World War II
Pearl Harbor Attack
Described as the “date that will live in infamy” by President Roosevelt started out as any other Sunday on December 7, 1941 at the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor located on Oahu, one of the Hawaiian islands. At 7:55 am, over three hundred Japanese planes dropped bombs on eight U.S. battleships. Seven were lined up in Battleship Row,…
Battle of Okinawa
The battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945 as the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Okinawa is one of the Ryuku Islands of Japan. The largest, and southernmost, island in the chain, Okinawa became an important asset to the American forces fighting in the Pacific Theater. Okinawa was strategically important to the US…
Battle of Tarawa
After winning Guadalcanal from the Japanese in February of 1943 during World War II, the United States decided that it needed to advance to the central Pacific in order to get closer to Japan. Naval wisdom of the day maintained that troops must have ships to back them up, so any land assault needed to be made with naval firepower…
Battle of Peleliu
Peleliu, a tiny volcanic island about 500 miles east of the Philippines, was the site of one of the most fierce and costly battles of World War II. Held by nearly 11,000 Japanese troops, it was seen by some members of the military as a potential threat to future Allied operations in the Philippines, while to some others, it was…
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was one of World War II‘s most important military confrontations and perhaps one of the most influential events of the twentieth century. It occurred near the end of the war, from mid-December 1944 until the end of January 1945 and was at its core a German assault on parts of central Europe, most notably Belgium,…
Battle of Normandy
During the summer of 1944, the Allied nations entered France for a historic battle. Now known as the battle of Normandy, this event was the largest seaborne invasion in modern history. More than three million Allied troops swept across the English Channel to enter occupied France during this World War II battle. Operation Overlord The codename for the Allied invasion…
Battle of Guadalcanal
The Battle of Guadalcanal, fought during World War II, was both the Allies’ first major Pacific offensive and a turning point in the war against the Japanese. The island of Guadalcanal is part of the Solomon Islands, sitting between Japan and Australia. The Japanese began building an air base on the island in order to disrupt the sea lanes the…
Battle of Anzio
January 22, 1944 was the start of the Battle of Anzio, a battle that was part of the Italian Theater of World War II. The Allies and Germans fought the battle. Allied leaders were Lieutenant General Mark Clark, Major General John P. Lucas, General Harold Alexander and Major General Lucian Truscott, along with 36,000 soldiers. German leaders included Field Marshall…
Battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima is a mountainous island southeast of Japan which serves as the home of Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano. The island, which sits in the Western Pacific Ocean, has become known around the world because of its association with World War II. The Battle of Iwo Jima proved to be a major turning point in World War II because…