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Battle of the Atlantic
Who: German U-boats were attacking commerce ships in the Atlantic Ocean. Allies formed convoys to better fend off the U-boat's attacks. The "Atlantic Gap" was not patrolled by aircraft and was a dangerous area to pass through. Anti-submarine tactics improved, minimizing the number of sinkings. After the attacks in the Atlantic proved ineffective, Hitler moved the U-boats to the Mediterranean. -
Battle of Britain
After taking over France, Hitler turned his attacks towards Britain. The German Luftwaffe and the RAF fought over Britain, while the Luftwaffe bombed major cities, such as London. The Luftwaffe was not proceeding as quickly as Hitler had expected, so he abandoned his plans of invading Britain and turned his forces toward the Soviet Union. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The German Sixth Army moved to the outskirts of Stalingrad, expecting to take it easily. The Russians, though, had built up the defense of the city, and were still getting more reinforcements. The Germans raised the swastika flag, but they could not drive out the Russians. The German army was running out of supplies, and their numbers were small and weary. The Soviets successfully pushed the Germans back out of Stalingrad, marking a turning point in the war for the Allies. -
Battle of El Alamein, Egypt
The Battle of El Alamein was the turning point in the war in North Africa. British forces launched an attack on El Alamein, and the Germans lost ground, being at a disadvantage in personnel and weapons. Hitler would not let them retreat, but the German Field Marshall Rommel drew his troops back to Tunisia. Rommel created a line of mines, creating a difficult barrier for the British. The Allies, having larger numbers, overpowered the Germans, forcing them to retreat. Total victory for the Allies. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the name given to the planned attack of French North Africa. The Allies, despite Soviet pressure to make their attack in Europe, started their attack in North Africs to keep trade on the Mediterrannean more open. It was planned to gain the support of the French army, instead of fighting. They docked ships at various points. French troops did not try to stop the landings. The Allies achieved victory without much trouble. -
Invasion of Sicily/Italy
Allies hoped to remove the Italian Fascist government from the war. Britain set up a plan to send Germany to defend the wrong islands, by sending out false plans. The Allies successfully had water and air landings on the island, under the cover of a strong storm. Hitler refused to move his troops to Sicily, beleiving it was just diversionary. The Allies captured Sicily, but most of the Axis forces had escaped. -
Operation Overlord
The scheduled Allie invasion of France. The commander of the operation was General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Both British and French from the resistance were needed for the plan to succeed. The Allies decided to land at Normandy. The overall plan was to land 28 divisions. The Allies could not let their plan slip, and they had to make the Germans believe their target was the Pays de Calais. 47 divisions, 6,000 ships, and 5,000 fighter plans made Operation Overlord a success. -
Battle of the Bulge
The battle started with the Germans attempting to split the Allied forces with the blitzkrieg. The attack caused a bulge in the Allied lines, giving the battle its name. The battle took place in the Ardennes. The first division the Germans met was inexperienced, but they bought enough time for a proper defense to gather and stop the German's advance. The German's were running out of fuel, and the Allies fought fiercly. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
World War II was nearing an end, and Russian troops were closing in to capture Hitler. He shot himself in the head just before 3:30 p.m.. His wife poisoned herself with a cyanide capsule. Their bodies were taken by the S.S. and lit on fire after being doused with gasoline. -
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day was when America and Britain celebrated their success in defeating the Nazis in Europe. It was the day that German soldiers ceased fighting and surrendered.