“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date that will go down in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire from Japan. » - President Franklin D. Roosevelt. December 7, 1941 marked a historic event that the entire world remembers. On this date, the Imperial Japanese Navy made a surprise attack on the American port of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. This marked the start of World War II for America. The Second World War was the bloodiest war in history with more than 60 million deaths. World War II began in Europe when a Nazi-controlled Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain entered the war soon after, along with the rest of its allies (from Great Britain ), triggering World War II. Fast forward to June 6, 1944, American, British, and Canadian forces launched Operation Overlord (Invasion of Normandy). Now with a bridgehead in northern France, Western Allied forces can enter occupied France and Belgium. This would not be an easy task, however. Between the two forces is Germany ready to fight back on both fronts with all the forces at its disposal. After the liberation of France on August 16, pressure was on to beat the Russians to Berlin. In December 1944, the Germans lost the war on both fronts, causing numerous casualties. Germany had to make a final effort with the Western Allies to try to reach a peace agreement. If the push fails, Germany is lost. On December 16, 1944, the last German offensive began. This battle was the Battle of the Bulge also known as the Battle of Bastogne or Battle of the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge was the final German assault which largely failed and led to the Germans losing significant forces... middle of paper ...... unable to launch another offensive. The Battle of the Bulge was the final German assault which largely failed and led to the Germans losing significant forces. The Battle of the Bulge was the last German assault which largely failed and allowed the Allies to invade Germany. The Rhine was the only obstacle on the path to the heart of Germany. The failure of this last major German offensive exhausted much of Germany's remaining fighting strength, "leaving it ill-prepared to withstand the remaining Allied campaigns in Europe." Additional losses in the Rhineland "further weakened the German army, leaving the remnants of broken units to defend the east bank of the Rhine." By mid-March, "the Western Allies had pushed to the Rhine along most of the front, seized an intact bridge at Remagen, and even established a small bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river »..”