Your Top 3 Battles of WWII
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EgonSpengler
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5 June, 1944. Pegasus Bridge. Fewer than 200 men of the UK's "Ox & Bucks" - the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry - landed in wooden gliders in the dark to capture a bridge over a canal near Caen. The bridge was on the far left of the Allied landings in Normandy, and was capable of supporting tanks. The British had to first capture the bridge before the German sentries could blow it up, then hold it against counter attacks by the 21st Panzer Division until the men landing on the beaches could reinforce them (and two SS Panzer divisions were a day's ride behind the 21st).
After the war, the commander of 21 Panzer claimed that, had he been able to take the bridges over the canal that night, he would have been able to hit the Allied beaches in the flank and roll them up, one by one. Bluster? Perhaps.
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13 November 1942, off the coast of Guadalcanal. Just past midnight, 2 Japanese fast battleships led 12 destroyers in an attack on the American forces on the island. 7000 Japanese infantry were schedule to arrive on transports at dawn. The US Navy had 5 cruisers and 8 destroyers ready to fight. American aircraft from Henderson Field and USS Enterprise were grounded by darkness - there wasn't even moonlight - and the battleships USS Washington and USS South Dakota wouldn't arrive until the next day.
The fighting began at less than 2000m, with the ships using searchlights and flares. One American destroyer got so close to an enemy battleship that the Japanese couldn't depress their main batteries low enough to fire on it. An American sailor likened the battle to "a bar fight after someone had shot out the lights." Later, the Americans learned that the Japanese battleships had been specially outfitted with anti-personnel shrapnel rounds for their 356mm/14" main guns to fire on the island.
There are over 40 ships on the sea floor, and the area is known today as "Ironbottom Sound." The wrecks have been photographed and mapped by American oceanographer Robert Ballard (of Titanic and Bismark fame).
After the war, the commander of 21 Panzer claimed that, had he been able to take the bridges over the canal that night, he would have been able to hit the Allied beaches in the flank and roll them up, one by one. Bluster? Perhaps.
---
13 November 1942, off the coast of Guadalcanal. Just past midnight, 2 Japanese fast battleships led 12 destroyers in an attack on the American forces on the island. 7000 Japanese infantry were schedule to arrive on transports at dawn. The US Navy had 5 cruisers and 8 destroyers ready to fight. American aircraft from Henderson Field and USS Enterprise were grounded by darkness - there wasn't even moonlight - and the battleships USS Washington and USS South Dakota wouldn't arrive until the next day.
The fighting began at less than 2000m, with the ships using searchlights and flares. One American destroyer got so close to an enemy battleship that the Japanese couldn't depress their main batteries low enough to fire on it. An American sailor likened the battle to "a bar fight after someone had shot out the lights." Later, the Americans learned that the Japanese battleships had been specially outfitted with anti-personnel shrapnel rounds for their 356mm/14" main guns to fire on the island.
There are over 40 ships on the sea floor, and the area is known today as "Ironbottom Sound." The wrecks have been photographed and mapped by American oceanographer Robert Ballard (of Titanic and Bismark fame).
Radek_CZ
Chieftain
Kursk 1943
Scapa Flow (10/1939) with Gunther Prien as quest star
)
Japan attack Pearl Harbor
Scapa Flow (10/1939) with Gunther Prien as quest star
)Japan attack Pearl Harbor
privatehudson
The Ultimate Badass
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Arnhem/Market Garden has always caught my imagination from an early age, probably ever since watching and reading A Bridge too Far. It was probably the first time I really appreciated that my Grandfather had served in the war too, since he was involved in the campaign (as a supply truck driver with an Armoured brigade attached to XXX corps). I still find the whole subject fascinating, all the more so for having visited the area recently. I was able to see the places I'd read so much about, and also visit a nearby village (Oss) where my Grandfather was involved in an action, the only time he remembered firing a weapon in anger.
Dragonlord
Fantasy Warlord
I've always been fascinated by the drama of the Bismarck's last cruise and sinking.
Arguably one of the most powerful battleships in the world, she sank the "Mighty" Hood with just a couple of salvos, then, returning to France with relatively minor damage. after being hunted by dozens of British ships, she was brought low by an incredibly lucky (or unlucky) single hit on her steering by a lowly obsolete Swordfish torpedo bomber - a biplane, for chrissake!
Arguably one of the most powerful battleships in the world, she sank the "Mighty" Hood with just a couple of salvos, then, returning to France with relatively minor damage. after being hunted by dozens of British ships, she was brought low by an incredibly lucky (or unlucky) single hit on her steering by a lowly obsolete Swordfish torpedo bomber - a biplane, for chrissake!
privatehudson
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I find it interesting that the nature of HMS Hood's demise isn't attributed at least in part to bad luck too. Not that the Hood wasn't outmatched in that encounter, but even allowing for the superior quality of the much newer German ship, you could replay that encounter many times without such an swift destruction being the outcome.
Luck certainly is a major part of Hood's rapid demise. Design flaws can't be discounted either. Don't forget that Hood was not a battleship. It was a battle cruiser. A ship type that had done notably poorly against German battleships in the previous war. The war it was designed for. Hood was significantly under-armored to survive fire from a battleship.
Kouvb593kdnuewnd
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Oftopic but I had to type all this:
Bismarck journy was pretty eventfull alot of ww2 battleships did never face their equals.
Im not sure who side was more unluck, both lost a powerful ship if not the most powerful in respective navies.
Only the Yamato's spent more tonage on armor than the Bismarck but I have heard Bismarck's armor was of better quality and the ship may have had better armor layout, making it extremely hard to sink, maybe the hardest warship ever to sink.
However Bismarck did have some vulnerability, a torpedo hit showed one of them, however Bismarck was hit by another torpedo in the side that did very little damage.
Italian battleships was destroyed by same type of planes alone with much better protection than Bismarck had.
Tirpitz, Bismarck sister ship was also extremely hard to sink, took alot of operations, and in the end tallboy bombs was used.
I have heard that after the war British was interested to understand why Bismarck was so hard to sink and got hands on Tirpitz armor, or produced it themself, proved it was extreamly hard to sink.
Losing Bismarck may have hurted Germany much more than just losing the ship, think about how things could have went if Bismarck had survived which very well could have happened.
The Bismarck's may have been the best battleship class ever built if you consider all the factors, however some other classes like Iowas are rather untested.
It would be interesting to see what if Germany had an H-44 instead of the Bismarck, that would probably give the British navy some more troubles than the Bismarck.
Bismarck journy was pretty eventfull alot of ww2 battleships did never face their equals.
Im not sure who side was more unluck, both lost a powerful ship if not the most powerful in respective navies.
Only the Yamato's spent more tonage on armor than the Bismarck but I have heard Bismarck's armor was of better quality and the ship may have had better armor layout, making it extremely hard to sink, maybe the hardest warship ever to sink.
However Bismarck did have some vulnerability, a torpedo hit showed one of them, however Bismarck was hit by another torpedo in the side that did very little damage.
Italian battleships was destroyed by same type of planes alone with much better protection than Bismarck had.
Tirpitz, Bismarck sister ship was also extremely hard to sink, took alot of operations, and in the end tallboy bombs was used.
I have heard that after the war British was interested to understand why Bismarck was so hard to sink and got hands on Tirpitz armor, or produced it themself, proved it was extreamly hard to sink.
Losing Bismarck may have hurted Germany much more than just losing the ship, think about how things could have went if Bismarck had survived which very well could have happened.
The Bismarck's may have been the best battleship class ever built if you consider all the factors, however some other classes like Iowas are rather untested.
It would be interesting to see what if Germany had an H-44 instead of the Bismarck, that would probably give the British navy some more troubles than the Bismarck.
privatehudson
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Well yeah, that's pretty much what I said, I just found it interesting to contrast the way Dragonlord attributed the two demises
What about Iwo Jima? Did the Americans really "have to" take the island? or was it an unnecessary loss of military personnel?
The sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad and the tank battle of Kursk are some of the best examples of WWII' battles, at least as far as the Eastern front's concerned.
When and how was the Japanese battleship Yamato sunk?
The sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad and the tank battle of Kursk are some of the best examples of WWII' battles, at least as far as the Eastern front's concerned.
When and how was the Japanese battleship Yamato sunk?
madviking
north american scum
stalingrad, stalingrad, and stalingrad
gay_Aleks
from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
No love for Leningrad?
classical_hero
In whom I trust
I would say for me this is my list.
1. D-Day. The largest ever invasion ever. It is the pivotal battle that changed the whole of WW2. So many things could have gone wrong with it to make it a failure, but it worked.
2. El Alamein. This one I am a bit biased because it is one of Australia's greatest involvements in the war, not that it was solely an Australian battle, but we played a big effort in defeating the Germans in North Africa and it was the first major defeat of German armies by the allies in the War and was a turning point that allowed the allies to eventually pressure Italy and force the people to overthrow Mussolini. Also considering that the allied forces were facing the most capable German officer, it was a vital moral booster for the armies to win this battle an drive the Germans out of Africa.
3. Stalingrad. This happened at the same time as the above battle and it was vital for the survival of the Soviet empire. Defeat here also could have ramification for the above battle and vice versa. The strategic value of the city was of great importance to the Germans due to the oil fields and moving onto Allied held Middle east and cause problems for the Allies.
1. D-Day. The largest ever invasion ever. It is the pivotal battle that changed the whole of WW2. So many things could have gone wrong with it to make it a failure, but it worked.
2. El Alamein. This one I am a bit biased because it is one of Australia's greatest involvements in the war, not that it was solely an Australian battle, but we played a big effort in defeating the Germans in North Africa and it was the first major defeat of German armies by the allies in the War and was a turning point that allowed the allies to eventually pressure Italy and force the people to overthrow Mussolini. Also considering that the allied forces were facing the most capable German officer, it was a vital moral booster for the armies to win this battle an drive the Germans out of Africa.
3. Stalingrad. This happened at the same time as the above battle and it was vital for the survival of the Soviet empire. Defeat here also could have ramification for the above battle and vice versa. The strategic value of the city was of great importance to the Germans due to the oil fields and moving onto Allied held Middle east and cause problems for the Allies.
1. Battle of Britain
Simply an epic classic, similar to British vs Spanish Armada or the battle of Trafalgar, where the Island nation stands against a superpower in a battle where the stakes couldn't be bigger.
Not being able to smash Britain, Germany had to leave 40% of Luftwaffe and 20% of land forces to guard the western Europe and Norway, while Operation Barbarossa started.
Thankfully Britain was still in the game.
2. Battle of Crete
After reading Antony Beevor's Battle of Crete I took a lot of interest in this battle.
A sort of "romantic" doomed battle in an ancient, exotic location. Filled with eccentric characters.
I visited one of the battle fields while on beach holiday in Crete.
3. Battle of the Java Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Java_Sea
Another of those doomed battles, allied fleet of dutch, australian, british and american ships attack a japanese fleet and are blown away, the dutch admiran sinking with his ship.
An old school decisive naval battle.
Simply an epic classic, similar to British vs Spanish Armada or the battle of Trafalgar, where the Island nation stands against a superpower in a battle where the stakes couldn't be bigger.
Not being able to smash Britain, Germany had to leave 40% of Luftwaffe and 20% of land forces to guard the western Europe and Norway, while Operation Barbarossa started.
Thankfully Britain was still in the game.
2. Battle of Crete
After reading Antony Beevor's Battle of Crete I took a lot of interest in this battle.
A sort of "romantic" doomed battle in an ancient, exotic location. Filled with eccentric characters.
I visited one of the battle fields while on beach holiday in Crete.
3. Battle of the Java Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Java_Sea
Another of those doomed battles, allied fleet of dutch, australian, british and american ships attack a japanese fleet and are blown away, the dutch admiran sinking with his ship.
An old school decisive naval battle.
Cheezy the Wiz
Socialist In A Hurry
The Battle of Sunda Strait, which followed Java Sea, was freaking epic. Two Allied cruisers against a whole Japanese fleet, which they gave hell to before buying it.
Also, the bar brawl off Guadalcanal, already mentioned above, is a favorite of mine just for the sheer chaos and ballsiness.
Third would be the Defense of Schloss Itter, during the final days of the war, when strange circumstances forced American, French, and German forces to coordinate a joint defense of a castle high in the Austrian Alps from an SS division.
Also, the bar brawl off Guadalcanal, already mentioned above, is a favorite of mine just for the sheer chaos and ballsiness.
Third would be the Defense of Schloss Itter, during the final days of the war, when strange circumstances forced American, French, and German forces to coordinate a joint defense of a castle high in the Austrian Alps from an SS division.
madviking
north american scum
battle off samar was also epic
madviking
north american scum
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