The important battles of WWII
by Rit NosotroChange Over Time essay
Determine the important battles of WWII and evaluate their long-term significance (narrowed down to European Theater)
|
 |
Summary:
On November 11, 1918, World War One ended. Throughout WWI, there were 8.6 million casualties, and the war was called, “the war to end all wars.” However, only 20 years later, an even larger war broke out, which dwarfed World War I and all previous conflicts throughout history. World War II truly earned the title “world war.” The war saw the death of over 35,000,000 men, gave the world a glimpse of nuclear weaponry, changed borders and economies, and affected the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Germany, controlled by Adolf Hitler, launched many massive offensives, along with their allies in Italy, to take over Europe and North Africa. Hence, combat appeared on many different fronts. Hundreds of battles during World War II blurred together. Over sixty years later, a few major battles stand out which had long-term consequences. Although World War II also encompassed the fighting in the South Pacific with Japan, the battles discussed here only relate to combat in Europe and North Africa.
In the year 1939, the rulers of Europe were uneasy. Germany’s greed for land became apparent, as well as the fact that “appeasement” wouldn’t work. Finally, on September 1st, 1939, Hitler struck in Poland, quickly occupying the country by employing his tactics of blitzkrieg – in German, “lightning war.” This method of attack involved fast strikes with tanks and airplanes. This first major battle exposed how different WWII would be compared to the trench combat of WWI. Still discontented, Hitler began expanding into France and other countries. Allied soldiers retreated to the coast as Germany gained land in France. This phenomenon lead to the first major battle of WWII: Dunkirk.
Dunkirk was a town on the coast of France adjacent to the English Channel. As men retreated, they naturally moved North towards England, a stronghold of freedom. However, they possessed no means of crossing the Channel, and the Germans pursued close behind. If caught, the soldiers would be forced to surrender, and England and the allies would lose hundreds of thousands of valuable troops. Interestingly, the officers of the German air force told Hitler they could easily dispose of the allied army in three days, so Hitler turned towards Paris with his land army, to complete the conquest of France. As news reached Britain, a plan was formulated to evacuate the British soldiers back to England. Hundreds of ships, including many small boats, crossed the channel to do their part and help the men of England. Miraculously, while the men were being evacuated from May 25 to June 3, foggy weather inhibited the efforts of the German Luftwaffe. The notoriously bad weather channel remained calm, allowing for quick evacuation. By June 3rd, 338,226 men were evacuated from Dunkirk. Throughout the entire operation, the men maintained a high morale, with determination to come back and fight another day. Truly, God’s hand was at work as He repressed Germany's attempts and assisted the efforts of the British. Without the men saved at Dunkirk, World War II might have had a very different outcome.
In April, 1940, Germany assaulted the neutral country of Norway in order to secure iron ore deposits from Sweden. The invaders occupied Norway until Germany's 1945 surrender. By June 22, 1940, Germany officially controlled France. In 1941 they launched assaults on Russia which were initially successful but were eventually repulsed. On Sept 13, 1940, Italy, a German ally, invaded Egypt. Germany and Italy won a series of battles in North Africa under the command of Rommel. Germany hoped to gain the strategic advantage of the oil reserves in North Africa and the Middle East. They lacked sufficient supplies of petroleum for their highly mechanized military. In response to the invasion, Britain launched a counterattack under General Bernard Montgomery. Montgomery moved westward from Egypt to attack the German strongholds in Tunisia and El Alamein. Two battles were fought at El Alamein, both major battles in North Africa. The first stalled the German advance, and the second was the turning point of the war in North Africa for the British. This second battle at El Alamein occurred late in October of 1942. The German defenses pointed eastward as they prepared for a British attack. After several days of pushing back Rommel’s line, General Montgomery finally broke through the line, surging in with men and tanks. By separating Rommel’s men and moving quickly, Montgomery kept Rommel from ever successfully regrouping. After this, Montgomery’s forces from the east and General Eisenhower’s U.S. troops from the west proceeded to eliminate the German forces left in North Africa, who officially surrendered on May 13, 1943. By clearing all German and Italian forces out of North Africa, the allies prevented the Axis from acquiring the petroleum important for their tanks and airplanes, and cleared the way for the invasion of Italy in July of 1943.
By the end of 1943, Germany had been defeated in Russia. They had been driven out of North Africa and were being attacked in Italy. By May of 1944, Russia was closing in on Germany, exacting their vengeance for the millions killed by the German invasion. Also, by 1944, Italy had been captured. However, Germany still held France, Poland, and much of mainland Europe. It was now time for a big push by the Allied commanders; it would force the Germans into unconditional surrender and make sure that this would never happen again. On June 6th, 1944, the allies, headed by the United States, launched the D-Day invasion into Normandy France. Operation Overlord, as it was called, was the largest invasion in the history of the world. The allies’ even devised a complex plan of decoys to make Germany think they were invading from the south. This plan worked, and many of the best German troops were guarding against a suspected allied invasion from the south. On D-Day, the allies landed 3 million men, and 16 million tons of supplies and weapons on the Normandy Beaches, using 9000 ships and 11,000 aircraft. In addition, thousands of paratroopers were dropped in behind enemy lines to capture important objectives and scout out and sabotage enemy positions. Although German troops put up a stiff resistance on some beaches and after the invasion, victory was practically assured once the allies had all their men and supplies on the mainland. While World War II stretched on for another year in Europe, it was essentially won the day that the invasion was declared a success.
1. What is “blitzkrieg?”
A. A football maneuver
B. A German war tactic; literally “lightning war.”
C. The German takeover of Poland
D. The name of the German air force
2. Which battle occurred first?
A. D-Day
B. Dunkirk
C. El Alamein
D. Monte Cassino
3. What country did Germany invade first?
A. France
B. Russia
C. Poland
D. Egypt
4. What General commanded the British forces in North Africa?
A. Rommel
B. Montgomery
C. Eisenhower
D. Hitler
World War II Wikipedia 20 Sept. 2003
Fisher, Joyce Major
Battles of WWII Montgomery County Public Schools 20 Sept. 2003 World
War II in Europe Timeline The History Place 20 Sept. 2003 Fisher, David "Chapter 21: The Second World War" World History Greenville,
SC: Bob Jones Univ. Press, 1994
Additional information about <http://hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/cot/t2w30wwiibattles.htm>
Disclaimer:
The above essay was donated to hyperhistory.net.
Kindly inform
of inaccuracies or plagiarism.
Post a link to this essay,
<a href="
">
a great essay
</a>
on your blog or website :
Comparative Essays
Biographies
Doc. Based Questions
Change Over Time
