Overview
1. Many historians argue that the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, was almost directly responsible for the rise of Fascism, Militarism, and Nazism. 2. The Polish Campaign of 1939 was the opening phase of World War II. 3. In 1940, Germany invaded and conquered Norway. 4. The French Campaign of 1940 was the first time that the Western Allies started to take the Germans seriously. 5. The Winter War was the conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union in late 1939/early 1940. 6. The German invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, was the most massive military campaign of World War II. 7. The Battle of Stalingrad was an unmitigated disaster for Germany. 8. For the first six months of America’s involvement in World War II, Japan went from victory to victory in the Pacific. The Battle of Midway brought an end to the victories and resulted in a strategic defeat. 9. The Battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive ground combat battle for the United States in the Pacific. This battle was heavily contested both at sea and on land. 10. The Battle of Tarawa was a short (3 days) and bloody fight in the Gilbert Islands