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Battle of the Atlantic
1939 through 1945
Significance: If the Allies had not gotten their supplies, they would have been unable to continue fighting in the war.
Outcome: Britain defended the Atlantic ocean from German U-boats to keep their supply lines and invasion routes open. -
Battle of Britain
Summer and Fall of 1940
Significance: Proved the effectiveness of air power.
Outcome: British and German forces clashed over the United Kingdom as the Germans tried to invade and the British successfully defended -
Dunkirk
May 26, 1940- June 3, 1940
Significance: 330,000 Allied troops to eventually escape mainland Europe to safety in Great Britain.
Outcome: Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of around 350,000 British, French and Belgian troops from Dunkirk, enabled the Allies to continue the war and was a major boost to British morale. -
El Alamein
Significance: It pushed all German forces out of North Africa and opened up the way for the Invasion of Sicily and Italy. It was a major defeat for Rommel's Desert Army. Outcome: Expulsion of Axis forces from Africa, Allies defeated the axis powers. -
Stalingrad
August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943
Significance: Largest battle in history; Nazi Germany’s first defeat; fascists lost esteem; victory of the allies could be predicted; b/w Fascists and Allies.
Outcome: Germans lost lots of money, vehicles, and people. -
Operation Torch
November 8, 1942- November 11, 1942
Significance: Introduction of U.S forces into the European Front against the Germans
Outcome: U.S completed mobilizing troops; postponed landing in France until 1944 -
Invasion of Palermo/ Sicily
July 2, 1943- August 17, 1943
Significance: When the German forces surrendered in North Africa, the Allies chose Sicily to attack Germany; Allied invasion of Germany
Outcome: Italy surrendered on Sept. 8, 1943; collapse of Benito Mussolini’s government in Rome -
Battle of Monte Cassino
January 17- May 18, 1944
Significance: Stopped the advance Allies from invading Italy; German finally pulled out of the town of Monte Cassino and the mountain & Abbey of Monte Cassino on May 18, 1944. This opened up the path for the Allies to advance into Rome
Outcome: German forces were dislodged from the Gustav Line, opening the way to invade Rome -
Battle of Palermo/Anzio/Rome
January 22nd to May 24th 1944
Significance: Controversial battle that enabled the Allies to drain German resources by forcing them to fight the Allied armies within their territory instead of reinforcing their border.
Outcome: Eventual Allied victory, but with much loss of life that some critics say could have been prevented. -
Normandy
Significance: Marked the end of Hitler’s reign; Allies invaded German occupied France and won the battle
Outcome: Marked the point where it was foreshadowed that the Allies would surely win WW2 -
Battle of the Bulge
December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945 Significance: Last hope for Germans to win, but they lost; the people in the Nazi Death camps were liberated; last German offence
Outcome: Allies would have less resistance while trying to cross the Rhine; outcome of the war is determined to give the Allies the victory -
Battle of Dresden
February 1945
Significance: Showed the power of bombers & ensured that Russia would remain agreeable
Outcome: Massive firestorm that killed hundreds of thousands -
Iwo Jima
9 February – 26 March 1945
Significance:
Japan: defending their country will scare U.S
U.S: the price of invading is too much, so we dropped a bomb instead
Outcome: the island was secured by the Americans. Thousands of casualties occurred