Military Battles

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WHEN: 3 September 1939 – 8 May 1945
WHERE:Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Gulf of St. Lawrence etc..
WHO:Grand Admiral Karl Donitz, commander of the German U-Boat force, Admiral Max Horton Commander in Chief Western Approaches Britain.
WHAT: This nearly 6 year battle was fought between Germany and Great Britain. Within hours of the declaration of war on Germany, the germans sunk the ship SS Athenia, thus beginning the Battle of Atlantic. Hitler used every advatange possible to weaken the British starting by cutting off all food and military equipment being given to them by allied countries. British supply ships crossed in convoys and the ships that brought in food were slow and they could barely protect themselves. German ships would form groups called wolfpacks, they were mass-attack tactics used against convoys by German U-boats. After the fall of France the Germans had dierct access to the Atlantic which proved to be a huge problem for the British and a large advantage for the Germans. For 5 years and 8 months, over 5000 ships were sunk, the height of it being in 1942 where 1661 ships were sunk. With all this being said, how did the Britsh survive this ongoing violent onslaught? The convoys carrying supplies and food were escorted by corvettes which were must faster and stronger. A mixture or bad weather and new technological advances all helped the much need support for the British. In the end, the germans failed to stop the oncoming supplies going to Britain. This proved fatal for them because the soldiers that arrived there by ship were ultimaley the ones who were invovled in the D-Day landings. Victory finally came when the british destroyed the German U-Boat, this ensured that the vicotry would be celbrated in Britain.
WHY: After Britain decalred war on Germany on September 3rd, Germany was quick to attack the British ships and thus the Battle of Atlantic begins. Hitler wanted to cripple Britains food and military supplies so he could starve them out as he liked to say. After he conquoer Britaim he could then turn his attention elsewhere and continue on his path of domination.
SIGNIFICANCE: This was the longest battle of World War II, it was vital that the British won because if they hadnt it would have been a detrimental loss and Germany would have gained more power and maybe even won the war.

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WHERE: France
WHO: General Gerd von Rundstedt, the commander of Army Group A and Maurice Gamelin, Supreme Commander of the French Army

WHY: After defeating and capturing countries such as Lithuania, Poland, Denmark, and Latvia, Germany then turned its attention to Britain and France. In the case since France was in direct line of fire, it was not surprising they were to be first. Germany wanted to gain more territory while also taking back what was already “there's”.
WHAT: France was gearing up for a defense against the German invasion they knew was coming. Germany has been allowed to push the restrictions placed on them after World War I by an arms buildup, re-militarizing the Rhine, and dominating both Austria and Czechoslovakia. This gives them both an advantage and a sense of superiority because of the lack of opposition. By this time, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands have already fallen to the Germans in northern Europe and an assault against the northern channel ports was expected to be the next target. In May 1940, French forces supported by the British were concentrated in northern France where they expected the Germans to attack from, just like in WWI, but the Germans instead launched their assault and entered France through the Ardennes where the blitzkrieg was met by little French resistance. The key effect of the blitzkrieg into France was the division of Allied forces which were effectively split in two and backing up the British Expeditionary Force and the French First Army to the English Channel. In the meantime, Italy has also declared war against France. By mid-June, French Premier Paul Reynaud has resigned and the Germans have now captured the city of Paris. There use of the Luftwaffe showed complete air superiority giving the French no chance since they were not only dominating on the ground but in the air also. Outnumbered and outgunned the French quickly succumbed to the Germans.

SIGNIFICANCE: This battle shows the strong and powerful country of France falling within a matter of days. Germany very easily defeated the country with their new found strategy the blitzkrieg. The conquest of France from Germany shifted and shredded the balance of power in Europe. With France out of the equation Britain was the only major problem at the moment that could cause uncertainty for their eventually planned world domination.

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WHERE: Dunkirk, France
WHO:General Lord Gort of the Allies, General Gerd von Rundstedt of the Axis
WHAT: This was a battle between the Allies and the Axis powers in Dunkirk, France. Despite efforts the allies were unable to stop german advancement through the English Channel. As the German troops were crossing the canal to Dunkirk the attack on Arras began, this confused Hitler who then ordered the push on Dunkirk to be halted. British troops no longer had any ammunition in Arras and were defeated unable to successfully break through the Panzer units. So on May 25 the government decided the troops were to retreat to Dunkirk where hopefully most of them could be saved. General Gerd von Rundstedt reccommened the army to halt for three days, this unintentionally gave the Allies time to organise an evacuation and build a defensive line. Boats over every size came to rescue soldiers and after 8 days 330,000 soldiers were successfully saved! This evacuation is sometimes referred to the miracle of Dunkirk, or strategy wise Operation Dynamo.
WHY: To gain more territory and hit a lethal blow to the Allies by destroying and killing many troops.
SIGNIFICANCE: The victory not only saved british soldiers but a significant amount of Polish, French, Dutch, and Belgian too. Losing the 330,000 troops from Dunkirk would have left Britain with a strong weakness and known to be uncapable of resisting an invasion. This may have forced Britain to surrender and cause a lethal blow to British morale. Deemed a stunning success the evactuion of the troops was worth while since these troops later on fought in later wars ahead.

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WHERE: Britain
WHO: Hermann Göring, the commander of the Luftwaffe and Hugh Dowding commander of RAF Fighter Command.
WHY: Germany's main objective was to destroy and cripple Britain's air force, or force Britain’s hand in signing an armistice with Germany. Hitler knew that he must gain air superiority over Britain to assure his success. Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Britain, knew if the Luftwaffe gained air superiority it wouldn’t be long before they would be on home soil.
WHAT: Casualties were high for Britain however, for every British aircraft that went down the Germans lost three Luftwaffe's as well. The new technological advancement made, radars, helped Britain out immensely when preparing for air raids from the Germans. They could no longer be surprised and soldiers could prepare ahead thus preventing many ground losses. In the end Germany lost 1,700 planes to the British's 900. The Battle of Britain marked the first defeat of Hitler's military forces, with air superiority seen as the key to victory.
SIGNIFICANCE: This battle was very significant because it was Germany's first serious setback in their plans of world domination. It showed that the German's weren't unstoppable and were possible to defeat. This also showed how superior Britain Air Force was compared to the Germans. This battle was the most important because if Britain had lost it then no sooner would German troops be on home soil and would have probably defeated them.

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WHERE: Eastern Europe/U.S.S.R
WHO: Generals Manstein and Guderian of Germany, Georgy Zhukov Soviet career officer in the Red Army.
WHY: Operation Barbarossa was an attack against the U.S.S.R. Hitler knew he had to take out the Russians in order to be fully safe on either side geographically. This ambitious operation set out by Hitler was to sate his desire to conquer the better half of Russia so he could complete his goal of world domination.
WHAT: Adolf Hitler launched his great attack into the Soviet Union by using his famous blitzkrieg tactics and crushed the Soviet armies then swept through western Russia. Operation Barbarossa ended in the winter, with the German Army split into 3 directions, one pointing at, and nearly taking, Moscow, one pointed at Leningrad, and one sweeping into the Caucasus in a wild bid to take the Russian oilfields. All three attacks bogged down with winter. It was a done deal that U.S.S.R was about to lose, but Mother Nature fortunately for the Russians came with a vengeance. The German army was not prepared for the winter war; with temperatures dipping below the freezing mark the Germans didn’t stand a chance. Cold and hungry Germany eventually lost on all three major battles. Stalingrad cost them their biggest, best equipped army, and was the real turning point for the whole war in Europe.
SIGNIFICANCE: Operation Barbarossa's failure led to Hitler's demands for further operations inside the USSR, all of which eventually failed. Operation Barbarossa was the largest military operation in human history in both manpower and casualties. Its failure was a turning point in the Third Reich. Most importantly, Operation Barbarossa opened up the Eastern Front, to which more forces were committed than in any other theater of war in world history. Regions covered by the operation became the site of some of the largest battles, deadliest atrocities, highest casualties, and most horrific conditions for Soviets and Germans alike.

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WHEN: 7 Dec 1941
WHERE: U.S. Naval Base near Honolulu, Hawaii
WHO: Hundreds of Jpanese fighter planes attacked the American Naval Base.
WHY: The Japanese were tired of negotiations with the United States. They wanted to continue their expansion within Asia but the United States had placed an extremely restrictive embargo on Japan in the hopes of curbing Japan's aggression. Negotiations to solve their differences hadn't been going well. Rather than giving in to U.S. demands, the Japanese decided to launch a surprise attack against the United States in an attempt to destroy the United States' naval power even before an official announcement of war was given.
WHAT: On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began. At 6:00 a.m., the Japanese aircraft carriers began launching their planes amid rough sea. In total, 183 Japanese aircraft took to the air as part of the first wave of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
At 7:15 a.m., the Japanese aircraft carriers, plagued by even rougher seas, launched 167 additional planes to participate in the second wave of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The first wave of Japanese planes reached the U.S. Naval Station at Pearl Harbor (located on the south side of the Hawaiian island of Oahu) at 7:55 a.m. on December 7, 1941. Just before the first bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor, Commander Mitsuo Fuchida, leader of the air attack, called out, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" ("Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"), a coded message which told the entire Japanese navy that they had caught the Americans totally by surprise.
SIGNIFICANCE: The attack at Pearl Harbor so outraged Americans that the U.S. abandoned its policy of isolationism and declared war on Japan the following day -- officially bringing the United States into World War II.

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WHEN: 4th-7th June of 1942
WHERE: The Battle of Midway, fought over and near the tiny U.S. mid-Pacific base at Midway atoll, represents the strategic high water mark of Japan's Pacific Ocean war. Prior to this action, Japan possessed general naval superiority over the United States and could usually choose where and when to attack. After Midway, the two opposing fleets were essentially equals, and the United States soon took the offensive.
WHO: Japanese Combined Fleet commander Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto moved on Midway in an effort to draw out and destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet's aircraft carrier striking forces
WHY: Because US Pacific fleet had embarrassed the Japanese Navy in the mid-April Doolittle Raid on Japan's home islands and at the Battle of Coral Sea in early May.
WHAT: He planned to quickly knock down Midway's defenses, follow up with an invasion of the atoll's two small islands and establish a Japanese air base there. He expected the U.S. carriers to come out and fight, but to arrive too late to save Midway and in insufficient strength to avoid defeat by his own well-tested carrier air power.
SIGNIFICANCE: It is a turning point of battle of the Pacific theatre. What is important is that the American Pacific Fleet defeated the Japanese fleet by sinking four of the Japanese aircraft carriers as well as one heavy cruiser. The Americans lost one aircraft carrier and one destroyer. Naval aviation was confirmed as the most important element of combat in the pacific. The Japanese had lost their irreplaceable aircraft carriers and their equally irreplaceable pilots.

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WHERE: El Alamein, Egypt
WHO: Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery of Britain, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel of Germany
WHAT: The Battle of El Alamein was fought in the deserts of North Africa. The first battle had only stalled the Axis advance into Egypt. The biggest threat that the Allies faced was if th Axis powers gained control of the Suez Canal, and very vital trading route for Britain. They would also gain acess to the middle east and oil fields if won. Churchill was in desperate need for a victory to boost up morale for Britiain and this was the perfect solution. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was chosen to lead the attack against the Axis. On October 23, Operation Lightfoot was intiatied. Operation lightfoot was launched to remove Rommel from El Alamein. The idea was to send in infantry too light to trip the anti tank mines as well as sappers to clear a road for the tanks. Although the operation failed it destroyed enough of Rommel's forces to convince him to retreat.
WHY:The Battle of El Alamein was fought for control of the Suez Canal. The Suez canal was a major supply route to European allies. If the Germans had won they would have access to the large oil fields in the middle east.
SIGNIFICANCE: The victory was the turning point for the Allies in Western Desert Campaign. Churchill believed "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat." This quote descirbes how important this win was for the Allies.

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WHEN: 1st September 1942
WHERE: The Germans attack on the suburbs of Stalingrad.
WHO: In September 1942, German Commander of the sixth army, General Paulus assisted by the Fourth Panzer army advanced on the city of Stalingrad.
WHY: General Paulus primary task was to secure the oil fields in the Caucasus and to do this He was ordered by Hitler to take Stalingrad.
WHAT: The battle for the city descended into one of the most brutal in WW2. Individual Individual streets were fought over using hand-to-hand combat. The Germans took a great deal of the city but they failed to fully assert their authority. Areas captured by the Germans during the day, were re-taken by the Russians at night. On November 19th, the Russians were in a position whereby they could launch a counter-offensive. Marshal Zhukov used six armies of one million men to surround the city. The 5th tank regiment led by Romanenko attacked from the north as did the 21st Army (led by Chistyakov), the 65th Army (led by Chuikov) and the 24th Army (led by Galinin). The 64th, 57th and 521st armies attacked from the south. The attacking armies met up on November 23rd at Kalach with Stalingrad to the east. The bulk of the Sixth Army –some 250,000 to 300,000 men - was in the city and Zhukov, having used his resources to go around the city, north and south, had trapped the Germans in Stalingrad. Paulus could have broken out of this trap in the first stages of Zhukov’s attack but was forbidden from doing so by Hitler. Unable to break out, the Germans also had to face the winter. Temperatures dropped to well below zero and food, ammunition and heat were in short supply.
SIGNIFICANCE: The Battle of Stalingrad is considered by many historians to have been the turning point in World War Two in Europe. The battle at Stalingrad bled the German army dry in Russia and after this defeat; the Germany Army was in full retreat. One of the ironies of the war is that the German Sixth
Army need not have got entangled in Stalingrad. Army Groups A and B were well on their way to the Caucasus in south-west Russia, when Hitler ordered an attack on Stalingrad. From a strategic point of view it would have been unwise to have left a major city unconquered in your rear as you advanced. However, some historians believe that Hitler ordered the taking of Stalingrad simply because of the name of the city and Hitler's hatred of Joseph Stalin. For the same reason Stalin ordered that the city had to be saved.

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WHEN: 6th June 1944
WHERE: It took place at the beaches on the Normandy coast in north western France.
WHO: Allies: General Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group comprising General Miles Dempsey's 2nd Army and General Omar Bradley's US 1st Army; 6th Airborne Division; US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions; Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey's Allied Naval Expeditionary Force
Germany: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Army Group B comprising General Friedrich Dollmann's 7th Army and General Hans von Salmuth's 15th Army; four Panzer divisions held in army reserve
WHY: The establishment of Allied beachheads on the Normandy coast, a successful start to the Allies' invasion of North West Europe.
WHAT: The initial attack would be carried out by 175000 men in another of the now common amphibious assaults. This day the Allied troops were to take five beaches. Beaches named Utah and Omaha were to be taken by the Americans while the British took Gold and Sword. The fifth beach Juno was left to the Canadian forces.
SIGNIFICANCE: Disoriented by Allied deception operations, the Germans had not taken the overnight operations seriously enough to alert Rommel or Hitler, both asleep in Germany. As a result, their ability to repel the landings was fatally compromised; four tank divisions under Hitler's personal command were not mobilised until late afternoon, and played no part in the first day's battles. The landings were further secured by air and naval support. Even the near disastrous Omaha landings - where high flying bombers had left much of the coastal artillery intact - ended with the establishment of a precarious beachhead. The outcome of the landings was a tribute to the care with which they had been prepared.