World War II Battles

World War II Battles: Timeline

• World War II began in 1939 with Germany's invasion of Poland, becoming a global conflict between the Allied and Axis powers until 1945.
• The Allied powers included Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
• The Axis powers were led by Germany and Japan.
• Approximately 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians died.

Battle of the Atlantic: September 3, 1939 to May 8, 1945

• It was the war's longest continuous campaign, involving a naval blockade by the Allies against Germany.
• The Axis powers used U-boats for a counter-blockade, initially with success.
• The Allies eventually gained the upper hand through the use of convoys, aircraft, and technology.
• Thousands of ships were involved in over 100 battles, resulting in approximately 100,000 deaths.

Battle of Dunkirk: May 26 to June 4, 1940

• German forces separated the French and British armies.
• Allied forces were marooned around the French coastal town of Dunkirk.
• Adolf Hitler halted Germany's advance, allowing the Allies to evacuate their forces in Operation Dynamo.
• Over 338,000 soldiers were saved in what was later called the “Miracle of Dunkirk.”

Battle of Britain: July 10 to October 31, 1940

• Germany's Luftwaffe launched a four-month air campaign over England, including the Blitz.
• The goal was to destroy Britain's Royal Air Force before an invasion.
• British defense systems, including radar, and the decision to bomb London allowed Britain to regroup and win.

Battle of Crete: May 20 to June 1, 1941

• Nazi paratroopers invaded Crete, marking history's first mostly airborne attack.
• The Germans suffered heavy losses on day one, but Allied forces withdrew due to fears of a sea assault.
• Approximately 4,000 Allies and over 3,000 Germans were killed.

The Siege of Leningrad: September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944

• German and Finnish soldiers began a nearly 900-day siege and blockade of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg).
• Supplies, water, electricity, and transportation were cut off, leading to 1.3 million evacuations.
• Approximately 800,000 civilians died, mostly from hunger.

Battle of Moscow: October 2, 1941 to January 7, 1942

• Germany launched a campaign to capture Moscow before winter, following Operation Barbarossa.
• The Soviets fortified the city and brought in reinforcements.
• The Germans were beaten back and forced to retreat after facing harsh weather and Soviet resistance.

Battle of Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941

• Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Oahu Island, Hawaii.
• Approximately 2,400 U.S. troops were killed and another 1,000 wounded.
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it "a date which will live in infamy."
• The U.S. officially entered World War II, declaring war on Japan, the next day.

Second Battle of Kharkov: May 12-28, 1942

• The Soviet Red Army attacked Kharkov, Ukraine, but German intelligence alerted the Axis.
• The Soviets were forced to concede, facing nearly 300,000 casualties.

Battle of Midway: June 4-7, 1942

• American intelligence broke codes to thwart a Japanese attack on Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean.
• U.S. forces attacked, sinking four of Japan's aircraft carriers.
• The victory was a turning point in the conflict.

Battle of the Guadalcanal Campaign: August 7, 1942 to February 9, 1943

• U.S. forces launched a surprise attack on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, taking control of a strategic airfield.
• Japan finally retreated after six months of hand-to-hand jungle combat.
• Japan suffered 31,000 casualties and lost 38 ships, while the Allies lost 29 ships and 7,100 soldiers.

Battle of Stalingrad: August 23, 1942 to February 2, 1943

• The Red Army defended Stalingrad from German attack, marking a turning point in the war.
• The battle ended with close to 2 million casualties, including civilians.

Operation Torch: November 8-16, 1942

• The Allies invaded French North Africa, led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.
• The Vichy French realigned with the Allies, and Winston Churchill called the victory "the end of the beginning."

Battle of Kursk: July 5 to August 23, 1943

• Military history's largest tank battle took place on the Eastern Front, involving an estimated 6,000 tanks, 4,000 aircraft, and 2 million soldiers.
• Germany attacked the Red Army near Kursk, Russia, but the Soviets were prepared and prevented Hitler from conquering Russia.

Battle of Monte Cassino: January 17 to May 18, 1944

• The Allies attacked the Gustav Line, held by the Axis, at Monte Cassino in Italy.
• The abbey was destroyed in a bomber attack by the Allies, leading to public outcry.
• Polish troops captured the abbey on May 18, leading to the Allied capture of Rome soon after.

Battle of Anzio: January 22 to June 5, 1944

• The Allies landed at Anzio, catching the Germans by surprise, but continued Axis resistance resulted in a stalemate.
• The battle is seen as a failure for the Allies, although it kept German troops from moving to France before the invasion at Normandy.

Battle of the Philippine Sea: June 19-20, 1944

• Japan attacked Allied forces in the Marianas Islands in the war's largest aircraft carrier battle.
• The United States launched a counter-attack, and the battle was called the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" due to minimal U.S. casualties and the Japanese losing some 600 aircraft, two oilers, and three carriers.

Battle of Normandy: June 6 to August 30, 1944

• American, British, and Canadian troops stormed five beaches at Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 6.
• Over 2,000 American casualties were suffered at Omaha Beach, with some 4,000 deaths that day.
• The Allies began their advance across Normandy, eventually liberating Paris.

Battle of Leyte Gulf: October 23-26, 1944

• The Allies invaded the Philippines to retake the commonwealth and create a Southeast Asian blockade.
• Japan deployed its first kamikaze bombers, and the conflict crippled most of Japan's surface fleet.

Battle of the Bulge: December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945

• Hitler's forces launched a surprise counter-attack in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg.
• The Allies regained their positions, and the victory paved the way for the Allies to head to Berlin.

Battle of Iwo Jima: February 19 to March 26, 1945

• U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima seeking a strategic staging area for a possible attack on Japan's mainland.
• The Americans gained control, but 7,000 Marines were killed, with 20,000 wounded.

Battle of Berlin: April 16 to May 2, 1945

• Soviet forces launched an offensive against Berlin, and Hitler committed suicide April 30 in the Führerbunker.
• Germany surrendered a few days later, essentially ending the war.

Battle of Okinawa: April 1 to June 22, 1945

• U.S. Army and Marine forces invaded Okinawa to execute air strikes against Japan and create a blockade.
• The Japanese counter-attacked with kamikaze attacks, sinking 26 Allied ships and damaging nearly 170 more.
• More than 100,000 Japanese were killed, along with 150,000 civilians.