-
Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 beginning World War II. The Polish quickly surrendered to the German army that had defeated them in only a matter of weeks. This was the first instance of Germany using their new war tactic, blitzkrieg, or "lightening war", in which they invade and take control of a country in a very short amount of time. -
Battle of Dunkirk
The allied forces (Britain, France, and Russian, in this case only Britain and France,) anticipated Germany to invade France over the Maginot line which they had prepared for. However, the German Army had another plan. Knowing the Allies would prepare for them to come over the Maginot Line, they instead went through the Ardennes Forest. Germany then proceeded to disconnect communication from the northern and southern branches of the allies, forcing them evacuate by the English Channel. -
Battle of Britain
The French had signed an Armistice and left the war, leaving Britain as the sole Allied power. Although Britain feared fighting in the war on their own. However, this gave Britain the opportunity use their Air Defense system. At this time the German military was at a disadvantage, their navy was lacking and their air force was damaged from past operations, giving the British the upper hand. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Considered one of the greatest battles of the entire conflict, the Battle of Stalingrad was the successful Soviet defense of Stalingrad, but also one of the bloodiest single battles in history. At the time, the battle was made to be seen as highly important by German military officials, including Hitler. After the German loss, the battle was seen as something of humiliation to Germany because of how much importance they had placed on it. -
Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)
The Invasion of Normandy was a hugely pivotal battle in World War II. Before the battle, the French coast as well as many other parts of Western European were under German control. The allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in order to regain part of France from the hands of the Germans. This battle was known as the beginning of the end of the war because it was the start of European Countries gaining control of their own territories again, as well as the early decline of Germany's power. -
Battle of The Bulge
Germany attempted to use blitzkrieg tactics to spread the Allied Powers thinly. More than 750,000 German troops were sent in through the Ardennes Forest. Although the Germans had numbers in soldiers, they were facing a fuel shortage which may have been detrimental to them for this battle. The allied forces, now including the US claimed victory for this battle, partially diminishing Hitler's will to continue the war. -
V-E Day
After losing 8,000 soldiers the German army surrendered to the Soviet Union. Following this surrender the German's signed surrendering documents, prisoners of war were released, and Europeans and Americans celebrated the defeat of Germany.
You are not authorized to access this page.
