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Invasion of Poland
This event occured when German Luftwaffe (airforce) and their Panzer (tank) divisions with Soviet army attacked Poland in order to agree on Nazi-Soviet Pact. The outcome was the defeat of Polish and Soviet and Germany took control of Poland. This signified the start of the Second World War. -
Battle of Atlantic
This was the ongoing struggle of the British to keep open her sea lanes to North America and her empire. Most of the damage to her shipping was done by German submarines, U-boat. At first, the British and the Allies seemed to lose terribly however, later the radar was available on naval support groups who in turn were guided by aircrafts with long range flight capabilities. Now, they were more effectively organized into safe convoys. Allied counterattack on U-boat was successful and won. -
Winter War
During this period, many events occured. Red Army attacked Finland and Finland surrendered to the Soviets and signed a peace treaty 12 March, 1940. From June 15-17, 1940 the Red Army took the Baltic States. In October, 1940 the German army occupied Romania and a month later the Romanians joined the Axis powers. On October 28,1940 Mussolini attacked Greece. However, the German army invaded both Yugoslavia and Greece. This made Hitler to have second thoughts about these Balkan campaigns. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
340,000 troops of British and French who were trapped by the German forces were evacuated by the British navy. To their surprise however, Hitler restrained his forces, who could have crushed the Allied forces on the beaches of Dunkirk. While a military defeat, this represented a moral victory for the Allies and these were the best British forces who would live to fight another day. -
Fall of France
Germans entered Paris on June 22 for they wished to invade further territories. Ultimately France surrendered and Germans occupied Northern France and Atlantic Ports. Southern France was allowed a semi-independent government at Vichy. Frech army was demobilized. This event showed how weak France was. -
Battle of Britain
This was the battle of Goering's Luftwaffe against the Royal Air Force for the control of the skies above Britain and the English Channel. In process, German bombed London by accident and they began battling at London where British won at the end. Due to this event, Hitler postponed an invasion of Britain which was marked as his frist time denying conquest. This setback for Hitler meant elongation of the war and advantage for British once the industry of U.S.A. was added to the Allies' cause. -
Barbarossa
Hitler double-crossed his cynical Nazi-Soviet Aggression Pact partner when he attacked on a front stretching from the Baltic to Black Sea. There were several objects for this betrayal. Hitler envied the great "breadbasket of Europe" and Hitler desired to destroy communism. Stalin was caught off guard by this act. Soviet air force was destroyed on the ground and suffered greatly and became prisoners of war. Germany took vast stretches of Soviet Terriroy and devastated the Red Army. -
Battle of Stalingrad
German attacked Suburbs of Stalingrad to capture the city bearing the hated Stalin's name and proceed further to the caucasus oil fields. At the end, German troops surrendered and Soviet Union won the victory. As a result, Hitler lost some of the best units of his once mighty army and was denied access to the caucasus oil fields; they were now forced onto the defensive. The supply route from America to Soviet Union was lost. This event began the road to the liberation of Eastern Europe. -
Battle of El Alamein
Montgomery's (Britain) "Desert Rats" defeated the famous Rommel (German) and the German/Italian retreat across Africa began. Whoever won this battle were to control the strategic stip of water, El Alamein. German got defeated by Britain and Britain took control of El Alamein. As a result, Suez Canal remained in Allied hands and Hitler was denied access to the oil of the Middle East. This event proved to the Allies that Hitler's best forces could be beaten. -
Italian Campaign
The name of Allied operations in and around Italy. Stalin wanted an Allied landing in France. The Western Allies, on the other hand, were not prepared for such an invasion. Before landing in France to begin the final liberation of Europe a year of planning and buildup and elimination of possible sources of trouble from the Germans were necessary. The Allied Plan was to first take the island of Sicily in preparation for a landing in Italy itself. -
Normandy Invasion
175,000 men in another of the now common amphibious assaults initiated the attack. This day the Allied troops were to take five beaches: Utah and Omah by the Americans, Gold and Sword by the British and Juno by the Canadians. Rommel had correctly predicted that whoever would win the day on the beaches would win the war. By the end of this first day the Allies, after great sacrifice, had their beach head. -
Battle of the Bulge
On 15 December the Germans launched one last offensive and found a weak spot in the Allied front in the Ardennes. 200,000 German troops attacked an area held by 80,000 Allies. The Germans advanced sixty miles before being stopped on Christmas day.
