# data[].attributes.body
The Germans would take over Paris and establish themselves in Northern France. The Germans also took Belgium and other "lower countries" leaving Britain on its own for the time being.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The campaign against the Low Countries and France lasted less than six weeks. Germany attacked in the west on May 10, 1940. Initially, British and French commanders had believed that German forces would attack through central Belgium as they had in World War I, and rushed forces to the Franco-Belgian border to meet the German attack. The main German attack however, went through the Ardennes Forest in southeastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. German tanks and infantry quickly broke through the French defensive lines and advanced to the coast.

German Invasion of Western Europe, May 1940 - Photograph Belgium and the Netherlands surrendered in May. More than 300,000 French and British troops were evacuated from the beaches near Dunkirk (Dunkerque) across the English Channel to Great Britain. Paris, the French capital, fell to the Germans on June 14, 1940.

As part of the armistice agreement France signed with Germany on June 22, Germany occupied northern France and all of France's Atlantic coastline down to the border with Spain. A new French government was established in the town of Vichy, which was in the unoccupied southern part of France. The Vichy government, under Marshall Henri Petain, declared neutrality in the war between Germany and Great Britain, but was committed by the armistice provisions to cooperation with Germany.

The Germans viewed the defeat of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) as a prerequisite for an invasion of the British Isles. When the German air force failed to win air superiority over southeastern England in 1940, Hitler postponed the invasion until the spring of 1941. After the first operational order for the German invasion of the Soviet Union was issued in December 1940, the German invasion of Great Britain was postponed indefinitely.
German Invasion of Western Europe, May 1940 - Historical Film Footage

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
German Invasion of Western Europe, May 1940

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The campaign against the Low Countries and France lasted less than six weeks. Germany attacked in the west on May 10, 1940. Initially, British and French commanders had believed that German forces would attack through central Belgium as they had in World War I, and rushed forces to the Franco-Belgian border to meet the German attack.

# data[].attributes.headline
Battle of Stalingrad (Aug 23, 1942 – Feb 2, 1943)

# data[].attributes.subject
Battle of Stalingrad (Aug 23, 1942 – Feb 2, 1943)

# data[].attributes.body
As part of Hitler's plan to backstab the Soviets, he wanted to capture the Caucasas oil fields. His strategy was to take control of Stalingrad, a major industrial city. The Russians held German forces back for 5 months which gave them time to send their new tanks and aircrafts to Stalingrad. This battle proved to be vital in Germany's defeat in the war as Russia pushed Germany back towards the west more and more. Nearly 2 million soldiers died including thousands of Russian civilians in this bloody battle.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Prelude to the Battle of Stalingrad

In the middle of World War II - having captured territory in much of present-day Ukraine and Belarus in the spring on 1942 - Germany's Wehrmacht forces decided to mount an offensive on southern Russia in the summer of that year.

Under the leadership of ruthless head of state Joseph Stalin, Soviet forces had already successfully rebuffed a German attack on the western part of the country - one that had the ultimate goal of taking Moscow - during the winter of 1941-42. However, Stalin's Red Army had suffered significant losses in the fighting, both in terms of manpower and weaponry.

Stalin and his generals, including future Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev, fully expected another Nazi attack to be aimed at Moscow. However, Hitler and the Wehrmacht had other ideas.

They set their sights on Stalingrad, because the city served as an industrial center in Russia, producing, among other important goods, artillery for the country's troops. The Volga River, which runs through the city, was also an important shipping route connecting the western part of the country with its distant eastern regions.

Ultimately, Adolf Hitler wanted the Wehrmacht to occupy Stalingrad, seeing its value for propaganda purposes, given that it bore Stalin's name. For similar reasons, the Russians felt a special need to protect it.

When Hitler proclaimed that upon taking Stalingrad all of the city's male residents would be killed and its women deported, the stage was set for a bloody, hard-fought battle. Stalin ordered all Russians strong enough to hold a rifle to take up arms in defense of the city.

The 6th Army of the Wehrmacht began their assault on August 23, 1942.

Battle of Stalingrad Begins

Russian forces were initially able to slow the German Wehrmacht's advances during a series of brutal skirmishes just north of Stalingrad. Stalin's forces lost more than 200,000 men, but they successfully held off German soldiers.

With a firm understanding of Hitler's plans, the Russians had already shipped much of the stores of grain and cattle out of Stalingrad. However, the city's 400,000-plus residents were not evacuated, as the Russian leadership believed their presence would inspire troops.

Within a few days of launching its attack, Germany's Luftwaffe air force had rendered the Volga River impassable to shipping and had sunk several Russian commercial vessels in the process. From late August through the end of the assault, the Luftwaffe conducted dozens of air strikes on the city.

The number of civilian casualties is unknown. However, it's believed that tens of thousands were killed, and that tens of thousands more were captured and forced into slave labor in camps in Germany.

By September, the Luftwaffe essentially had control of the skies over Stalingrad, and the Russians were getting desperate. Workers in the city not involved in war-related weapons production were soon asked to take up fighting, often without firearms of their own. Women were enlisted to dig trenches at the front lines.

And yet, the Russians continued to suffer heavy losses. By the fall of 1942, Stalingrad was in ruins.

'Not a Step Back!'

Despite heavy casualties and the pounding delivered by the Luftwaffe, Stalin instructed his forces in the city to not retreat, famously decreeing in Order No. 227: "Not a step back!" Those who surrendered would be subject to a trial by military tribunal and face possible execution.

With fewer than 20,000 troops in the city and less than 100 tanks, Stalin's generals finally began sending reinforcements into the city and surrounding areas. Fighting raged in the streets of Stalingrad, with both sides using snipers poised on the roofs of the city's buildings.

Russian generals Georgy Zhukov and Aleksandr Vasilevsky organized Russian troops in the mountains to the north and west of the city. From there, they launched a counterattack, famously known as Operation Uranus.

Although they again sustained significant losses, Russian forces were able to form what in essence was a defensive ring around the city by late November 1942, trapping the nearly 300,000 German and Axis troops in the 6th Army. This effort became the subject of a propaganda film produced after the war, The Battle of Stalingrad.

With the Russian blockade limiting access to supplies, German forces trapped in Stalingrad slowly starved. The Russians would seize upon the resulting weakness during the cold, harsh winter months that followed.

Russian Winter Sets In

As Russia's brutal winter began, Soviet generals knew the Germans would be at a disadvantage, fighting in conditions to which they weren't accustomed. They began consolidating their positions around Stalingrad, choking off the German forces from vital supplies and essentially surrounding them in an ever-tightening noose.

Thanks to Russian gains in nearby fighting, including in Rostov-on-Don, 250 miles from Stalingrad, the Axis forces - mostly Germans and Italians - were stretched thin. Through Operation Little Saturn, the Russians began to break the lines of mostly Italian forces to the west of the city.

At this point, German generals abandoned all efforts to relieve their beleaguered forces trapped in Stalingrad. Still, Hitler refused to surrender even as his men slowly starved and ran out of ammunition.

Battle of Stalingrad Ends

By February 1943, Russian troops had retaken Stalingrad and captured nearly 100,000 German soldiers, though pockets of resistance continued to fight in the city until early March. Most of the captured soldiers died in Russian prison camps, either as a result of disease or starvation.

The loss at Stalingrad was the first failure of the war to be publicly acknowledged by Hitler. It put Hitler and the Axis powers on the defensive, and boosted Russian confidence as it continued to do battle on the Eastern Front in World War II.

In the end, many historians believe the Battle at Stalingrad marked a major turning point in the conflict. It was the beginning of the march toward victory for the Allied forces of Russia, Britain, France and the United States.

In February 2018, Russians gathered in what is now known as Volgograd to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of the battle that had ravaged their city.

Sources

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. "75th Anniversary Of Victory In The Battle Of Stalingrad." rferl.org.

Barnes, T. (2018). "Russians take to streets in their thousands to mark 75 years since Battle of Stalingrad. Independent.co.uk.

BBC World Service: Witness. "The battle of Stalingrad." BBC.co.uk.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Battle of Stalingrad - Definition, Dates & Significance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Battle of Stalingrad was a brutal military campaign between Russian forces and those of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers during World War II. Germany's defeat in the battle marked a turning point of the war in favor of the Allies.

# data[].attributes.body
The Battle of Berlin was the last major event of WW2 in the European Theater. The Soviets encircled the city and collapsed on the last of Hitler's army. Air strikes, tanks, and gunfire lay the city to waste. The Germans would ultimately fall when the Soviets pushed through Warsaw and captured Berlin. on May 7, 1945 the remaining leaders of Nazi Germany signed an unconditional surrender to the Allies and the war in Europe was over. The remaining German leaders signed a surrender on May 7, ending the war in Europe.

# data[].attributes.body
After driving out the Germans from Western France, the Allies planned to take back Paris.
Even before the Allied forces arrived at Paris, resistance forces would have skirmishes with Nazi Germans and workers would go on strike. The US Army 102th and French tanks came to the outskirts of Paris on August 23.  German General von Choltitz surrendered August 25 , the same day the Allies entered the city. This was a turning point in the war because the Allies would have taken back all of France and started to head towards Belgium.

# data[].attributes.body
The Normandy Landings in June of 1944 launched the Allies Operation Overlord which sought to take back Western Europe from the Germans. The Allies landed on Utah, Omaha, Juno, Sword, and Gold beaches, but were met with the German Army's gunfire. Each of the 4 Allied Armies suffered more than 10,000 deaths. Despite these losses, the Allies would successfully complete their mission, securing the beaches. This allowed them to set up a base and prepare to drive out the Germans from Paris.

# data[].attributes.body
While occupying Poland, the Nazis would capture Polish Jews, gypsies, people with disabilities, and homosexuals and hold them in concentration camps. The Nazis would subject these minorities to horrible torture and humiliation, with the end goal of the genocide of the minorities. Nazi's "factory style killing" would include gas vans and chambers, firing squads, and the burning of the victims's bodies.

# data[].attributes.headline
Britain and France Declare War on Germany (September 3, 1939)

# data[].attributes.subject
Britain and France Declare War on Germany (September 3, 1939)

# data[].attributes.body
At this point, the United States had destroyed all of Japan's navy, air force, and taken most of their territory in the Pacific. After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese Emperor Hirohito formally signed their surrender on September 2, 1945.

# data[].attributes.body
This battle was fought when the Japanese wanted to establish air and naval control over the US. Furthermore, they wanted to destroy the Allies's Pacific Fleet and take over Midway Island. The Midway Island base was defended by the Allies and is almost directly between Japan and America, thus giving it its importance. The US victory turned the tide of the war as the Japanese would be on the defensive for the rest of the war.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Battle of Midway | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One of Japan’s main goals during World War II was to remove the United States as a Pacific power in order to gain territory in east Asia and the southwest Pacific islands. Japan hoped to defeat the US Pacific Fleet and use Midway as a base to attack Pearl Harbor, securing dominance in the region and…

# data[].attributes.headline
Battle of Okinawa ( April 1- June 22, 1945)

# data[].attributes.subject
Battle of Okinawa ( April 1- June 22, 1945)

# data[].attributes.body
The invasion of the Ryukyu Islands by the US was the last obstacle blocking the path to Japan. This was one of the bloodiest battles in WW2 with 49,000 casualties on the US side and 110,000 Japanese soldiers were killed. Furthermore, an estimated 150,000 Okinawa citizens committed suicide, fled, or were killed by US forces. Kamikaze warfare was Japan's greatest offensive in this battle as they destroyed many battleships and aircrafts. This battle caused Japanese forces to retreat and the Allies set their sights on Japan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Okinawa Island

By the time American troops landed on Okinawa, World War II on the European front was nearing its end. Allied and Soviet Union troops had liberated much of Nazi-occupied Europe and were just weeks away from forcing Germany's unconditional surrender.

In the Pacific theater, however, American forces were still painstakingly conquering Japan's Home Islands, one after another. After obliterating Japanese troops in the brutal Battle of Iwo Jima, they set their sights on the isolated island of Okinawa, their last stop before reaching Japan.

Okinawa's 466 square miles of dense foliage, hills and trees made it the perfect location for the Japanese High Command's last stand to protect their motherland. They knew if Okinawa fell, so would Japan. The Americans knew securing Okinawa's airbases was critical to launching a successful Japanese invasion.

Landing on the Beachheads

As dawn arrived on April 1, morale was low among American troops as the Fifth Fleet launched the largest bombardment ever to support a troop landing to soften Japanese defenses.

Soldiers and Army brass alike expected the beach landings to be a massacre worse than D-Day. But the Fifth Fleet's offensive onslaught was almost pointless and landing troops could have literally swum to shore-surprisingly, the expected mass of awaiting Japanese troops wasn't there.

On D-Day along the shores of northern France, American troops fought hard for every inch of beachhead-but troops landing on Okinawa's beaches surged inland with little resistance. Wave after wave of troops, tanks, ammunition and supplies went ashore almost effortlessly within hours. The troops quickly secured both Kadena and Yontan airfields.

Japanese Army Waits

Japan's 32nd Army, some 130,000 men strong and commanded by Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima, defended Okinawa. The military force also included an unknown number of conscripted civilians and unarmed Home Guards known as Boeitai.

As they moved inland, American troops wondered when and where they'd finally encounter enemy resistance. What they didn't know was the Japanese Imperial Army had them just where they wanted them.

Japanese troops had been instructed not to fire on the American landing forces but instead watch and wait for them, mostly in Shuri, a rugged area of southern Okinawa where General Ushijima had set up a triangle of defensive positions known as the Shuri Defense Line.

Battleship Yamato

American troops who headed North to the Motobu Peninsula endured intense resistance and over 1,000 casualties but won a decisive battle relatively quickly. It was different along the Shuri Line where they had to overcome a series of heavily defended hills loaded with firmly-entrenched Japanese troops.

On April 7, Japan's mighty battleship Yamato was sent to launch a surprise attack on the Fifth Fleet and then annihilate American troops pinned down near the Shuri Line. But Allied submarines spotted the Yamato and alerted the fleet who then launched a crippling air attack. The ship was bombarded and sank along with most of its crew.

After the Americans cleared a series of outposts surrounding the Shuri Line, they fought many fierce battles including clashes on Kakazu Ridge, Sugar Loaf Hill, Horseshoe Ridge and Half Moon Hill. Torrential rains made the hills and roads watery graveyards of unburied bodies.

Casualties were enormous on both sides by the time the Americans took Shuri Castle in late May. Defeated but not beaten, the Japanese retreated to the southern coast of Okinawa where they made their last stand.

Kamikaze Warfare

The kamikaze suicide pilot was Japan's most ruthless weapon: On April 4, the Japanese unleashed these well-trained pilots on the Fifth Fleet. Some dove their planes into ships at 500 miles per hour, causing catastrophic damage.

American sailors tried desperately to shoot the kamikaze planes down but were often sitting ducks against enemy pilots with nothing to lose. During the Battle of Okinawa, the Fifth Fleet suffered:

* 36 sunk ships

* 368 damaged ships

* 4,900 men killed or drowned

* 4,800 men wounded

* 763 lost aircraft

Hacksaw Ridge

The Maeda Escarpment, also known as Hacksaw Ridge, was located atop a 400-foot vertical cliff. The American attack on the ridge began on April 26. It was a brutal battle for both sides.

To defend the escarpment, Japanese troops hunkered down in a network of caves and dugouts. They were determined to hold the ridge, and decimated American platoons until just a few men remained. Much of the fighting was hand-to-hand combat and particularly ruthless. The Americans finally took Hacksaw Ridge on May 6.

All Americans who fought in the Battle of Okinawa were heroic, but one soldier at the escarpment stood out-Corporal Desmond T. Doss. He was an army medic and Seventh-Day Adventist who refused to raise a gun to the enemy.

Still, he remained on the escarpment after his commanding officers ordered a retreat. Surrounded by enemy soldiers, he went alone into the battle fray and rescued 75 of his wounded comrades. His heroic story was brought to life on the big screen in 2016 in the film Hacksaw Ridge- Doss won a Medal of Honor for his bravery.

Suicide or Surrender

Most Japanese troops and Okinawa citizens believed Americans took no prisoners and they'd be killed on the spot if captured. As a result, countless took their own lives. To encourage their surrender, General Simon Bolivar Buckner initiated propaganda warfare and dropped millions of leaflets declaring the war was all but lost for Japan.

About 7,000 Japanese soldiers surrendered, but many chose death by suicide. Some jumped from high hills, others blew themselves up with grenades.

When faced with the reality that further fighting was futile, General Ushijima and his Chief of Staff, General Cho, committed ritual suicide on June 22, effectively ending the Battle of Okinawa.

Death Toll

Both sides suffered staggering losses in the Battle of Okinawa. The Americans bore over 49,000 casualties including 12,520 killed. General Buckner himself was killed in action on June 18, just days before the battle ended.

Japanese losses were even greater-about 110,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives. It's estimated between 40,000 and 150,000 Okinawa citizens were also killed. The Battle of Okinawa is now considered one of the deadliest in all of human history.

Who Won the Battle of Okinawa?

Winning the Battle of Okinawa put Allied forces within striking distance of Japan. But wanting to bring the war to a swift end, and knowing over 2 million Japanese troops were awaiting battle-weary American soldiers, President Harry S. Truman chose to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6.

Japan didn't give in immediately, so Truman ordered the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9. Finally, Japan had had enough. On August, 14, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender, marking the end of World War II.

Sources

Hellish Prelude at Okinawa. U.S. Naval Institute.
Okinawa: The Last Battle. Marine Corps Gazette. Center of Military History, United States Army.
Operation Iceberg: The Assault on Okinawa-The Last Battle of WWII (Part 1) April-June 1945. History of War.
The Decision to Drop the Bomb. USHistory.org.
The Real 'Hacksaw Ridge' Soldier Saved 75 Souls Without Ever Carrying A Gun. NPR.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Battle of Okinawa: Date, Significance & Who Won - HISTORY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the Battle of Okinawa, the last major battle of World War II and one of the deadliest, U.S. troops overran Japanese resistance to take the island of Okinawa.

# data[].attributes.headline
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki  ( August 6 and August 9, 1945)

# data[].attributes.subject
Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki  ( August 6 and August 9, 1945)

# data[].attributes.body
In order to end the war in the Pacific Theatre quickly and prevent many US casualties, President Harry Truman ordered the bombing Japan with nuclear weapons. Hiroshima, a manufacturing center, was the USA's first target and the bomb named "Little Boy" exploded 2,000 ft above the city destroying five square miles.  An estimated 70,000 to 135,000 people were killed due to the blast and exposure to the radiation. Three days later, the US would drop " Fat Man" on Nagasaki, leading to the mass destruction of the city and Japan's surrender to end the war in the Pacific theatre.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Causes, Impact & Lives Lost

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On August 6, 1945, during World War II (1939-45), an American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, immediately killing 80,000 people. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people.

# data[].attributes.headline
Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor ( December 7, 1941)

# data[].attributes.subject
Japan Bombs Pearl Harbor ( December 7, 1941)

# data[].attributes.body
Looking to prevent the US from stopping their expansion, the Japanese would start their nearly hour and a half bombardment of Pearl Harbor at 7:55AM.  Nearly 20 American ships and 300 airplanes were destroyed in Japan's attack. More importantly, 2,403 sailors, soldiers, and civilian were killed. But, the Japanese failed to injure the Pacific Fleet and many oil storages, repair shops, and shipyards were untouched. The bombing of Pearl Harbor  would start the war in the Pacific Theatre and bring the US into the conflict.

# data[].attributes.headline
Germany Invades Poland ( September 1, 1939) 

# data[].attributes.subject
Germany Invades Poland ( September 1, 1939) 

# data[].attributes.body
Germany, under Adolf Hitler's rule, invading Poland was the spark that kicked off World War 2 in Europe. The Germans took their "blitzkrieg ", or "lightning war" , war tactic into play because of their limited military numbers and resources. They believed that if they focused all their attacks on a single target or place, the battle would end quickly with less casualties. Germany would take over western and central Poland while the Soviets took over the eastern side. On Poland's side, around 66,000 people were killed and many Polish Jews were captured and held in concentration camps. After seeing that Germany had violated the Munich Agreement and attacked an ally, Britain and France had to take action.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Germany invades Poland | September 1, 1939 | HISTORY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On September 1, 1939, German forces under the control of Adolf Hitler invade Poland, beginning World War II.