1. Major Battles and Events
World War II
Major Battles and Events

2. Blitzkrieg - “Lightening War”
German attack on Poland
September 1, first blitzkrieg
Successful military strategy for Germany - airplanes and tanks supported by infantry

3. Battle of Britain - “the Blitz”
German air bombing campaign of Britain
September May 1941
Bombings targeted major British cities, especially London
Hitler called off raids, allies learned Hitler could be stopped

4. From 1935-1937, the U.S. passed a series of Neutrality Acts (They were practicing isolationism!)

5. March Tobruk, Libya
Rommel is sent by Hitler to defeat British forces
By June of 1942, he suceeded

6. Battle in the Balkans
Bulgaria, Romania & Hungary fall to Germany with barely any resistance
April Hitler invades Yugoslavia (11 days) & Greece (17 days).

7. Summer USSR
Germany turns on USSR and begins attack June 22- OPERATION BARBAROSSA
Soviets practices scorched-earth policy
September- Leningrad under siege

8. December 7, 1941 - “a date that will live in infamy”
Japanese attack on U.S.
Pearl Harbor Naval base, Hawaii
The next day, U.S. declared war on Japan, becomes involved in World War II

9. Bataan Death March April, 1942 Philippines
56, ,000 American and Filipino POWs marched north by Japanese

10. Forced to march 60 mi while being beaten by Japanese soldiers.
Many were buried alive if they did not move fast enough
Japanese organizers of March were executed by Allies in 1946

11. Doolittle’s Raid April 1941
Bombed the Japanese home islands (including city of Tokyo)
Proved that Japan was vulnerable

12. Battle of Coral Sea May 4-8, 1942
The Japanese were advancing to the South
U.S. Naval carriers used aircraft to stop them

13. Battle of Midway June 3-6, 1942 U.S. v. Japan
Midway Island, in the Pacific
The U.S. were outnumbered 4-1 in ships and planes, but they won
Turning point of war against the Japanese

14. Guadalcanal August 1942- February 1943
First major offensive of the Allies vs. Japan

15. Battle of Stalingrad Germany v. USSR (Soviet Union)
August 23, February 2, 1943
The Russian winter set in
The Germans couldn’t survive the elements (same mistake Napoleon made!)

16. Germany surrendered to Soviets, Germans were pushed back west
Turning point on Eastern Front

17. Battle of El Amin October 1942 Germany is defeated by Britain
Led to the 1943 surrender in N. Africa

18. D-Day - “Operation Overlord”
U.S, Canada, Britain v. Germany
June 6, 1944
Beaches of Normandy, France (Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah)
France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg liberated from Nazi occupation

19. 3,000 American soldiers alone died
July 25- Allies finally cut a hole in German defense
August 25- Allies march into Paris, victorious.

20. Battle of the Bulge U.S., British v. Germany December 16, 1944 Belgium
Last major German offensive of World War II
Allies push the Germans back

21. April 30/May 1, 1945- After swallowing poison, Hitler shoots himself
May 2- Germany surrenders
May 7- U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower accepts Germany’s unconditional surrender
May 8- surrender is officially signed
V-E Day

22. Battle of Iwo Jima U.S. v. Japan
February 19 - March 26, 1945 (36 days)
Bloodiest
battle of WWII
Americans
took the island
from the
Japanese

23. Battle of Okinawa U.S. v. Japan April 1 - June 22, 1945
Okinawa - Pacific Island
Largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater
After long, bloody battle, U.S. took the island
Last battle of WWII

24. Invading Japan may have cost the U. S
Invading Japan may have cost the U.S. the lives of about 500,000 soldiers.
FDR had died in April before the Allied victory against Germany
President Truman sent a warning to Japan to surrender, but Japan did not reply.

25. Hiroshima August 6, 1945 Site of 1st atomic bomb drop on Japan
73,000 dead
114,000 total (radiation and after effects)

26. Nagasaki August 9, 1945 Second atomic bomb dropped 37,500 killed
Japan surrendered, September 2, 1945 to U.S. General MacArthur.

27. Nuremberg Trials Nuremberg, Germany Trials of Nazi war criminals
Began in last trial…2009
Some sentenced to prison, some executed (hung) and bodies burned in oven at concentration camps

28. June 1945: The formation of the United Nations (U.N.)
The nations that came together wanted to make sure that crimes against humanity like the Holocaust would never happen again.
June 1945: The formation of the United Nations (U.N.)
Intended to protect its members against aggression