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Battle of France/ Miracle of Dunkirk
As part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation to Britain (GB and Allied forces) in Europe. The Allied forces wanted to attack Nazi Germany. The French commander resulted in Plan D, although the Germans already advanced through much of the Netherlands before the French arrived. However, the Germans halted their attack in attempts to avoid an Allied breakout. This resulted in over 330,000 Allied troops being rescued. -
Battle of Britain
Hitler gave orders for the preparation of a seaborne invasion of Britain called Operation Sea lion. He sent the Luftwaffe, a German Air force) to destroy Britain's Royal Air Force first. They felt this was necessary to destroy British air force to stop it from sinking the ships that would carry German soldiers across the channel. Over 792 planes were lost and over 500 British RAF were killed. The Battle of Britain ended after the Luftwaffe created a lot of damage to the RAF. -
Battle of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad, also called 900-day siege, actually lasted 872 days. Leningrad's entire able-bodied population was mobilized to build antitank fortifications along the city's perimeter. It is regarded as one of the longest and most destructive sieges in history. Capturing Leningrad was one of the most important plans during the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany. All the communication lines within the city were cut off, this signified the beginning of the seige. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad bled the German army dry in Russia, and after this defeat, the Germans were in full retreat. It marked the end of Germany's advances into eastern Europe and Russia. The German sixth army under Paulus reached the outskirts of Stalingrad, expecting to take the city in short order. But the Russians had built up their defenses and continued to bring in reinforcements. Some historians believe that Hitler ordered the taking of Stalingrad because of the name of the city. -
Operation Torch
The Allied invasion of French North Africa in November, and was the first time the British and Americans had jointly worked on an invasion plan together. The British did not feel strong enough to attack Germany via France, although, the American military commanders were confident about a successful landing in France. Despite France's attempts, all 3 landings were highly successful. There were minimal Allied casualties as well. This lead to the Afrika Korps surrendering. -
D-Day
On June 6th, 1944, 160,000+ Allied troops landed on a French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on Normandy beaches. This invasion was the largest seaborne battle in history, and it required two years of planning and training. There were heavy casualties and harsh weather during the invasion. The Allies failed to achieve their goals on the first day, and not all 5 beachheads were connected until June 12. After many casualties, the troops successfully landed and began to advance in land. -
Battle of the Bulge
It was to be the US's biggest pitched battle in their history, involving 600,000 American troops, and motivated Hitler to stop momentum. His plan was to split Allied forces into 2 and then push on towards the port of Antwerp. Germans then dressed in American uniforms and drove captured jeeps. The Americans then counterattacked and then Germans ran out of fuel. There were 80,000 American men killed or wounded, but the Germans lost 100,000. -
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin was primarily fought against the German army and the Soviet Army, and the soviets vastly outnumbered the Germans. What was left f the German army was ill-equipped for battle because many of the soldiers were sick, hurt, or starving. After the soviets began bombing Berlin Hitler started to realize that he was going to lose the war. By April 30th, the Germans were running out of ammunition. Hitler admitted defeat and committed suicide with his new wife, Eva Braun.
