World War II Battles

World War II Battles By: Cooper Redding Subject: History Grade Level: 9-10 Click to Play

Major Battles • Normandy Invasion-- 5. Battle of the Bulge-- • Iwo Jima-- 6. Battle of Midway-- • Operation Nordwind-- 7. Battle of Saipan-- • Battle of Luzon-- 8. Battle of Anzio-- Click to go to multiple choice question.

Normandy Invasion • Largest amphibious invasion ever to take place • Canada, Free French Forces, United Kingdom, and United States all took place • It was the first successful opposed landings across the English Channel in over eight centuries • Casualties to the Germans is estimated at 320,000, and American casualties at 135,000 Click for main page

Iwo Jima • The battle lasted for a month • It was the first American invasion on Japanese home land • Was the only battle in which US Marine casualties was actually higher then the Japanese • Of the 22,000 Japanese defenders only 216 were known to be alive Click for main page

Operation Norwind • The German army attacked the very thin line of the U.S 7th Army • Three Corps of the 3rd Army as well as the XXXIX Panzer Corps • The Germans almost erased the whole U.S 7th Army • In the end the U.S 7th Army prevailed and defeated the Germans • Casualties for the U.S 7th was 773 KIA, and 4,838 WIA • Causalities for the Germans in the end was much more with 23,000 KIA, WIA, and MIA combined Click for main page

Battle of Luzon • The battle took place on January 9, 1945. • Japanese forces saw more then 70 Allied Warships off the cost. • This battle was very important if the US were to attack Japan. • Allied forces dominated this battle with Japanese casualties reaching 205,535 dead and 9,050 captured. • Allied casualties were far less with 8,130 Click for main page

Battle of the Bulge • One of the most famous battles of World War II • Hitler believed that the Britain, French, and American alliance was not strong, and a major victory would brake them up. • It was a major German offensive attack on U.S forces • The Germans first experienced great success. • The Germans may of won if they could keep their tanks fueled. • They ran out of fuel • Allies ended up pushing the Germans back, and many see it as a miracle. • German casualties were 15,652 dead • U.S casualties were 19,276 Click for main page

Battle of Midway • Widely seen as the most important navel battle ever • The Japanese attacked the U.S naval base at Midway atoll. • Prior to the battle, the Japanese navy was stronger. • After the battle U.S and Japanese navy's were equal • The U.S navy was ready for the attack due to fantastic military intelligence. • Japan lost four irreplaceable fleet carries, and the U.S lost only one. Click for main page

Battle of Saipan • 8,000 Marines landed on Saipan from Pearl Harbor. • The Japanese were very ready and destroyed 20 tanks in minutes. • To indicate the severity of the battle, U.S Marines called the land Death Valley. • In a last stand 5,000 Japanese soldiers charged the U.S forces. • Killed 650 U.S soldiers, but lost 4,300 • In total 13,313 U.S soldiers were killed or wounded, and Japanese forces lost more then 30,000 soldiers. Click for main page

Battle of Anzio • It was a surprise attack against the German soldiers flank. • A great success until General Lucas decided to entrench instead of push on. • Germans saw this and set up defensive positions • General Lucas was relieved, and U.S forces finely broke through. • U.S forces lost many men with casualties up to 23,173. • German casualties were 27,500 • The battle is largely considered a failure, for the loss of the initial surprise, and lack of resources. Click for main page

What Battle is Seen Largely as a Miracle • The Battle of Midway • The Normandy Invasion • The Battle of the Bulge

OOPS • The Battle of Midway was a very big victory for the U.S forces over Japan. It made both navys equal, but was not a miracle. Good try! Click to return back to the question

Good Try • The Battle of Normandy is one of the greatest victories over the German army ever. But it is not considered a miracle victory. Good Try! Click to return back to the question

Good Job! • The Battle of the Bulge is seen as a miracle because the German army was so much bigger. Also the U.S forces didn’t have the weapons to fight tanks. The German army simply ran out of fuel, and the Allied forces were able to counter attack. Good Job! Click to return back to the main page when done

World War II Battles