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The Nazi German Blitzkrieg's most astonishing triumph, sweeping into the heart of Paris in a few short days, and establishing Hitler's supremacy over Continental Europe.
The two mightiest air fleets in the world clashed in tumultuous combat over the skies of Britain and the English Channel. The very survival of the English depended on the bravery of the Royal Air Force, of whom Churchill said, " Never was so much owed by so many to so few."
In a classic naval engagement, the American and Japanese Navies squared off in the carrier-to-carrier Battle of Midway. Both sides knew that the victor would rule the Pacific for decades to come.
The annihilation of an entire army amidst the charred and frozen ruins of Stalingrad was catastrophe for Nazi arms. Thereafter, the colossus of the Red Army was never to lose the initiative in the East.
In August 1944, with the battle for the beaches won, Allied troops were advancing through Normandy. The Falaise Gap, southeast of Caen, represented the only remaining escape route for the Germans. In danger of being overrun, the Germans were determined to extract their forces before becoming completely encircled. The subsequent fighting in the hedgerows and fields was intense, as the Allies battled to overcome 150,000 determined Germans. The Gap was finally closed on August 19. Approximately 50,000 trapped German soldiers surrendered. Germans losses, especially of heavy guns and tanks, were catastrophic.
The furious, climatic last battle of Hitler’s war. Over half a million lives were lost as the Red Army finally crushed the last Nazi citadel.
