The Battle of Stalingrad occurred from July 1942 to February 1943. Stalingrad was a major turning point in the war. Germany was trying to advance into the Soviet Union and were met with major Soviet resistance. The battle took place in the urban city of Stalingrad, so there was a lot of street fighting. This battle saw the most casualties of any one battle in human history, with military and civilian deaths topping two million. In mid November when the Germans were lacking troops the Soviets launched their counteroffensive. This counteroffensive paired with the harsh Russian winter lead to the eventual surrender of the Germans. Their first major defeat.
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D-Day occurred on June 6, 1944 on the beaches of Normandy in France. Code named operation overlord, D-Day was the allied invasion of German held France. The goal of the operation was to gain a staging ground for the allies to reclaim France. After many casualties, the allies were able to take the beaches. Providing an exciting victory and a starting point to the liberation of France and the defeat of the Nazi’s.
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The Battle of the Bulge occurred from December 1944 - January 1945 in the German held Ardennes forest. The attack started out as a surprise attack by the German’s targeting a weak point in the Allied line. They were able to break through the troops causing the largest casualties the U.S. saw in the war. General Patton hearing of the surprise attack moved his troops to the Ardennes and was able to launch a successful counteroffensive, combined with a lack of fuel for German tanks, would cripple the Germans. This was a major nail in the Nazi’s coffin.
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Operation Barbarossa occurred on June 22, 1941. This was a Nazi offensive with the goal of invading Russia. The largest land invasion in history, this was a huge escalator of the war and the first major showing of Nazi might.
Operation Sea Lion was a theoretical operation in which the Germans wanted to invade Great Britain. This idea was concocted shortly after the conquering of France. In order for this operation to be successful the Germans would need significant naval and air support. This operation was postponed indefinitely because of the power required and the repercussions.
Operation Torch was the 1942 British-American invasion of French North Africa. Clearing the Germans out of North Africa was significant in the control of the Mediterranean. It also provided assurance that the Nazis would not get to the Middle East and an oil surplus.