WWII Operations, Battles, and Alliances
Key WWII Alliances and Fortifications
The Axis Powers
The Rome-Berlin Axis was the name given to the collaboration between Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy from 1936 to 1945. During World War II, the term Axis Powers referred to Germany, Italy, Japan, and their allies.
European Fortified Lines
The Maginot Line was a line of fortifications built by France for defense along its borders with Germany and Italy after the end of the First World War. The term “Maginot Line” can refer to the complete system or exclusively to the defenses against Germany; the defenses against Italy are often called the Alpine Line. Opposite it was the German fortified line known as the Siegfried Line.
Major WWII Operations and Battles
Operation Sealion: Planned UK Invasion
Operation Sealion was the German plan to invade Britain during the Second World War. The invasion was never executed, although preparations were intense. The threat remained for some time, partly for psychological pressure and partly to cover German plans for attacking the Soviet Union.
Operation Overlord: Allied Invasion of France
Operation Overlord was the Allied invasion of German-occupied Europe, beginning with landings in northwest France during World War II. The goal was to establish a foothold in Europe, liberate France, and advance into the heart of the Third Reich. Preparations for Operation Overlord began in Britain.
North Africa: Battles of El Alamein
First Battle of El Alamein (July 1942)
The First Battle of El Alamein (July 1–27, 1942) was part of the Western Desert Campaign in World War II. Axis forces, led by Erwin Rommel, fought Allied forces under Claude Auchinleck. The battle halted the final Axis advance towards Alexandria, Egypt, at El Alamein (approx. 106 km away).
Second Battle of El Alamein (Oct-Nov 1942)
The Second Battle of El Alamein (October 23 – November 11, 1942) is considered the turning point of the war in North Africa during World War II. It followed the First Battle of El Alamein, which had stopped the Afrika Korps’ advance. General Bernard Montgomery took command of the British Eighth Army from Claude Auchinleck in August 1942 before this battle.
Balkans Campaign: Operation Marita
Operation Marita refers to the invasion of Greece by Axis forces during World War II against the Allies (Greece and the Commonwealth). The broader Battle of Greece began on October 28, 1940, with Fascist Italy’s invasion from Albania (occupied by Italy in April 1939). The Greek army successfully resisted and counter-attacked, pushing the Italians back and occupying parts of Albania by mid-December 1940. A renewed Italian offensive in March 1941 failed. Operation Marita specifically involved German intervention alongside Italy starting in April 1941, leading to the fall of Kalamata in the Peloponnese by April 28, 1941. The Battle of Greece, along with the Battle of Crete and naval actions, is part of the Aegean theatre within the Balkans Campaign.
WWII End-Game: The Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference, a summit meeting between the main Allied leaders, was held between July and August 1945. It was the last such conference of World War II. Decisions were made regarding Allied control of Germany, reparations, German territorial losses, and Soviet intervention against Japan in the war.