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Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign of WWII. The battle was fought because the German Navy tried to cut off Britain's trade. This battle was fought mainly against the German U-boats by the British Royal Navy and the United States Navy. Germany lost nearly 800 U-boats and 28,000 German sailors killed. The Allies won after they cracked the German Enigma code, which enabled them to locate the German U-boats. Over 2,000 Allied ships were sunk, and over 30,000 died -
Battle of Britain
Hitler tried to invade Great Britain after a peace treaty was refused. Hitler's goal was to scare the public by bombing London with the Luftwaffe, and destroying the RAF. By late 1940 the British had stopped Hitler's forces, and the invasion was called off due to winston Churchhill's constant encouragement. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest fights in the history of warfare. Germany returned to the Soviet Union to take control of Stalingrad, a major industrial center on the Volga River. The Germans failed to take Stalingrad and Germany was not prepared for the counterattack of the Soviet Union. This battle marked the beginning of Germany's collapse. Germany lost 2 million soldiers, and the Soviet Union lost 12 million. -
Battle of El Alamein, Egypt
Italian forces in Libya tried to drive out the British from their stronghold in Egypt. After Italy failed, the German army was forced to send troops to support the Italians. Erwin Rommel, general of the German forces, was defeated by the British. This battle went back and forth through many years, but led to a victory for Britain. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the plan to invade the North African countries of Morocco and Algeria . Vichy leaders controlled these countries. The allied forces were joined by French forces. The Allies beat German advances and surrounded them in an easy victory. This gave Allies a base in Africa. -
Invasion of Sicily/Italy
Despite German ressitence in the invasion of Sicily, the Allies made steady progress at first. The Allies convinceed Italians to rise up against Mussolini, and took Sicily soon after. The Allies slowly pushed their way through Italy after the invasion. This was a success that lead the Allies to have a hold in Italy. -
Operation Overlord
The planned invasion of France was called Operation Overload. The Allies wanted to end the war as quickly as possible by launching a large scale invasion of mainland Europe. The Allies destroyed rocket sites along the way through Europe. These battles were full of chaos and confusion. Due to this invasion the German forces were retreating back. The German Army was sloww to react and the Allies pushed them back. -
Battle of the Bulge
This battle was the last German offensive in the war. The Germans went after the Allies at Bastogne, and created a bulge in the Allied forces. The Allies defeated the Germans at their last offensive. The victory here blunt the German offensive, and became the symbol of the American strength and determination. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Htiler decided to spend the last days of war in his underground bunkker with others after hearing that the Soviet Union would be attcking. During the seige of Berlin by the Soviet Union, Hitler, instead of taking defeat, took a cyanide pill and shot himself before anyone could get to him. Hitler also convinced Eva Braun, his wife, to kill herself with him. -
VE Day
VE Day means Victory in Europe day. Both Great Britain and the United States celebrated the defeat of the Nazi war machine. German troops throughout Europe laid down their arms. The Soviets didn't celebrate until the 9th, because German soldiers attacked for one more day in the Soviet Union.