User:Oberiko/World War II framework

Useful links:
 * List of military engagements of World War II

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Following the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Allies initiated several operations against Japan. In May, 1943, American forces were sent to eliminate Japanese forces from the Aleutians, and in June the Allies began a major operation to isolate Rabaul by capturing points in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and other surrounding islands. By mid-August, the Japanese had withdrawn from the Aleutians and in November Allied forces began to attack the Japanese perimeter in the Gilbert and Marshall islands. By the end of March, 1944, the Allies had isolated Rabaul, neutralized another major Japanese base in the Caroline Islands, and completed their invasions of the Gilbert and Marshall islands. In April, the Allies then launched an operation to retake Western New Guinea.

In mainland Asia, the Japanese launched two major offensives in the spring of 1944: the first was against British positions in Assam, India, while the second was in China with the goal of linking Japanese-held territory in Indochina, Hong Kong and Manchuria. The Chinese had also gone on the offensive in the spring, invading northern Burma from Yunnan. By the start of June, Japanese forces were besieging Commonwealth positions at Imphal and Kohima, and were being besieged by the Chinese in Myitkyina; in China, the Japanese had conquered the province of Henan and begun a renewed attack against Changsha.

In the Mediterranean, Allied forces launched an invasion of Sicily in early July, 1943. The attack on Italian soil, compounded with previous failures, resulted in the ousting and arrest of Mussolini on July 23rd. The Allies soon followed up with an invasion of the Italian mainland in early September, prompting the Italians to agree to an armistice with the Allies. When this armistice was made public on September 8th, Germany responded by disarming Italian forces, seizing military control of Italian areas, and setting up a series of defensive lines. On September 12th, German special forces further rescued Mussolini who then soon established a new client state in German occupied Italy. The Allies fought through several lines until reaching the main German defensive line in mid-November. In January, the Allies launched a series of attacks against the line at Monte Cassino and attempted to outflank it with landings at Anzio. By late May both of these offensives had succeeded and, at the expense of allowing several German divisions to retreat, on June 4th Rome was captured.

In the Soviet Union, the Germans spent the spring and early summer of 1943 making preparations for a large offensive in the region of Kursk; the Soviet's anticipated such an action though and spent their time fortifying the area. On July 4th, the Germans launched their attack, though by July 17th, following the Western Allied invasion of Sicily, Hitler canceled the operation. The Soviet's were then able to mount a massive counter-offensive which, by June 1944, had largely expelled Axis forces from the Soviet Union, reclaimed Ukraine and pushed into Poland.

In November, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met with Chiang Kai-shek in Cairo and then with Joseph Stalin in Tehran. At the former conference, the post-war return of Japanese territory was determined and in the latter, it was agreed that the Western Allies would invade Europe in 1944 and that the Soviet Union would declare war on Japan within three months of Germany's defeat.

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On June 6th, 1944, the Western Allies invaded northern France. In August several Allied divisions in Italy were re-assigned for a secondary invasion of southern France and by the 19th, the Allies had liberated Paris. During the autumn, the Western Allies continued to push back German forces in western Europe and ran into the last major defensive line in Italy.

On the Germans eastern front, they continued to be pressed back by Soviet forces. In early June the Soviets launched a large offensive against Finland and another major operation to retake Belorussia later that month. In July, Soviet forces invaded Ukraine and eastern Poland, prompting Polish resistance forces to initiate several uprisings in Poland, though the largest of these, in Warsaw, was conducted without Soviet assistance and put down by German forces. In mid-August the Soviets invaded eastern Romania, prompting the country to switch alliance from Germany to the Soviets in early September. In mid-September, Finland also signed an armistice with the Soviet Union, and entered conflict against Germany. In October, the Soviets initiated an operation to clear Hungary of German forces.

By the start of July, Commonwealth forces had repelled the Japanese sieges in Assam, pushing the Japanese back to the Chindwin River. In August, Chinese forces had taken Myitkyina. In China, the Japanese were having greater successes, having finally captured Changsha in mid-June and the remainder of the Hengyang province by early August. Soon after, they futher invaded the province of Guangxi, winning major engagements against Chinese forces at Guilin and Liuzhou by the end of November and successfully linking up their forces in China and Indochina by the middle of December.

In the Pacific, American forces continued to press back the Japanese perimeter. In the middle of June, 1944, they began their offensive against the Mariana and Palau islands, scoring a decisive victory against Japanese forces in the Philippine Sea within a few days. By the end of September, American forces had conquered the Mariana and Palau islands and in late October, invaded the Filipino island of Leyte; soon after, Allied naval forces scored another large victory against the Japanese in the Leyte Gulf.

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On the 16th of December, the Germans launched a large offensive in the Ardennes. In mid-January, the Soviets launched a major offensive themselves. By the start of February, the Western Allies had defeated the German offensive and the Soviets had progressed up to the Oder river in Germany. On February 4th, the leaders of the United States, United Kingdom and Soviet Union met in Yalta and came to agreement regarding Soviet assistance against Japan and the partitioning of post-war Germany. In February, soon after the Yalta Conference, Western Allied forces crossed the Rur river. In early March, German forces initiated their last major offensive against Soviet forces, but it was defeated within ten days. In late March, the Western Allies then crossed the Rhine river and quickly encircled a large number of German divisions. By mid-April Soviet forces were able to attack Berlin itself and near the end of the month, Mussolini's remnant fascist government in Italy was overthrown.

During this period there were several changes in leadership. On April 12th, American President Roosevelt died, succeeded by Harry Truman. On the 28th, Mussolini, having been captured by Allied Italian partisans, was executed. Two days later, with the Soviets fast approaching, Hitler committed suicide.

On May 8th, the Allies accepted Germany's surrender, essentially ending the war in Europe. Sporadic fighting continued for a few days though, notably in Prague.

In mainland Asia, Commonwealth and Chinese forces continued to press back the Japanese in Burma, steadily retaking the country. In early March the Japanese overthrew the Vichy government in Indochina, creating the short lived Empire of Vietnam.

In the Pacific, American forces captured Leyte by the end of the year and invaded Luzon and Iwo Jima in January and February of 1945. In March, American forces continued their campaign in the Philippines, invading Mindanao. By the beginning of April, American forces had captured Iwo Jima and moved on to invade Okinawa, which they captured by late June.

In late July, Allied leaders met in Potsdam, Germany, and concluded agreements of Germany occupation and reconstruction as well as the terms of Japanese surrender; it was specifically stated in the latter that the alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction. During the conference, the United Kingdom held its general election and Churchill was replaced by Clement Attlee.

In early August, after Japan's refusal to the terms of Potsdam, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the short period between the bombings, the Soviets fulfilled their part of the agreements at Yalta and invaded Japanese-held Manchuria. By mid-August Japan surrendered, thus bringing the war to an end.