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Start of WWII
Germany invaded Poland, triggering the start of WWII. Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declare war on Germany two days later because the efforts to a withdrawal after Germany's blitzkrieg attack failed. During World War II, over 60 million people were killed, which was about 3 percent of the entire world population at that time. -
Battle of the Atlantic
This battle lasted until May 7, 1945. It ended in a much needed Allied victory. This battle was German U-boats against Allied submarines. It was the longest continuous battle of World War II. -
Battle of Britain
This battle lasted until October 31, 1940. It was the defense of the United Kingdom by the Royal Air Force against the German Air Force. There were approximately 1700 Luftwaffe, or German Air force, planes that were destroyed during this battle. -
Hitler invades USSR
Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union under the code name "Barbarossa" on this day. This was the largest German military operation of World War II. Hitler wanted to invade the Soviet Union for a few different reasons including land, power, and resources. Russia also had the highest concentration of Jews in all of Europe. -
Battle of Stalingrad
This battle lasted until February 2, 1943. The combatants involved were Romania, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Kingdom of Italy, Kingdom of Romania, and Kingdom of Hungary. There are believed to have been 800,000 dead, wounded or missing from this battle. The Soviet victory got control of the city of Stalingrad, Russia. -
Battle of Monte Cassino
There were about 55,000 Allied casualties, but only about 20,000 German losses. However, the Allies still secured the land. This battle was controversial becuase of the destruction of Saint Benedict's abbey. The intention of this battle was a breakthrough to Rome. -
Normandy
The invasion of Normandy, France was codenamed "Operation Overlord." This evant began with overnight parachute and glider landings and then continued with air and naval attacks. It is a day that has gone down in history and is now known as D-Day. Over 425,000 troops from both sides were killed during this invasion. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge took place in Ardennes, Nazi Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It lasted from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. This battle was important because it was the largest fought on the Western Front. It was called the Battle of the Bulge because the German troops formed a "bulge" in order to force their way through the American defensive line. -
Liberation of Auschwitz
On this day, the death camp, Auschwitz, was liberated by the Soviets. Auschwitz was the place where over a million people were killed as a part of Hitler's "Final Solution." Auschwitz was the largest concentration camp to ever exist. It had the famous words over the enterance "Arbeit macht frei" which means "work makes you free." -
Battle of Berlin
This Battle lasted until May 2, 1945, and it was the last major offense by the Eoropean Theatre during World War II. There were over 1,000,000 casualties from this battle alone. Before the battle ended, Adolf Hitler and many of his men committed suicide. This battle ended the war in Europe and Nazi Germany signed ann unconditional surrender to the Allies.
