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Battle of the Atlantic
German U-Boats and Italian submarines battled British and French ships for control of the Atlantic trade routes. German U-Boats had developed new tactics to fight the convoy system by hunting in "Wolf Packs" or just groups of U-Boats hunting at night. This battle lasted from the sart of the war when Britain and France declared war on Germany until Germany's surrender. It involved thousands of ships, Germany lost nearly 783 U-Boats while the Allies lost 3,000 ships. -
Battle of Britain
German and British airforces, the Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force respectively, fought in the skies over Britain. The Luftwaffe targeted British airbases, military outsposts, and even British citizens in an attempt at weakening Britain enough to send in ground troops. Becoming the first all-air battle ever, the Battle of Britain ended as a turning point, leaving Britain victorious -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was the Soviet defense of the city Stalingrad against the Germans. With combined casualties nearing 2 million, this bloodiest battle of the war also became the turning point for the Allies and marked the halt of German progression into the Soviet Union with an Allied victory. -
Battle of El Alamein
Considered the culmination of fighting in north Africa, this battle resulted in the largest loss for German General Erwin Rommel by the larger force of British infantry and tanks. German forces escaped complete slaughter by retreating from Egypt into Tunisia. -
Operation Torch
As the American forces joined the effort, it was argued by the Allies where they would be deployed. Stalin and others called for direct invasion of Europe while others pushed for north Africa. Operation's Torch commander Dwight D. Eisenhower decided the US soldiers needed to get experience in battle first; they would join with the British forces in North Africa to take out Erwin Rommel's forces and eventually travel to Italy. -
Invasion of Sicily/Italy
After the successful campaign in north Africa, US and British troops mounted a massive invasion of the island Sicily. After taking control of Sicily, the troops moved to take the Italian peninsula, with the help of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of segregated pilots. There they lost some 25,000 troops after four months of fighting. Although the Italians overthrew Mussolini before Allies could reach Italy, Hitler kept it well defended. Fighting raged for another year before it would truly stop. -
Operation Overlord
Known as the Battle of Normandy, Operation Overlord was the largest amphibious military assault on western Europe. The first day the Allies landed in Europe was known as D-Day. British, American, and Canadian forces had a major victory in August when they liberated much of northern France. This was a major turning point in the war and is even considered "the beginning of the end" for the Germans. -
Battle of the Bulge
A surprise counter offensive launched by the German's, this battle was fought to show the Germans weren't quite finished yet. Determined to take the important cross roads city of Bastogen, the Germans desperately attacked but were held back by the small force of Americans there. This helped blunt the German offensive and became a symbol of American strength and determination. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
When all hope was lost and both the Allied forces had crossed the Rhine and Soviet forces were just outiside Berlin, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker. Fighting came to a halt, two days later Berlin surrendered, and five days after that Germany surrendered. -
VE Day!!
After HItler's death on April 30th, Karl Donitz became Germany's leader. Berlin surrendered on May 2nd. On My 7th Donitz agreed to surrender. The surrender went into effect on May 8th and it became Victory in Europe Day.
