Major battles of the Second World War. Decisive battles of World War II

This article will be devoted to the topic of the decisive battles of the bloodiest war in human history - World War II. And here we will name not only those battles that had an impact on the winning side, because we must not forget that at the beginning of the war the Germans had an advantage and they deserved this with a number of brilliant victories.
So, let's begin. What battles can be called the most significant and most decisive during the Second World War?
1. Capture of France.
After German troops took Poland, Hitler understood that he needed to get rid of the danger on the Western Front, this would ensure that the German army did not start a war on two fronts. And for this it was necessary to capture France.
Hitler managed to capture France in just a few weeks. It was a real blitzkrieg. Lightning-fast tank attacks helped break and encircle the most combat-ready armies of the French, Dutch and Belgians. However, this was not the main reason for the defeat for the Allies; their overconfidence became a catastrophic mistake for them, which led to the surrender of France and the decisive victory of the Germans on the Western Front.
During the attack on France there were no huge battles, there were only local attempts at resistance in individual parts of the French army, and when Northern France fell, German victory was not long in coming.
2. Battle of Britain.
After the French fell, it was necessary to destroy Great Britain, which was located on islands well protected from direct attack.
Hitler understood perfectly well that it would be possible to break the British only after their Air Force was defeated. At the initial stage, air attacks on Britain were successful, German bombers bombed the largest cities. But when the British acquired radar, they were able to intercept German planes while approaching the islands.
The amount of German military equipment in the air was greatly reduced, and a few months later a catastrophic shortage of not only aircraft, but also personnel began.
But the Royal Air Force, meanwhile, was gaining strength and completely gained air superiority over Britain. This victory allowed the British not only to protect themselves from German attacks, but also gave them time to rebuild their military potential after their defeat in the Battle of France. In addition, the British victory paved the way for an operation called “Overlord,” which will be discussed further.
3. Battle of Stalingrad.
Meanwhile, on the Eastern Front, the successful offensive of the Wehrmacht armies continued, which had already completely occupied Ukraine and were now ready to take the most important cities for the USSR, including Stalingrad. However, here they were forced to stop.
Having practically captured the city, the Germans met determined resistance from the Red Army, which could not be broken due to the enemy’s numerical advantage, problems with supplies and weapons, as well as severe frosts.
The battle for Stalingrad began in July 1941 and went well for the Germans until November of that year. But with the onset of winter, the Union forces launched a powerful counterattack, which forced the Germans to retreat. Thus, one of the best armies of the Wehrmacht under the command of Pauls was surrounded and defeated.
In total, during the battle of Stalingrad, the Germans lost about 1 million soldiers, as well as a huge number of weapons and military equipment. The morale of the Germans was so undermined that the advance of the Soviet troops could no longer be stopped. A radical change occurred not only during the Great Patriotic War, but also during the Second World War.
4. Battle of Kursk.
This battle can easily be called the last attempt by the Germans to launch a counterattack on the Eastern Front. The Germans decided to carry out a lightning attack along the Soviet defense line on the Kursk Bulge, but their plan was undermined and the offensive ended in complete failure. After this, the huge forces of the Red Army launched a counter-offensive, and thanks to their numerical advantage they managed to break the German defenses, which meant one thing - Germany’s defeat was already a foregone conclusion. The best armies were defeated, and the number of Wehrmacht soldiers was already several times inferior to the forces of the Red Army, and this is not to mention the fact that the Allied forces began to put pressure on the Western Front.
During the Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle also took place - the Battle of Prokhorovka, where Soviet tanks won, albeit with huge losses.
5. Battle of Leyte Gulf.
This battle can be called the last decisive attempt by the Japanese to seize the initiative in the war in the Pacific. The Japanese fleet attacked the US fleet in hopes of defeating it and launching a counteroffensive. This battle lasted from October 23 to October 26, 1944 and ended in complete American victory. The Japanese fought so desperately that they sacrificed themselves to destroy the enemy - we are talking about the so-called “kamikazes”. But this did not help them, they lost their most powerful ships and no longer made decisive attempts to stop the US fleet.
6. "Overlord".
In 1944, Germany was already on the verge of defeat, but it had to be accelerated, for this the Western Front was opened - Operation Overlord.
In June 1944, huge US and Allied forces landed in Northern France. Two months later, Paris was liberated, and two months later, the Allied forces approached the western borders of Germany. In order to contain the offensive on the Western Front, the Germans greatly stretched their forces and further weakened their positions on the Eastern Front, which accelerated the advance of the Red Army.
The opening of the Second Front was a decisive blow to Germany's military strength, followed only by the occupation and fall of Berlin.
7. Battle of Berlin.
Even though Germany had already lost, Berlin continued to stand. The city was encircled, and there was no way to wait for help, but the Germans stood.
The Battle of Berlin, which lasted throughout the spring of 1945, was completed by May 8th. During the defense of Berlin, the Germans put up powerful pockets of resistance, which is why a huge number of Red Army soldiers died, but their fate was still decided.
After Hitler shot himself, the morale of the Wehrmacht was completely destroyed and Germany capitulated - victory was won. Meanwhile, in the Pacific Ocean, the United States had almost subjugated Japan - World War II was coming to an end.
These were the decisive battles of World War II. Of course, this list could be supplemented with a dozen more important battles, but still these battles and operations were key.

The Battle of Stalingrad Six months of continuous bloodbath on the territory of a huge city. All of Stalingrad has been turned into ruins. The USSR fielded seven ground and one air armies against the Nazi invaders....

Battle of Stalingrad

Six months of continuous bloodbath on the territory of a huge city. All of Stalingrad has been turned into ruins. The USSR fielded seven ground and one air armies against the Nazi invaders. The Volga flotilla beat the enemy from the expanses of water.

The Nazis and their allies were defeated. Here Hitler felt sobered up. After this battle, the Nazis could no longer recover. Soviet troops exhausted the enemy at the cost of their own lives of many soldiers, officers and civilians.

1,130,000 people died defending Stalingrad. Germany and the countries involved in the conflict on the side of the Nazis lost 1,500,000. The battle, which lasted six months, completely ended with the defeat of the Nazi armies trying to reach the oil fields of the Caucasus.

Battle for Moscow

The defeat of fascist troops near Moscow was a real victory for the entire people. The country perceived these events as the threshold of an imminent general Victory. The troops of Nazi Germany were broken morally. The spirit of the offensive movement fell. Guderian praised the will to win of the Soviet people.

He later said that all the sacrifices were in vain. Moscow held out, destroying the victorious spirit of the Germans. A stubborn reluctance to understand the situation at the front led to huge losses on all sides. The crisis in the German troops undermined faith in Hitler and his unsurpassed military genius.

The USSR lost 926,200 soldiers near Moscow. Civilian losses were not estimated. Germany and allied countries 581,900 people. Military operations lasted more than six months, from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942.

Battle for Kyiv

The Soviet military leaders learned a hard lesson when they handed over Kyiv to the enemy to be torn to pieces. The Wehrmacht sensed the poor preparation of the USSR armed forces. The Nazi troops began an intensive movement towards the Azov region and Donbass. As soon as Kyiv was surrendered, the Red Army soldiers, completely demoralized, began to surrender en masse.

In the battles for Kyiv, the losses of the Red Army amounted to 627,800 people. The civilian population was not counted. How much Germany lost remained unknown, since at the beginning of the war the Germans did not keep records of losses, hoping for a blitzkrieg. The fighting lasted two and a half months.

Battle of the Dnieper

The liberation of Kyiv cost great losses. Almost four million people from both sides took part in the battles for the Dnieper. The front stretches for 1,400 kilometers. The survivors of the crossing of the Dnieper recalled that 25,000 people entered the water, 3-5 thousand climbed ashore.

Everyone else remained in the water, only to emerge in a few days. A terrible picture of war. During the crossing of the Dnieper, 417,000 Red Army soldiers died, Germany lost from 400,000 to a million (according to various sources). Scary numbers. The battle for the Dnieper lasted four months.

Battle of Kursk

Although the most terrible tank battles took place in the village of Prokhorovka, the battle is called Kursk. It’s scary to see the battle of iron monsters even on the cinema screen. What was it like for the participants in the battle?

An incredible battle of enemy tank armies. The “Center” and “South” groups were destroyed. The battle lasted almost two months in 1943. The USSR lost 254,000 people, Germany lost 500,000 of its soldiers. For what?

Operation Bagration

We can say that Operation Bagration was the bloodiest in the history of mankind. The result of the operation is the complete liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders. After the operation was completed, 50,000 prisoners of war were marched through the streets of Moscow.

In that battle, the losses of the Soviet Union amounted to 178,500 people, Germany lost 255,400 Wehrmacht soldiers. The battle lasted two months without breaks.

Vistula-Oder operation

The bloody battles for Poland went down in history as the rapid advance of the troops of the Soviet Union. Every day the troops advanced twenty to thirty kilometers inland. The fighting lasted only twenty days.

In the battles for Poland, losses amounted to 43,200 people. Civilian losses were not taken into account. The Nazis lost 480,000 people.

Battle of Berlin

This battle was decisive for the Victory. Soviet troops approached the lair of fascism. The assault on Berlin lasted only 22 days. The Soviet Union and allied forces lost 81,000 people. Fallen Germany, defending its city, lost 400,000. The 1st Ukrainian, 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts fought for Victory. Divisions of the Polish Army, and Baltic sailors.

Battle of Monte Casino

Soviet troops did not take part in the liberation of Rome. The USA and England managed to break through the Gustav Line and completely liberate the Eternal City.

The attackers lost 100,000 people in that battle, Germany only 20,000. The battle lasted four months.

Battle of Iwo Jima

The brutal battle of the US military against Japan. The small island of Iwo Jima, where the Japanese put up stubborn resistance. It was here that the American command decided to atomic bomb the country.

The battle lasted 40 days. Japan lost 22,300 people, America was missing 6,800 fighters.

Russian schoolchildren know the Second World War primarily from such key events as the Battle of Stalingrad or the tank battle on the Kursk Bulge. However, the naval battles, the story of which we present, became no less large-scale.

As a result of defeat in the 1940 campaign, France entered into an agreement with the Nazis and became part of the occupied territories of Germany with a formally independent, but controlled by Berlin, Vichy government.

In 1940, the French government became controlled by Berlin

The allies began to fear that the French fleet could cross over to Germany and already 11 days after the French surrender they carried out an operation that would long become a problem in the allied relations of Great Britain and that France that resisted the Nazis. It was called "Catapult". The British captured ships stationed in British ports, forcing French crews from them, which did not happen without clashes. Of course, the allies perceived this as a betrayal. Even more terrible pictures unfolded in Oran; an ultimatum was sent to the command of the ships stationed there - to transfer them to the control of the British or to sink them. They were eventually sunk by the British. All of France's newest battleships were disabled, killing more than 1,000 Frenchmen. The French government broke off diplomatic relations with Great Britain.

The naval battles of World War II differ from previous ones in that they were no longer purely naval battles.

The naval battles of World War II were not purely naval battles

Each of them was combined - with serious aviation support. Some of the ships were aircraft carriers, which made it possible to provide such support. The attack on Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands was carried out with the help of carrier-based aircraft from Vice Admiral Nagumo's carrier force. Early in the morning, 152 aircraft attacked the US Navy base, taking the unsuspecting military by surprise. Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy also took part in the attack. American losses were colossal: about 2.5 thousand dead, 4 battleships, 4 destroyers were lost, 188 aircraft were destroyed. The expectation with such a fierce attack was that the Americans would lose heart and most of the US fleet would be destroyed. Neither one nor the other happened. The attack led to the fact that there were no doubts left for the Americans about participating in World War II: on the same day, Washington declared war on Japan, and in response, Germany, which was allied with Japan, declared war on the United States.

A turning point for the American fleet in the Pacific. A serious victory against the background of the terrible disaster of the beginning of the war - Pearl Harbor.

The Battle of Midway is a turning point for the American Navy

Midway is a thousand miles from the Hawaiian Islands. Thanks to intercepted Japanese negotiations and intelligence obtained from American aircraft flights, the US command received advance information about the impending attack. On June 4, Vice Admiral Nagumo sent 72 bombers and 36 fighters to the island. The American destroyer raised the signal of an enemy attack and, releasing a cloud of black smoke, attacked the planes with anti-aircraft guns. The battle has begun. US aircraft, meanwhile, headed for Japanese aircraft carriers, and as a result, 4 of them were sunk. Japan also lost 248 aircraft and about 2.5 thousand people. American losses are more modest - 1 aircraft carrier, 1 destroyer, 150 aircraft and about 300 people. The order to stop the operation arrived on the night of June 5.

Leyte is a Philippine island around which one of the heaviest and largest naval battles unfolded.

The Battle of Leyte is one of the most difficult and large-scale naval battles

American and Australian ships began a battle against the Japanese fleet, which, being in a stalemate, carried out an attack from four sides, using kamikaze in its tactics - the Japanese military committed suicide in order to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy. This is the last major operation for the Japanese, who by the time it began had already lost their strategic advantage. However, the Allied forces still won. On the Japanese side, 10 thousand people died, but due to the work of the kamikaze, the allies also suffered serious losses - 3,500. In addition, Japan lost the legendary battleship Musashi and almost lost another - Yamato. At the same time, the Japanese had a chance to win. However, due to the use of a dense smoke screen, the Japanese commanders could not adequately assess the enemy’s forces and did not dare to fight “to the last man,” but retreated.

Operation Catechism— sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz— November 12, 1944

The Tirpitz was the second Bismarck-class battleship and one of the most powerful and most fearsome warships of the German forces.

Tirpitz is one of the most feared warships of the German forces

From the moment it was put into service, the British Navy began a real hunt for it. The battleship was first discovered in September and, as a result of an attack by British aircraft, turned into a floating battery, losing the opportunity to participate in naval operations. On November 12, it was no longer possible to hide the ship; the ship was hit by three Tallboy bombs, one of which led to an explosion in its powder warehouse. The Tirpitz sank off Tromsø just a few minutes after this attack, killing about a thousand people. The liquidation of this battleship meant virtually a complete naval victory for the Allies over Germany, which freed up naval forces for use in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The first battleship of this type, the Bismarck, caused much more trouble - in 1941, it sank the British flagship and battle cruiser Hood in the Denmark Strait. As a result of a three-day hunt for the newest ship, it was also sunk.