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German Invasion of Poland
The German Invasion of Poland was a very fast invasion, which aimed to, and quickly succeeded in, capturing Poland. One reason that Germany was able to take over Poland so quickly was because they implemented a new type of warfare, called blitzkrieg, which meant quite fittingly "lightning war" in German. The main reason this was significant is because it started WWII, when Poland's allies declared war on Germany. -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an air battle over Britain fought between Germany's Luftwaffe, and Britain's Royal Air Force. The British were able to defeat the Germans, in part due to their superior military intelligence, as well as being able to refuel. The main importance of this battle was that it broke Germany's momentum, and turned the tide at least insofar as Germany's attempts to defeat Great Britain. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was a German invasion into the Soviet Union. The attack was the largest invasion in history, and while it was technically a victory for Germany, they sustained huge losses, and progressed no further. The Germans used the blitzkrieg strategy to advance quickly into the Soviet Union. The Russians used a slash and burn retreat, which mirrored their tactics against Napoleon. Hitler was not satisfied and as a result caused the Battle of Moscow, and the Battle of Stalingrad. -
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow was part of Operation Barbarossa and was an offensive attack by the German military which aimed to capture and ultimately to destroy Moscow. The German codename for the attack was Operation Typhoon, initially the Germans expected to capture Moscow before the harsh Russian winter, however they failed, and were eventually repelled by the USSR's army. One reason that the Germans failed was because, (like Napoleons army) they did not anticipate having to fight in the winter. -
Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad was a brutal battle for the control of the city of Stalingrad. The main reasons that the Russians wanted to protect Stalingrad, and why the Germans wanted to attack it, was because it was named for Joseph Stalin, and for Stalin to lose the city which was named for him would have lowered the moral of his army. Eventually the Russians were able to force the Germans back. The battle was important because the Germans lost momentum the momentum needed for their Blitzkrieg. -
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk was a German offensive attack on the city of Kursk. It was primarily a tank battle but the Luftwaffe did play an important role. Despise advances in the number and type of tanks used, as well the # of people fighting, the battle was still a devastating loss for the Germans. The main importance of the battle was that it showed the world that Germany was not unbeatable, lowering the morale of the Germans, and can be considered the turning point of the war on the eastern front. -
D - day
Code named Operation Neptune the landing at Normandy was an invasion of the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy in France, in order to get into Europe to defeat Nazi Germany. D-day was successful, despite the loss of about 2,500 soldiers, in that the remaining soldiers were able to capture the forts along the beaches. D-day was also probably the turning point of the war on the eastern front, as it paved the way for attacks on Germany. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge named for the Bulge in the lines between the the opposing armies was the last major offensive strike by Hitler. The attack aimed to surprise the Allies and quickly split them into two factions as they had done in 1940 at the Battle of Britain. Fortunately the Allies were able to fend them off due, at least in part, to the Germans running out of the fuel needed to run their vehicles. The battle was important, because it was the last of Germany's attempts to gain land. -
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin was a battle, primarily between the German Army, and the Soviet Union's Army. As its name implies, the battle was fought over the city of Berlin. The Russians were eager to capture Berlin so as to be able to claim it before the western front (France, England, and America). Although after the war the city was split up between the Soviets and the other Allies. The significance of the battle was that it was the last battle in the eastern theater of the war. -
The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred, respectively, on August 6, and August 9, 1945. Both bombs were nuclear fission bombs which released energy equivalent to 13 kilotons of TNT for the bomb on Hiroshima, and 21 kilotons of TNT for the bomb on Nagasaki. The result of the bombings was the death of thousands of Japanese citizens, as well as the surrender of the Japanese, and consequently the end of WWII. The two bombs are the only nuclear weapons ever to be used in war.
