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German Invasion of Poland
The Treaty of Versailles split Germany into two parts, with Poland receiving a large portion of land. Hitler wished to take back the German-speaking inhabitants living in Poland, and so the Blitzkrieg campaign was created wich consisted of an unexpected attack on Poland with tank (panzer) assaults fllowed by infantry and air-raid invasions. -
Battle of Britain
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Battle of Britain
The first major campaign in history that was fought entirely in the air between Germany and Britain. Hitler wished to overcome Britain by wiping out the air force. The German victory of this battle was viewed as a prelude to when Germany will try to invade Britain. The victory of this battle inspired the Germans and spurred their courage for future battles in the war. -
Operation Barbarossa
When Nazi Germany invaded Russia. This weakened the already impaired Russian army and caused the overall population to suffer greatly. However, as the invasion lasted into winter, many Germans were unable to handle the severe weather conditions and were thus affectively and eaqually hindered as the Russians, who lost many soldiers and weapons. This made Germany very hesitant to invade Russia again. -
Battle of Moscow
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Battle of Moscow
Hitler beleived that once the capitol city of Russia was captured, the entire counrty would succumb to Germany. Germany was fighting to control the highly defended Moscow through operatin barbarossa, and almost succeeding. The Germans were optimistic because they were nearly in control of Moscow when winter came, and destroyed many of the unprepared German troups. Germans couldn't take Moscow from the Russians, and eventually withdrew from the country because so many troups were falling apart. -
Battle of Stalingrad
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Battle of Stalingrad
This is Nazi Germany's attempts at taking over the Russian city of Stalingrad. The actual battle was gruesome beacuse of its seeming disregard for military and civilian life. Because of advanced aircrafts and artillery, the German managed to invade Stalingrad and take control of it. However, the Russians came back with more troops and took back the city. The Germans were forced to surrender. However, the heavy toll on Russian troups reduced their overall participation in other battles of WWII. -
Battle of Kursk, Russia
Hitler tries to cut off a peice of protruding land called the "Kursk salient" in the East by causing possibly the greatest tank battle in history. After a while of fighting, and despite Hitler's mandate that there could be no failure, the Germans were driven out of the Russian area they had just taken over. Russia succeeded again in driving Germany away. -
D-Day, France
The Brittish, American, French, and Canadians all were fighting against the fortified German forces that had control of France. Finally, the allies managed to attack Normandy beach and succeded in freeing the French from Nazi control and win victory in Europe. This event marks the breaking point of Nazi Germany's forces and turned the war in favor of the Allie's troops. -
Battle of Bulge
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Battle of the Bulge- Lux/Belgium
The was a major German attack into the Ardennes mountains region in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. Hitler's goal was to try and split Ally forces apart using a surprise attack method. Although many U.S. troops were almost annihilated, the Ally front, forming a large "bulge" was a successful defense, and, along with German fuel shortages, helped drive out Germany. This battle took extreme toll on America, but the U.S.'s efforts were most crucial to the success of the Allies's plans. -
Battle of Berlin
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Battle of Berlin
After fighting through Poland and Germany, the Soviets reach Berlin and plan to take it from Germany. Almost entirely fought by the ground-fighting Red Army, the Russians succeeded in taking over Berlin after suffering heavy losses. The capturing of Berlin by the Ally force of Russia meant the ultimate downfall of Nazi Germany. Driven out of their own capitol, Germans had no choice but to surrender. With Hitler's death soon after, this battle signaled that the end of the war was near. -
Hiroshima/Nagasaki Continued
never again be used. -
Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Japan
As the end of the war drew nearer, Japan had still not yet surrendered to the U.S. An absolute moral battle, America decided to drop the first Atomic bomb on the Japanese of Hiroshima, wiping out most of the population and destroying the city. When Japan refused to give in, the U.S. dropped another bomb on Nafasaki, creating similar devastation. The Japanese surrendered unconditionally, and World War II ended. In addition to ending the war, these bombings showed the world a weapon that should...
