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Battle of France- The Miracle of Dunkirk
France and England see Germany's very powerful military and rescue thousands of stranded troops from Dunkirk.
-Dunkirk became the biggest evacuation in military history, rescuing over 300,000 men in eight days.
-British Civilians transported their watercraft from as far as the Isle of Man to evacuate troops.
-France signed a cease-fire agreement, which leads to France willingly giving up 2 million soldiers.
-40,000 British troops never made it back.
-Dunkirk was a major turning point in the war. -
Battle of Britain
Britain took to the skies with Germany and stepped up against the German military after the Battle of France.
-Winston Churchill named the battle before it started.
-Was the first mostly airborne battle
-During the war, a British pilot saved the Buckingham from a fighter plane by crashing into it first.
-Despite its popularity, the Spitfire was not Britain's main aircraft.
-German's continued to bomb Britain long after the battle ended. -
Battle of Leningrad
In yet another attempt to seize more land and control, Germany failed in taking Stalingrad, making the extreme loss from the Soviets worth it.
-Germany planned to freeze and starve the entire city when they seized Stalingrad.
-By the time the seize had ended, only 700,000 of the 3 million citizens survived.
-Because of the semi-successful starvation, some people turned to cannibalism
-Valuable books and art were burned for warmth
-Four train cars of cats were brought to protect food from rats. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Considered the greatest battle in the entire War, the Battle of Stalingrad marked the turning of the tide of war with Allies ahead.
-Stalin refused to evacuate citizens, claiming soldiers will fight harder.
-Because of this war, Stalingrad was later nicknamed "Hero City"
-This battle was a result of Hitler wanting to go to war with Russia undeclared.
-This battle was fought mostly on the streets and buildings
-Mamayev Kurgan became a black hill full of metal splinters due to a bitter firefight. -
D-Day
As one of the biggest amphibious military assaults, the well-planned D-Day led to the Allies essentially defeating Germany.
-The invasions codename was code overlord
-The landing sites for the Allies were on beaches, each with their own code name: Sword, Juno, Omaha, Gold, and Utah.
-More than 13,000 aircraft and 5,000 ships took part in the operation
-It is estimated that 10,000 soldiers were killed and M.I.A.
-Bad weather moved the invasion one day ahead. -
Operation Torch
Giving America their first glimpse of Europe's view of the Second World War, Operation Torch seized North African land and was the first time in this war where Britain and America fought together.
-Three landing sites: Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers were chosen to make this operation successful
-This was the first large-scale airborne attack by America.
-This operation had a second name- Operation Gymnast
-The landings started before daybreak
-It's estimated more that 70,000 troops were involved. -
Battle of the Bulge
Intended to split the Allies and give Hitler easy targets thereafter, the Battle of the Bulge resulted in the Allies somewhat defeating Germany again.
-Germany soldiers illegally wore American Uniforms to sneak behind enemy lines.
-Most of the attacked Allied soldiers were resting or training in the Ardennes.
-This battle brought one of the worst war crimes against the Allied troops.
-A bad connection lead to the loss of a whole American Division
-Hitler's generals advised to avoid this attack. -
Battle of Berlin
With an attack from the Soviet Union, the Battle of Berlin became the last chapter in beating the Third Reich and ending the war.
-One of the heaviest bombings of Berlin took place on Hitler's birthday
-Knowing the outcome of this battle, Hitler committed suicide.
-Stalin was worried about getting to Germany before the Allies.
-To celebrate the capture of Berlin, over one million Russian soldiers were given a medal.
-Some houses today in Berlin still have bullet holes from the battle.
