Last battle of Bismarck, May 26 – 27, 1941 A decisive action between capital ships of Germany and Britain. The German Bismarck was sunk with most of its 2,200 sailors perishing.

Battle of Wuhan, June 11 – October 27, 1938 The longest, largest, and most significant battle in the early part of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Battle of the Coral Sea, May 4 – 8, 1942 A key naval battle between US and Japan. It was, historically, the first action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other.

Battle of Madagascar, May 5 – November 6, 1942 A campaign to capture the French-controlled island of Madagascar. Its purpose was to prevent the loss of an important Allied shipping route.

Battle of the Bulge, December 16, 1944 - January 25, 1945 The last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front. The Battle of the Bulge was an unsuccessful attempt to push the Allies back from German held territory.

Battle of Midway, June 4 – 7, 1942 A decisive naval battle in the Pacific War. The US Navy defeated an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Battle of Kasserine Pass, February 19 – 24, 1943 A battle that took place at Kasserine Pass, a gap in the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia.

Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 A military strike by the Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor Hawaii.

Battle of Berlin, April 16 – May 2, 1945 One of the last major offensives of the European theatre of the war. It is also known as the Fall of Berlin.

Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 23 – 26, 1944 The largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 soldiers involved. It was fought near the Philippine islands.

Operation Hailstone, February 17–18, 1944 A massive US Navy air and surface attack on Truk Lagoon. It decimated the Imperial Japanese Navy convoy that was its target.

Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings, August 6 and 9, 1945 The event in which the US detonated two nuclear weapons over inhabited Japanese cities in order to force Japan to surrender.

Battle of Crete, May 20 - June 1, 1941 An airborne invasion of Crete that led to German occupation of the island.

Battle of Okinawa, April 1 – June 22, 1945 A battle fought on the island of Okinawa. It was the largest assault in the Pacific War by US against Japan.

Siege of Tobruk, April 10 – November 27, 1941 Part of Operation Sonnenblume, a plan conducted by Germany and Italy against the Allies in Libya during the Western Desert Campaign.

Battle of Dakar, September 23 – 25, 1940 An unsuccessful attempt by the Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa (modern-day Senegal).

Battle of Shanggao, March 14 – April 9, 1941 A major engagement between the Chinese and Japanese armies that led to China repelling the Japanese offensive.

Battle of Iwo Jima, February 19 – March 26, 1945 A major battle in which the US landed on the island of Iwo Jima and eventually captured it from Japan.

Battle of Buna–Gona, November 16, 1942 – January 22, 1943 Part of the New Guinea campaign in the Pacific Ocean where Australian and US forces fought against the Japanese.

Siege of Leningrad, September 8, 1941 – January 27, 1944 Considered the longest and the bloodiest siege in human history. The siege took more than 2 million civilian lives.

Battle of Guam, July 21 – August 10, 1944 A battle in which American forces recaptured the Japanese-held island of Guam.

Battle of Stalingrad, August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943 The largest battle of the war, with over 2 million fallen soldiers. The Soviets triumphed, and the battle proved to be a major turning point in the war.

Battle of the River Plate, December 13, 1939 The first naval battle in the Second World War. It was fought in South America and the result was a British victory.

Battles of El Alamein, July 1 – November 11, 1942 Two battles that prevented Germany and Italy from advancing further into Egypt.

Indian Ocean raid, March 31 – April 10, 1942 An attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy against Allied shipping routes and bases in the Indian Ocean.

Guadalcanal Campaign, August 7, 1942 – February 9, 1943 The first major offensive by Allied forces against Japan. This campaign kicked off the Allied offensive in the Pacific.

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