Important Battles of WWII
Battle of MidwayThe battle of Midway was an allied victory against Japanese forces in the Pacific. The battle started on June 4th and lasted until June 7th of 1942. This was an important battle because it was the first major U.S. victory in the Pacific and put Japan on the defense. The Japanese were planning on attacking the rest of the U.S. Naval fleet that survived Pearl Harbor. However, U.S. intelligence knew of this plan and was prepared. The U.S. sunk four aircraft carriers, 322 air crafts, and the finest Japanese pilots.
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Battle of Iwo JimaThe Battle of Iwo Jima was a United States victory over Japan in the Pacific. It started February 19th to March 26th of 1945. This is the sight of the famous "Flag raising." This battle gave the United States close proximity to Japan. It also got rid of Japanese intelligence that would spot U.S. bombers before they could reach their target. 95% of the Japanese soldiers were killed in this battle. The soldiers were taught to die in battle and take ten men with them.
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Battle of StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a Soviet Union victory over German forces in Russia. It started on August 23, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943. Germany broke the Non-Aggression Pact with the Soviet Union and began in invade Russia. However, the Germans were fighting on foreign soil with limited supplies. Also, the Germans were not prepared for the hard winter in Russia. Many men died from illness, freezing temperatures, lack of supplies, and rough terrain.
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BATTLE OF BERLIN
The Battle of Berlin was a Soviet Union victory in Germany. It started April 16th to May 2nd of 1945. This was considered the end of World War II. The U.S. and Britain supported the Soviets advances into Berlin but didn't take part in the actual battle. The Soviets quickly took over Berlin. Hitler saw no chance of defending Berlin so him and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide together.
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INVASION OF POLAND
The invasion of Poland was a Germany victory against the Polish Military. It is considered the start of World War II. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. The Germans introduced a new type of combat called "Blitzkrieg". The German forces quickly took over the Polish Air Force and disorganized military. Great Britain and France were alleged to protect Poland. However, they sent little if any support to Poland.
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Bombing Campaigns
London: The London bombing campaign was a German operation called "Blitz". From July of 1940 to May of 1941, the German Air force launched massive bombing campaigns on British military and civilian sites. During the Blitz, 792 planes were lost in the Royal Air Force (British Air Force). Two million houses were ruined, 60,000 people died, and 87,000 people were seriously injured.
Dresden: Dresden was a RAF bombing campaign on Dresden, Germany. The RAF were United States and British bombers. This campaign was to try and deflate German morale. Dresden was a great target for the Royal Air Force because the city was unprotected and it had a high population made up of civilians and German refugees. On February 13, 1945 The Royal Air Force sent about 773 bombers over three days to bomb Dresden. The result was devastating. The city was destroyed and it was hard to count the victims but some claim that 100,000 people died.
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Berlin: Berlin was a RAF bombing campaign on Berlin, Germany. Berlin was the capital of Germany, and had a population of about 4,000,000 people. The campaign started November 18, 1943 and lasted till March of 1944. The campaign destroyed over 6,000 acres in Berlin. The RAF lost 300 air crafts.
Tokyo: The Tokyo bombing was a campaign led by the United States. Tokyo was a target for the United States because it was the capital of Japan. The campaign started in 1944 and lasted until the March 10, 1945. When the U.S. captured Iwo Jima it allowed them to have close proximity to Tokyo. 80,000-130,000 people died. This was known as the worst firebombing campaign in history.
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