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Japanese invasian of China
The Japan-China WarJapanese believed that they were being fired on by Chinese troops at the Marco Polo bridge. After this Japan used this to invade ChinaThis Japanese invasion made most of Chinese into nationalists.Many civilian populations fled and tried to escpe the war. People felt threatened when they heard bombs and immediatly fled away to find a safer place. People also fled because they did not want to live under the enemy. -
Rape of Nanking
Rape of NankingDuring the Sino-Japanese the capital of China known as Nanking fell to the Japanese forces. Japanese General Matsui ordered the city of Nanking to be destroyed. Much of the city was burned and Japanese killed about 150,000 war prisoners, then killed another 50,000 male civilians, and raped at least 20,000 women and girls of any age. Most of the women and girls were killed right after. -
Germany's invasion of Poland
Germans invade PolandOn September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland. 1.5 million German troops set along Poland and and bombed Polish airfields and also attacked Polish naval forces. To make sure the Soviet Union did not come to Poland's aid, Hitler signed a nonagression pact with the USSR which agreed to divide Poland. Poland held on but eventually Soviet forces invaded from the east and all hope was lost for Poland. Poland leaders fled and sadly Poland was helpless. -
German Blitzkrieg
BlitzkriegBlitzkrieg is a German term for "lightning war".This was a military tactic which involved many weapons such as planes and tanks. Germany used the Blitzkrieg tactic to invade Poland. Blitzkrieg was a success on Poland and Hitler began using it to invade many other countries. It seemed like Blitzkrieg was working but eventually Germany lost against Soviet Union and they failed. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation BarbarossaHitler launched his army to invade Soviet Union.Three army groups, three million German soldiers.150 divisions, and three thousand tanks went across to destroy Soviet territory. This invasion was a distance of about two thousand miles. Barbarossa was a turning point in World War 2. Its failure had Germany fight in a two-front war. Germany underestimated thier opponent and for that they had to pay. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl HarborHundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked Pearl Harbor near Honolulu. The Japanese destroyesd 20 American naval vessels, eight battleships, and 200 airplanes. About 2000 American soldiers died and 1000 were wounded. The next day President Roosevelt and Congress declared war on Japan. Three days later Japan, Germany, and Italy also declared war on the United States. America then finally joined World War 2. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference The Wannsee Conference was a meeting with officials of GErmany Nazis. The Conference was held in Berlin. This conference was held to discuss "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." One man at the Conference named Heydrich proposed to send all the Jews to concentration camps in Poland.Months later the "gas vans" were killing 1000 Jews a day.This idea was the solution they were all looking for. -
Bataan Death March
Bataan Death MarchAfter Japans attack on Pearl Harbor they decided to invade the Philippines. Filipinos were rounded up by Japanese and forced to march about 65 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando. Thousands of people died but the ones that survived were sent to to prisoner-of-war camps where thousands of more people died from disease and starvation. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of StalingradRussians consider this to be the greatest battle of the Patriotic war. The Battle of Stalingrad was known to be the bloodiest battles in histroy. This battle was known as the turning point in World War 2. -
Warsaw ghetto uprising
Warsaw Ghetto UprisingAfter the German invasion of Poland more than 400,000 Jews in Warsaw were sent to an area of the city that was about1 square mile.The ghetto was closed off by brick walls, barbed wire and armed guards. Any one caught leaving was shot on the spot.The Nazis controlled the amount of food that they could have and thousands of people died in the ghetto per month. -
Operation Gomorrah
Operation GomorrahBritish bombers dropped bombs on Hamburg, Germany. British aircrafts dropped 2,300 tons of bombs. More than 1,500 German civilians were killed during that British raid.British attacks on Hamburg continued until November that year. When the raid was over British dropped over 9,000 tons of explosives killing 30,000 people and destroying 280,000 buildings. -
D-Day (Normandy Invasion)
D-Day
On June 6, about 156,000 American, British, and Canadian, forces went on five beaches along a 50 mile stretch of France's region. Eventually by late august all of France was liberated and by the following spring all Germans had been defeated. These Normandy landings were called the beginning of the end of War in Europe. -
Battle of Bulge
Battle of the BulgeHitler attempted to Blitzkrieg through the Ardennes to Antwerp. At first the allies miscalculated the Ardennes and left them lighty hurt. Then later on German forces launched a war in the forest of Ardennes. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces off guard. This battle also destroyed many German forces that could not be replaced. -
Operation Thunderclap
Operation ThunderclapThe porposal of the operation was to bomb the eastern most cities of Germany. It was also planned to cause about 220,000 casualties and about 110,000 people killed. Later on it was discussed that the plan would not work. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo JimaThe Battle of Iwo Jima took place near the end of World War 2.The people who planned this attack believed that it would take about a week but they wrong, the battle lasted over a month.The japanese dug many holes and hid in them waiting for U.S soldiers to show up.Once they came the japanese attacked and many soldiers were killed that day.Finally after about a month of fighting US conquered the island. -
Battle of Okinawa
Battle of OkinawaThis battle involved 287,000 troops of the U.S against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese. By the end of the battle Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies had suffered 14,000 deaths. When the US soldiers came the island seemed deserted but the second day the Japanese had a very strong resistence. Eventually US took over Okinawa and won the battle. -
VE Day
VE DayOn May 8th both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. They put out flags and banners celebrating the defeat of the Nazi War. The 8th of May showed the day when German troops finally let down and surrendered. -
Liberation of concentration camps
Liberation of campsThe Soviets liberated Auschwitz which was the largest concentration camp. The Nazis had forced the majority of Auschwitz prisoners to march westward known as "death marches". After Auschwitz many other camps were being liberated as well. Many of the prisoners died in the camps, but the ones who survived dealt with a long and difficult road to recovery. -
Dropping the atomic bombs
Atomic bomb dropped On this day America drops the world’s first atom bomb on Hiroshima. About 80,000 people are killed and 35,000 are injured. A few days later on August 9th a second bomb was dropped on Japan. Eventually Japan surrendered after these deadly bombs were dropped. -
VJ Day
VJ dayOn this day it was announced that Japan had surrendered meaning it was the end of WW2. On September 2, a surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay. This day was an exciting and happy day for most people.