1. World War II Battles

2. Two Main Theaters of War:
European Theater:
England,Soviet Union, and the United States vs Germany and Italy
Fought in Europe and Africa
Pacific Theater:
U.S. vs. Japan
Fought in the Pacific Ocean

3. European Theater of War

4. Battle of Britain (Summer/Fall 1940) “…if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour” – Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
Participants:
Germany vs. England (in England)
Key Facts:
First major campaign fought entirely by air forces (RAF v. Luftwaffe)
Failure of Germany to break Great Britain’s air defenses was their first defeat of the war.

5. London, England

6. Battle of El Alamein (July – November 1942) “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never suffered a defeat.” – Winston Churchill
Participants:
Germany vs. England (in Egypt)
Key Facts:
British Tank General Bernard Montgomery v. German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel “Desert Fox”
Allied victory. Turning point of the war in Africa. Axis powers forced to withdraw.

7. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel “Desert Fox”

8. Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942 – Feb
Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942 – Feb. 1943) “Rodimtsev’s Guardsmen fought and died here for their Motherland.” A soldier of General Rodimtsev’s Army scratched on a wall he died near
Participants:
Germany vs. Soviet Union (in Soviet Union)
Key Facts:
Bloodiest battles in human history. Battle between 2 million men of which there were combined casualties of over 1.5 million soldiers.
Life expectancy of a newly arrived Soviet soldier was less than 1 day.
Allied victory. Turning point of the war in Europe. Axis powers forced to withdraw.

9. Battle of Stalingrad

10. Invasion of Normandy “D-Day” (June 6, 1944) “Make peace, you idiots
Invasion of Normandy “D-Day” (June 6, 1944) “Make peace, you idiots!” - German Field Marshall von Rundstedt to German High Command
Participants:
Germany vs. U.S., England and France (in France)
Key Facts:
Organized by General Dwight D. Eisenhower (U.S.)
Allied retaking of France by landing on the Normandy coast of France.
Largest seaborne invasion in history with over 850,000 Allied troops invading France.
Allied victory. Began the German retreat out of France.

11. U.S. Paratroopers

12. Omaha Beach

13. Last German offensive of the war.
Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 16, 1944 – Jan. 25, 1945) “I have headed off ... seen off ... and ... written off the Germans ” - British General Bernard Montgomery
Participants:
Germany vs. U.S. and England (in Belgium)
Key Facts:
Last German offensive of the war.
Total defeat of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force).
Allied victory. Germans retreat into Germany.

14. Battle of the Bulge

15. Soviet Red Army overpowered the Germans.
Battle of Berlin (April – May, 1945) “Germany will either be a world power or will not be at all ” - Adolph Hitler
Participants:
Germany vs. Soviet Union(in Berlin, Germany)
Key Facts:
Soviet Red Army overpowered the Germans.
Defeat of the German Army. Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide.
Allied victory. End of European Theater of War.

16. Berlin, Germany

17. United States enters war. Japanese tactical victory.
Battle of Pearl Harbor (Dec ) “A day that will live in infamy! ” - Franklin Roosevelt, U.S. President
Participants:
United States vs. Japan (primarily in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii)
Key Facts:
United States enters war.
Japanese tactical victory.

18. Pearl Harbor

19. First time Navy’s engaged each other without seeing one another.
Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4 – 8, 1942) “The battle that saved Australia! ” - U.S. General Frank Fletcher
Participants:
United States vs. Japan (near Australia)
Key Facts:
First time Navy’s engaged each other without seeing one another.
Draw, but kept Japan from invading Australia and stopped the Japanese advance for the first time.

20. Battle of the Coral Sea

21. Most important naval engagement of the war.
Battle of Midway (June 4 – 7, 1942) “Pearl Harbor has been avenged! ” - U.S. Admiral Nimitz
Participants:
United States vs. Japan (near Midway Atoll)
Key Facts:
Most important naval engagement of the war.
Permanently weakened Japanese Navy.
Decisive American victory.

22. Battle of Midway

23. Battle of Midway

24. Largest Naval battle in human history.
Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23 – 26, 1944) “I feel we have lost the war! ” - Admiral Yonai, Japanese Navy
Participants:
United States vs. Japan (The Philippines)
Key Facts:
Largest Naval battle in human history.
First battle in which Japanese aircraft carried out kamikaze attacks.
Decisive American victory.

25. Battle of Leyte Gulf

26. Largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific War.
Battle of Okinawa (Mar. 18 – June 23, 1945) “It was the most intense battle of the war! ” - Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister
Participants:
United States vs. Japan (Okinawa, Japan)
Key Facts:
Largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific War.
Bloodiest battle of the Pacific War.
Okinawa was used as a staging area for future attacks on Japan.
Allied victory.

27. Battle of Okinawa

28. Resulted in 300,000 civilian deaths.
Atomic Bomb (August 6 and 9, 1945) “The use of the atomic bomb, with its indiscriminate killing of women and children, revolts my soul” - Herbert Hoover
Participants:
United States vs. Japan
“Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima on August 6. “Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki on August 9.
Resulted in 300,000 civilian deaths.
Led to Japanese surrender and the end of WW II.

29. Atomic Bomb

30. Hiroshima, August 6, 1945

31. Nagasaki, August 9, 1945