-
Battle of Britain
British Royal Air Force (RAF) defeat the German air force, known as the Luftwaffe, effectively saving Britain from a proposed German amphibious invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion. The primary German fighter plane was the Messerschmitt Bf 109, which engaged in numerous dogfights against British pilots flying Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft. Effective use of radar helped to repel German forces, forcing the Luftwaffe into nighttime raids against civilian targets, known as the Blitz. -
Battle of France
Germans invaded France and the Low Countries during the Second World War. In six weeks from 10 May 1940, German forces defeated Allied forces by mobile operations and conquered France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, bringing land operations on the Western Front to an end until 6 June 1944. The Dunkirk evacuation was the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, in the north of France. -
Siege of Leningrad
also called 900-day siege, prolonged siege of the city of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in the Soviet Union by German and Finnish armed forces during World War II. The siege actually lasted 872 days. -
Battle of Stalingrad
With about two million casualties, the Battle of Stalingrad is often cited as the bloodiest battle in history. Germany’s summer campaign to capture vital oil supplies in the Caucasus Mountains, but Friedrich Paulus’s 6th Army became bogged down in intense street fighting in the city, allowing Operation Uranus, which encircled Paulus’s men by defeating the Italian, Hungarian, and Romanian forces guarding their flank. In the final days of the battle, Paulus surrendered. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942. Operation Torch was the first time the British and Americans had jointly worked on an invasion plan together.The Allies planned to invade Morocco and Algeria. Senior US commanders remained strongly opposed to the landings. When Roosevelt was told of this, he was furious. He called Marshall and King to the White House, and gave a direct order that Torch was to take place at the earliest possible date. -
Battle of the Bulge
Germany’s last major offensive operation on the Western Front. The German plan to sweep through the Ardennes Forest and capture the port city Antwerp, Belgium, benefited from Allied aircraft being grounded due to poor weather. During the battle, English-speaking German troops attempted to disguise themselves as Allied troops and infiltrate enemy lines. German forces also besieged the Belgian town Bastogne and requested its surrender, the siege was eventually lifted by George Patton. -
D-Day
The largest amphibious assault in history, as Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower’s forces attacked the German Atlantic Wall defenses on the beaches of Normandy, France. American forces land at Utah and Omaha Beaches, British forces land at Gold and Sword Beaches, and Canadian forces land at Juno Beach. After the landings, Allied forces erected prefabricated artificial Mulberry harbors to aid in transporting goods to France. -
Battle of Berlin
the last major battle in Europe during World War II. The battle was primarily fought between the German Army and the Soviet Army. The German army was ill-equipped for the battle. Many German soldiers were sick, wounded, or starving. Germany surrendered. The battle took its toll on both sides. 81,000 Soviet soldiers were killed and 280,000 wounded. 92,000 German soldiers were killed with 220,000 wounded. The city of Berlin was reduced to rubble and around 22,000 German civilians died.
