the first campaign fought entirely by air forces. -
The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Japanese navy on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This attack was done on December 7th, 1941. The attacks occurred in two waves, which killed 2,403 Americans and wounded 1,178. It also destroyed and damaged numerous ships and aircrafts. This event also prompted the United States to declare war on Japan, which marked our entrance into World War II. -
The Battle of Midway was a decisive naval battle in the Pacific Theater. It was when the United States Navy achieved an overwhelming victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy. It is considered a major turning point of the war in the Pacific. It had permanently weakened Japan's naval power and shifted the strategic initiative to the Allies. -
The Battle of Stalingrad was a brutal and decisive military campaign during World War II. This battle was when Soviet forces successfully defended the city of Stalingrad against Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. It marked a major turning point in the war. It is arguably the bloodiest battle in modern history and had combined military and civilian casualties close to two million people. -
Operation Torch was the code name for the first major Anglo American invasion of French North Africa. It was launched on November 8th. 1942. It was a large scale amphibious operation, and it was a critical turning point that marked the first involvement of U.S.ground forces in the European African theater against German and Italian forces. -
The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program was an international Allied group of up to 345 experts that were tasked with protecting cultural property during and after World War II. These experts' work involved safeguarding monuments from combat damage and locating secret repositories of art looted by the Nazis. They successfully recovered and returned over five million cultural objects to their rightful owners or nations of origin. -
The Battle of Kursk was an engagement in the summer of 1943 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near the city of Kursk in southweastern Russia. The battle included the largest tank confrontation in history and was Germany's final major offensive on the Eastern Front. It resulted in a decisive soviet victory and gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the remainder of the war. -
D-Day was an Allied invasion of Normandy, France. This event happened on June 6th, 1944. It began the liberation of German occupied Western Europe. It was also the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation involved simultaneous airborne landings and amphibious assaults on five beaches. -
The Battle of the Bulge was the German military's last major offensive on the Western Front. The surprise attack aimed to split Allied lines and capture critical ports. This initially created a large bulge in American defenses. Despite the success, the offensive failed due to fierce resistance and supply shortages. This exhausted Germany's reserves.
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The Battle of Iwo Jima was a five week battle in early 1945. This battle was where U.S. Marines invaded the island to capture its strategic airfields as part of the Pacific campaign against Japan. The Japanese forces had a sophisticated network of tunnels and bunkers. They offered fierce resistance and fought nearly to the last man, inflicting heavy casualties on the American forces. This battle is remembered for the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi. -
The Battle of Okinawa was the last and deadliest major fight of World War II. It was where U.S. troops fought to capture an island close to Japan's mainland. This fight involved massive suicide plane attacks and resulted in horrific casualties for both soldiers and civilians. This battle helped to convince the U.S. government to drop atomic bombs at the end of the war rather than to invade Japan directly.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12th, 1945, from a stroke. He was vacationing in Warm Springs, Georgia, at the time. He was sitting for a portrait. He complained of a severe headache and slumped forward and never regained consciousness. His health had been weakened by the stress of the Great depression and World War II, and that led to high blood pressure and other ailments. -
Adolf Hitler died in his Berlin bunker on April 30th, 1945. He committed suicide with his wife Eva Braun to avoid capture. Their bodies were reportedly burned outside by his staff just one week before Germany surrendered. -
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were two nuclear attacks conducted by the U.S. against the Japanese. It happened on August 6th and August 9th, 1945. These events represented the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict and directly led to Japan's surrender. It also effectively ended World War II.