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Battle of the Atlantic
German U-boats had started attacking supply ships going to Great Britain. These ships did not have convoys and Germany had sunk 360 of them in a few months. But America soon started making new ships very quickly. This combined with the cracking of the German code gave America a great advantage over the U-boats. They ended up killing 70% of Germany's U-boat operators and controlled the Atlantic. -
Battle of Britain
The German army had just taken France and was now focusing in Britain. They started using their air force (the Luftwaffe) to attack shipping routes and coastal towns. Then they focused on destroying the Royal Air Force. When the Brits remained strong, Hitler changed tactics and staring attacking major cities. However, the British forces remained strong and Germany soon shifted it's focus to other countries. -
Battle of the Philippines (1941)
During World War II, America still had control of the Philippines and was required to defend it. Led by General Douglas MacArthur, an small force of American soldiers and poorly trained Filipino troops were in charge of defense, but they didn't stand a chance when the Japanese invaded. They retreated to the Bataan Peninsula, where there was little food and supplies. MacArthur left his men in March 1942, and 70,000 American and Filipino soldiers soon surrendered and many died as prisoners of war. -
Doolittle Raids
Led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, 16 American bombers led an air raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities. While this did not cause significant physical damage, it gave Americans something to celebrate, along with angering and worrying the Japanese. -
Battle of Coral Sea
The Japanese were planning to overtake Port Moresby, New Guinea. The US wanted to prevent this, so Admiral Chester Nimitz sent two aircraft carriers to interfere. Damage was done on both sides, but the US was successful in stopping Japan. -
Battle of Midway
After the Doolittle Raids, Japan wanted to drag America into a full-scale naval battle and planned to attack Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean, which was owned by America. However, Americans had cracked the Japanese code and knew of the attack, and successfully defended themselves, resulting in an enormous victory. -
Battle of Guadalcanal
The US wanted control of the Solomon Islands because i t would protect Austraila and defend against the Japanese. They had built an airfield on the island of Guadalcanal. American forces attacked in August 1942 and engaged in 6 months of battle with Japan in sea, land, and air. Finally, in February of 1943, Japanese forces fled the island. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Since Britain was standing strong, the Germans turned their attention to the Soviet Union and attacked the city of Stalingrad. However, the Soviets prepared a vicious counterattack and trapped 250,000 Axis soldiers. By early 1943 Germany had surrendered. This was a turning point in the war as it showed the Allies starting to counterattack. it was also an extremely bloody battle as several million soliders and civilans were killed. -
Operation Torch
The United States had just entered the war and needed a place to advance. North Africa was chosen as the most logical entry point. Commanded by Dwight D. Eisenhower, they invaded Morocco and Algeria because of the French population there. They had assumed the French would not resist and instead join them, which they did. -
Battle of Anzio
In attempts to take Rome, the Allies advanced behind enemy lines to the seafront city of Anzio, Italy. 100,000 Allied soldiers landed and were trapped. They fought with Axis forces for four months. The Allies did free the soldiers trapped there, but this did not stop fighting in Italy. -
D-Day (Operation Overlord)
Operation Overlord was the planning of saving resources for a large attack on France. They decided the attack would take place on the beaches of Normandy. 3.5 million soldiers were stationed to attack. Once on the beach, they were faced with powerful German artillery and very litte went according to plan. However, the Allies succeeded because Germany was not quick enough with their resistance. -
Battle of the Philippines (Leyte Gulf) (1944)
General MacArthur finally returned to the Philippines in 1944 with 300 ships. What resulted was the largest naval battle ever fought. The Japanese lost much of their fleet, along with introducing a new weapon: the kamikaze attack, where Japanese pilots wound load their planes with explosives and deliberately crash into enemy ships. After months of fighting, the US had control of the Philippines once again. -
Battle of the Bulge
By the fall of 1944, Germans seemed to be near defeat. However, they launched a surprise attack and threatened to take vital Allied land. This attack became known as the Battle of the Bulge because of the bulge it created in Allied battle lines. But it was soon rolled back and the Allies were inching towards victory. -
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, an island owned by Japan not larger that 8 square miles, was fought over by the Americans. The Japanese had used guerilla warfare, hid out in underground tunnels and bunkers, and easily killed dozens of US soldiers at a time. The Americans captured the island after a couple of months. -
Battle of Okinawa
Five days after America attacked Okinawa, the Japanese fought back, using the many caves and tunnels to fight strategically. The Americans lost 12,000 troops and the Japanese lost 110,000. Eventually, America gained control of Okinawa. -
Battle of Berlin
This was the last battle of World War II. Stalin had his Soviet army march to Berlin and fight the Germans and capture the city. Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides were killed or mortally injured. The battle-and the war-was over on May 6, 1945, when Hitler committed suicide.
