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This battle started and marked WWII. Adolf Hitler from the Nazi Empire began an attack with a tactic called the blitzkrieg, consisting more than 2,000 tanks supported by nearly 900 bombers and over 400 fighter. In all, Germany deployed 60 divisions and nearly 1.5 million men in the invasion. Basically, the blitzkrieg penetrates from one side of the Polish army and digs through to reach the center, having air raids and coordinated ground assaults. After a while, on September 17th, the Soviets chose to join in because of the non-aggression agreement. The polish army was outnumbered at that point and surrendered. This war was not just a tragic end for Poland but a start for genocide for millions and the Holocaust.

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Fliegerhorst Faßberg, Faßberg Air Base, Faßberg, Germany

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German soldiers began to invade Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, Greece.

When Germany occupied Denmark on April 1940, the Jewish Population was approximately about 7500, accounting for 0.2% of the country's total population. About 6,000 of these Jews were Danish citizens. The rest were refugees from Germany and eastern Europe. Most of the Refugees lived in the capitol, Copenghagen. Before it happened non-Jewish Danes hid Jews and transported them to safety in Sweden. Despite the rescute efforts, the Germans took around 470 Jews and deported them to Theresienstadt ghetto in Czechoslovakia. 120 Danish Jews died during the Holocaust in total. On the same day, Germany invaded Norway.Germany tried to secure naval bases for use against the British fleet in the North Sea to guarantee major iron-ore shipments for neutral Sweden. British tried to help Norway but on June 10, King Haakon VII and the Norwegian government escaped to London. The Jews 2,100 Jews in Norway,including the disabled and children, Were arrested and deported on November 25th to 26th 1942. Soon they were taken to the Auschwitz-Kirkenau killing center. In May, Germans conquered Belgium and deported about 25,000 Jews by 1944. the Belgian government fled to Great Britain and formed a government-in-exile in London. But the King, Leopold the third remained in Belgium because he was under house arrest. On the same month, Germany invaded Netherlands.Many Jews were sent to Buchenwald and Mauthausen, concentration camps. The geography of the NEtherlands made escape difficult for them. One of the world's smallest countries, Luxembourg was occupied by germany in May. Stuka dive-bombers attacked crucially against low countries. The Jews in Luxembourg were also sent to concentration camps same as other countries and many were killed. In June 22, 1940 Germany occupied northern France and all of the France's Atlantic coastline down to the boarder with Spain as a part of the armistice agreement. They "Aryanized" Jewish property, interned many and Jews were transported to Auschwitz and murdered.France was rather Liberal than other countries welcoming Jewish immigrants, many of them being from eastern Europe after WWI. in 1939 the French authorities made strict limits to immigration and created detention camps for refugees. The German attack was from the early summer of 1940. Vichy Regime was a key person during the attack. He left eastern France unoccupied till 1942 until General Karl took his position. On March 25th 1941, Yugoslavia agreed to joining the Axis and Germans head for Greece. The Axis powers partitioned Yugoslavia and exploited ethnic tensions. In Greece a brutal occupation occured with 80% of Jewish population being murdered. Germany, Italy, Bulgaria all occupied parts of Greece. 40,000 of 43,000 Jews in Salonika were killed from the Holocaust. In September of 1943, Italy surrendered to the Allies and Germany captured the whole of Greece. By June, Germany also chose to invade the USSR. They launched a surprise attack since it was Poland's ally. Soviet Jews were killed. (Operation Barbarossa)

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The Great Britain had to defend from the German air force, Luftwaffe) from July-October 1940, after the fall of France. Not only the Royal Air Force of Britain faced victory but created healthy conditions for survival for the country. Also only had 749 fighter aircraft available against 2,550 Luftwaffe aircraft. Some brave pilots of the RAF were deployed to support an army of ground crew during the battle. Hitler had to abandon his invasion plans of Britain because of this occurrence. The Great Britain was prepared with Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes. It came to an end in later October. This marked a great defeat of Germany in the war but not the signal of the war. The Luftwaffe were carrying out night-time bombing raid across London and the UK. 40,000 people were killed during the time of the campaign.

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THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN (1969) | Opening Scene | MGM

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On Sunday, 22 June 1941, during WWII this was the costliest land offense in human history with around 10 million combatants taking part and over 8 million casualties by the end of the operation. This operation was named after the 12th century Roman emperor, Federick Babarossa, A.K.A "red beard". Germany aimed to use the conquered people as forced labour for the Axis. Trying to acquire agricultural resources in Soviet territories Ukraine and Byelorussia. This was to create living space (Lebensraum) for the Germans and exterminate the native Slavic people and genocide. After two years, the two countries ended up signing political and economic pacts for strategic purposes. However Russia invaded Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, which caused German's High Command to be mad and begin planning an invasion of Soviet Union again in July 1940. It ended up as an operation with 3.8 million personnel of the Axis powers invading. This was the largest invasion force in the history of warfare. As a part of the Holocaust, Germans killed over a million Soviet Jews and starved five million Soviet Red Army troops to death. Also killed 3.3 million Soviet prisoners of war, millions of civilians as the Hunger plan.

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This Operation began on November 8, 1942 in French North Africa during WWII, landing with 107,000 British and U.S troops at Casablanca, Morocco, Algiers and Oran in Algeria. The French decided to have an armistice with the Allies three days later. The British Eighth Army ended the start of Axis power in North Africa. Operation Torch was also designed to take off pressure from the Soviet Union to divert German attention. Overall, it cost the lives of around 1,300 French, 526 Americans and 574 British. The British and Commonwealth military succeeded in pushing the Axis powers across the Sahara. Although, Axis allied the Vichy French government. Furthermore, they had thousands of soldiers spread throughout Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. This operation was the first major airborne assault done by the U.S. Torch was also for propaganda purposes, having belief that this would be more palatable to French public opinion. Some British soldiers wore U.S army uniforms which was a weird occurance in history.

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Operation Husky, also know as the Battle of Sicily was a major attack in the war which the Allies invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943. It was originally owned by the Axis powers including Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. This operation started with an amphibious warfare and airborne operation, continuing for 6 weeks, being part of the Italian Campaign. To divert Axis forces to other areas, Operation Mincemeat was done by the Allies. The Husky started on 9th July and ended on 17th of August. This caused dictator Benito Mussolini to be stepped down from power and led to Allied invasion of Italy on 3 September.This operation started off with Allied armies landing on the south-eastern and on the central southern coast. The amphibious assaults, the tactic where you use a career to move the tanks and fighter jets to where you're invading, were supported by naval gunfire, tactical bombing and close air support by the combined air forces. Despite the success, many Axis forces managed to avoid capture and escape to the mainland.

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Battle of Normandy, which had a code name of Operation Overlord, was an operation by the Allies on 6 June 1944. In the fifth year, Gemany still occupied France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Balkans, Denmark, Norway, much of Italy, and many more areas of Europe. Therefore, the British concluded that they needed to launch an amphibious operation on the coast of France. After the landings at 6:30 am, the campaign to break out of Normandy lasted until early August, as it was difficult to penetrate through the German and coast defense. Paris eventually fell to the allies on 25 augus and they were hoping for Germany to surrender during the year. However, by the end of the year, Germany had regrouped, strengthened their forces on the border with France and repelled an allied attempt to reach the Ruhr through the Netherlands. This act was known as the Battle of the Bulge, prolonging war until May 1945.

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The Battle of Kursk was a major Eastern Front battle between Germany and the USSR, when Hitler failed to capture Stalingrad and put Heinz Guderian as the inspector of Panzer troops. Kursk, located in southwest of Russia, was the single largest battle in the history of warfare, along with the Battle of Stalingrad several months earlier. It was one of the costliest and fiercest battles of WWII with it being the single deadliest armoured battle in history. Also, the 5th July being the single costliest day in the history of aerial warfare. The battle was also done by house to house fighting and hand to hand combat. This battle started with Germany's Operation Citadel on the 5th, trying to pinch off the Kursk salient by attacking on the base of the salient from north to south simultaneously.

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The Battle of Stalingrad, which happened from 17 July 1942- 2 February 2 1943, occurred on the Eastern Front of WWII, when Germany was in a struggle with the Soviet Union for control over southern Russia. This battle was mainly with close-quarters combats and direct assaults against civilians with aerial raids. Also seen as urban warfare. It was the bloodiest battle of the entire WWII and could debate that it is in human history.

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Just before 8 am on Sunday December 7 1941, Japan surprise attacked on Pearl Harbour, Honolulu, Hawaii at the American naval base. The attack done by Japan led the U.s to formally enter WWII on the side of the Allies, going against the "Hawaii Operation". The base was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft. This was done by two waves launching from 6 aircraft carriers. The 8 carriers that the U.S were all damaged and 4 were sunk. After a few months of Japanese attack, it was preceded by months of negotiations between them. Japan demanded the United States to end its sanctions against Japan, cease aiding China in the Second Sino-Japanese war, and allow Japan to access the resources of the Dutch East Indies. Over the next 7 hours, Japan attacked Philippines, Guam, and Wake Island, British in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

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This major WWII battle occurred during the 4th to 8th of May 1942. It was a battle of the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval air forces of the United States and Australia. This battle was done on the Coral Sea between Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, where none of the fleets fired upon each other, attacking over the horizon from aircraft carriers instead. For Japan to strengthen their defensive position in the South Pacific, the Japanese decided to invade and occupy Port Moresby in New Guinea and Tulagi in the southeastern Solomon Islands. This caused the Japanese Empire to have control of the whole western Pacific basin. The British had been crushed in Hong Kong, Malaya, and Borneo, ending with the surrender of Singapore in February. Japanese were given a crucial base near the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. U.S B-17 bombers in Australia attacked the aproaching invasion forces several times during the day on 6 May without success.

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Midway Atoll, United States Minor Outlying Islands

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This battle was a large naval battle in the Pacific Theater of WWII that was during 4th to 7th June 1942, 6 months after the attack on Pearl Harbour and a month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. At north of the Midway Atoll, the U.S finally defeated the attacking fleet of the Empire of Japan. It was also "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare"(A British historian said that). In response to the Doolittle air raid on Tokyo, of course by the name doing minor damage, the Japanese decided to extend their defensive perimeter. They were hoping to lure the American aircraft carriers into a trap, cleaning the seas for the Midway, but it did not turn out well because of the U.S cryptographers finding out where and when exactly it was planned to occur. 4 Japanese and 3 American aircraft carriers participated in the battle. 4 of 6 Japanese carriers were sunk including the heavy cruiser Mikuma. This and the Battle of Guadalcanal is considered as the turning point of the Pacific War.

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Battle of Midway Tactical Overview – World War II | History

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From August 1942 till February 1943, the Allied and Japanese forces fought in one of the southern Solomon islands, Guadalcanal. This battle also marked a turning point of the Allies in the Pacific war.

On July 6, 1942, Japan tried to invade Guadalcanal with consisting troops and labourers and began constructing an airfield. The Allies thought that operating from this airfield would menace bases in the New Hebrides, New Caledonia and Port Moresby. Immediate action were taken by the allies and used forces that were in the South Pacific to push them out.

On August 7, 1942, Alexander Vandegfrift's 6,000 men from U.S 1st Marine Division launched an surprising amphibious assault on Guadalcanal and Florida island, where the 2,000 Japanese defenders are. The airfield on Guadalcanal and the harbour on Florida Island were seized in 36 hours. The Marines named the airstrip Henderson Field, after Lofton Henderson, a Marine aviator.

On August 9, Japan reacted quickly to this counter attack and just before 2:00 am, they struck again hard at the Allied naval force. After roughly half an hour, the Japanese already sank the U.S cruisers Astoria, Quincy, Vincennes and the cripple of the Australian cruiser Canberra.

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This was a tactic used by the Allies in WWII. It was an amphibious war attack tactic where they attacked the most fortified islands of the country instead of trying to reach the capital. This method focused on capturing strategically important islands that could serve as forward bases and airfields, extending the U.S. operational reach across the Pacific. By doing so, the U.S. conserved resources and manpower and cut off their supplies. This strategy allowed the U.S. to maintain logistical advantages, facilitating the resupply and reinforcement of American forces. Key battles, such as those at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach. The psychological impact of isolating Japanese forces further weakens their resolve. Island hopping ultimately allowed the U.S. to systematically weaken Japan's defensive perimeter, contributing significantly to the Allied victory in the Pacific and Japan's eventual surrender in 1945.

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This battle taking place in the Leyte Open Sea on 23-26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle o WWII. 200,000 naval personnel were involved in this battle. At this point of the war, Japan had fewer capital ships such as aircraft carriers and battleships left than the Allied forces in the pacific. Regardless, the Japanese destroyed nearly all of allied remaining major naval vessels to defeat the Allied Invasion, but it was repulsed by the US Navy's 3rd and 7th Fleets.

This battle had four parts, Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle of Cape Engano, and the Battle of Samar. These were the first battles that Japanese aircraft carried out organized kamikaze attack, it was also the last naval battle between battleships in history. After this, Japan suffered heavy losses where they stranded their ship for lack of fuel in its bases for the rest of war.

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Road to Surrender: Three Men and the Countdown to the End of World War II

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The battle of Iwo Jima lasted for five weeks starting from Feb 19, 1945, where the U.S Marines battled the Imperial army of Japan. （硫黄島）Iwo Jima, which means Sulfur Island, was one of the important islands to invade mainland Japan. It had a strategically important air base for long range bombing missions and would also provide an emergency landing strip for B-29s returning from bombing runs.

The last major amphibious battle of WWII was the Battle of Okinawa beginning on April 1, 1945. The U.S Marines landed under naval gunfire and aircraft support. Suicide plan attacks began during on March 26. Five days later a wave of 355 Japanese army kamikaze aircraft struck the armada of Allied ships supporting the invasion and continued until June. By the end, Japan launched almost 2,000 suicide attacks against the Allies. Including manned rocket-powered Ohka flying bombs. Allied ended with a victory after the campaign lasted for 82 days. Victory at Okinawa cost more than 49,000 American casualties with 12,000 deaths. About 90,000 Japanese combatants died in fighting and about 150,000 civilians were killed.

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This invasion was also known as the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation. It began on August 9 1945 by the Soviet Union invading the Japanese puppet state Manchukuo. This was seen as a major battle of Soviet-Japanese war.

On August 6, 1945, American bomber called the Enola Gay dropped little boy into Hiroshima, Japan. After that, USSR declared war on Japan and started invading.

The Soviet attacks Mengjiang and northern Korea, and defeats Kwantung Army. After, Japan unconditionally surrenders since it became apparent that the USSR had no intention of negotiating an end. The reason for the USSR to attack is to prevent any Japanese incursions. They had 20 infantry division masses on the border of Manchukuo. They poured more than 1 million Soviet soldiers to defeat about 700,000 Imperial Japan soldiers.

After the U.S dropped Fat Man into Nagasaki, Japan surrendered and war was over.

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1. Why were the Germans so successful in conquering most of Europe in 1939-1940?

The Germans were mainly successful in conquering Europe because of their military attack tactic, Blitzkrieg. It was also because of their technological superiority and most importantly their mentality. First, the blitzkrieg tactic was extremely powerful at this time because it included surprise attacks, combined arms having infantry, tanks, air power etc. The tactic also focused on concentrating at critical points to break through the border, straight into the capitol. Secondly, the weapons, technology used by the Germans could be seen as years ahead of other country's weaponry. the Germans used crucial military weapons such as the Panzer or the Luftwaffe, the famous German aircraft. Thirdly, the mentality of leaders of Germany were innovative and maintained a high level of discipline and motivation that can still be seen by the country's people nowadays.

2. Why couldn't Germany defeat Britain?

Germany couldn't beat Britain because of Britain's aircraft from the Royal Air Force, Support from Allies, Strategic Mistakes by Germany and Code-breaking. Firstly, the British had an air force to counter the Luftwaffe from achieving air superiority, which was ready for any potential invasion by the Germans. Furthermore, the Radar technology used by the Royal air force was far more efficient than Germany. The British used aircraft like Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, which proved highly effective against German aircraft. Next, the Germans chose to bomb RAF airfields at first but, they shifted to bombing London and other cities. This strategy let the British recover and rebuild their weaponry. Thirdly, the support from the Allies made Britain have more resources and man power. Geographically, other European countries are to be on the way to the island country Britain. That made Germany harder to attack. The U.S provided many important material support through Lend-Lease. Lastly, the intelligence of Britain at Bletchley park helped code break German communications/enigma. In addition, the counterintelligence operations confused German commands. Concluding, Germany failed to defeat Britain due to the effective defensive tactics by Britain and the RAF, especially during the Battle of Britain. The strategic mistakes of Germany boosted Britain's potential. Allied countries such as France, Russia and many of the other European countries surrounding Germany. The intelligence efforts like the operations helped Britain's ability to sustain war production. These different factors made Britain not possibly be defeated by Germany.

3. Why did Germany invade the Soviet Union and why didn’t Operation Barbarossa succeed despite early German victories?

Germany invaded the Soviet Union because mainly of Hitler's ideas. It could be seen as Mein Krampf, Lebensraum, wanting economic resources, and countering the possibility of being attacked in the future. The worldview of Hitler, written in a book called Mein Krampf, included hatred for communism and superiority of the Aryans race. Hitler saw the Soviet Union as a government controlled by the Jewish-Bolsheviks. Furthermore, Hitler believed in "Lebensraum" which means living space in German. He thought that German people needed more space to live so they can grow and prosper. He saw that the enormous land of the Soviet Union would be one of the perfect places to expand into. The military of Germany believed that the USSR will soon attack Germany and prepared a pre-emptive strike to prevent a potential threat.

The Reason that Germany failed Operation Barbarossa was because they underestimated the strength of the Soviets, having vast reserves of manpower and millions of troops ready to fire against the Germans, the vast distance of the Soviet Union causing the Germany army to have difficulty to dig deeper into the Soviets territory. In addition, the Soviets had Allied support just like the British had Soviets. They all traded vehicles, food, and war materials. Overall, Germany invaded the Soviet Union due to the space in Russia, the Jews, and resources to conquer the rest of the earth. Operation Barbarossa failed due to the Soviets having more soldiers and supplies and being supported by closer allied countries. These points became the turning points of WWII.

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4. According to what you have learned, what do you think were the main reasons for Germany’s defeat in the war?

I think that Germany lost because of the lack of allies in the tripartite pact close in Europe, Japan being too far to support, and the Allied strategies, technological and intelligence factors. Germany did not have any support from any other countries in Europe except for Italy which faced their back as soon as a rapid train. This created a huge gap in military troops for the mainland because of trying to invade many countries, especially advancing into North Africa. On the other hand, the coordination among the Allies allowed them to plan a strategic attack like the D-Day invasion to keep the liberation of Europe. The Allied strategy includes code breaking, radar and having advanced aircraft, (tanks) made Germany fully conquer the whole of Europe, mainly because of the strong British air force and support from the U.S. The entry of the United States brought powerful military power to the Allies. Also that the Soviets managed to relocate industry further across the mountains against the Germans which made Germany harder to get because of the poor infrastructure on the way. For example, the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk turned heads of the countries. In conclusion, in World War 2, Germany lost because of the Allies intelligence leading to many other factors like code breaking and developed weaponry

5. Why was Japan so successful in conquering most of East Asia in 1941-1942?

Japan was successful in conquering most of the East Asian countries and islands because most of them were either colonized or did not have much military at all. It is also that they were colonized by the Allied countries such as the U.K or the U.S which took them a large amount of time to move their army to the colonized areas. Furthermore, the European powers were focused on the war in Europe. People might think that the Pearl Harbor was the biggest mistake for the Japanese but on the positive side, the Japanese were able at cripple the U.S Pacific Fleet, preventing immediate counter attacks of invading the East Asian land. The fact that Japan lacked natural resources such as oil, rubber, and minerals, to fuel the war machines, they had a great motivation to attack the Dutch East Indies. The motivation also included a strong mentality influenced by the long lasting Bushido code, emphasizing honor, loyalty and sacrifice. The soldiers were often willing to fight to the death rather than surrendering. Summarizing, Japan's success of conquering East Asia in 1941-1942 was because of strategic surprise and planning, military innovation, the weakness of colonized opponents. These points led Japan to rapidly succeed taking over the East Asian land.

6. Why were the island hopping tactics by the US so useful against Japan?

The island hopping tactics used by the U.S. during World War II were highly effective against Japan due to their strategic focus and operational efficiency. By concentrating on key targets, the U.S. maximized the impact of its resources by capturing critical islands that served as forward bases and airfields. These bases facilitated easier support for air and naval operations, extending the reach and effectiveness of American military power across the Pacific. Capturing these islands allowed the U.S. to cut off Japanese supply lines and neutralize isolated Japanese garrisons without engaging in costly, protracted battles on heavily fortified positions. With many of Japan's forces spread thin across far-flung East Asian islands, the U.S. capitalized on the opportunity to invade and overcome weakened Japanese defenses, steadily pushing the front lines closer to Japan itself. This continuous advance allowed the U.S. to leverage its superior naval and air power, ensuring logistical support and maintaining offensive momentum. The psychological impact of being systematically encircled and isolated further demoralized Japanese forces, weakening their resolve. This flexible and resource-efficient approach not only eroded Japan’s defensive capabilities but also facilitated the Allied push towards the Japanese home islands. The cumulative effect of these strategies ultimately led to the weakening of Japan's defensive perimeter and contributed significantly to the Allied victory, culminating in Japan's eventual surrender and the end of the war in the Pacific.

7. According to what you have learned, what do you think were the main reasons for Japan's defeat in the war?

Japan's defeat in World War II was due to several key factors. The attack on Pearl Harbor, intending to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet, instead they tensed the United States into full-scale war, leveraging its vast industrial and military power against Japan. Japan's rapid territorial expansion led to overextension, rapidly using its resources and defenses. Allied industrial superiority, particularly that of the United States, resulted in a massive production of war materials, overwhelming Japanese capabilities. Effective strategies like the island hopping campaign allowed the Allies to capture strategic islands and bypass heavily fortified Japanese positions, eventually dismantling Japanese defenses. Strategic bombing campaigns further devastated Japanese cities, factories, and infrastructure, crippling Japan's war production. Resource shortages, especially in oil and raw materials, were worsened by Allied blockades and submarine warfare targeting Japanese supply lines. The Allies' technological and intelligence advantages, including the breaking of Japanese codes, provided crucial insights into Japanese plans, enabling effective counter-strategies. Internal challenges, such as divided leadership and economic strain, further weakened Japan's war effort. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 and the Soviet Union's entry into the war against Japan forced a surrender. These factors ensured that Japan could not sustain its war effort against the increasingly powerful and coordinated Allied forces, leading to its final defeat.