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German Invasion of Poland
-The invasion happened in Poland -The countries involved were Germany (who invaded) and Poland -This was a very important moment because two days after this invasion Britain and France finally declared war on Germany after trying to stay out of the war or so long. The end result of the invasion itself was that Germany took over Poland which ended up being the first of many countries to dominate. https://www.historyguy.com/worldwartwo/german_invasion_of_poland_1939.htm#.XiEA_25FzRM -
Battle of Britian
-The battle was fought in the skies above England. -The battles were between England and Germany -In order to invade Britain, the Germans decided to first try to take out important places in England through lots of bombings and air raids. Even though Britain had a smaller fleet they held off the Germans. Since the Germans could not invade Britain, they just set up a blockade to prevent Britain from taking back France. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Britain-European-history-1940 -
Operation Barbarossa
-The Battles of Operation Barbarossa were fought in Russia. -Battles were between Russia and Germany. -This offensive was very important because it was such a huge invasion (the German army had 3 million soldiers) and took place over all of Russia. The German army ran out of supplies and had other problems which left them vulnerable to the Russians. The Germans were eventually driven out- it was a major loss. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/operation-barbarossa -
Pearl Harbor
-Pear Harbor Hawaii -Battle between the US and Japan -This attack by the Japanese was extremely important in the war because this was the first time the war came to America. Also, the next day the US declared war on Japan, officially entering us into the war. It didn't take long for us to declare war on Germany next. Thousands of men enlisted in the army, navy and air force after the attack. Source: I visited Pearl Harbor this past summer -
Battle of Stalingrad
-Fought in Stalingrad in Russia -The battle was between the Russians and the Germans. -This was a very important battle in the war because the Russians were able to beat the Germans. This was the first time that the Germans had failed to take over a country they had invaded. Since the Germans lost so badly, some people say that this was the turning part of the war. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Stalingrad -
Operation Torch
-The battles were fought in North Africa -The Allies (Primarily US and British) vs. the Germans -The point of this operation was to run the Germans out of North Africa. Also by winning the Allies could take over the Mediterranean Sea and invade Italy from the south. It was a relative easy victory for the Allies, and any victory was an important victory during the war. http://www.worldwar2facts.org/operation-torch.html -
Battle of Monte Cassino
-The battle was fought in Italy. -The Allied forces were from most of the Allied countries (France, Britain, US, Poland) vs. the Germans & Italians -This battle was very important because the Allies had to get through the German blockades to be able to get to Rome. The mountain (monte) was very steep and was hard to climb and it took several tries for the Allies to finally win. Because of this they were able to continue on to Rome. http://www.worldwar2facts.org/battle-of-monte-cassino.html -
Invasion of Normandy
-The battle was fought in Northern France -The Allied forces (US and Britain) vs. Germans -This was a very deadly battle. One of the worse in history. But it was important for the Allies to land in France so that they could begin their attack on Germans in Europe. They could bring tanks, soldiers, and weapons causing a western front (the Russians were attacking from the east already). Winning this was important, and the allies eventually did. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day -
Battle of The Bulge
-The Battle took place in Belgium -The Allies (led by the US, but also British and French soldiers too) -This was a very important victory for the Allies. Fought in the snow and freezing cold, this was the battle where the most Americans died during the war. Germans thought they were going to win, but then reinforcements came. After winning this battle the Allies were able to go into Germany itself and head toward Berlin. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge -
Battle of Berlin
-Battle took place in Berlin, Germany. -The Germans vs. the Russians -This was another very important battle during the war. The battle was won by the Russians and ended up being one of the final battles of the war as the Germans were running out of soldiers and supplies. Also, most of the land they had taken over had been taken back and now they couldn't even defend their own country. https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-and-eastern-europe/the-battle-for-berlin/
