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Battle of the Atlantic Begins
Known as the longest military campaign in WW2, The Battle of the Atlantic were fought mostly between the Germans and Great Britain, fought over control of the flow of imports going into Great Britain. The Allies came out on top after -
Island Hopping
After the Battle of Midway, the United States launched a counter-offensive strike known as "island-hopping," establishing a line of overlapping island bases, as well as air control. The idea was to capture certain key islands, one after another, until Japan came within range of American bombers. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway, fought over and near the tiny U.S. mid-Pacific base at Midway atoll, represents the strategic high water mark of Japan's Pacific Ocean war. Prior to this action, Japan possessed general naval superiority over the United States and could usually choose where and when to attack. After Midway, the two opposing fleets were essentially equals, and the United States soon took the offensive. -
Higgins Boat
Higgins is tributed as one who changed warfare. He allowed troops to lan on open beaches, maximizing effects of assualts and other attacks. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The supposed turning point in the war for Europe, it eliminated all of the German army from Russia. This battle wasn't necessary for Germany but Hitler ordered the attack. -
Operation Torch
In an attempt to hurt German and Italian forces, Allied forces landed in Vichy-held French North Africa thinking that they would not resist. Vichy French forces fought the Allied forces in Oran and Morocco. -
D-Day
156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. -
Battle of Leyte Gulf
during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, the Japanese deploy kamikaze ("divine wind") suicide bombers against American warships for the first time. It will prove costly--to both sides.
This decision to employ suicide bombers against the American fleet at Leyte, an island of the Philippines, was based on the failure of conventional naval and aerial engagements to stop the American offensive. -
Battle of the Bulge
German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor. The battle that ensued is known historically as The Battle of the Bulge. The courage and fortitude of the American Soldier was tested against great adversity. Nevertheless, the quality of his response ultimately meant the victory of freedom over tyranny. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima was important as an air base for fighter escorts supporting long-range bombing missions against mainland Japan. Because of the distance between mainland Japan and U.S. bases in the Mariana Islands, the capture of Iwo Jima would provide an emergency landing strip for crippled B-29s returning from bombing runs. The seizure of Iwo would allow for sea and air blockades, the ability to conduct intensive air bombardment and to destroy the enemy's air and naval capabilities. -
Battle of Okinawa
The Okinawa campaign involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan. Japanese forces changed their typical tactics of resisting at the water's edge to a defense in depth, designed to gain time. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States used a massive, atomic weapon against Hiroshima, Japan. This atomic bomb, the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT, flattened the city, killing tens of thousands of civilians. While Japan was still trying to comprehend this devastation three days later, the United States struck again, this time, on Nagasaki.
