World War II in Europe
During World War II, Germany overran
much of Europe using a new tactic called the
"Blitzkrieg" (lightning war). Blitzkrieg
involved the massing of planes, tanks, and
artillery. These forces would break through enemy
defenses along a narrow front. Air power prevented
the enemy from closing the breach. German forces
encircled opposing troops, forcing them to
surrender.
Using the Blitzkrieg tactic, Germany defeated
Poland (attacked in September 1939),
Denmark (April 1940), Norway (April 1940), Belgium
(May 1940), the Netherlands (May 1940), Luxembourg
(May 1940), France (May 1940), Yugoslavia (April
1941), and Greece (April 1941). Yet Germany did
not defeat Great Britain, which was protected from
ground attack by the English Channel.
German forces attacked the Soviet Union in June
1941, pushing more
than 600 miles to the gates of Moscow. A second
German offensive in 1942 brought German soldiers
to the shores of the Volga River and the city of
Stalingrad. But the Soviet Union, together with
Great Britain and the United States, which had
entered the war against Germany in December 1941,
turned the tide of battle against Germany.
In the east, the battle for Stalingrad proved a decisive turning point.
After the defeat at Stalingrad in winter of 1942-43, German troops began
the long retreat. In April 1945 Soviet forces entered Berlin. In the west,
Allied soldiers landed on June 6, 1944 (known as D-Day) in Normandy, France.
More than two million Allied soldiers poured into France. In July, Allied forces broke out of the Normandy beachhead. The Allies continued the attack into Germany.
In March 1945, Allied forces crossed the Rhine, advancing into the heart
of Germany.
Nazi Germany surrendered in May 1945.
For more information, see "World War II" in the Holocaust Encyclopedia.
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