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World War II Major Battles
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Battle of Stalingrad
Date: August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943; Significance: Turning point on the Eastern Front, decimated the German 6th Army.
Battle of Britain
Date: July 10 – October 31, 1940; Significance: First major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, prevented German invasion of Britain.
Pearl Harbor Attack
Date: December 7, 1941; Significance: Catalyst for US entry into WWII, significant naval losses for the US Pacific Fleet.
D-Day (Battle of Normandy)
Date: June 6 – August 1944; Significance: Allied forces established a foothold on the continent that eventually led to the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control.
Battle of Midway
Date: June 4–7, 1942; Significance: Turning point in the Pacific Theater, decisive victory for the US against Japan.
Battle of the Bulge
Date: December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945; Significance: Last major German offensive on the Western Front. Attempt to split Allied forces along the Ardennes.
Battle of Kursk
Date: July 5 – August 23, 1943; Significance: Largest tank battle in history, German offensive repelled by Soviets leading to strategic initiative for the rest of the war.
Battle of Guadalcanal
Date: August 7, 1942 – February 9, 1943; Significance: First major offensive and a decisive victory for the Allies in the Pacific theater.
Operation Barbarossa
Date: June 22 – December 5, 1941; Significance: Largest military invasion in history, marked the beginning of the brutal Eastern Front conflict.
Battle of El Alamein
Date: October 23 – November 11, 1942; Significance: Marked the watershed of the Western Desert Campaign, preventing the Axis from advancing into Egypt.
Battle of Iwo Jima
Date: February 19 – March 26, 1945; Significance: Captured airfields were of strategic importance for the US in bombing the Japanese mainland.
Battle of Leyte Gulf
Date: October 23–26, 1944; Significance: Largest naval battle of WWII, resulted in the crippling of the Japanese Combined Fleet.
Siege of Leningrad
Date: September 8, 1941 – January 27, 1944; Significance: One of the longest and most destructive sieges in history, resulting in dire famine conditions but Soviet defense held.
Battle of Okinawa
Date: April 1 – June 22, 1945; Significance: Largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater, showcased the ferocity of combat and foresaw what a mainland invasion of Japan would entail.
Battle of the Atlantic
Date: September 3, 1939 – May 8, 1945; Significance: Longest continuous military campaign in WWII, fought for control of Atlantic sea routes.
Battle of Monte Cassino
Date: January 17 – May 18, 1944; Significance: Series of four battles, resulted in the Allies capture of Rome and the fall of the Winter Line.
Battle of the Philippine Sea
Date: June 19–20, 1944; Significance: A decisive naval battle of WWII which eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions.
Battle of Moscow
Date: October 2, 1941 – January 7, 1942; Significance: Marked the first major defeat for the Wehrmacht in WWII.
Operation Market Garden
Date: September 17–25, 1944; Significance: Ambitious Allied airborne operation that aimed to end the war quickly but ultimately failed to capture key bridges.
Battle of Anzio
Date: January 22 – June 5, 1944; Significance: Allied amphibious assault intended to bypass the Gustav Line but resulted in a stalemate and high casualties.
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