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Battles of WWII
A highlight of the major battles of WWII. -
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Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany's subsequent counter-blockade The convoys, coming mainly from North America and predominantly going to the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union with war supplies. -
Dunkirk
330,000 British troops (the whole of the British Army) was rescued from a dire situation in the city of Dunkirk. The British were surrounded by the larger German army and were running low on supplies. Due to a German decision to attack the French instead of the soldiers at Dunkirk, they were able to escape. -
Air Battle over Britain
The failure of Germany to achieve its objectives of destroying Britain's air defences, or forcing Britain to negotiate an armistice or an outright surrender, is considered its first major defeat and a crucial turning point in the Second World War. By preventing Germany from gaining air superiority, the battle ended the threat that Hitler would launch Operation Sea Lion, a proposed amphibious and airborne invasion of Britain. -
Bombing of Cologne
The German city of Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids by the Allies during World War II, including 31 times by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Air raid alarms went off in the winter/spring of 1940 as enemy bombers passed overhead. However, the first actual bombing took place on 12 May 1940. The most notable attack on Cologne was the first Allied 1,000 bomber raid on 30/31 May 1942. -
First Battle of Al Alamein
The Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War, fought on the northern coast of Egypt between Axis forces, and Allied specifically British Imperial and colonial The battle, although a stalemate, halted a second advance by the Axis forces into Egypt. However, an Axis presence near El Alamein only 66 mi (106 km) from Alexandria, was too dangerously close to major population centres and the Suez Canal. A second battle would be required to drive the Germans away from these key resources. -
Battle of Stalingrad
City besieged by Paulus' German Sixth Army; from November 23 the Sixth Army is surrounded and destroyed by Soviets; bloodiest battle in history, approximately 1.8 millions dead. -
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign of the Second World War. The only fighting took place in the port of Algiers itself, where in Operation Terminal two British destroyers attempted to land a party of U.S. Rangers directly onto the dock, in order to prevent the French destroying the port facilities and scuttling their ships. The city fell within hours. -
Battle of Kursk
The largest tank battle in history. It was also the last offensive operation the Germans would launch on the eastern front. For the Soviets, the decisive victory gave the Red Army the strategic initiative for the rest of the war. -
Air Assaults of Palermo/ Anzio/ Rome
Two British and two American attacks by airborne forces were carried out just after midnight on the night of 9–10 July, as part of the invasion. The widespread landing of airborne troops had an overall positive effect as small isolated units, acting on their own initiative, attacked vital points and created widespread panic. -
Allied Invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis Powers (Italy and Nazi Germany). It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign. -
Air Battle of Berlin (RAF)
The Battle of Berlin was the British bombing campaign on Berlin from November 1943 to March 1944. It was not limited solely to Berlin. Other German cities were attacked to prevent the concentration of defences in Berlin. In response to attacks on German cities, the Luftwaffe began Operation Steinbock (ibex)—a series of attacks on London. The Germans suffered heavy losses, but they persisted until May 1944. -
Battle of Monte Cassino
At the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans holding the Rapido, Liri, and Garigliano valleys and some of the surrounding peaks and ridges. Together, these features formed the Gustav Line.Between 17 January and 18 May, Monte Cassino and the Gustav defences were assaulted four times by Allied troops, the last involving twenty divisions attacking along a twenty-mile front. The German defenders were finally driven out, but at a high cost. -
Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day). A 12,000-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving almost 7,000 vessels. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June; with 3 million troops in France in August. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II in Europe. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard and became the costliest battle in terms of casualties for the United States, whose forces bore the brunt of the attack. It also depleted the remainder of Germany's army. -
Bombing of Dresden
In four raids between 13 and 15 February 1945, 722 heavy bombers of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and 527 of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped more than 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs and incendiary devices on the city. The bombing and the resulting firestorm destroyed over 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) of the city centre. Between 22,700 and 25,000 people were killed. -
Battle of Berlin
The battle of Berlin was the final decisive conflict of WWII. It was also a major Soviet victory.
Soviet forces surrounded Berlin and began shelling the city. On the 20th of April the Russians invaded the city. Due to weak German defenses the city quickly fell. Before the battle was over, German Führer Adolf Hitler and a number of his followers committed suicide. The city's defenders finally surrendered on May 2nd. -
Battle of Berlin
Starting on 12 January 1945, the Red Army breached the German front as a result of the Vistula–Oder Offensive and advanced westward as much as 40 kilometres (25 miles) a day through East Prussia, Lower Silesia, East Pomerania, and Upper Silesia, temporarily halting on a line 60 km (37 mi) east of Berlin along the Oder River.[14] When the offensive resumed, two Soviet fronts (army groups) attacked Berlin from the east and south, while a third overran German forces positioned north of Berlin.
