10 Important Sites in World War 2 Involving the United States

1)Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is the most important site for World War 2 because this started the US involvement. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor without declaring war on the United States. Pearl Harbor was an important naval base in the pacific. 20 American naval vessels, 8 battleships, and 300 airplanes were either destroyed or damaged. The United States lost 2,400 Americans and another thousand were wounded. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt asked congress to declare war on Japan.

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2)Hiroshima

Hiroshima is an important site in World War 2. The world witnessed the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, B-29 bomber Enola Gay bombed Hiroshima. Hiroshima was an important military facility. The atomic bomb named,“Little Boy”, created an explosion equal to fifteen thousand tons of TNT. Half of Hiroshima’s population got killed. The survivor suffered from intense radiation.

3) Nagasaki

After the bombing of Hiroshima, the United States bombed Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The bomb was named “Fat Man”. This was ordered by President Truman. The target of this bombing was the Kokura Arsenal in the city of Kokura. The malfunction of the plane caused the pilot to drop a bomb in Nagasaki. This bomb was forty percent stronger than “ Little Boy”. Nagasaki was an important industrial center and a major port. The emperor of Japan surrendered, which brought an end to WW2.

4) Los Alamos, New Mexico

On April 20, 1943, the University of California contracted with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to work on a secret project. The name of this project is Manhattan Project. This lab was one of the secret labs, which created and researched atomic weapons. The Manhattan project had an objective to develop atomic weapons to be used in war.

5)Normandy

On June 6, 1944, allied armies launched a naval assault on beaches. The goal of this mission was to fortify the coast of France. It would restrict German resources and military sites. This was significant because it is one the most colossal operations in the world. Land, navy, and air operations were launched. This mission requires a lot of planning and international effort.

6)Ardennes Region of Belgium( December 6, 1944 to January 25, 1945)

The Battle of Bulge was the last effort of Adolf Hitler in the war. The Battle of Bulge occurred in the Ardennes, which is located in the southeast of Belgium. The Germans launched their attack on the allied force. The Germans planned to split the allied force. This battle ended with an overwhelming victory for the Allies. Allies had 75,000 thousand casualties. The Germans lost 120,000 men and matériel.

7) Jornada del Muerto(July 16, 1945)

The Alamogordo Bombing Range is one of the most important places in history. On Jornada del Muerto, Alamogordo Bombing Range, we see the first nuclear explosion. The nuclear weapon test was a success. Plutonium is denoted with a force of 18.6 kilotons. It vaporizes any building, and it also turns asphalt and sand into glass. With this, the United States was able to weaponize nuclear weapons. This would have a big impact on WW2.

8)Wake Island(December 11, 1941)

The attack on Pearl Harbor and the attack on Wake Island were done around the same time. The Japanese finished the invasion on December 23, 1941. The Americans were overwhelmed. They had to surrender because they couldn’t change the tide of the battle. Surrendered Americans were taken as prisoners. On September 4, 1945, America regained the island.

9) Luzon, Philippines

After Pearl Harbor, Japan invaded the colonies of the United States. One of those colonies would be the Philippines. USAFFE(United States Army Forces in the Far East) was able to handle the invasion for four months. The Philippines weren’t able to get the reinforcements because the Navy was destroyed in Pearl Harbor. They weren’t able to get any food and supplies because Japan was blockading the United States. Soldiers in the Philippines were suffering from hunger and diseases. This battle ended after Army Major General Edward P. King surrendered to Japan. After the surrender, Japan treated the people of the Philippines with brutality.

10)Tokyo, Japan.

On April 18, 1942, the United States attacked Japan from the air. This was a form of revenge for Pearl Harbor. The goal of the mission was to bomb Japanese war industries and lower their morale. However, the damage wasn’t that big, but it increased Americans' morale. This raid caused Japan to divide its resources to track the people responsible for the raid. This caused Japan to make a more risky decision, which caused them to attack Midway Island. This rash decision would lead the United States to be victorious.