1. European and Pacific Fronts
Battles of World War II
European and Pacific Fronts

2. War in the Europe Theater
# 1. Dunkirk
#2. Battle of Britain
#3. Stalingrad
#4. Sicily / Italian campaign
#5. D-day / Invasion of Normandy
#6. Battle of the Bulge

3. #1. Dunkirk Date: May 26, 1940- June 4, 1940 Location: Dunkirk, France
Details: Allies northern/southern forces separated by German advance pushed back to Dunkirk (beach on the English Channel)
Hitler ordered the attack to stop at Dunkirk – He thought Britain would surrender. This allowed the allies to regroup and strengthen their defences
Operation Dynamo – evacuation of troops by fishing vessels and yachts
Significance: A major moral booster for the Allied forces even though the British were forced to abandon many weapons such as tanks and artillery.

5. The Battle of Britain Date: July-September 1940
Location: Air over England and the English Channel
Details: The Luftwaffe launched a large scale attack, intent on wiping out Britain's air defenses. The pilots of the RAF, who became known as "The Few", stood up to wave after wave of German fighters and bombers sending a clear message to Hitler that Britain would never surrender.
Britain’s decisive victory saved the country from a ground invasion and possible occupation by German forces while proving that air power alone could be used to win a major battle.

6. #3. Stalingrad Date: August 1942 – Feb. 1943 Location: Russia
Details: Major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad. Marked by constant hand to hand fighting and disregard for civilian casualties, it is among the bloodiest battles of the war.
Significance: it is the turning point in the war for the Soviet Union.

7. #4. Sicily / Italian Invasion
Date: July 1943.
Location: Sicily & Italy
Details: Patton invaded Sicily. Took the island in 30 days and moved onto mainland Italy.
Italy removed Mussolini from power, yet Nazi forces evacuated him to northern Italy. Allies progress slowed due to Nazi reinforcement. Slow, fierce fighting until May 1944.

8. #5. D-day / Invasion of Normandy
Date: June 6, 1944 (know this date)
Location: France
Details: Called Operation Overlord, designed by Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was the largest amphibious land attack in history. Launched from G.B. 150,000 troops crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches in Normandy, France. Fierce fighting to liberate France, and get them back on the Allies side in the war.

10. #6. Battle of the Bulge Date: December 1944
Location: Belgium & Luxembourg
Details: Germany launched a “final push” towards France. This counterattack pushed back Allied forces, but reinforcements sent to the battle stopped the German advance.
It was the largest battle in Western Europe during WWII. After, Nazi leaders recognized the war was lost.

11. #7. Elbe River Date: April 25, 1945 Location: Germany
Details: Soviet troops moving from the east met with American troops moving from the west. This event symbolized the liberation of all of Europe from Nazi control.
April 30, 1945 – Hitler commits suicide.
May 8, 1945 – German surrender (V-E Day)

12. Pacific Front

13. War in the Pacific #1. Coral Sea #2. Midway Island #3. Leyte Gulf
#4. Iwo Jima
#5. Okinawa
#6. Hiroshima
#7. Nagisaki

14. #1. Coral Sea
Date: May 1942
American navy engaged superior Japanese fleet north of Australia.
5 day battle – cost both sides over half their planes
Battle was a draw – but it stopped Japanese expansion into Australia.

15. #2. Midway Island Date: June 1942
Fought entirely from the air (same as Coral Sea)
U.S. sunk 4 Japanese carriers; destroyed 250 planes and killed skilled Japanese pilots. Devastating blow to Japanese navy.
U.S. broke Japanese codes before attack to aid in the victory.
Stopped Japanese expansion toward Hawaii.

16. #2. Battle of Midway

17. #3. Leyte Gulf Date: October 1944
Part of U.S. “island hopping” campaign
Greatest naval battle of World War II
Japanese first used kamikazes (suicide planes)
U.S. will liberate the Philippines

18. #4. Iwo Jima Date: February 1945
Heavy casualties: 4,600 U.S. ; 20,000 Japanese
U.S. used the island as a base from which to bomb Japanese cities ( 650 miles from Tokyo)
Mount Suribachi – Pulitzer Prize photo that inspired the Iwo Jima Memorial in D.C.

19. #5. Okinawa
Date: April 1945
Last and largest amphibious operation in the Pacific.
Bloodiest and most sustained fighting of the war.
350 miles from Japan, U.S. hoped to stage an attack on mainland Japan from this location.

20. Death of a President April 1945

21. Manhattan Project U.S. Army began atomic bomb project in 1942.
Headed by J. Robert Oppenheimer.
First bomb was successfully tested in July 1945 in New Mexico

22. #6. Hiroshima
August 6, 1945
B-52 Bomber, Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan
Order was given by Harry S. Truman
Bomb was codenamed Little Boy
Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima.

23. #7. Nagasaki
August 9,1945
B-29 Bomber, Bockscar dropped atomic bomb, Fat Man.
Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki.
This bomb forced the Japanese to surrender.

24. Victory in Japan
Official surrender took place on the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.

25. The African Theater
#1. El Alamein
#2. Casablanca

26. #1. El Alamein
Date: Nov. 1942
Location: North Africa – Egypt, near the Suez Canal.
Details: British General Montgomery defeated the German tank specialist Erwin “Desert Fox” Rommel and pushed the Nazi army westward. This battle allowed the Allies to keep control of the Suez canal and dictate the flow of ships into the Mediterranean Sea.
Allies force Nazi’s out of Africa and have a launching place for invasion of Italy.

27. #1. El Alamein British General Montgomery
Nazi tank commander Erwin “Desert Fox” Rommel

29. Aftermath
It may almost be said, “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.”
--Winston Churchill
Casualties
Rommel
2,349 killed, 5,486 wounded, and 30,121 captured
Almost all tanks/artillery lost
Montgomery
2,350 killed, 8,950 wounded, and 2,260 missing
400 tanks lost

30. #2. Casablanca Date: Nov. 1942 Location: North Africa – Morocco
Details: Part of Operation Torch; this battle placed the best United States tank general, George Patton on the ground in North Africa. His tank forces began to push Nazi troops/tanks eastward back toward Tunisia.
This action along with British General Montgomery push from the Suez canal liberated North Africa from the Nazis.

31. U.S. Tank General George Patton
#2. Casablanca
U.S. Tank General George Patton
Operation Torch