-
The German Invasion of Poland
Using the ‘blitzkrieg’ strategy, German forces stormed into Poland creating chaos and terror. Hitler’s plan was to liberate and fully take control of the territory from the French. This marked the beginning of WW2, as Britain and France decided to declare war. Cited sources: Link text -
Operation ‘Barrbarossa’
Operation ‘Barbarossa’ was code name for a secret invasion by German forces on the Soviet Union in Russia. The battle is marked as a huge turning point in WW2 as the Germans had suffered a pretty bad loss. Many things factored into the German’s loss as supplies and resources were running low and the constant raining made it hard for tanks and other vehicles to get over the mud.. Cited sources: Link text
Link text -
The Battle of Moscow
A slow, hard battle that lasted 3-4 months, German faced another sad loss while attempting to invade Russia. Still apart of Hitler’s plan to take control of the area, Germans tried many times to overrun Soviet forces. But due to harsh temperatures and heavy snow, Germans were forced to retreat. Cited sources: Link text
Link text -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was a base where American troops set up stations on a small part of land near Hawaii. Japanese bomber planes randomly attacked the harbor one morning on the 9th of December and caused about 2,403 American casualties. It had taken the troops by complete surprise as no one was expecting an attack. The Japanese had attacked because they wanted complete control over the Pacific Ocean. Cited sources: [Link text](https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
The Battle of Stalingrad
Stalingrad was a city/territory in Russia that Hitler wanted to take over during his time of being a dictator. He wanted control over it for propaganda reasons, and the Russians didn’t like it. German troops would begin to liberate the area with harsh reasoning, and it ended up being a bloody battle between the Germans and Russians. In the end, the Russian forces suffered a heavy loss and the city was in ruins. Sources: Link text
Link text -
Operation ‘Bagration’
German forces had already been severely depleted due to the other fruitless attempts to invade territory, and the Soviet Army was still not having it. Soviet forces attacked Nazi Germany’s Army Group center, and caused more than 400,000 German casualties. Germany was losing the war more and more everyday. Cited sources: Link text -
The Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was fought from January 17th - May 18th in 1944. It was known as one of the bloodiest engagements for Italy as it was apart of their campaign then. It was an attempt for Axis powers to escape to Rome, but the hill of Monte Cassino blocked their path and made it harder for them to traverse the landscape. There also a rapid series of attacks here as many troops were held up. Cited sources: Link text -
The Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge is considered to be one of the greatest American battles of the war. This battle was Hitler’s last defense to punch against the Western front, and split the allied forces of Britain and France in two. Ultimately, the Germans suffered a very unfortunate loss as American troops intervened as well. The conditions through the forest were very harsh as troops suffered ‘cold injuries’ due to the extreme cold temperature and snow. Cited sources: Link text -
The Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin was a battle between German forces and the allied powers of the Soviet Union that took place from April 16th to May 2nd, 1945. The Soviet forces pushed across Poland to attack Germany’s main cities along with allied help from American and British air forces. This battle let people believe that the war was coming to an end, as Germany had suffered so many losses already. -
Battle of Normandy “D-Day”
The Battle of Normandy, otherwise known as ‘D-Day’, was the American, British, and Canadian invasion and storming of the beaches on Normandy, France. The Allied powers of 150,000 troops led to a victory that took over the area and the remaining German forces there, bringing an end to the Nazi Reich. This was a huge turning point in Europe for WW2, Cites sourced: Link text
