World
War 2: Battles & Campaigns
Battles and Campaigns
World
War 2: Battles & Campaigns
Battles and Campaigns
European Theater:
Polish Campaign (1939)--The invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union. This marks the beginning of fighting in Europe.Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)--The struggle for control of the Atlantic Ocean. This naval campaign is best known for the use of submarines (U-boats) by the Germans and the convoy system by the Allies.
The Winter War (1939-1940)--A largely forgotten part of the Second World War is the attack on Finland by the Soviet Union. This is during the early part of the war when Germany and the Soviets were more-or-less allies.
"Phony War" (1939-1940)--The period between the Polish campaign and the German conquest of France saw a fairly quite "Western Front" along the Franco-German border.
The Invasions of Norway and Denmark (1940)--Germany invaded these two Scandinavian nations partly to keep the British from seizing parts of Norway first. Hitler also sought to ensure the supply of iron ore from Sweden, which traveled through Norway.
The Battle For France (1940)--The lightning-quick invasion and conquest of France, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg by Germany.
- Dunkirk (1940)--The British snatched survival from the jaws of defeat by rescuing hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the beach at the French town of Dunkirk.
North Africa Campaigns (1940-1943) (See Below)
The Battle of Britain (1940)--Germany's unsuccessful attempt to destroy Britain's Royal Air Force as a prelude to an invasion of the British Isles.
The Balkans (1940-1941)--Italy's weak attempt to conquer Greece leads to Germany's invasion of the Balkans. Axis forces conquer Yugoslavia and Greece.
The Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)--Hitler's rather stupid invasion of his former ally, the Soviet Union. The Soviets would lose more than 20 million dead, but at the end, Berlin, the German capitol, was captured by the Soviets Berlin and eastern Germany remained occupied by the Communist Russians for over 40 years.
Allied Invasion/Liberation of Italy (1943-1945)-- Following the surrender of Axis forces in North Africa, Allied troops invade Sicily and mainland Italy. This causes Mussolini's fall from power and Italy's switch from the Axis to the Allies.
Air War over Europe (1943-1945)--The bombing campaign that crushed German industry, wiped the Luftwaffe from the skies and destroyed Germany's infrastructure and cities.
D-Day/Normandy Campaign (1944)--Allied invasion of German-held French coast establishes a solid second front to relieve German pressure on the Soviet Union.
Liberation of France (1944-1945)--After the successful landings at Normandy, Allied forces push the Germans back to the German frontier
- Battle of the Bulge (1944)--Hitler's last-ditch, but unsuccesful, attempt to drive the Allies back.
The Fall of Germany (1945)----Allied forces from West, East and South converge on Germany and Hitler kills himself. The war in Europe is over, but the Cold War is just beginning.
Italy's Invasion of EgyptBritish Counter-attack into Libya
Rommel's Afrika Corps Campaigns
Battle of Gazala-Bir Hakim (May 28-June 13, 1942)Battle of El Alamein (October, 1942)
American Invasion of Vichy North Africa
Middle Eastern Theater:
Anglo-Iraqi War of 1941British and Free French Invasion of Vichy Syria and Lebanon (June-July 1941)
British and Soviet Invasion and Occupation of Iran (1941-1945)
Pacific Theater:
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941)
China-Burma-India Theater:
Sino-Chinese War (1937-1945)Burma (Chindit) Campaign (1942-1945)