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The Battle of France
Hitler focused on the west side after the German conquest of Poland in September 1939. His biggest goal was to invade the Soviet Union, but he knew the defeat of the Western European nations was necessary to avoid a two-front war. The first step was to invade the Low Countries which were the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium, and France. Germany could then defeat Britain, transfer to the East, and fight a one-front war against the Russians. -
The Battle of Britain
Hitler could’ve used all of Germany’s military skills on the Soviet Union if the United Kingdom was defeated in the war. The Americans and the Soviets would have to fight the Axis by themselves, and the British Isles couldn’t have been used as a staging point for Operation Overlord. Because of this, the Battle of Britain is undoubtedly the most important battle of the Second World War. -
The Battle of Moscow
Hitler’s target in invading the Soviet Union was always Moscow. It was considered to be very important militarily and politically. The original Axis plan was to capture Moscow within four months after the start of the invasion of the USSR. The Axis wished to take the capital before the start of winter. By December, the Germans were less than 19 miles from Moscow. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was the Midway of the Eastern Front. It was a disaster for Germany, and made winning in the East nearly impossible. After the Red Army had succeeded at Moscow, the Eastern Front had stabilized in line going from Leningrad to Rostov close to the Black Sea. Hitler was assured he could beat the Red Army when the weather wasn’t an issue anymore. The capture of Stalingrad was significant because it was a very important transportation route between the Caspian Sea and northern Russia. -
The Battle of Kursk
This battle was the final offensive the Germans were able to launch in the east. The Germans planned to break through the northern and southern flanks to encircle the Soviet forces. But the Soviets knew what Hitler’s was plotting and came up with a series of defensives. The Germans postponed the attack to wait for new Panther and Tiger tanks, which gave the Red Army additional time to dig in and round up forces for a counterattack. -
The Battle of Leyte Gulf
In the summer of 1944 the Americans broke the Japanese inner defensive ring and had bases that could be used by B-29 Super fortresses to bomb the Japanese home islands. Their next step was to cut Japan’s supply lines by invading Formosa (the Philippines), however, allies didn’t have the power to take Formosa. General Douglas Macarthur had supported an invasion of the Philippines ever since 1942 when he famously pronounced, “I shall return.”
