Major Battles World War II Battle of the
Major Battles World War II
Battle of the Atlantic • September 1939 -1945. – Began with the blockade of Germany and Italy. • Germany and Italy countered by blockading Great Britain. • Allies versus Germany and Italy. – German Air Force, Submarines, Italian Air Force and Submarines versus Allied navies. • Axis forces attacked the Allied convoys, to disrupt material and troops headed towards the U. K. and later France and Italy. • Ended with the end of the European War.
The Battle of Britain • July 10 - October 31, 1940. • Fighter/Bomber battle between German and British Air Force. – Fought completely in the air. • Nazi forces bombed convoys, airfields, industrial centers, cities. – Preparation for Operation Sea Lion. • Decisive British victory. – Operation Sea Lion called off for good.
Operation Barbarossa • June 22, 1941 -December 1941. – Invasion of the U. S. S. R. – Largest invasion force ever (over 4 million German/Axis troops). – Made it to Moscow before being repelled. • Battles of Stalingrad, Leningrad. • Millions of casualties on both sides. – USSR lost many economic resources. » Nazis stopped by the WINTER.
Siege of Leningrad • September 8, 1941 -January 27, 1944. – Leningrad Blockade. – Involved German Army Group North, Leningrad. • The siege lasted 872 days. – Millions of Soviet soldiers died, over 600, 000 civilians died. » German casualties unknown. • Leningrad supplied by narrow land corridor and lake in the winter. – Nazis never took the city.
Pearl Harbor • December 7, 1941. • Surprise attack on the U. S. Navy port, Pearl Harbor, by the Japanese Navy. – Caused the U. S. to enter the war on the Allied side. • U. S. Pacific fleet was devastated, but Carrier Fleet survived. – Japanese victory.
Battle of Midway • June 3 -6, 1942. – Most important naval battle of the Pacific. – Turning point in naval battles in the Pacific. – Japan wanted to occupy Midway, and lure the American carries into a trap. • American forces decoded Japanese transmissions, set a trap at Midway. – Japan lost four carries, heavy cruiser, many planes. » Americans lost a carrier and a destroyer, 150 planes.
El Alamein 1 • July 1 -27, 1942. – British versus German, Italian forces. • Rommel versus the British. – The British stopped the Germans from getting to Alexandria (Egypt) but could not push the Axis forces out of Egypt. – Stalemate. – Allied casualties: 13, 250 – Axis casualties: German-10, 000. Italian-unknown.
El Alamein 2 • October 23, 1942 -November 4, 1942. – 20 day battle. – Allied offensive against Afrika Korps (Rommel). – Massive Allied offensive to break out of El Alamein. – Drove Axis powers out of Egypt. – 30, 542 Axis casualties. • 13, 560 Allied casualties. • Decisive Allied Victory.
Milne Bay • August 25, 1942 -September 5, 1942. • Setting: New Guinea • Japan versus Australian and U. S. troops. – Japanese troops wanted to take the Australian airfields at Milne Bay. • Allies knew that they were coming. • Japanese landed and advanced. • Pushed back by the air force, 2 nd Australian Imperial Force. • Allied victory.
Operation Torch • November 8 -10, 1942. • British-American invasion of French North Africa. – Done to relieve pressure on the Red Army. • Opened a Second Front. – Invaded Morocco and Algeria. • Vichy French Forces resisted the Allied invasion. – French forces were defeated. • French eventually joined the Allied forces.
Battle of Stalingrad • August 21, 1942 -February 2, 1943. – Soviet Union versus Axis powers. • City warfare. • Turning point on the Eastern Front battle. • Most of the city was reduced to rubble by the Luftwaffe. • January 19, 1942 Soviet troops relieved the city, surrounded German 6 th Army. – German Sixth Army was destroyed.
Guadalcanal • August 7, 1942 -February 9, 1943. – Operation Watchtower. – First offensive by the Allied powers against the Japanese Imperial Forces. • Offensive in the Solomon Islands. • Allied forces, mainly U. S. forces, overwhelmed the Japanese. – February 7, 1943 Japanese forces abandon Guadalcanal.
Battle of Kursk • July 5, 1943 -August 23, 1943. • Largest tank battle in history. • Soviets knew that the Germans were focused on Kursk months in advance. – Soviets planned defenses to slow down the German forces, wear them out. • Soviets then counter-attacked. • First successful summer offensive for Red Army. • Allied victory.
Leyte Gulf • October 23 -26, 1944. • Largest naval battle in history. – Fought in the Philippine Sea. • Allied forces invaded Leyte, U. S. 3 rd and 7 th Fleets defeated remaining Japanese Navy. – Deprived the Japanese Navy of fuel. • First battle that kamikaze fighters were used.
Normandy Campaign • June 6, 1944 -August 25, 1944. – Operation Overlord, Operation Neptune. • Invasion. • Operation Cobra. – Breakout from the beach. • German forces surrounded in the Falais Gap. • Paris liberated, August 25, 1944. • Germans retreat across the Seine on August 30.
Philippine Sea • June 19 -20, 1944. • Decisive battle to end Japanese Naval activity. – Carrier versus carrier battle. • Fifth and final battle. • 5 th U. S. Fleet versus Japanese carriers. – Japanese lost three of five carriers. – 5 th Fleet lost 1 battleship to damage.
Battle of the Bulge • December 16, 1944 -January 25, 1945. – Last German offensive on the Western Front. – Caught the Allies by surprise. • Allies were spread thin in the Ardennes. • British 1 st Army, American 3 rd Army closed the “Bulge. ” • Bloodies battle of World War II.
Battle of Berlin • April 16, 1945 -May 2, 1945. • Last offensive of the European War. • Soviet troops advanced through Prussia to the German border. • Soviet troops surrounded Berlin, then attacked from three directions. • Hitler committed suicide on April 30. • Berlin decimated.
Battle of Iwo Jima • February 19, 1945 -March 16, 1945. • First Japanese territory attacked. – Japanese forces were entrenched in tunnels. – More American (Marine) casualties than Japanese casualties. • Highlights: – Mount Suribachi – 27 MOHs awarded (22 to Marines, 13 to dead soldiers). – John Basilone killed.
Battle of Okinawa April 1, 1945 -June 21, 1945. Operation Iceberg. Largest amphibious assault in the Pacific. U. S. Army and Marine forces invaded the island. • Highest casualty numbers in all of Pacific. • Over 100, 000 Japanese died, over 65, 000 Allied casualties. • •
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