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Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain was the successful defense of Great Britain against unremitting and destructive air raids conducted by the German air force from July through September 1940, after the fall of France. From July 10 through October 31, 1940, pilots and support crews on both sides took to the skies and battled for control of airspace over Great Britain, Germany, and the English Channel. In the event, the battle was won by the Royal Air Force Fighter Command. -
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union, which was launched on June 22, 1941. It was the largest land invasion in history. Hoping to capture vast agricultural lands, seize numerous oil fields, and break the military threat of Stalin’s Soviet Union, Hitler broke the German-Soviet non-aggression pact. The failure of German troops to defeat Soviet forces in the campaign signaled a crucial turning point in the war. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the name given to the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942. It resulted from an uneasy compromise between the Western Allies, and was intended to relieve pressure on the Soviet Union by imperiling Axis forces in the region and by enabling an invasion of Southern Europe in 1943. Operation Torch was the first time the British and Americans had jointly worked on an invasion plan together. -
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the Allied invasion of western Europe, which was launched on June 6, 1944, with the simultaneous landing of U.S., British, and Canadian forces on five separate beachheads in Normandy, France. By the end of August 1944 all of northern France was liberated, and the invading forces reorganized for the drive into Germany, where they would eventually meet with Soviet forces advancing from the east to bring an end to the Nazi Reich. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and code named the Argonaut Conference, was held from February 4 to 11, 1945. The three chief Allied leaders Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Premier Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union met at Yalta in Crimea to plan the final defeat and occupation of Nazi Germany. The Yalta conference was a crucial turning point in the Cold War. -
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European theater of World War II. The battle began on April 16, 1945 and lasted until May 2, 1945. It was primarily fought between the German Army and the Soviet Army. The battle began when the Soviets attacked along the Oder River near Berlin. It resulted in the surrender of the German army and an end to Adolf Hitler's rule.
