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D-Day
D-Day, the Allied invasion of Northern Europe on June 6th, 1944, opened up a second front that forced Hitler to send forces west, which took pressure off the Russians. The greatest seaborne invasion in history was aimed at 80 kilometres of mostly flat, sandy beach along the Normandy coast. Paratroopers were also droppedbehind enemy lines the night before, so they could put pressure on the germans from both sides. -
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WW2
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Operation Cobra- Breakout from Normandy
Originally, Operation Cobra had been planned for July 24, but the attack was postponed due to bad weather until midday on July 25. Unfortunately, some of the bombers were launched on the 24th before they received word to stop, and dropped bombs on American infantry. Then, on the actual day of the attack, some bombs were again accidentally dropped on U.S. troops due to badly marked targets. -
Operation Dragoon - Invasion of Southern France
Between mid-June and the end of July more than a division a week, and huge stocks of vehicles, equipment and supplies, were withdrawn from U.S. Fifth Army in Italy to train and stage for Operation Dragoon. Final approval for Dragoon came on 11 August 1944, and the landings took place 15 August, between Toulon and Cannes on the French Riviera, preceeded by a parachute drop inland, behind the German lines. -
Operation Market Garden
On September 17, 1944 three airborne divisions and the British XXX Corps parachuted into Holland to combat the retreating Germn troops. The operation ended up resulting in an allied loss, due to the German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. -
Battle of the Bulge
Within five days the Germans had surrounded almost 20,000 Americans at the crossroads of Bastogne. Their situation was desperate but when the German commander gave Major-General Anthony McAuliffe, the chance to surrender, McAuliffe answered with just the one word, ‘Nuts’. The Americans counterattcked and eventually one the battle. -
Dresden Bombing
On February 13, 1945 the Allies began the controversial bombing of Dresden. It was controversial because there did not seem to be much of a Military gain for bombing the city. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
The battle of iwo jima was a battle that lasted from feb 19-March 26 1945. America tried to capture the island from japan because of its two airfields. The japanese were heavily fortified but the americans had extensive naval and ground support and won the battle. The most significant thing was the image of the flag raising on mount surabachi. This is an iconic American moment. -
V-J Day
On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as "Victory over Japan Day," or "V-J Day." The term has also been used for September 2, 1945, when Japan's formal surrender took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. -
Battle of Berlin
The Russians broke through German forces and made it into Berlin. It wasnt much of a battle because the Germans were down to fighting with children and old men, while the Russians had full firepower -
German Surrender
On May 7, 1945, Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II.