World War II- During the War

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Japanese against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The day is later recognized as a day which will live in infamy. It was just days later that the US officially entered WWII.

The Battle of Midway stopped Japanese advancement. They had no great victories after that. They lost four of their largest carriers and the best of their naval fighter/bomber pilots.

On June 6, 1944 the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy in France to fight the Nazi Germans. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 ships took part in the invasion. By the end of the day, the Allies had a strong foothold in Normandy.

The Nazi's realized that they were going to lose the war and Hitler decided to do a last giant offensive. He sent most of his remaining troops in the hope that he could create a break in the American/British lines. He succeeded in pushing them back, which created a bulge in the American/British line. It was one of the bloodiest battles, but the Germans could ultimately not break through the American/British lines. They continued to fight on in Berlin in hope that they could surrender to the Americans rather than the Russians.

The Battle of Iwo Jima took place in February 1945. The capture of Iwo Jima was part of a three-point plan the Americans had for winning the war in the Far East. The tiny island had taken America over one month to take.

Map of WWII Battles in the Pacific