Jesse Henderson
Timeline
1. The battle at the beaches of Normandy (D-Day) June 6, 1944
This day was the largest land, air, and sea battle to ever take place in the history of the
world and still is to this day. We had sent paratroopers in behind enemy lines the day
before to cut off communications and supply lines. Then early the next morning we
made the attack with one of the biggest Armada’s ever assembled. When the allies
successfully pushed through the beaches we now had access to France so we could
start liberating it from German control. We are able to establish a bases their so we
could build up and make the final push. This victory was the first of many and
because of it we were able to push Germany completely out of France and back to
their homeland.
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/normandy/nor-pam.htm
"Normandy." U.S. Army Center Of Military History. 3 Oct. 2003. Web. 10 May 2010.
<http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/normandy/nor-pam.htm>.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/d-day-invasion-15.jpg
2.
VE Day (Victory in Europe day) May 8, 1945
VE Day was the day that Germany finally surrendered and the allies had finally achieved
victory in Europe. The Russians had pushed the Germans all the way back to their
capital, Berlin. With nowhere to run and with their leader Hitler dead, because of suicide,
they had no choice but to surrender. This day is very important because now Europe was
safe, the fighting there was over and the allied countries could now rebuild and focus on
Japan in the Pacific to try and end this war once and for all.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/veday_germany_01.shtml
Sheffield, Dr. Gary. "BBC - History - World Wars: Victory in Europe Day." BBC - Homepage. 5 Nov. 2009.
Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/veday_germany_01.shtml>.
http://www.meredith.edu/summer-reading/roosevelt/images/4558VictoryinEurope.jpg
3. The battle of Coral Sea , May of 1942
This battle was fought without enemy ships from either side ever seeing each other but it
was a very important victory. If the U.S. would have been defeated in this battle, New
guinea would have been open for attack from Japan. But more importantly that would
leave Australia isolated from our assistance. The loss of australia would have been
devastating. This battle led to many other victories and eventually winning the war.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_coral_sea.htm
Historylearningsite.co.uk. "The Battle of Coral Sea." History Learning Site. 2010. Web. 10 May 2010.
<http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_coral_sea.htm>.
http://www.motorsportcollector.com/Aviation/BattleOfTheCoralSea.jpeg
4. Guadalcanal (August,1942-Febuary-1943)
This hardcore air-land-sea battle raged on for 6 months and in a way it was the turning
point of the war in the Pacific. We had been winning battles before then but this costly
victory really hurt the Japanese bad. After this battle the Japanese strategy had changed
greatly. Before it they were offensive and trying to take over more islands. Now they
began to fortify what they already had and defend. This is where we began to focus on
pushing them back to their mainland.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/guadlcnl/guadlcnl.htm
US Navy. "Guadalcanal Campaign, August 1942 - February 1943." Naval History and Heritage Command.
Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/guadlcnl/guadlcnl.htm>.
http://www.reisenett.no/map_collection/historical/Guadalcanal_1942.jpg
5. Battle of Iwo Jima. Febuary 19, 1945- March 26, 1945
Iwo Jima was an island that we saw as vital to the war because we needed a base closer to
Japan so we could later bomb them and this island was the closest. This was the last
major battle before we bombed Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The fact that we were even able
to get ashore is amazing. This battle left Japan demoralized and crippled. Even tho they
hadnt surrendered, the war was basically won. All that was left after this was to finish it.
http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=12
Chen, C. Peter. "Battle of Iwo Jima | World War II
Database." World War II Database: Your WW2
History Reference Destination. 2010. Web. 10
May 2010.
<http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=12
>.
http://static.open.salon.com/files/iwo_jima1249331714.jpg
6. the Manhattan Project (first tested in July of 1945)
This was the project that ended the war against Japan. FDR started this project.
Thousands of people worked on it one of the main scientists was Albert Einstein. This is
the project in which we developed the atomic bomb. This was of great importance
because this helped to accomplish the most important goals at this time which was to end
the war quickly and to save American lives. These bombs are what ended the war with
Japan.
http://gk12.rice.edu/trs/science/Atom/man.htm
"The Manhattan Project." NSF GK-12 Fellowship Program. Web. 10 May 2010.
<http://gk12.rice.edu/trs/science/Atom/man.htm>.
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/images/GrovesOppenheimerLarge.jpg
7. Dropping the bomb on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945)
This day will never be forgotten. This is the day when the United States B-29 bomber the
Enola Gay and its pilot Tibbits dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This bomb, “little
boy” was a 9,700 pound uranium bomb that cumulatively killed more than 200,000
people. This really sent a message to the Japanese that we mean business and we have the
power to whipe out their entire country if we want.
http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.htm
U.S. Department of Energy. "The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945." Department of Energy CFO Home. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.cfo.doe.gov/me70/manhattan/hiroshima.htm>.
http://www.nedgallagher.com/journal/images/abomb.jpg
8. The German Invasion of Poland (September 1, 1939)
Hitler and his Nazi Germany had been invading, attacking, and taking over various
countries prior to this but the allies decided to let it go to try to prevent a world war. Once
Hitler invaded Poland, one of the key allied countries, the other allies felt that they had no
choice but to act. When they initially attacked France and Great Britian told Hitler to
either withdraw his troops or war would be declared. He continued to attacked so they
declared war on September 3, 1939. This would result in a sex year war in which
60,000,000 people died.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiistarts.htm
Rosenberg, Jennifer. "World War II Starts." 20th Century History. Web. 10 May 2010.
<http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiistarts.htm>.
http://www.historyguy.com/worldwartwo/german_troops_parade_warsaw_poland.jpg
9. The battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23-26, 1944)
This is when General Macarthur finally returned to the Phillipines. This was the largest
naval engagement in history. This was a great triumph for the United states. In these 4
days we killed 10,000 Japanese and sunk 27 ships while we only lost 1,500 men and 6
ships. This defeat crippled the Japanese and marked the last time that they would ever
conduct a large scale naval operation. The victory really allowed us to begin with the
liberation of the phillipines.
http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari1/p/leytegulf.htm
Hickman, Kennedy. "Battle of Leyte Gulf - World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf." Military History - Warfare
through the Ages - Battles and Conflicts - Weapons of War - Military Leaders in History. Web. 10 May 2010.
<http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari1/p/leytegulf.htm>.
http://home.nps.gov/pwr/customcf/apps/ww2ip/assets/images/event/detail/main_1944leyt
egulf.jpg
10. VJ Day (August 14, 1945)
After we dropped the second atomic bomb, this time on Nagasaki, the military leaders of
Japan still saw surrender as not an option. Luckily for Japan’s citizens Emperor Hirohito
finally stepped in and said enough is enough. This unconditional surrender took place on
the USS Missouri which was anchored in Tokyo Bay. This is definitely one of the most
important days in history. So many lives were lost in this war and this day finally brought
an end to all of it. It will always be remembered.
http://www.history.com/topics/v-j-day
History.com. "Victory in Japan (V-J) Day — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." The History
Channel — Home Page. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://www.history.com/topics/v-j-day>.
http://gadabyte.com/ww-ii/images/pacific/maps-newspapers/vjpaper.jpg