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Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest battle of World War II. It began when the British declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939 and ended when Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945. Thousands of ships were sunk. Tens of thousands of men were killed in the Atlantic Ocean, also. U-boats had huge success against Allied convoys, sinking merchant ships with torpedoes and submerging them to evade counterattacks. The battle reached its peak between February and May of 1943. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was between the German Luftwaffe, led by Hermaan Göring, and the British Royal Air force, led by Sir Hugh Dowding. This lasted between July 1940 and October 1940. The battle was the result of a German plan to gain an advantage over Southern Britain and the English Channel by destroying the British aircraft industry. In May 1940, German forces had taken over Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France by using blitzkrieg. The climax of the battle came on 15 September. -
Battle of El Alamein, Egypt
North African campaign between the British Empire and the German-Italian army. Having a far larger army of soldiers and tanks than the opposition, British commander Bernard Law Montgomery launched an infantry attack at El Alamein om German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel returned to battle from illness and tried to halt the tide, but the British advantage in personnel and artillery proved too overwhelming. -
Battle of Stalingrad
One of the bloodiest battles in history. Combined military and civilian casualties of nearly 2 million. Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War. This battle is considered a big turning point in World War II on the Eastern Front. The Soviet victory at Stalingrad was very humiliating for Hitler. Stalin gained confidence in his military. -
Operation Torch
The Allied invasion of French North Africa. It was the first time the British and Americans had jointly worked on an invasion plan together. Stalin’s Russia had been pressing the Allies to start a new front against the Germans in the western section of the war in Europe. In 1942, the British did not feel strong enough to attack Germany via France but the victory at El Alamein in November 1942 was a great stimulus to the Allies. -
Invasion of Sicily/Italy
After defeating Italy and Germany in the North African Campaign of World War II, the United States and Great Britain looked ahead to the invasion of Europe and the final defeat of Nazi Germany. When the Allies won the North African Campaign on May 13, 1943, a quarter-million German and Italian troops surrendered at Tunisia, on the north coast of Africa. The invasion of Sicily was code-named Operation Husky. German and Italian armies managed to evacuate many men, supplies, and ammunition. -
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy. Commander of Operation Overlord was Dwight Eisenhower. It required the involvement of men of Britain and France. One of the first plans was known as the COSSAC (Combined Anglo-American) plan. Overlord had built into it the movement of a total of 3 million men in 47 divisions, moved by 6,000 ships with aerial cover provided by 5,000 fighter planes. -
Battle of the Bulge
Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe with a surprise blitzkrieg attack through the Ardennes to Antwerp. American units fought desperate battles to stop German advancement into St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes, the Allied line looked like a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. Lieutenant General George S. Patton was successful in maneuvering the Third Army to Bastogne. -
Hitler Commits Suicide
Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany, burrowed away in a refurbished air-raid shelter, consumed a cyanide capsule, then shot himself with a pistol. The body of Hitler was cremated in the chancellery garden by the bunker survivors, Der Fuhrer’s orders, and reportedly later recovered in part by Russian troops. The German court didn't officially declare Hitler dead until 1956. -
VE Day
The public holiday celebrated on 8 May 1945 (7 May in Commonwealth realms) to mark acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's surrender of its armed forces. On this day, Great Britain and the United States celebrate victory. This was the day when German troops in Europe finally laid down their arms. The main concern of German soldiers was to avoid Soviet forces and keep from being taken as prisoners.
