No one knew that the war that commenced between Germany and Poland in 1939 will engulf the whole regions of Europe and the Pacific. And it would become the WW-II, a war that lasted for 6 years and halted in 1945. Undoubtedly, the deadliest and most horrific incident of our history cost us the lives of nearly 60 million people including civilians and military personnel. This bloodiest incident took place between the Allied powers including Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union, and the Axis states that included Germany and Japan.
Every corner of the world bears the brunt of this greatest tragedy, and every family in Europe and the Pacific is the victim of this bloodshed. The most decisive and important battles of this great war are listed here as follows.
1. Battle of Atlantic–commencement of WW-II
Duration; September 3, 1939, to May 8, 1945
Parties; between western Allies and Germany
Casualties; almost 100,000 people, 3,500 merchant ships, 175 warships, hundreds of aircraft, and 70,000 sailors. Axis lost 783 U-boats, 47 warships, 17 Italian submarines, and 30,000 sailors
Conquest; the Allies
The conflict was about the control of the sea route of the Atlantic Ocean. The Axis fought with its famous U-boats against the Royal Naval powers. However, the Allied forces with advanced technological weapons including Radar detection turned all the tables. It was the longest struggle between the Allied powers and Germany. British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill said it was the best chance for Germany to defeat the Allies.
2. Battle of Sedan
Duration; 1939- May 1940
Parties; Britain, France, and Germany
Conquest; German
Soon after the invasion of Germany in Poland in 1939, Britain and France coupled with Poland and declared war against Germany. France proposed an idea of defense against German atrocities by building a concrete rampart of the Maginot Line. However, Germany overpowered the French positions at Sedan by attacking Blitzkrieg and dive bombers. And this intense outbreak helped the German powers defeat the defenders.
3. Battle of Dunkirk
Duration; May 26 to June 4, 1940
Parties; Britain and France with Germany
Conquest; Germany claims the conquest
Right after defeating France at Sedan, Germany invaded its forces in Dunkirk, a French town. They stopped their advance and this proved a blessing for the Allies’ power to evacuate their forces. The successful operation Dynamo of WW-II evicted almost 338,226 troops and refugees with some left behind. Germany claimed victory because the left-over troops had no option but to surrender. However, the world still remembers operation Dynamo as the struggle of Allied power resilience.
4. Battle of Britain
Duration; July 10 to October 31, 1940
Parties; Britain and Germany
Casualties; heavy casualties on both sides
Victory; Britain
The battle of Britain is the only war in the history of WW II that was fought only in the air. This air show remained in progress for almost four months over the land of Britain. Germans attacked the man force, city artillery, and technological infrastructure of Britain to invade it. However, Hitler’s decision not to attack the military bases helped the Royal AF take the revenge on German Luftwaffe. And won the battle.
5. Battle of Crete
Duration; May 20 to June 1, 1941
Parties; Allied Forced and Germany in Greek
Casualties; nearly 7000
Victory; Allied forces withdraw
In the elongated history of the battles of WW II, the battle of Crete was fought by the airborne paratroopers of the German force. On the first day, they faced heavy defeat but subsequently, Allied forces withdrew. Because Crete was an island in Greek hence, the Allies were afraid of an imminent naval attack from the Germans.
6. Siege of Leningrad
Duration; September 8, 1941, to January 27, 1944
Parties; the Soviet Union and Germany
Casualties; almost 700,000 soviet civilians died of hunger
Victory; City was free at the end
It is called siege because the German and Finnish forces created a blockade around the city of Leningrad. The Soviet Union officially entered in WW-II. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The real cruelty is that the barrier cut-off Leningrad’s contact with the neighboring cities and there was no food, water, and electricity for the citizens. Almost 1.3 million people were rescued and evicted from the city and Leningrad was free by the end of the war.
7. Battle of Moscow
Duration; October 2, 1941, to January 7, 1942
Parties; the Soviet Union and Germany
Casualties; both sides saw casualties
Victory; German pride was shattered
After invading Leningrad (today St. Petersburg) Nazi forces advanced toward Moscow and Hitler ordered to raze the city to the ground. Nobody told the Axis forces that winter is coming. They were not trained for fighting in cold weather where the temperature dropped to zero Fahrenheit. And importantly, due to winter, their supply chain was disconnected. Secondly, the resistance of the Red Army under the command of General Winter smashed the German pride into pieces.
8. The incident of Pearl Harbor in WW-II
Duration; December 7, 1941
Parties; Japan and the USA
Casualties; approximately 2000
Victory; prima facie Japan
After the incident of Pearl Harbor United States officially became the party to WW-II. It was a secret attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor located on Oahu Island, Hawaii. America after facing so many fatalities declared war against Japan. Followed by the incident of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bomb dropping during WW-II. Whereas, both countries fought the battle of Midway in June 1942 where America won.
9. Battle of Kursk
Duration; July 5 to August 23, 1943
Parties; the Soviet Union and Germany
Victory; Hitler couldn’t conquest Russia
You may also call it the battle of tanks. In the history of WW-II, it was the largest tank battle involving about 6000 tanks happened on the eastern front at Kursk. Russians already had the information about the German advance and they built a defensive line against the Axis forces. Once again, the Nazi dream to overthrow Russian remained a dream.
10. Battle of Normandy (D-Day in WW-II)
Duration; June 6 to August 30, 1944
Parties; The USA, Britain, Canada, and France
Casualties; around 6000
Victory; Paris freedom
It is the biggest invasion of the troops on the beaches of Normandy. D-Day is the famous name of this battle. WW-II was entering its final stage after this. The Allied forces with the help of additional 325,000 troops kept resisting and eventually Paris earned freedom.
