Download World War II

Mr. Walter
AP US History 2
Name:
Introduction to the “WWII battle timeline” series…
World War II was truly a war that was fought all over the world. As you know, it officially began on September 1, 1939 (when Germany invaded Poland). It continued
until Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. It was fought on land, sea, and in the air, in deserts, jungles, and cities. It was fought in Western and Eastern Europe,
North Africa and Italy, the Middle East, Asia, and on the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
There were literally thousands of conflicts, battles, and military operations; too many to count. Through this activity, you will learn about a select few by completing a
series of “WWII timelines” organized by each geographic area: the eastern front, North Africa/Italy, the western front, and the Pacific. We will discuss each set of
events, and cap off each timeline with primary documents of real soldiers’ stories and excerpts from outstanding Hollywood movies that depict the essence of the
battles that took place in that geographic region.
Directions
You will utilize the web and the textbook (p. 887-897) to gain a better understanding of the timeline of WWII: how one event led to another, and how important battles
led to the eventual defeat of the Axis. Fill in the blank boxes with the dates and locations. Then, write up a description of the battle/event, and what happened,
including key facts, statistics, and other important details. Then, in the final box, explain the importance of the event and what it led to. Write everything down in your
own words: do not just copy everything down that you see online. Whenever possible, explain cause and effect relationships between events, noting how one even
led to another.
World War II:
A Timeline of Conflict, Part I:
The Eastern Front
Timeline Part 1: The Eastern Front
This section deals primarily with the conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union. Most of the battles were fought in the Soviet Union itself. At this point in the war, the
United States was on the defensive in the Pacific, and had yet to enter the fighting against the Germans. The first one is filled out for you as a model.
Dates
Location
Event/battle
June 22,
1941
Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
begins
September
8, 1941January 27,
1944
October,
1941
Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
Poland
October,
1941January,
1942
January 20,
1942
August 22,
1942February 2,
1943
Moscow
The Nazis open the
Auschwitz
extermination camp
Battle of Moscow
Suburb of
Berlin
Stalingrad
Wannsee Conference
is held
Battle of Stalingrad
What happened? Describe the event/battle and supply key
facts.
 Germany and Soviet Union had signed a nonaggression treaty in 1939 allowing the two sides to
invade Poland; Hitler tears it up and disregards his
agreement
 Germany invades the Soviet Union along a 1,800
mile front in a massive invasion
 4.5 million Nazi troops involved
 Largest military operation in human history
 Hitler hoped for a “quick” victory before the winter
What was the significance/result of this
event/battle?
 Germany succeeded in pushing 1,000
miles deep into the S.U.; but this was
as far as they got
 Hitler clearly underestimated the
Soviets and overestimated his military
power
 Did not prepare for fighting in winter
weather (-22 F)
 Over 250,000 killed on German side;
over 800,000 on Soviet side
A few final notes
The Eastern Front of World War II was the largest single front in the history of warfare both in terms of size and soldiers involved. During the course of the fighting, the
Eastern Front claimed 10.6 million Soviets soldiers and 5 million Axis troops. As the war raged, both sides committed a variety of atrocities, with the Germans rounding
up and executing millions of Soviet Jews, intellectuals, and ethnic minorities as well as enslaving civilians in conquered territories. The Soviets were guilty of ethnic
cleansing, mass executions of civilians and prisoners, torture, and oppression.
The German invasion of the Soviet Union contributed significantly to the Nazis’ ultimate defeat as the front consumed vast amounts of manpower and material. Over
80% of Germany’s World War II casualties were suffered on the Eastern Front. Likewise, the invasion eased pressure on the other Allies and gave them a valuable ally
in the east.
World War II:
A Timeline of Conflict, Part II:
North Africa, Italy, and Western Europe
Follow the same directions as you did when you completed the Eastern front timeline.
N. Africa and Italy
Dates
October 23November 5,
1942
November 8,
1942
May 7, 1943
July 9-August
17, 1943
September 316, 1943
November 28December 1,
1943
Location
Event/battle
2nd Battle of El Alamein
Operation Torch begins
German Afrika Corps
surrenders in Tunisia
Operation Husky
Operation Avalanche
Teheran Conference
What happened? Describe the event.
What was the significance/result?
Western front-Europe
June 6, 1944
Operation Overlord begins
July 20, 1944
German assassination attempt
of Hitler (Operation Valkyrie)
Battle of the Bulge
December 16,
1944-January
25, 1945
January 26,
1945
February 4February 16,
1945
February 1314, 1945
April 12, 1945
April 30, 1945
May 8, 1945
Auschwitz liberated
Yalta Conference
Warm
Springs,
Georgia
Firebombing of Dresden,
Germany
FDR dies
Hitler commits suicide
V-E Day
World War II:
A Timeline of Conflict, Part III:
The Pacific
Follow the same directions as you did when you completed the two previous timelines.
Special note: Please keep in mind that this timeline only highlights a selection of battles that U.S. forces participated in. The Pacific theater of WWII also took place on mainland
Asia. Other nations that confronted Japan included Great Britain (and India), Australia, and the Netherlands, among many others.
Dates
April 9, 1942
Location
Event/battle
The Bataan Death March begins
April 18, 1942
May 7-8, 1942
June 4, 1942
The Doolittle Raids
The Battle of Coral Sea
The Battle of Midway
August 7,
1942
The Battle of Guadalcanal
begins
October 2326, 1944
February 19,
1945
April 1, 1945
The Battle of Leyte Gulf
August 6,
1945
Atomic bomb dropped on
Hiroshima
August 9,
1945
Atomic bomb dropped on
Nagasaki
September 2,
1945
V-J Day!
What happened? Describe the event.
The Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Okinawa
Some recommended sites are:
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/
http://www.worldwar2database.com/
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/famous_battles_of_world_war_two.htm
http://www.pbs.org/perilousfight/timeline/
War in the Pacific: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/timeline/index.html
War in Europe: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dday/timeline/timeline2.html
http://www.history.com/content/worldwartwo
http://www.history.com/maps.do?type=list&catId=0&letter=W
http://www.usatwar.abc-clio.com/Wars/Display.aspx?warid=9
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/
http://www.worldwar2database.com/
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/famous_battles_of_world_war_two.htm
Battle of the Bulge and D-Day: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/guts/
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/pacificwar/timeline.htm
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/
http://www.worldwar2database.com/
What was the significance/result?
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/famous_battles_of_world_war_two.htm
http://www.pbs.org/perilousfight/timeline/