World War II swept all over Europe in 1939, later Japan and the United States of America joined the theater of operations. This war is called the bloodiest and largest battle of the XX century. WWII operations were carried out on land, water and in the sky. All allied states united against a common enemy - fascist Germany and allied countries.
The confrontation lasted from 1939-1945. During the war, millions of human lives - military and civilian - were ruined. It was the heyday of genocide and oppression. The military operations of World War II were large-scale, hundreds of thousands of people and millions of pieces of equipment participated in them.
The main areas of hostilities
Fascist Germany, together with its allies - Italy and Japan - begins an offensive in the main areas. The outbreak of the war was the seizure of a neighboring state - Poland. The Soviet Union, England and France remained neutral, as Hitler had hoped. After the Fuhrer’s intervention in Algeria, Egypt, France, a full-scale war begins.
It gained even greater scope after crossing the USSR borders by German troops. The main fronts and operations of the Second World War:
- European front: France, England, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands.
- Soviet direction.
- Asia-Pacific direction.
- African front.
The most fierce battles were fought on the territory of the Soviet Union. England met the enemy in the sky, the "battle for Britain" is called the greatest air battle.
WWII operations on the Western Front
The war on the Atlantic Ocean took the lives of more than 50 thousand soldiers. German submarines destroyed ships of England and the Soviet Union, which supplied arms and food supplies. These were fierce battles. The forces of the Third Reich also suffered huge losses. The clash was caused by Hitler's desire to break Britain’s ties with the Allies.
The tactics of the “wolf packs” of Karl Denez actively destroyed the allied forces. In addition to submarines, boats, surface ships, and aircraft participated in the battle. Germany has long held the initiative. Only the way out of the Italian war and the improved development of radars and ships in Britain and the USA allowed to win the confrontation.
The main operation of the Second World War is the battle for Britain, which was fought over the English Channel. Large-scale air battle was won only thanks to the courage of the English pilots. They performed on older cars, while Germany supplied its pilots with the best airplanes. And this despite the fact that Germany was forbidden to have weapons and an army following the results of the Treaty of Versailles. Ultimately, the Third Reich lost almost twice as much aircraft. The confrontation lasted until "Day D" - the opening of the Second Front.
The military operations in Egypt and Algeria were volatile. Especially after the landing of American soldiers on the coast of North Africa and the transition of the French colonists to the side of the Allies.
Soviet Union on the Eastern Front
After the German attack on the Brest Fortress on 06/21/1941, the Soviet Union entered the war with the Third Reich. Hitler felt strong enough to capture large territories of the Union. All forces were thrown into the fight against the invaders. Over the entire period of hostilities, the USSR lost millions of citizens. In the near future, factories and factories were built to meet the needs of the front. Before the war, it was possible to transfer most of the production closer to the Urals and beyond.
Despite all the efforts of the Soviet regime, the enemy advanced deep into the country, during the confrontation fights were fought:
- Baltic military operation (06.22–09.07.1941).
- The battle of Smolensk (07.10-10.09.1941).
- The battle for Leningrad (07/10/1941/09/08/1944).
- The Battle of Moscow (09/30/1941/07/01/1942).
- Rzhev-Vyazemsky operation (08.01-20.04.1942).
- Battle of Stalingrad (07.17.1942-02.02.1943).
- The battle for the Caucasus (07.25.1942-09.10.1943).
- Vitebsk operation (03.02-13.03.1944).
- Belarusian operation (06.23-29.08.1944).
- Vistula-Oder operation (12.01-3.02.1945).
- The Battle of Berlin (04.16-08.05.1945).
Opponents suffered heavy losses during each of the military operations. Soviet troops resisted by all means. On the territory of the camps, large campaigning and coercion campaigns were conducted to join the Soviet army. The end of the Second World War operation was the surrender of Berlin 05/09/1945 .
Pacific confrontation
In 1941, Japan began active operations against the United States of America. The attack on the military base of America (Pearl Harbor, about which many films have been shot and the debate has not subsided so far) is one of the brightest battles of the Asia-Pacific confrontation. The US Army opposed the Japanese in the Pacific. In 1945, Soviet intervention in military operations accelerated the defeat of Japan. So, after a long resistance on September 2, 1945, Japan admitted defeat.
The losses of all participating States during World War II operations amounted to 32 million people. Of these, about 29 million are accounted for only by the Soviet Union. This is the most fierce war in the history of mankind.