Battles of WWII
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk marked an unsuccessful German offensive against the Soviet Union's forces in 1943. With the Soviet line at Kursk protruding into enemy territory, the Germans attempted to attack from different directions. Given time to reposition their defenses, the Soviet Union held off the German offensive before launching a counterattack, and reclaimed the cities of Orel and Kharkov. Facing the Anglo-American invasion of Sicily and the threat of an Italian collapse, Hitler decided to call off operations at Kursk, its failure shifting the balance of power on the Eastern Front to the Soviets.
Battle of the Bulge
In December 1944, Adolph Hitler attempted to split the Allied armies in northwest Europe having a surprise blitzkrieg thrust through the Ardennes to Antwerp. American units were caught off-guard, they fought desperate battles to stem the German advance at St.-Vith, Elsenborn Ridge, Houffalize and Bastogne. As the Germans drove deeper into the Ardennes, this was an attempt to secure vital bridgeheads, the Allied line took on the appearance of a large bulge, giving rise to the battle’s name. Lieutenant General George S. Patton’s successful maneuvering of the Third Army to Bastogne proved vital to the Allied defense, leading to the neutralization of the German counteroffensive despite heavy casualties.
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa was the last and biggest of the Pacific island battles of WWII. The Okinawa campaign involved the 287,000 troops of the U.S. Tenth Army against 130,000 soldiers of the Japanese Thirty-second Army. At stake were air bases vital to the projected invasion of Japan. By the end of the 82-day campaign, Japan had lost more than 77,000 soldiers and the Allies had suffered more than 65,000 casualties—including 14,000 dead.
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea took place on June 19 through June 20, 1944. The Battle of the Philippine Sea was said to be the last great carrier battle of World War Two. The Battle of Midway in 1942 had done a great deal to damage Japan’s carrier force, but into 1944, Japan statistically had a larger carrier force than America. Despite America’s huge military capability, the Japanese Navy still represented a threat in America’s desire to advance to the Marianas.
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States defeated Japan in one of the most decisive naval battles of WWII. That was part to major advances in code breaking. The United States was able to preempt and counter Japan’s planned ambush of its few remaining aircraft carriers. This inflicted permanent damage on the Japanese Navy. The Battle of Midway was an important turning point in the Pacific campaign, the victory allowed the United States and its allies to move into an offensive position.
Bombing Campaigns
London Blitz
After a preliminary raid on 5 September, the bombing started proper on the afternoon of the 7th. Almost 1,000 German aircrafts, over 300 bombers escorted by 600 fighters, crossed the Channel. It was the largest collection of aircraft ever seen. Fighter Command had not expected raids on London, but now attempted to intercept the waves of bombers. A huge dogfight developed over London and the Thames Estuary.
Convinced that the German invasion of Britain was imminent, the country was put on the highest alert. Signals of impending invasion went out. There was a code word used, "Cromwell," the use the code word was sent to military units and church bells rang.
Some of the German bombs did fall on their intended target of the docks, but many fell on the residential areas around them. Substantial parts of East and South-East London were devastated. 430 civilians were killed, and 1600 seriously injured. Firestorms ravaged the city, acting as beacons for the second wave of bombers that evening.
Convinced that the German invasion of Britain was imminent, the country was put on the highest alert. Signals of impending invasion went out. There was a code word used, "Cromwell," the use the code word was sent to military units and church bells rang.
Some of the German bombs did fall on their intended target of the docks, but many fell on the residential areas around them. Substantial parts of East and South-East London were devastated. 430 civilians were killed, and 1600 seriously injured. Firestorms ravaged the city, acting as beacons for the second wave of bombers that evening.
Bombing of Dresden
On February 13 to February 15, 1945, during WWII, the Allied forces bombed the historic city of Dresden. Dresden is located in eastern Germany. The bombing was controversial because Dresden was neither important to German wartime production nor a major industrial center. Before the massive air raid of February 1945, it had not suffered a major Allied attack. On February 15, the city was a smoldering ruin and an unknown number of civilians was estimated at somewhere between 35,000 and 135,000 civilians were dead.
Bombing of Berlin
Berlin was just in range for British bombers. Berlin could only be bombed at night during the summer, when the days were longer and skies clear, though it made it riskier for the pilots. On the evening of August 25, a force of over 70 Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys, Handley Page Hampdens and Vickers Wellingtons set out for Berlin. Their principal targets were armament factories in the north of the city and Tempelhof Airport.
The ferocity of German anti-aircraft fire in Berlin forced the RAF to fly too high to aim their bombs accurately. The bombs dropped were consequently landing in fields, woods and some residential areas. The damage was slight and nobody was killed, it was an embarrassment to Hermann Goering, who had boasted Berlin would never be bombed.
The ferocity of German anti-aircraft fire in Berlin forced the RAF to fly too high to aim their bombs accurately. The bombs dropped were consequently landing in fields, woods and some residential areas. The damage was slight and nobody was killed, it was an embarrassment to Hermann Goering, who had boasted Berlin would never be bombed.
Firebombing of Tokyo
On March 9, 1945, U.S. warplanes launch a new bombing offensive against Japan. The United Stated dropped 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo over the course of the next 48 hours. Almost 16 square miles in and around the Japanese capital were incinerated, and between 80,000 and 130,000 Japanese civilians were killed in the worst single firestorm in recorded history.
Sited Pages
History.com Staff. "Battle of Kursk." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Battle of the Bulge." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Battle of Okinawa." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
"The Battle of the Philippine Sea". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web. 13 May 2015
History.com Staff. "Battle of Midway." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
"Germany Bombs London." BBC News. BBC, Web. 14 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Bombing of Dresden." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
"Britain Bombs Berlin." BBC News. BBC, Web. 14 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Firebombing of Tokyo." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Battle of the Bulge." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Battle of Okinawa." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
"The Battle of the Philippine Sea". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web. 13 May 2015
History.com Staff. "Battle of Midway." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
"Germany Bombs London." BBC News. BBC, Web. 14 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Bombing of Dresden." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
"Britain Bombs Berlin." BBC News. BBC, Web. 14 May 2015.
History.com Staff. "Firebombing of Tokyo." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 May 2015.
Last Updated: May 14, 2015