-
The invasion of Normandy
700 warships, 2,500 landing craft (carrying more than 150,000 combat troops from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada), and 2,700 support ships—set sail across the English Channel. By the end of the day 155,000 Allied troops were on French soil; the liberation of Western Europe had begun. -
Liberation of Paris
The breakout of Allied forces from Normandy, combined with further landings in southern France (Operation Dragoon) in mid-August, made the German position in France impossible to maintain. France was now free of German rule. -
Allied Offensive in Saar Valley
The attack was to take place in conjunction with an American push toward Cologne farther north, but when bad weather forced the delay of this operation Patton chose to proceed with his offensive anyway. On November 8 his troops crossed the Moselle River, capturing the city of Metz and pushing on into the Saar Valley. For the first time, Allied troops were on German soil. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Germans launched the Ardennes offensive in mid-December, and in a matter of days they managed to penetrate deep into Allied territory, creating a massive bulge in center of the American lines. A large US force remained surrounded in the town of Bastogne. Patton’s Third Army rushed northward from the Saar Valley, and by December 22 the skies over Belgium had cleared sufficiently for Allied aircraft to take to the skies once more. The US had retaken the territory they had lost. -
Closing the Ruhr Pocket
Most of the German forces in the region fell back upon the Ruhr Valley. U.S. Ninth and First Armies moved around behind the enemy, so that by 1 April an entire army group was encircled. Had Germany completely surrounded, and lost numerous soldiers. The closing of the Ruhr Pocket effectively destroyed the German Army as an effective force in the West. -
Battle of Berlin
The Russians have been pushing the german forces back. Then followed nearly two weeks of intensive street fighting, as the Germans doggedly held on to every building and city block. The final drive on Berlin cost the Russians approximately 300,000 casualties. Total German casualties—military and civilian—are unknown, but in the course of the fighting Zhukov’s troops captured more than 450,000.
