Thu, Dec 10, 2020
While the Russians moved towards Germany from the East, and the Western allies attacked from the opposite direction, the Japanese continued their battle in the Pacific, fighting American Marines to the death on the island of Iwo Jima. As the endgame came into sight, there were desperate measures taken by both sides, and the casualties kept on rising.
Fri, Dec 11, 2020
The Luftwaffe continued its attempts to bomb Britain into submission, while the German Afrika Korps strengthened its position as Rommel, Hitler's "Desert Fox", took charge. At sea, the naval forces battle each other and the elements, as the Japanese embark upon a spy mission to gather information about the American Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Fri, Dec 11, 2020
It was time for the American Navy to get back on course after Pearl Harbor, and in the four-day Battle for the Coral Sea, they claimed victory over the Japanese, before defeating them again in the decisive Battle of Midway. Elsewhere the Luftwaffe went back to targeting more British cities in the Baedeker Raids.
Thu, Dec 10, 2020
One of the main reasons for the success of the D-Day landings was the element of surprise, the incredibly huge invasion force, congregating along the south coast of England went undetected by German Intelligence. Hitler's Generals believed the stormy weather meant it would be mission impossible, and it almost was.
Thu, Dec 10, 2020
As the liberation of France got underway, the citizens of a nation oppressed since 1940 celebrated the Allied arrival with rapture. But there was still much to be achieved, on both the Western and Eastern Fronts. For Hitler the writing was on the wall, and when one of his own, Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate the Führer, he very nearly succeeded.
Thu, Dec 10, 2020
Despite Hitler's position was worsening by the day, the Nazis were still capable of inflicting terrible damage, and when the Germans attempted a breakthrough in the Ardennes region of France, the ensuing Battle of the Bulge resulted in terrible U.S. casualties. Even so, the Germans failed to achieve their objectives, and as the year came to an end, so did Hitler's last hopes of victory.
Fri, Dec 11, 2020
When Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the wartime coalition government in May 1940 he pledged his "blood, toil, tears and sweat" and within days of his appointment, he was called upon to honor his promise. As the Low Countries fell to Adolf Hitler, and France was poised to follow suit, rescuing thousands of Allied servicemen from the beaches of Dunkirk was Churchill's top priority.