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Battle of France/Miracle of Dunkirk
May 10, 1940- June 25, 1940
Known as “Operation Dynamo”
The operation was only supposed to save 45,000 people in 48 hrs- it ended up being the biggest and most successful rescue mission in history
The amount of lives saved was considered a miracle
Germany's loss was a major turning point
Hitler made a mistake and Britain made a comeback
The significance of this day was the fact that this was a turning point that showed the British it was possible to win the war. -
Battle of Britain
June 10, 1940-October 31, 1940
Hitler attempted to persuade Great Britain to surrender without actually fighting
First battle that was fought primarily in the air
The battle turned to favor Great Britain when Hitler bombed London
German continued to bomb the city once the battle ended
This helped the British develope their air defense system
The battle helped show that Britain had air superiority over Germany -
Battle of Leningrad
September 8, 1941-January 27,1944
Also known as the 900 day siege
Most lives claimed were claimed through starvation, disease, etc.
German's initial plan was just to starve and freeze the city
The death toll was well over one mil.
The city itself was not very important strategically to the war
The significance was more symbolic for Germany, it signified that they had gotten rid of a small and pesky city standing in their way of victory. -
Battle of Stalingrad
1942- February 2, 1943
The battle is well known for the fights that took place in streets and buildings
This was a very good example of a disregard for the safety of the civilians
Possession of an important hill in this battle changed hands approximately 14 times between the two
The Soviets forces included many women
An anti-aircraft regiment was made entirely of women
The significance of this battle was that this marked the beginning of the end for Germany invading the East. -
Operation Torch
November 8, 1942- November 10, 1942
America's way of joining the war with costing as few lives as possible
British and American mission to conquer French North Africa to comply with Russia's cry for help
Greatly hurt America and France's relationship
Strengthened America and Britain's relationship
First time America and Great Britain worked together on an invasion plan
The significance was that it was america's step into the war and confirmed their ally of Great Britain. -
D-Day
June 6,1944
The planning for this event began nearly a year before the actual attack took place
Troops opted to land on the beach which would make this the largest amphibious invasion ever
D-day actually just stands for day but they used the d to keep it secret
The allied forces used dummies to trick the the Germans and give them more time
7 mil. lbs. of bombs were dropped on this day
The significance is that this is the invasion that would allow the allied forces to finally defeat Germany. -
Battle of the Bulge
December 6, 1944- January 25,1945
Largest battle fought on the western front of the war
Battle was named after the 60 mi. long bulge in the German Blitzkrieg into the allied forces
More G. I s were killed in this battle than any other US battle in history
Hitler's generals actually had apprehensions against the attack and voiced this to Hitler
Germany ended up stealing US uniforms to create chaos
The significance was the allied forces were able to defeat Germany sooner and with fewer casualties -
Battle of Berlin
April 16, 1945- May 2, 1945
Germany surrendered on May 7th
Civilians suffered more casualties than either side
Last offensive that occurred in Europe during World War Two
More bombing tonnage than all other allied bombing tonnage totals combined throughout the war
Desperately, Germany started drafting ill prepared citizens including children who were apart of the Hitler Youth Program
The significance was that this battle brought the end of the war and the allied forces had a decisive win
