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Battle of France/Miracle of Dunkirk
May 27, 1940 – June 4, 1940. Dunkirk was the reason for the Battle of Britain. A total of 338,226 troops were evacuated. Dunkirk was the largest and most successful evacuation in history. Polish, French, and Belgian soldiers were rescued in addition to the British. The evacuation was code-named Operation Dynamo. The Dunkirk Evacuation was an operation to rescue soldiers who were under fire by approaching Germans, this sparked another battle in WWII. -
Battle of Britain
Jul 10, 1940 – Oct 31, 1940. Great Britain's air force was referred to as RAF, (Royal Air Force). About 1,000 British planes were shot down. 1,800 German planes were destroyed. Hitler's invasion plans was code-named Operation Sea Lion. At one point, London was bombed 57 nights in a row. This battle was important because it was the first major campaign to be fought with mainly air forces. The battle was also the first defeat of Hitler's forces. -
Battle of Leningrad
September 8, 1941–January 27, 1944. Siege of Leningrad was a 900 day siege. It actually lasted 872 days. About 650,000 Lenin grader people died in 1942. Starvation, disease, and exposure were the main cause of death. In Russia the siege of Leningrad is known as Blokada. The Siege of Leningrad was important because one German army was so strong, it alone maintained the siege. The siege of Leningrad blocked all supplies from getting to the city, which is one of the reasons for all the death. -
Battle of Stalingrad
July 17, 1942 – February 2, 1943. The Soviet defense of the city of Stalingrad which was successful. Marked the end of Germany's entries into eastern Europe and Russia. Between military and civilians there was a near total of 2 million casualties. Hitler wanted to destroy industries in the city. Stalin was betrayed by Hitler during the attack and was depressed. The battle marked the end of Hitler's advances into eastern Europe and it was the first major loss of the Germans. -
Operation Torch
November 8th-16th 1942. Was also known as Operation Gymnast. The invasion of French North Africa. United States and the British invading together. Planned by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. During the Allied invasion, Hitler ordered an invasion of a French city to draw them out of North Africa. Operation Torch was important because it was the first time Americans and British worked together and planned an invasion. -
D-Day
June 6, 1944. Code-named Operation Overlord. Commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Largest amphibious invasion in history. The "D" stands for day, was the secret day/time the operation would begin. Code names for the beaches where Allies landed, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. D-Day resulted in the freedom of France from Nazi German control. It was also known as the invasion of Normandy. D-Day was considered the beginning of the end of WWII. -
Battle of the Bulge
Dec 16, 1944 – Jan 25, 1945. Also known as the Ardennes Offensive. Was the largest battle on the Western Front during WWII. The largest battle fought by the U.S. army. About 90,000 Allies casualties and 100,000 German. German soldiers wore American uniforms to sneak behind enemy lines. Hitler's generals advised against the entire operation. The Battle of the Bulge was another loss of the German's which brought the war closer to an end. The last major Nazi offensive in WWII. -
Battle of Berlin
April 16, 1945 – May 2, 1945. Stalin wanted to get to Berlin to keep nuclear info for himself. Over 1 million Russian soldiers were awarded a medal. The Allies tried to make agreement with Stalin. Fortress Berlin was defended by 90,000 children of the Hitler Youth. After the USSR's success, the soldiers looted & raped, 215 women committed suicide to avoid it. This was the last major battle during WWII, Germany surrendered and ended war in Europe and Adolf Hitler committed suicide. Allies win.
