World War II, was one of, if not the most devastating event to take place on this planet. With a death toll of over 60,000,000 people, the European portion of the war contributed to many of those figures. With Hitler in Germany, Benito Mussolini in Italy, and Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union, battles in Europe were struggles by dictators to gain the most power for their specific country. The two sides, the Allies and Axis battled for control over territory, each side representing opposite ideals. Neither side backing down, the Allies had to fight to the bitter end to bring justice and peace to a region where there had been very little in recent times.
Beginning Of WWII
Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, was yearning to expand its territory. After annexing Austria, and occupying Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia, Hitler believed that Germany had the prerogative to invade Poland to regain the territory it had lost during the Treaty Of Versailles after World War I. In order to create reason for battle, Hitler staged attacks of Polish officers on a German radio station. After justifying his reason for attack, on September 1, 1939, Hitler launched a blitzkrieg against Poland. A blitzkrieg, is one of the tactics used by Nazi Germany. It is a quick, “lightning” attack that is used to bring about a swift victory to the perpetrator. Many European countries looked upon this attack as a sign of aggression, a sign for war. Both Britain and France warned Germany to leave Poland, or it would suffer the consequences. When Germany held their ground, both countries declared war upon Germany, beginning World War II. Germany easily dismantled the Polish army and about one month after the attacks had began, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were in complete control of Poland.
D-Day
The largest invasion by sea, air and land in history, D-Day, code named Operation Overlord was one of the most important, impactful battles of World War II. On June 6th, 1944, the Allied powers decided to take a risk. They were poised to storm the beaches of Normandy, to take back France and position themselves to invade Germany from the west while the Soviets attacked from the east. As the battle commenced Allied forces quickly took multiple beaches with little opposition. However, one in particular, Omaha Beach, faced heavy counter forces and took much longer with heavy casualties from the Allies. In the end, the Allies captured and held the Normandy region. This battle helped to swing the momentum of the war towards the Allies, and ultimately help win the war on the European front.
Battle Of The Bulge
In December of 1944, Hitler decided the best plan of action for the Nazi regime was to split the Allied forces in Northwestern Europe. This was not so much of a militaristic decision, but moreover a political one. He needed to reassert his dominance within the Nazi social construct, after a few incidents had shaken up the party, and thought the best way to do so would be by defeating Allied forces. This in turn would prove his leadership and keep the party functional. Using the blitzkrieg tactic, Germany attacked a very ragged and under equipped Allied army. They advanced slowly upon the Allies, but were held back and finally forced to retreat after they suffered a fuel shortage. In terms of the U.S. Army, this battle was the most terrible and horrific with over 100,000 casualties reported.
VE-Day
After the suicide of Hitler, and the impending travesty that would occur if they did not give up , Germany surrendered. They released all prisoners of war that were being kept, stopped all military action and now would conform to the rules given to them by the Allied powers. The Nazis had finally been defeated. VE-Day is now celebrated throughout the globe on May 8th to commemorate the end of WWII in European countries.