Battles of WWII

Dunkirk -- May 1940 Not really a battle, but a massive evacuation of Allied soldiers from France. The British used fishing boats and even small life boats to cross the English Channel and return with the troops. Over 20 miles across!

Battle of Britain -- June 1940 Germans bomb Britain, attempting to destroy the British Air Force (RAF). First military campaign to be fought only by air forces. Although London was heavily damaged, the British did not give in to Hitler and proved that Hitler’s advances could be stopped!

Battle of Britain

FILM FOOTAGE FROM THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN 0DM GLw MhhE

Operation Barbarossa -- June 1941 Hitler’s plan to send 3 to 4 million troops to invade the Soviet Union, breaking the Non-Aggression Pact with Stalin

Operation Barbarossa By the end of the year, more than 3 million Russians had been taken prisoner and another million were dead. Film Footage from Operation Barbarossa sInw

Pearl Harbor -- December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii – ‘the date which shall live in infamy” This surprise attack killed over 2400 Americans and destroyed 6 ships and 188 airplanes. Photo taken by a Japanese pilot as he bombs the American base

Pearl Harbor

Battle of the Coral Sea -- May 1942 Fought entirely by planes launched from aircraft carriers. The Japanese and American ships never sighted each other – instead all attacks made by airplanes Halted Japanese expansion southward

Battle of the Coral Sea 9hVVUY

Battle of Midway -- June 1942 American code breakers knew that the attack would take place American pilots took out the majority of Japanese air craft carriers Japan was never successfully on the offensive again Started ‘island hopping’ to push Japanese back to Japan Midway is a tiny island in the Pacific

Battle of Midway

Battle of Stalingrad -- August 1942 Largest battle on the Eastern front in the USSR Hitler bombed the city extensively before invading Hitler proclaimed victory, stating “Germans will never leave this city.” THEN…winter set in trapping Germans without supplies and fuel – Soviets used scorched-earth Ultimately, the Soviets were successful in defeating the German Army. **Who else in history made this same bone-headed move?!?!?

Battle of Stalingrad

Film footage from the Battle of Stalingrad WqpbM Clip from Enemy at the Gates Tvt4

Battle of El Alamein -- October 1942 Fought in the deserts of Africa between the Allies and Axis powers The Axis powers hoped to control Egypt and the Suez Canal Allied troops (Americans) commanded by General Eisenhower helped the Allies obtain victory and control of the canal

Battle of El Alamein

Operation Torch -- November 1942 American General Eisenhower led an invasion of the north coast of Africa. The only serious fighting took place in the city of Algiers. ZZ1xw0dEhttps:// ZZ1xw0dE

Battle of Guadalcanal – February 1943 First major Allied offensive against Japan It was important to secure Guadalcanal to protect Australia from Japanese invasion Allied soldiers were victorious after a month long battle but soldiers who were captured endured torturous conditions – called it the ‘island of death’

Guadalcanal

Operation Overlord or D Day -- June 1944 Allies invade 5 beaches in Normandy, France to free France from the Germans Those landing in Omaha Beach, under Gen. Omar Bradley, almost failed under German fire Known as the largest sea borne invasion in history  3 million men  16 million tons of supplies  5,000 large ships  4,000 landing craft  11,000 aircraft Tehran Conference – where Churchill, FDR, and Stalin met to plan this

D-Day

Battle of the Bulge -- December 1944 Hitler’s last desperate offensive Dec – Germans race toward Belgium to cut off Allied supplies US ground troops and aircraft respond quickly, causing 100,000 German casualties Led to German surrender

Battle of the Bulge pHgsk