Major European Theater Battles

By Ellie Visser

  • Battle of France

    Battle of France
    • German invasion of France
    • First operation included the cutting off and surrounding of Allied units
    • Second operation included German forces maneuvering around the edge of France to attack the larger territory of it
    • Italy declared war on France on June 10, french government fled, and Paris was occupied four days later
    • France surrendered, ending the war, on June 25

  • Battle of Britain

    Battle of Britain
    • Series of German bombing raids
    • Against Great Britain
    • Lasted three months
    • GB had fewer fighters, but better aircraft, technology, and unified focus
    • Germany ended up losing due to their missteps in timing, poor intelligence, and underdeveloped technology

  • Battle of Leningrad

    Battle of Leningrad
    • Also called the 900 day siege even though it actually lasted 872 days
    • Occurred in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and in the Soviet Union while German troops attacked
    • Claimed 650,000 lives in 1942 The Soviets kept fighting to open up supply lines and in 1944, they finally launched an offence that pushed the Germans away
    • This battle was very prolonged and made it very difficult for the Soviets because all able bodied Leningraders had to help
    • Ended January 27th 1944

  • Battle of Stalingrad

    Battle of Stalingrad
    • Soviets vs Germany
    • Germany fought for control over Stalingrad in Southern Russia
    • German advance into the Soviet Union was stopped
    • First major German loss of World War 2
    • Total of approximately 800,000 casualties, injuries, and captures in - Turned the tide of the war in favor of the Allies
    • Soviets won the battle and crushed Germany's 6th Army
    • Ended February 2nd, 1943

  • Operation Torch

    Operation Torch
    • Started by England and America invading North Africa
    • 65,000 troops invaded French North Africa
    • The operation was pretty successful because the French didn't have a very good air force and their tanks were obsolete, however, they still put up a pretty good fight
    • The daring attack on the port failed
    • Operation torch was put into action to prevent Germany from gaining complete control of the Mediterranean sea
    • Battle ended on November 10th, 1942

  • D-Day

    D-Day
    • 156,000 American, Canadian and British troops fought to free France from the Germans by landing on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region
    • Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target
    • This battle marked the beginning of the end of the war for Germany because it gave France some of its freedom and led to the end of Germany's occupation of France

  • Battle of the Bulge

    Battle of the Bulge
    • Last major German offensive campaign on the Western front
    • Took place in Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg
    • 3rd most lethal American battle by estimated number of casualties (100,000)
    • Germans had a fuel shortage which allowed the Allies to turn the tide of the battle against the Germans
    • The Allied front resembled a bulge at one of the more climatic points in the battle, giving it it's name
    • This battle marked the start of Germany's loss
    • Ended January 25, 1945

  • Battle of Berlin

    Battle of Berlin
    • The Soviet Union organized this attack on Berlin
    • This was the final major offensive battle in WWII
    • Hitler killed himself 5 days after the end of the battle and the remaining leaders of the Nazi party signed a surrender
    • Was actually a competition between two Soviet marshals to see who could capture Berlin first
    • Over 1 million Soviet personnel took part in the capturing of Berlin
    • This battle ended WWII for Europe
    • Ended May 2nd, 1945