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Battle of France/Miracle of Dunkirk
May 10, 1940 – Jun 25, 1940
The Battle of France is also known as "The Fall of France". The Nazis took over France in a mere 6 weeks. France took 3 years to fully mobilize after the fighting started which lead to its easy defeat. France left the Franco-Belgian border unprotected, leaving an opening for Germany. The Germans used the blitzkrieg technique to quickly overtake France. -
Battle of Britain
Jul 10, 1940 – Oct 31, 1940
The Battle of Britain was an air fight against British Air Force and German Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe bombed major cities in Britain; London got the worst of it being bombed 71 times. It is the largest bombing campaign to date. It was also the start of the term Blitz, short for Blitzkrieg. By the end the British Air Force drove out the Luftwaffe, claiming victory. -
Battle of Leningrad
Sep 8, 1941 – Jan 27, 1944
The Battle of Leningrad, also called the Siege of Leningrad or the 900-Day Siege, was an attack from the German and Finnish army on the Soviet Union. The attack lasted for 872 days. The city of Leningrad was fully encircled by the Germans/Finnish, cutting off their supply lines. A small attack by the Soviet forces allowed for a supply line. This lead to the ultimate victory by the Soviet when they could force the Germans/Finnish out. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Jul 17, 1942 - Feb 2, 1943
The Battle of Stalingrad is the bloodiest battle of the modern world with more than 2 million casualties. German Luftwaffe air bombed the city to rubble, but the people mobilized. As the winter set in the Germans were running low on resources. The Soviets managed to surround the Germans in the city and attacked until they surrendered. The Soviet win played a key role in defeating the Nazis, winning WWII. -
Operation Torch
Nov 8, 1942 – Nov 10, 1942
The Operation Torch was a plan to create a two front war. The Anglo-American forces attacked Northern Africa to throw off Germany. By attacking Northern Africa, the Allies could control the Mediterranean and trade routs from Africa to Germany. The attack existed of multiple landings, inside and out of the Mediterranean. Only about 500 Americans died in the invasion. -
D-Day
D-Day was the start of Allied Forces attacking Western Europe. More than 130,000 allied soldiers stormed the beaches at Normandy on D-Day, and over 1 million men have attacked within weeks of D-Day. This is an iconic battle of WWII that starts to show the victory of the Allied Forces. From this invasion, the allies were able to liberate France on Aug 25, 1944; paving the path to victory. -
Battle of the Bulge
Dec 16, 1944 – Jan 25, 1945
The Battle of the Bulge is in the Ardennes Mountains or France, Belgian and Luxembourg. The French were not expecting an attack from the Germans in that area because of the rough terrain, so their defenses were weak. Heavy snowstorms and weather hit the battle, creating a "third army" in the fight. Allied Air Force attacked the Germans and brought needed supplies to the French troops. As the Germans ran out of resources, the Allies took victory. -
Battle of Berlin
Apr 16, 1945 – May 2, 1945
The Battle of Berlin was an attack from the Soviet Union on Germany. The Soviet Union went early, without the help from the other allies. This ended with 70,000 Russian casualties. Hitler had died on May 2, 1945, so the Soviet leader thought it was the prime time to attack Germany and take Berlin before its allies could.
