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German Invasion of Poland
Sep 1, 1939- Oct 6, 1939 Germany attacks Poland's border and the polish ships in the Baltic Sea, beginning WW2. The polish army fought back, but were overwhelmed by the German forces, causing Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Poland's capture was important to WW2 as it was what sparked Britain and France to declare war in the first place, and showed that Hitler could no longer be appeased. link text -
Battle of Belgium
May 10, 1940- May 28, 1940
Germans tried to take over Belgium, due to its neutrality. Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Britain, and the Netherlands fought against Germany to try to keep Belgium safe from German reign. However, the Belgium leader surrendered his army to the Germans. This battle had impact by being the first battle of WW2 using tanks, and the French resistance seen at it allowed the evacuation of Dunkirk. link text -
Battle of Britain
July 10, 1940- Oct 31, 1940
Over the English Channel, the Air Force of Germany and Britain fought each other in the sky. They were fighting to gain the airspace itself. Though Germany’s pilots were larger in number than Britain’s, Britain still defended itself well, and Hitler ended the war by calling off his plan to invade England. If not for this victory, it’s likely England would have been invaded by Germany. link text -
Battle of Crete
May 20, 1941- June 1, 1941
Germany attacked the island of Crete after taking Greece, in order to get more land in the Mediterranean and block British troops from using it as a base. New Zealand, British, and Greek soldiers retaliated. It was a very bloody battle, and resulted in a British loss. However, this battle marked the last German attempt at a large air-based attack, due to the high casualty count. link text -
The Battle of Moscow
Sep 30, 1941- Jan 7, 1942 German forces attacked Moscow, Russia, and the Russians retaliated fiercely. This battle insured that Germany did not try to take Moscow again, after it was so well defended. Thanks to bad weather conditions and knowledge of the attack, the Russians won. link text -
Battle of Stalingrad
July 17, 1942- February 2, 1943
In Stalingrad, Russia, the soviets defended their city from German attack. Luckily, the Soviet side was able to win, despite many casualties. Their success, however, proved that the Axis Powers could be beaten and stopped them from further progressing into Russian territory. link text -
Battle of Kursk
July 5, 1943- August 23, 1943 This was Germany’s unsuccessful attack on the line of defense near Russian city Kursk. Germany did not expect the Russians to be as well armed as they were, and the battle was significant as it was the largest tank battle in history. It also showed the Allies that Germany was not as strong offensively on the Eastern front, and caused Russia to gain some confidence in their attacks. link text -
Battle of Monte Cassino
Jan 17, 1944- May 18, 1944
In Italy, French troops raided Monte Cassino hill, in order to push Germans out of Italy and break their defense, the Gustav Line. This was important because Allies finally were able to access Rome, which the Axis Powers had control of before. It took so long because the hill gave Germans the advantage of seeing the attacks coming, but winning allowed for the Gustav Line to be broken. link text -
Battle of Anzio
Jan 22, 1944- June 5, 1944
In Anzio, Italy, British and American troops fought to break the Gustav Line of German defense. In doing so, they created a stalemate that led to many deaths. However, the perseverance of the Allied troops led to the eventual capture of Rome by Allied forces, thanks to forces from the air and ground. The German retreat was key to the success of the Allies then and in the future. link text -
Battle of Berlin (Fall of Berlin)
April 16, 1945- May 2, 1945 Russian and American troops invaded Berlin, Germany, to overwhelm the city so that the Germans would surrender. The armies split up on different sides of the city, and their attack was successful, as the German army surrendered, and Hitler’s reign ended, along with major battles in Europe. link text
