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The Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest military campaign in World War II. It ran from 1939 to 1945 to the defeat of Nazi Germany. Meaning this covered a major part of the Naval history of World War II. -
The War over Germany – the Bombing of Cologne Air
Germany invaded Poland when Great Britain and France to declare war against Germany. In the first large scale “bombing war,” Britain's Royal Air Force bombed the Ruhr area of Germany, specifically civilian industrial targets that are known to aid the German war efforts. The German city of Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids all by (RAF).
[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bombing-air-war-1939-1945/] -
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The German Invasion of Poland
The invasion that lasted around a month occurred because the Nazis justified the invasion by suggesting that Poland had been planning to invade Germany, and with false reports that Poles were persecuting ethnic Germans. The the Soviet Union soon joined forces with Germany and invaded Poland. To end this, Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland under the terms of the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty. Germany pushed Poland from the north, south, and west the morning after. -
The Escape from Dunkirk
The escape lasted less than a month ending on, June 4th in 1940. Around 340,000 allied troops were evacuated from the French seaport of Dunkirk to England because if the (BEF) had been captured, it would have meant the loss of Britain's only trained troops and the collapse of the allied cause. The successful evacuation was a great boost to civilian morale, and created the Dunkirk spirit for Britain. Although the escape was successful, 68,000 soldiers were dead, wounded, missing, or captured. -
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The Battle of Britain
It was a military campaign in which the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force. Germany wanted to invade Great Britain, but first they needed to destroy Great Britain's Royal Air Force. The Battle began when Germany bombed Great Britain in order to try and destroy their air force and prepare for invasion.
[https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-britain-1] -
The Attack on the Soviet Union
Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, which was code-named Operation Barbarossa and he deliberately broke the nonaggression pact that the two countries had signed two years before. This invasion was the largest German military operation of World War II. Three great army groups with over three million German soldiers, 150 divisions, and three thousand tanks smashed across the frontier into Soviet territory causing Hitler to gain victory. -
The Battle of the Coral Sea
The battle lasted 4 days, ending on May 8th in 1942. It was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. It was the first pure carrier-versus-carrier battle in history. Although it was a draw, for the first time, the allies had stopped the Japanese from advancing and from invading Port Moresby and threatening Australia. -
The Battle of Midway
The battle lasted 3 days, ending on June 7th in 1942. It was another major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. Code-breakers were finally able to decipher Japanese naval code, allowing American leaders to anticipate Japanese maneuvers. The U.S. Navy was then able to launch a surprise attack on the larger Japanese fleet in the area. -
The Battle of the Philippines
This was a major naval battle of World War II that occurred over 2 days, the 19th and 20th of June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It is now know as “the greatest carrier battle of the war,” it accompanied the U.S. landing on Saipan and ended in a complete U.S. victory.
[https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Philippine-Sea] -
The Battle of Normandy
The Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. There was a huge force of over 150,000 soldiers and the Allies attacked and gained a victory. This was a turning point for World War II in Europe. (Also known as D-day) -
The Yalta Conference
The conference lasted 7 days, ending on February 11th in 1945. Each leader had an plan for the conference. FDR wanted Soviet support in the U.S. Pacific War against Japan and Soviet participation in the UN. Churchill wanted free elections and democratic governments in Eastern and Central Europe and Stalin demanded a Soviet sphere of political influence in Eastern and Central Europe. [https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldhistory2/chapter/the-yalta-conference/] -
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The Battle of Okinawa
Also known as, Operation Iceberg, it was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army. It resulted in large casualties with over 100,000 Japanese casualties and 50,000 casualties for the allies. The U.S. needed a base to stage an invasion of mainland Japan. The island of Okinawa was the crucial final stepping stone for the Americans. With this the U.S won. -
The Potsdam Conference
The conference was held from July 17th - August 2nd in 1945 in Potsdam, Germany. Were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, represented respectively by Premier Joseph Stalin, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman. It was the last of the World War II meetings held by the “Big Three” heads of state. The leaders came to agreements on the German economy, punishment for war criminals, land boundaries and reparations. -
The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The disasters of this bombing lasted for 3 days ending on August 9th of 1945. The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict. The U.S. did this to end the war with Japan, but it was also intended to send a message to the Soviets.
