Key Battles of WWII How did the Allies win the war?
Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1945 (January 1942 July 1943 were decisive) Around 100,000 casualties; several thousand U-Boats destroyed. Longest continuous military campaign in WWII. Allied naval blockade against Germany, who launched a counter-attack. Resulted in an Allied victory.
Battle of France Fall of France May 10 June 25, 1940 469,000 casualties German offensive of France. Germany successfully invaded France and defeated the French forces. British government pulled back troops and retreated when they were pushed back by the Germans. France remained under German control until it was liberated in 1944.
Battle of London, The Blitz September 7, 1940 May 10, 1941 Around 4,000 aircrafts destroyed and 5,500 casualties. Air campaign launched by the German Air force (Luftwaffe). Germans launched Blitzkrieg: every night for 10 weeks, London was bombed. First major campaign fought entirely by air forces. Germany failed to destroy Britain s air force; this battle is considered the first major Nazi defeat and a critical turning point in the war.
Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 Nearly 3,000 casualties. Japanese offensive attack on the US Naval base in Hawaii. Prompted the US to declare war on Japan.
Battle of Guam (Western Pacific Ocean) December 8, 1941 About 500 casualties; damage to equipment). Japanese forces took the island from the Americans in December 1941, prompting FDR to ask Congress to declare war. The US won back Guam in 1944.
Battle of Midway (North Pacific Ocean) June 3-6,1942 Around 3,500 casualties and 250 carriers, destroyers, and aircraft carriers destroyed. The most important naval campaign of the Pacific Theatre. US Navy decisively defeated an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) attack against Midway Atoll, inflicting irreparable damage on the Japanese fleet. "The most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare."
Battle of Moscow (Russia) October 2, 1941 January 7, 1942 1,000,000 casualties. German strategic offensive aimed at Moscow, one of the primary military and political objectives for Axis Forces in their invasion of the Soviet Union. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler. Overall, the battle was a stinging defeat for the Axis and it ended German hopes for a quick and decisive victory over the Soviet Union.
Battle of Guadalcanal (Soloman Islands, Pacific Ocean) Operation Watchtower August 7, 1942 February 9,1943 Around 40,000 casualties. First major Allied offensive against the empire of Japan. Guadalcanal marked the transition by the Allies from defensive operations to the strategic offensive in that theatre and the beginning of offensive operations, including the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and Central Pacific campaigns, that resulted in Japan's eventual surrender and the end of World War II.
Battle of Stalingrad (Russia) August 21, 1942 - February 2, 1943 1,250,000 1,798,619 casualties. A major and decisive battle in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of Stalingrad. One of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. The Russian winter played a critical role in the Nazi defeat and retreat.
Battle of Normandy (France) Operation Overlord, D-Day June 6, 1944 (D-Day) August 25, 1944 Around 21,000 casualties Allied offensive including several decoy missions. Normandy was secured for the Allies; victory launched the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.
Battle of the Bulge (Alsace-Lorraine Region, western Europe) December 16, 1944 - January 25, 1945 186,369 casualties Largest and bloodiest battle fought by the Americans. German offensive launched launched through the Ardennes mountain region in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. Allies defeated the Germans, leaving them depleted of troops and resources and forcing them to retreat to the Sigfried line.
Battle of Iwo Jima (Volcanic Islands, South of Japan) February 19 - March 16, 1945 Around 50,000 casualties The US defeated the Japanese and were able to secure the island as a critical base for landing planes. Critical allied victory.
Battle of Okinawa (Japan) Operation Iceberg April 1 June 21, 1945 (82 days) Largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War. Highest number of casualties in the Pacific theatre (165,000; plus as many as 150,000 civilians) US secured the island a critical strategic victory.
Battle of Berlin (Germany) April 16 May 2, 1945 1,298,745 casualties. Final major offensive of the European Theatre. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. Allied troops liberated Berlin and ended the Nazi regime. Concentration Camps were liberated during this time.
V-E Day (Europe) May 8, 1945 Official surrender of Nazi Germany marking the end of WWII in the Atlantic theater
Atomic Bombs August 6, 1945: Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima, Japan August 9, 1945: Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki, Japan August 15, 1945: Japan surrendered to the Allies.
V-J Day (Japan) September 2, 1945 Official end of WWII. Japanese emperor Hirohito announced his acceptance of the Potsdam Conference on August 15, 1945. Over 100 US POWs were executed and many Japanese soldiers committed suicide.