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Battle of Dunkirk/Operation Dynamo
Date: May 26-June 4, 1940
Combatants: British Expeditionary Force, Allied Powers
Casualties/deaths: 11,000 British casualties, 50,000 remained captured
Military Leaders: General John Gort(British), Hermann Goering(German)
Outcome/results: The evacuation at Dunkirk involved hundreds of naval and civilian vessels to come to the aid of allied troops residing in France. Over 338,000 BEF were brought to safety and, though not pretty, the mission was a success. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Date: August 22, 1942 - February 2, 1943
Combatants: Germany, the Soviet Union
Casualties/deaths: 800,000 German casualties, 1,100,000 Soviet casualties
Military Leaders: Fedor von Bock(German), Vasily Chuikov(Soviet Union)
Outcome/results: This battle stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide for the allies. -
Battle of Moscow
Date: September 30, 1941 to January 7, 1942
Combatants: Germany and Soviet Union
Casualties/deaths: 600,000-1,300,000 Soviet casualties, 250,000-400,000 German casualties
Military Leaders: Ivan Klimov(Soviet), Wolfram von Richthofen(German)
Outcome/results: The Battle of Moscow was the climax of Germany's Operation Barbarossa. The harsh weather conditions and lack of fresh troops eventually drove the Germans out. -
Battle of Pearl Harbor
Date: July 7, 1941
Combatants: The US and Japan
Casualties/deaths: 3,400 US casualties, fewer than 100 Japanese casualties
Military Leaders: Yamamoto Isoroku(Japan), Nagumo Chuichi(Japan), Husband E. Kimmel(US), Walter C. Short(US)
Outcome/results: Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack launched by Japan on Oahu Island, Hawaii. The US lost nearly 20 naval vessels and over 2,000 dead. This was the entry of the US in WWII. -
Battle of Midway
Date: June 3-June 6, 1942
Combatants: Japan, the US
Casualties/deaths: 3,000 Japanese killed, 317 Americans
Military Leaders: Marc A Mitscher(American) Chester W Nimitz, Yamamoto Isoroku(Japanese)
Outcome/results: This battle was fought almost all in the air. The US defeated Japan's well trained pilots and stifled the fear of further Japanese invasion in the Pacific. -
Battle of Iwo Jima
Date: February 19, 1945 - March 26, 1945
Combatants: Japan, the US
Casualties/deaths: 21,000 Japanese killed, 28,000 Americans
Military Leaders: William Daniel Leahy(US), Douglas MacArthur(US), Kuribayashi Tadamichi(Japanese)
Outcome/results: This battle was fought on the Japanese Island of Iwo Jima, about 760 miles from Tokyo. It was a costly victory for the US, being one of the bloodiest battles for US Marine Corps. -
Battle of Kursk
Dates: July 5, 1943 to August 23, 1943
Combatants: Germany and the Soviet Union
Casualties/deaths: 800,000 Soviet casualties, 200,000 German casualties
Military Leaders: Walther Model(German), Georgi Zhukov(Soviet)
Outcome/results: The Battle of Kursk ended Germany's dream of conquering Russia and was their last chance to gain dominance in Eastern Europe. The Soviets won, but that also came with huge losses. -
Battle of Bulge
Date: December 16, 1944 to January 16, 1945
Combatants: Germany, United Kingdom, the US
Casualties/deaths: 75,000 allied casualties, 120,000 German casualties
Military Leaders: Dwight D Eisenhower(US), Gerd Von Rundstedt(German), George Patton(US)
Outcome/results: This was the last major German offensive on the West front. Hitler tried to divide the allied forces coming to Germany, but it failed. The cold weather conditions also prevented momentum and caused many deaths. -
Battle of Normandy/D-Day
Date: June 6-July 9,, 1944
Combatants: Germany, US, Great Britain, Canada(allied forces)
Casualties/deaths: 135,000(American), 65,000(Great Britain), 18,000(Canadian), 320,000(German) casualties
Military Leaders: Dwight D Eisenhower(American), Erwin Rommel(German)
Outcome/results: At the time, it was the largest naval, air, and land operation in history, with nearly 360,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles, and 100,000 tons of equipment landing. It was also a major psychological blow on the Germans. -
Battle of Berlin
Date: April 20, 1945 to May 2, 1945
Combatants: Germany and Soviet Union
Casualties/deaths: 100,000 Soviet casualties, German casualties unknown
Military Leaders: Ivan Konev(Soviet), Georgiy Zhukov(Soviet), Helmuth Weidling(German)
Outcome/results: The Battle of Berlin was one of the final battles of WWII. Hitler was convinced that Berlin could be saved, but after the red army had them enclosed on all sides with no hope remaining he committed suicide(April 30) and the German forces surrendered.