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Invasion of Poland
When the German Luftwaffe (airforce) and their Panzer attacks invaded Poland, there was little hope for the country. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days after Germany attacked Poland, but they could do little to help. The Polish airforce was weak and easily knocked out, and the army relied heavily on cavalry, which was no match for the tanks belonging to Germany. By Sept 29, Poland no longer existed. -
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic is the term that refers to the ongoing struggle of the British to keep open her sea lanes to North America and her empire. Most of the damage to Britain's navy was done by German submarines. The turning point of this battle was when German submarines sank 107 Allied ships. This caused the Allies to effectively organize their boats into convoys, so that they could cross the Atlantic together and protected by warships. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
The port of Dunkirk was the point of escape for the Allies. They were trapped by the German military due to the collaspe of Belgium and the invasion of the Netherlands, Luxemborg, and France. About 340,000 troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, and surprisingly Hitler did nothing to stop them even though he could have easily destroyed the Allies at Dunkirk. The rescue of such a large force of Allies shows that these people were the best of the British army, and it represented a moral victory. -
Fall of France
After Dunkirk the German forces attacked France. On June 10th Mussolini declared war on France as well. Germany's blitzkrieg war tactis were so effective that France was almost hopeless against Hitler's army. On June 14th, Germans entered Paris, and by June 22nd France surrendered. -
Battle of Britain
This event refers to the battle between the German and British airforce. Although the British airforce was outnumbered 3:1, they still managed to maintain a high kill ratio. On August 24, a German bomber accidently bombed civillians in London. Churchill ordered a strike back against Berlin, which enraged Hitler. In the end, the Britains won the the Battle of Britain, proving significant because it was the first time Hitler was denied conquest. -
Barbarossa
Barbarossa was the name given by Hitler to his attack on the Soviet Union. Hitler wanted to attack the Soviet Union to gain the resources of the Ukraine, and he also wanted to attempt to wipe out communism once and for all. Hitler sent forces into the Soviet Union, which shocked Stalin. Although Hitler did not achieve his goals, he severely devastated the Red Army, and took large stretches of Soviet territory. -
Winter War
On this day, the Red Army attacked Finland. The Finns tried to fight the Soviets, but in the end they surrendered and signed a peace treaty with them on March 12, 1940. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler's forces began attacking the suburbs of Stalingrad. They took large sections of the city, and the fighting was vicious. The Red Army began striking back at the German forces, and soon the Germans were cut off in Stalingrad. This battle caused Hitler to lose some of his best units in his mighty army, and it denied him access to the Caucasus oil fields. Most importantly, the Battle of Stalingrad began the road to the liberation of Eastern Europe. -
Battle of El Alamein
El Alamein is a strip of water about 60 miles from the Suez Canal. It was an important battle because whoever won would control this strategic piece of land. Montgomery's 'Desert Rats' defeated Rommel and the German and Italian retreat across Africa began. This battle was important because it caused the Suez Canal to remain in Allied hands, and also it denied Hitler access to the oil of the Middle East. -
Italian Campaign
In the middle of 1943, the Germans had been defeated and removed from North Africa. The Allies wanted to eliminate all other possible sources of trouble from the Germans, Their plan was to take the island of Sicily in preparation of landing in Italy. The Allies were successful in this attack on Sicily and in 1943 they landed in Italy. Although the fighting was some of the toughest in the war, the Allies eventually took Rome and this event led to the liberation of Europe. -
Normandy Invasion
Also known as D-Day, this was the day that the Allies planned to march into Berlin and meet the Soviets. The intial attack was to be carried out by 175,000 men, and the plan was to take five beaches. The batlle was not easy for the Allies, but they were helped by an underground anti-Nazi organization called the Resistance. On August 25, the Allied Forces marched into Paris for the final drive to Berlin. -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was the German's last offensive attack on the US soldiers who had come to aid in ending the war. The Germans found a weakness in the US Army and 200,000 soldiers attacked 80,000 Allies. The Germans advanced sixty miles before being stopped on Christmas Day.
