-
Battle of the Alantic
Early in the war, German warships made a number of forays into the shippinfg lanes, aiming to catch and destroy Allies convoys. Tatics began to shift towards the Britsh After Grmany declared war on the Unites States, U-boat attacks on Americcan shipping increased. -
Battle of Britian
German and British air forces clashed in the skies over the United Kingdom, the Luftwaffe concetrated on attacking shipping in the English Channel and coastal towns and defenses. German air superiority in the south of England was essential before Hitler could contemplate an invasion so Hermann Goering -
Battle of Stalingrad
The Germans attacked Stalingrad in August 1942. In some of the bloodiest fighting in the history of warfare, the Soviets refused to let Stalingrad fall. At the haed of these was German general Erwin Rommel. Rommel's forces and the British fought a back-and-forth battle for control of North Africa. -
Battle of El Alamein, Egypt
Allied victory, forcing Rommel to retreat into Tunisia.Three hundred Sherman tanks that were hastily shipped to Egypt from the USA were a crucial influence on the outcome of this battle.The tanks gave Montgomery a significant advantage in firepower.The second battlle of El Alamein was a turning point in the North African campiagn. It ended a long fight for the Western Desert, and was the only great land battle won by the British and the Commonwealth forces without direct American participation -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the first time the British and Americans had jointly worked on an invasion plan together. The plan called for American forces to invade the North African countries of Morocco and Algeria in November 1942. France had controled this territory before1940.After the fall of France, Vichy leaders were installed there. Still the Allies hoped that the French in North Africa would side with them in battle. -
Invasion of Sicily/Italy
The invasion was assisted by some subterfuge. the United States and Great Britain, the leading Allied powers, looked ahead to the invasion of occupied Europe and the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The Allies decided to move next against Italy, hoping an Allied invasion would remove that fascist regime from the war, secure the central Mediterranean and divert German divisions from the northwest coast of France where the Allies planned to attack in the near future. -
Operation Overlord
Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. -
Battle of the Bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe by means of a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. Caught off-guard, American units fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes in an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler’s dreams of a “1,000-year” Reich. -
VE Day
On this day in 1945, both Great Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe Day. Cities in both nations, as well as formerly occupied cities in Western Europe, put out flags and banners, rejoicing in the defeat of the Nazi war machine.
