World War II
WORLD WAR II—1939-1945 The Second World War, better known as World War II, raged for 6 years and a day; starting 1 September 1939 and coming to an end on 2 September 1945. The Allies, also known as the United Nations, (led by the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, China, and the United States) defeated the […]
Battle of Berlin, 1945
BATTLE OF BERLIN – WWII 16 April – 2 May 1945 SUMMARY The final major offensive in Europe of WWII, the Battle of Berlin had 2,300,000 Red Army and 200,000 Polish troops attacking defensive positions of 766,750 soldiers in 36 Nazi Divisions, plus an additional 45,000 troops, police force, Hitler Youth, and 40,000 Volkssturm in […]
D-Day, 1944
D-Day – WWII 6 June 1944 SUMMARY Codenamed Operation Neptune, D-Day, was the first day of Operation Overlord—the Allied invasion of Nazi occupied Normandy, France. The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with nearly 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers supporting 156,000 Allied troops. Nazi defensive positions […]
Battle of Stalingrad, 1942-1943
BATTLE OF STALINGRAD – WWII 23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943 SUMMARY One of the largest, longest and bloodiest engagements in modern warfare, the Battle of Stalingrad was a brutal military campaign between Russian forces and those of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. For 5 months, 1 week and 3 days, more than […]
Attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941
ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR – WWII 7 December 1941 SUMMARY A surprise military attack by the Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service on the U. S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor and Army Air Forces at nearby Hickam Field, also known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor, saw 100 U. S. warships and submarines and […]
Battle of Midway, 1942
BATTLE OF MIDWAY – WWII 4–7 June 1942 SUMMARY Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 26 U. S. Navy warships, 16 submarines, 233 carrier-based aircraft, and 127 land-based aircraft met 27 Imperial Japanese Navy warships, 248 carrier-based aircraft, and 28 floatplanes at Midway in a major and decisive naval battle of WWII. —-oOo—- […]
World War I
WORLD WAR I—1914-1918 One hundred years ago marked the end of World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the War of the Nations, and the War to End All Wars. WWI raged from August 1914 to the signing of the Armistice on 11 November 1918. The Allied Powers, also […]
Battle of the Ardennes, 1914
BATTLE OF THE ARDENNES – WWI 21–23 August 1914 SUMMARY The Battle of the Ardennes was one of the battles that comprised the Battle of the Frontiers during the first month of WWI. The battle was by accident as the French 3rd and 4th Armies unexpectantly met the German 4th and 5th Armies in the […]
Battle of the Somme, 1916
BATTLE OF THE SOMME – WWI 1 July – 18 November 1916 SUMMARY The largest battle of WWI, and also the bloodiest with 1 million casualties, the Battle of the Somme was fought in 3 phases over 4 months. The battle was part of the British offensive to push through the German lines along a […]
Battle of Belleau Wood, 1918
BATTLE OF BELLEAU WOOD – WWI 1–26 June 1918 SUMMARY The first large-scale American battle of WWI was the Battle of Belleau Wood. Two U.S. Army Divisions, a Marine Brigade, along with French and British troops, went on the offensive and repelled elements from 5 German Divisions from their defensive positions in the French woods […]