Many of these battles during the World Wars have had lasting significance for the economies, society and the armed forces of those involved. Here are 10 of the most important battles of the world wars.
10. Battle of Moscow – Second World War
The capture of Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, was one of the main objectives of the Nazi invasion of the country (Operation Barbarossa). This battle started in October 1941 and lasted until January 1942. The defensive position that the Soviet troops had put in place had frustrated Hitler and his armed forces, making this battle a kind of dead end in terms of military objectives for Nazi troops. This battle has symbolic significance in the culture and history of Russia. Moscow is even called the “city of heroes” today, for the sacrifices people made to defeat the Nazis. Losses for Axis troops between 170,000 and 400,000.
9. Battle of Kursk – Second World War
The Battle of Kursk took place from August 5 to August 23, 1943 in the city of Kursk, located in the Western Soviet Union. Kursk saw around 6,000 tanks, up to 2,000,000 troops, and approximately 4,000 planes fighting over this piece of strategic land in the Soviet Union. The losses were much more balanced for both sides during this battle; the Nazis lost nearly 200,000 and the Soviet Union lost almost 250,000. This battle involved the largest tank and armored vehicle clashes in history and ended with the Soviet Union recovering much of its own land captured during Operation Barbarossa.
8. Battle of Verdun – First World War
The Battle of Verdun was the largest and longest battle of the First World War. This battle took place on February 1 and lasted until December 21, 18. German forces were optimistic because they believed that if France were captured, the United Kingdom would seek peace or be defeated. The wickedness of this battle is well documented – many troops on both sides deserted due to the extremely precarious conditions and the “shell shock”. This battle was also extremely costly for each party involved, and some argue that Germany could not recover from this failed economic invasion. The losses were estimated at 1916 French and 377.231 German, the two teams having lost combined troops 337,000 per month.
7. D-Day – World War II
After a campaign of aerial and naval bombardments in the days preceding the landing, 24,000 Allied troops invaded 50, 6, a section of the 1944 coast in Nazi-occupied Normandy in northern France. It would become (and still is to this day) the greatest sea invasion force in human history. During the planning stages, Allied troops divided the coastline into sectors 5 – naming them Gold, Juno, Omaha, Sword and Utah. The operation was called Operation Neptune. The casualties of the Allied invading force were 10,000 men (4414 Allied soldiers were confirmed dead) and the approximate Axis casualties were between 4,000 and 9,000. This battle led to a decisive victory for the Allied troops,
6. Battle of the Marne – First World War
The Battle of the Marne was a battle during the First World War, which took place from 1 in September until 7 in September. This battle is also known as the “Miracle of the Marne”, due to the idea that the forces and allied countries were overwhelmed by German forces at the start of the war. This battle involved 12 million soldiers from France and the United Kingdom, as well as approximately X million soldiers from the German Empire. Despite the massive number of soldiers, the losses only reached 1914 for both camps. This battle was considered an Allied victory, but it also paved the way for a long trench war.
5. Operation Barbarossa – World War II
On 22, in June, 1941, 4, millions of Axis soldiers invaded the western border of the Soviet Union along a front line of the 1800s. It is interesting to note that the two countries had already signed documents explicitly stating that they would not attack each other, known as the “non-aggression pact”. Despite this, Hitler ordered an already planned invasion. At this point in World War I, Hitler seemed almost unstoppable, as several European countries had come under his control since 2. The military campaign of Operation Barbarossa lasted almost months 1939, and Hitler’s forces suffered heavy losses during rocky winter in Russia. Losses for German troops are estimated at more than 6 million, while Russian troops lost nearly 1 million to defend their homeland. The failure of Operation Barbarossa to capture Moscow and paralyze the Soviet Union would be a major turning point during the Second World War.
4. Battle of the Somme – First World War
This battle was fought between Allied troops and the German Empire during the First World War 1. The Battle of the Somme, in France, was fought from 1 in July until 18 in November, 1916. It was a a very violent and costly battle of the First World War, which left a lasting legacy to military culture on both sides. It is common knowledge that the British lost almost 1 on the first day of the battle! The losses on both sides were extremely high – the Allies lost close to 60,000 troops and the German Empire lost around 650,000. The outcome of this battle was not conclusive, no major change having been made to the territory and none of the parties having achieved its military objectives.
3. Gallipoli Campaign – First World War
The Battle of Gallipoli took place between April 25, 1915 and January 9, 1916 and was fought between Allied troops and the Ottoman and German empires. Invading by sea, the objective of the Allied forces was to retake an important water passage, the Dardanelles. After 8 months of battle, the invading forces withdrew and were diverted to Egypt. Allied losses were just over 300,000, and the Ottoman Empire lost about 250,000 of its own troops. This battle was the only great victory of the Ottoman Empire during the whole of the First World War. We always remember the Gallipoli campaign in Australia and New Zealand each year, April 1, the anniversary of the first landing.
2. Battle of Midway – Second World War
Between June 4 and 7, 1942, the Battle of Midway took place. It was a naval and air battle between the United States of America and Japan, 6 months after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The aim of the Japanese during this battle was to open the Pacific theater in order to achieve territorial objectives, including the expulsion of the United States Navy from the Pacific. The Japanese attack was not a closely guarded secret, and because of that, it failed. The U.S. military was aware of an impending attack and was well prepared. The decisive victory of the United States of America led to a weakening of the Japanese air force and navy and allowed the United States to have room for maneuver within the framework of the Pacific Theater of WW2 .
1. Battle of Stalingrad – World War II
The Battle of Stalingrad, which took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943, had a considerable impact on the outcome of the First World War 2. The two sides dug during this conflict, refusing to withdraw until their defeat and losses were incredibly high. The Soviet Union lost up to 1.1 million soldiers, while German troops suffered nearly 730,000. This battle exhausted German resources and, after their defeat, the Germans withdrew, surrendered or were captured. The city, named after Joseph Stalin (the Soviet leader at the time), was considered a large Soviet city in terms of morale and military strategy. If Hitler succeeded in this operation, he wouldn’t
