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Battle of the Atlantic
This event was the longest military campaign during World War 2. The turning point of the battle occured in 1943 when the German submarines (U-Boats) sank 107 Allied ships. Changes were made so that rada became availiable in the navy effectively allowing more organized attacks. The British counterattacked and sunk enough U-Boats to re-establish a safe trade route for North American goods to reach Europe which was important for the eventual victory of the Allies. -
Invasion of Poland
German soldiers invaded Poland with their Luftwaffe (Airforce) and their Panzer (tank) divisions. Poland, with minimal military strength, had little hope. Since the Poles had no motorized divisons, the Polish airforce was eliminated with ease as well as the Polish army while still used outdated calvary. On September 17th, the Soviets joined the attack on Poland. By September 29th, Poland had been fully invaded. The significance of the invasion of poland showed Germanys military might. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
With the collapse of Belgium, the British army was surrounded by the German forces. With the help of the British navy, some 340,000 troops were successfully evacuated at the port of Dunkirk. Hitler showed restraint and did not wipe out the British forces while he had full power to do so. Essentially, the evacuation of Dunkirk was a military defeat but was a moral victory for the Allies because some of their best forces would "live to fight another day". -
Fall of France
The Germany military swiftly drove through France after Dunkirk. Using the blitzkrieg strategy proved to be very effective against the French whose forces were basically useless. Some key gaps in Frances defenses included: the Maginot Line was bypassed through Luxembourg, French airforce was nowhere near the quality of German Luftwaffe and the internal divisions of extreme rights and lefts. In conclusion northern France and Atlantic ports occupied by Germans. The French army demobilized. -
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Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain would put the British's Royal Air Force and Goering's Luftwaffe to the test because the battle was for the control of the skies over Britain and the English Channel. The superiority of the RAF's Spitfire and developed radar gave distinct advantages to Britain. Also, the British maintained 1882 to 1017 kill/death ratio while they were heavily outnumbered 3:1. Hitler made the mistake of bombing London giving British forces time to rest and re-build. The Allies were victorious -
Winter War
On November 30th, the Red Army attacked Finland which became to be known as the winter war. Lasting shortly, the Finns put up what fight they could muster be were forced to surrender to the Soviets by signing a peace treaty on March 12, 1940. This event was a pre-cursor to operation Barberossa. -
Barbarossa
Hitler double-crossed his Nazi-Soviet partner and attacked his old ally Russia. The Front was over 2000 miles long and Hitler sent 153 divisions against the Red Army. Stalin was caught by surprised and by the end of the first day, German forces were over 50 miles into Soviet territory by effectively using the blitzkrieg strategy. Hitler wanted to implement Nazi racial theory and eliminate Eastern countries. Purging the veteran military officers came back to haunt Stalin. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler wanted to capture the prominent Russian city which was important to Stalin and proceed toward the oil fields. The German forces underwent heavy assaults on urban areas. 300,000 German troops were forced to surrender between January 31 - February 2, 1943. Hitler lost some of his most powerful units in battling for the oil fields. The supply route for the lend lease aid to the USSR protected. Symbolized liberation of Eastern Europe. -
Battle of El Alamein
Since El Alamein was about 60 miles from the Suez Canal, the winner of the battle would control the Canal and the oil resources. The 'Desert Rats' led by Montgomery defeated the Rommel and the German/Italian forces. The Suez Canal remained in Allied control. It was proven that Hitlers best forces could be defeated since they failed at capturing the oil fields. This was the first American involvement in the war and proved very helpful in defeating the strong Axis powers. -
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Italian Campaign
On July 9, 1943, the Allies landed on Sicily and attacked the opposing Italian forces who offered weak resistance to the Allies. However the opposing German army fought hard but was soon defeated. The main goal of the Allies was to remove possible sources of conflict before the last liberation of Europe. The Allies eventually won the mainland on May 2, 1945. The Italian campaign was an important step towards the liberation of Europe. It kept German soliders occupied. -
Normandy Invasion
An attack was launched to capture 5 beaches by the Allies. 175,000 men ere deployed. The Americans took Beaches Utah and Omaha while the British took Gold and sword leaving the Canadians with Juno. The attempt to recapture the French territory was successful and they pushed the Germans out of Normandy. Canadas played a big role in capturing Beach Juno. As Rommel predicted,the winner of the battle of the beaches would win the war. -
Battle of the Bulge
Supposedly, the Germans had found a weak spot on the Allied front and as their last offensive push, attacked the Allies advancing 60 miles. However, the 80,000 allied men were able to stall the German forces and eventually stopped the push by Christmas day. The battle of the Bulge represented the last offensive wave by the German army and the difficulty it took to stall and stop the wave.
