EUROPEAN THEATRE:

World War II was unique in that it was a multi-theater war, and saw fighting occur in: Africa, Europe and
the Pacific. The European Theater and the Pacific Theater, in particular, saw some of the most intense
fighting of World War II and involved some of the most significant events of the war, including: the
Holocaust, the use of atomic weapons and end of famous dictators. The war in Europe saw the Allied
powers of Britain, France, the Soviet Union, Canada and the United States face off against the Axis
powers of Germany and Italy.
World War II began on September 1st, 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. The war in Europe
began at this point and unfolded as a series of major events and battles. The first weeks of the war in
Europe consisted mostly of Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, unleashing its blitzkrieg tactics against Poland.
Germany used its "lighting war" strategy to quickly overwhelm and confuse enemy armies. While Britain
and France condemned the German aggression against Poland, and declared war against Germany, little
action was taken in the first 8 months of World War II. This period of inaction was referred to as the
Phoney War and saw the armies of Britain and France preparing for a war with Germany, but without
any actual fighting on the western half of Europe. For their part, Britain and France were mostly worried
about reinforcing the Maginot Line, the defensive line built by France along the France-German border.
It was believed that German troops would have to invade France across the border and go up against the
Maginot Line.
The fighting began in May of 1940 when Germany surprised the Allied powers and instead attacked
France and Belgium from the north through the Ardennes Forest. French leadership believed it would be
impossible for the Germans to carry out such a maneuver, but German soldiers moved swiftly through
the forested region. The German attack would be called the Battle of France and saw German forces
quickly maneuver around the Maginot Line and overrun both Belgium and France. The German assault
was so quick and successful, that the British Expeditionary Force, which was in Northern France was
forced to retreat mainland Europe at Dunkirk, France in the famous Dunkirk Evacuation. Germany then
maintained control over France with its soldiers and the help of its ally, Italy, who was led by Benito
Mussolini.
Once France was defeated, Germany turned its attention towards defeating Britain. At the time, the
Soviet Union was not a concern for Germany because the two countries had agreed earlier to a non-
aggression pact. Therefore, Germany was able to unleash its full force against the island nation of
Britain, who was being led by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill referred to the German
attack against Britain as the Battle of Britain. The battle was known as a war of air superiority and
involved the British air force facing off against the German air force in the skies over Britain. While
Britain was able to withstand the German attack, German bombers inflicted large amounts of damage on
British cities and towns. The British victory in the Battle of Britain was important for the Allied cause as
Britain would be an important player in the later stages of the war.
Being unable to defeat Britain, Nazi Germany turned its attention towards the Soviet Union. Hitler's
forces broke the terms of the non-aggression pact when Germany attacked the Soviet Union as part of
its Operation Barbarossa. The German attack on the Soviet Union began in June of 1941 and saw
Germany make massive territorial gains against the country, which was led by Joseph Stalin. German
forces pushed quickly through the Soviet Union before they stalled at the edge of Moscow. Next, Hitler
diverted his troops to the southern Soviet city of Stalingrad, where German blitzkrieg tactics failed to
capture the city. The Battle of Stalingrad would be one of the bloodiest battles of World War II and a
major turning point for the overall war. Germany lost its entire 6th Army at the Battle of Stalingrad and
was never able to recover from the loss. In fact, Operation Barbarossa was the last time that Nazi
Germany would be the aggressor in World War II in Europe and would spend the rest of the war being
pushed back to Germany and its capital of Berlin.
It was also during this time when the Japanese Empire, who was allied with Germany and Italy as part of
the Axis powers, surprise attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. While not an event in the European
Theater of World War II, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was significant because it led to the United
States joining the fighting of World War II alongside the other Allied nations. American soldiers would
come to play a vital role in Europe, as they helped lead the push to open up a second front in Europe and
begin the process of defeating Nazi Germany and Italy.
In fact, America, led by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, played a crucial role in the Allied invasion of Italy.
In general, the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy was incredibly successful and achieved what it set out to.
The Allied armies were able to force Axis naval, air and land divisions out of the area and allowed Allied
merchant ships into the Mediterranean for the first time since 1941. As well, it led to the end of Benito
Mussolini in Italy and forced Nazi Germany to divert troops from its battles against the Soviet Union as it
had to grapple with a two front war. Next, the United States, along with other Allied nations carried out
the Normandy Invasion in order to begin the process of liberating France.
The Normandy Invasion began on June 6th, 1944 and was codenamed Operation Overlord. Operation
Overlord involved a large attack on northern France, including: amphibious landings, naval
bombardment and an assault by airborne forces the night before. The United States, Britain and Canada
were the three main participating countries in the amphibious landings of the Normandy Invasion. Each
country landed on their own codenamed beaches with the goal of pushing back the Nazi defences and
opening the beach for Allied heavy weapons. The United States’ beaches were Utah and Omaha,
Britain’s beaches were Gold and Sword, and Canada’s beach was Juno. All three countries landed on the
morning of June 6th, 1944 and faced difficult resistance from Nazi soldiers. However, the Allied attack
had worked and the United States, Britain and Canada were all able to open their beaches to further
Allied reinforcements and heavy weaponry. The battle is important because it opened the way for
another front in Europe and began the process of liberating France and the eventual defeat of Nazi
Germany.
As the Allies swept through France, Germany prepared its last offensive push in the region, known as the
Battle of the Bulge. The Battle of the Bulge occurred from December 16th, 1944 to January 25th, 1944
and is one of the last major battles of World War II in Europe. The major participating countries of the
battle included Britain, the United States and Germany. The Battle of the Bulge was a German offensive
attack into the Ardennes Forest region of France and Belgium. Today, the Battle of the Bulge is
remembered as a time of great heroism by American soldiers who had to withstand a powerful German
attack in the cold and difficult terrain of the Ardennes Forest. In fact, many historians now look the
Battle of the Bulge as a major loss to German and that it significantly lessened the ability of the Nazi’s to
maintain control over parts of Europe.
Following the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies pushed into Germany from all sides. The British, Canadians
and Americans assaulted the country from the south and west, while the Soviet Union invaded from the
east. In fact, the Soviet Union army was able to advance into Berlin, the capital of Germany. Known as
the Battle of Berlin, the Soviet invasion of the city, saw the end of Nazi Germany and ended World War II
in Europe. The outcome of the battle saw the end of Nazi Germany and the leadership of Nazi Germany.
For example, many significant Nazi leaders, including Adolf Hitler, committed suicide before the end of
the battle. Hitler committed suicide by a gun shot on April 30th, 1945 in a bunker underneath Berlin.
World War II in Europe and the Nazi regime were over.