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Fall of Paris
Paris fell to Nazi Germany during the Battle of France. The German invasion, which began on May 10, resulted in a swift and devastating defeat for France, leading to the occupation of Paris on June 14. The French government fled, and an armistice was signed on June 22, marking the end of the Third French Republic -
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German Invasion of France (1939-1940)
Nazi Germany invaded France, resulting in a decisive victory that led to the occupation of northern France and the establishment of a puppet government, France, in the south. In the Second World War, the Invasion of France, also known as the Battle of France, involved Germany swiftly defeating France and its allies in six weeks through a strategy called Blitzkrieg. This involved bypassing the Maginot Line by attacking through the Ardennes region and encircling Allied forces -
Operation barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was a massive surprise attack by Germany on the Soviet Union that, despite initial success, ultimately failed due to the immense size of the country, harsh conditions, determined Soviet resistance, and strategic miscalculations. This failure marked a crucial turning point in World War II, leading to a long and brutal war on the Eastern Front and significantly contributing to Germany's eventual defeat. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leading to the US entry into World War II. The attack, which lasted about two hours, resulted in significant casualties and damage to American ships and aircraft. The attack resulted in the sinking or damage of numerous U.S. warships, the destruction of over 300 aircraft, and the deaths of over 2,400 Americans. -
Wannsee Conference
The Wannsee Conference was a pivotal moment where the Nazi regime formalized and coordinated their plans for the Holocaust, ensuring the machinery of the state would be used for the systematic murder of millions of Jews. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The invasion of Iwo Jima, codenamed “Operation Detachment” aimed to achieve several objectives: remove the Japanese garrison that was providing early earning of B-29 Super fortress raids in route to Japan, eliminate the enemy airfields that allowed Japanese pilots to harass the Marianas, -
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warsaw ghetto uprising
Despite the inevitable defeat, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the largest act of armed Jewish resistance against the Nazis during World War II and the first significant urban revolt against German occupation in Europe. It demonstrated the courage and defiance of the Jewish people in the face of unimaginable horror and inspired other acts of resistance in ghettos and concentration camps. It stands as a powerful symbol of the human spirit's will to resist oppression. -
D-Day Normandy Invasion
D-Day, June 6, 1944, was the beginning of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of German-occupied France. It involved a large-scale naval, air, and land assault on the Normandy coast, marking the start of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control. The operation was meticulously planned and executed, involving a combined effort by US, British, as well as Canadian forces. -
Battle of the Bulge
A surprise attack launched in December 1944 against American forces in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg. The Germans aimed to create a "bulge" in the Allied lines, split their forces, and prevent their advance into Germany. While the initial German offensive was successful, it was ultimately halted by Allied resistance and reinforcements, and the Germans were pushed back to their starting points by January 1945. -
Liberation of concentration camps
As the Allies advanced across Europe at the end of the Second World War, they came across concentration camps filled with sick and starving prisoners.The first major camp to be liberated was Majdanek near Lublin, Poland in July 1944. Surprised by the rapid Soviet advance from the east, the Germans attempted to hide the evidence of mass murder by demolishing much of the camp, but parts - including the gas chambers - were left standing. -
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Battle of Iwo Jima
A major engagement in the Pacific Theater of World War II, fought on the island of Iwo Jima between US Marines and Japanese defenders from February 19 to March 26, 1945. The battle was part of a broader strategy by the US to capture Japanese-held territories and eventually invade the Japanese mainland. Iwo Jima's strategic location, with airfields already built, made it a crucial target for securing air superiority over the Japanese home islands -
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Battle of Okinawa
The immense casualties on both sides deeply impacted the thinking of American planners regarding the potential cost of invading mainland Japan, influencing the decision to use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
Potsdam Declaration
Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's entry into the war against Japan, Japan eventually accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, leading to the end of World War II -
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Dropping of the atomic bombs
An atomic bomb, codenamed "Little Boy", was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber, released the bomb at 8:15 AM local time. The bomb, a uranium gun-type weapon, detonated with the force of approximately 15 kilotons of TNT, devastating a large area of the city. The U.S. dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force Japan's immediate and unconditional surrender, ending World War II, and to prevent potential casualties from an invasion of the Japanese mainland -
VJ Day
V-J Day, or Victory over Japan Day, marks the formal end of World War II in the Pacific, with Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allies on August 14, 1945. While August 14th is celebrated as V-J Day in Japan and some other regions, in the United States, it's officially marked on September 2nd, the day the official surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.