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German Invasion of Poland
Was fought in- Poland
Countries involved- Germany, Poland, USSR
Won- Axis
Importance- This battle was what kicked off the start of WWII. This showed that appeasement wasn’t going to work. The USSR and Germany divide up Poland as a part of the Nonaggression Pact. -
Battle of Britain
Was fought in- United Kingdom
Countries involved- United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada
Won- Allied
Importance- Germany was trying instill fear into the people of Britain by having constant bombing and wanted to take over Britain which was one of the last major players in Europe. If Germany could have successfully won Britain the US wouldn’t have been able to stop their expansion. -
Operation Barbarossa
Was fought in- USSR
Countries involved- Germany, USSR, Romania, Finland, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia.
Won- USSR
Importance- Germany wanted to occupy west Russia. This lead to Germany having to splitting their forces because now they had to fight on 2 fronts. The USSR was losing land during the summer but as winter hit Germany’s forces were too spread out and were not used to the land/ cold. -
Pearl Harbor
Was fought in- US (Hawaii)
Countries involved- United States & Japan
Won- Japan
Importance- This was a surprise attack on a US soil with devastating casualties. This is the main reason the US joins WWII, before this we were being isolationists. -
Battle of Wake Island
Was fought in- Wake island
Countries involved- United States, Japan
Won- Japan
Importance- The attack on this US naval base happened at the same time that Pearl Harvor was attacked. We ended up surrendering at Wake Island so this is Japan's second win. -
Battle of Coral Sea
Was fought in- the Coral Sea( near Australia)
Countries involved- United States, Australia, Japan
Won- Draw
Importance- This was the first time in the pacific side of the war that the US stops a Japanese advance. -
Battle at Midway
Was fought in- Midway Atoll
Countries involved- United States & Japan
Won- US
Importance- This was the turning point in the pacific side of the war much like D-day. This was a surprise attack on the Japanese naval fleet. -
Operation Torch
Was fought in- North France Africa
Countries involved- US, United Kingdom, India, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Algeria, Morocco, Germany, Italy
Won- Allied
Importance- This was the first time that the USA and UK worked in a joint invasion operation. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Was fought in- USSR
Countries involved- Germany, USSR, Romania, Italy, Hungary, Croatia.
Won- USSR
Importance- This battle was were Germany was finally stopped from advancing further into Russia. This put the Axis powers on the defensive and this was the first major lose from Germany -
Attack on Truk Island
Was fought in- Truk Island
Countries involved- United States & Japan
Won- US
Importance- The US had very light casualties with 40 lives lost, but for the Japanese it was a devastating loss with over 4,500 lives lost not including the 350 planes that were destroyed or damaged and 30 ships. -
D-Day
Was fought in- France
Countries involved- Germany, USA, United Kingdom, Canada
Won- Allied
Importance- This was the first allied win in Europe. Allied forces contained 150k soldiers and allowed for a turning point. -
Battle of The Bulge
Was fought in- Germany
Countries involved- United States, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Luxembourg
Won- Allied
Importance- This was Germany’s last offensive attack of the war. They managed to get a surprise attack off on the allied forces and this cause allied forces to take the very high casualties and so did Germany. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Was fought in- Island of Iwo Jima
Countries involved- United States & Japan
Won- US
Importance- This was an important air and naval base to the Japanese which would dispatch quick support to other bases, ships, etc. To the US navy and army this was unuseful to them but it was valuable to the Japanese so that’s why we needed to take it over. -
Battle of Okinawa
Was fought in- Island Okinawa
Countries involved- Japan, United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom,
Won- Allies
Importance- This was a battle happening very close to the Japanese main land. So this was seen as necessary to attack the Japanese at their core.
