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Period: to
WW2
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Evacuation of Dunkirk
The German blitzkrieg led by Heinz Guderian + Erwin Rommel had destroyed any hope for a French and British counterattack. Soon 300 thousand French and British troops led by Maxime Weygand were stuck in the coastal city of Dunkirk surrounded by Germans. A large evacuation fleet that included civilian vessels took the soldiers to Britain. Both sides suffered 20 thousand casualties at Dunkirk. The evacuation was concluded by June 4th 1940. -
Battle of Moscow
The Germans led by Walther Von Brauchitsch could see St Basil's cathedral in the distance. The Soviets led by Gregory Zhukov were preparing for the defenses of the city. Due to supply shortages and weather the Germans were unable to breakthrough the Russian line. Even if the Germans had taken Moscow the Soviets would not have given up. 400 thousand German casualties to 1.3 million Russian casualties were inflicted. The Battle lasted until Jan 7 1942. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned an attack on the US Pacific fleet docked in Pearl Harbor. The Japanese believed in decisive battle doctrine where one battle would define the war. The Japanese were looking for the US Carriers which were not at port at this time. The Attack killed 2403 US personnel and 129 Japanese were killed. Overall the attack did not completely cripple the US's capabilities in the Pacific but it was hindered severely. -
Battle of Midway
Here is where the Japanese believed their decisive battle would be. The Japanese led by Isoroku Yamamoto and the US Carrier fleet led by Chester Nimitz had met near the Atoll of Midway in the Pacific. Many Japanese aircraft carriers had participated on the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers while the US lost one. This had hindered the Japanese's ability to work in the pacific and they couldn't compete in the air with the US anymore. The battle ended June 6th. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
This was an extremely deadly battle leading to 800 thousand Axis casualties to 1.1 million Soviet dead. The Germans led by Fedor Von Bock and the Soviets led by Vasily Chuikov clashed in what is now Volgograd. The Germans were looking at controlling the Oil fields in the Caucasus and they had to go through Stalingrad where immense fighting ensued. The battle ended on February 2 1943 with a German defeat they push into Southern Russia was stopped. -
Battle of Kursk
A German force led by Walther Model was to take a bulge in the German line made by the Soviets.The Soviets led by Gregory Zhukov had anticipated an attack and pulled back his main forces and made a trap for the Germans.The battle was the largest tank battle in history involving 6000 tanks.The Soviets won but suffered 800 thousand casualties to the Germans 200 thousand. Overall the Eastern Front did not regain momentum and the Soviets were ready for a counterattack the Battle ended on Aug 23 1943 -
Invasion of Normandy
The Germans built the Atlantic wall to prevent this kind of Naval invasion but they expected a landing near Calais not Normandy. The Allied forced under General and future president Eisenhower and the Germans under command of Erwin Rommel. German casualties in the battle neared 300 thousand, mostly captured, while Allied casualties neared 200 thousand. The invasions were successful and the battle ended on August 30 1944. -
The Battle of the Bulge
This was a major German offensive to push the allies back and prevent them from getting into Germany. The Allies were led by Dwight D Eisenhower and the Germans by Gerd Von Rundstedt. Overall the offensive used a lot of supplies and equipment the Germans couldn't replace and the gains were soon taken back. The battle was over by January 16 1945. The US suffered 80 thousand casualties to the Germans 100 thousand. -
The Battle of Iwo Jima
On the US's island hopping campaign they were getting very close to Japan. Iwo Jima and Okinawa were considered integral parts of Japan and were to be defended to the last man. The Allied invasion force was led by Douglas MacArthur while the Japanese were led by General Kuribayashi. The battle was won but One in three marines was a casualty in the battle leading to a total of 27 thousand US casualties and 18 thousand Japanese casualties. The Island was captured by March 26 1945. -
Battle of Berlin
The Soviets led by Gregory Zhukov were pushing to Berlin. The German forces led by Helmuth Weidling were shattered and militias and the Hitler Youth had to be called to defend the city. Fighting was harsh in the streets of Berlin. Hitler on April 30th killed himself and Karl Donitz led Germany for a short time until his surrender on May 7 1945. April 31st the Soviet flag was raised on the reichstag ending the battle. The Soviets suffered 80 thousand dead to possibly 100 thousand Germans dead