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Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic began with Great Britain's declaration of war on Germany and expanded when the US joined the war. This Battle lasted 6 years, ending with the end of WWII in 1945. -
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Battle of Britain
British air forces fought off waves of German Luftwaffe, and denied German forces access to Britain via the English Channel. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
Germany bombed Stalingrad, Russia and reduced it to rubble. The Soviet Union suffered a loss of supplies, but sent reinforcements and fought the German forces until the winter of 1942, during which German soldiers suffered from being ill-equipped for the harsh Russian winters. German soldiers surrendered in may of 1943. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch saw the US troops invade North Africa and aid the French forces already present there. This particular US movement was more about President FDR gaining the support of the American people in his interference in Europe rather than helping the French. It was not well-received in the eyes of the French, Russians, or American people, but it did its job in satisfying the American public's demand of some action and the Russians plea for the US to open a second front. -
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Battle of Anzio
Allied forces attempted the draw German forces off of the Gustav Line. The Allied forces secured a beachhead near Anzio and Nettuno on Italy's west coast, but they reached a stalemate with the Germans for nearly 4 months. The Allies broke out of the beachhead and advanced, giving other Allied forces the chance to capture Rome. -
D-Day Invasion (Operation Overlord)
Dwight D. Eisenhower led Allied troops to invade Normandy beach on the coast of France. Operation Overlord gave the Allies a permanent foothold in France, giving them the opportunity to advance and push German forces out of France. -
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Operation Market Garden
After initial Allied attacks by heavy bombers, paratroopers landed near the cities of Eindhoven, Arnhem and Nijmegen; their goal was to occupy the area, advance, and take control of strategically significant bridges intact. This allowed the Allies to advance into the cities, receive reinforcements and supplies, and eventually liberate Arnhem in 1945. -
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Battle of the Bulge
Allied forces, while pushing the German forces out of France and back into Germany, were stopped by the German forces in the Ardennes Forest. The Allies endured harsh winter conditions in the Forest and severe losses from fighting the Germans; however, they managed to defeat the German forces and force them to retreat within the German border. -
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Battle of Berlin
US and British troops pushed from France into Germany, while the Soviet troops pushed into Germany from the East. This squeezed the German forces towards the capital. Hitler and his top men were hiding in an underground bunker but they still had hope that the SS would protect Berlin. No such luck. The Allied forces defeated the SS and the German leaders signed their unconditional surrender in early May, 1945. -
V-E Day
This day saw the official surrender of the German troops and documents were signed in Berlin and eastern Germany.
