Major European Theater Battles

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  • Battle of France/Miracle of Dunkirk

    Battle of France/Miracle of Dunkirk
    • German invasion of France.
    • Attack began with air attacks and then infantry moved in,a tactic known as blitzkrieg.
    • Allied powers were able to escape France via the coast or Dunkirk.
    • A total of 338,226 Allied soldiers were saved at Dunkirk.
    • The soldiers at Dunkirk were evacuated via 850 small private boats. The Battle of France/Miracle of Dunkirk was significant since over 338,000 Allied troops were saved and evacuated. Took place over May 10, 1940 – Jun 25, 1940

  • Battle of Britain

    Battle of Britain
    -Started after France fell into WWII.
    - Largest sustained bombing at that time.
    - Germany's objective was to get Britain to agree to a negotiated peace treaty.
    -There was a planned attack than never went through and they continued their bombing.
    - Hitler named the attack Operation Sea lion.
    It was significant in the fact that it saved Britain from ground invasion and being occupied by German forces
    Jul 10, 1940 - Oct 31, 1940

  • Battle of Leningrad

    Battle of Leningrad
    • Germany and Finland secured St. Peter, a city in Russia.
    • Nicknamed the 900 day siege for how long the event was.
    • Germany approached from the South/West while Finnish troops moved in from the North to box them in.
    • The siege claimed the lives of 650,000 Russians, mostly as a result of starvation and disease.
    • In January 1944, a Soviet offense drove back German troops and ended the siege.
      It was significant since it showed Russia's resilience and willpower. Sep 8, 1941 – Jan 27, 1944

  • Battle of Stalingrad

    Battle of Stalingrad
    • A successful Soviet defense in the city of Stalingrad.
    • Combined military and civilian casualties of almost 2 million.
    • Considered one of the most crucial engagement of WWII.
    • One of the deadliest battles ever.
    • Hitler ordered the German armies to hold their ground when they could have fought their way out. It was significant since it stopped advances in Russia and marked the war beginning to favor the Allies. Aug 23, 1942 - Feb 2, 1943

  • Operation Torch

    Operation Torch
    • Invasion of French North Africa.
    • The Allies planned to invade Morocco and Algeria.
    • Western Task force was 35,000.
    • Eastern Task force was 20,000. -18,500 troops were in Central Task Force. It was significant because it was the first time US and Britain had worked together on an invasion. Spanned over Nov 8, 1942 – Nov 10, 1942

  • D-Day

    D-Day
    • Allies invaded Normandy, Frances coast.
    • They invaded during a full moon which gave them a higher tide and in turn allowed them to go farther up the shore.
    • Loosened Germany's grip on Western Europe.
    • Nicknamed Project Neptune after the Roman god of water.
    • Allied forces composed of 25,000 soldiers. The significance was that it was the largest amphibious attack in history.

  • Battle of the Bulge

    Battle of the Bulge
    • Objective was to split the Allied forces.
    • Most costly battle the US had suffered 100,000 casualties.
    • George Patton maneuvered the third army to Bastion and it proved vital to the Allies success.
    • Neutralized the German counteroffensive despite large casualties.
    • Three German armies with over a quarter million troops attacked Ardennes to Antwerp. It was significant since it was Germany's largest attempt to split the Allies down the middle. Dec 16, 1944 - Jan 25, 1945

  • Battle of Berlin

    Battle of Berlin
    • Everyone in Berlin was forced to fight to fend off the Red Army.
    • Over 2 million artillery shells were fired into Berlin and the area around it
    • 1 million Russian infantry troops took part in the assault.
    • 150,000 Germans were killed in the battle.
    • Berlin surrendered to the Russians. It was significant in that it marked the end of WW2 in Europe. April 16,1945 - May 2, 1945