WW II Operations Flashcards
Operation Avalanche
Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but the Allies landed in an area defended by German troops. Operation Avalanche was a successful operation for the Allied Forces as they were able to capture Salerno. They learned new aspects of amphibious assaults and emerged as more experienced to further proceed in World War II. Moreover, they established their presence in the Mediterranean sea.
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the codename for the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union during WWII. On June 22, 1941, Germany launched its invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler predicted a quick victory, but after initial success, the brutal campaign dragged on and eventually failed due to strategic blunders and harsh winter weather, as well as a determined Soviet resistance and attrition suffered by German forces.
- Operation Dynamo,
Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk, involved the rescue of more than 338,000 British and French soldiers from the French port of Dunkirk between 26 May and 4 June 1940. The evacuation, sometimes referred to as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was a big boost for British morale.
Operation Husky
Operation Husky was the unlikely codename for the invasion of Sicily by Allied forces in the summer of 1943. The operation, which got off to a disastrous start, lasted for six weeks. It was an important action because it marked the beginning of the Italian Campaign. It was a massive amphibious assault on the southern shores of the island. It proved successful, and German resources were shifted to the islands of Sardinia and Corsica
Operation Jubilee
Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment of tanks, were put ashore from a naval force operating under protection of Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters. Aerial and naval support was insufficient to enable the ground forces to achieve their objectives; the tanks were trapped on the beach and the infantry was largely prevented from entering the town by obstacles and German fire. After less than six hours, mounting casualties forced a retreat. The operation was a fiasco in which only one landing force achieved its objective and some intelligence including electronic intelligence was gathered.
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than two million Allied troops were in France by the end of August. The Americans assigned to land at sectors codenamed Utah and Omaha, the British at Sword and Gold, and the Canadians at Juno. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted Operation Bodyguard, a substantial military deception that used electronic and visual misinformation to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings.
Operation Retribution
Operation Retribution, also known as Operation Punishment, was the April 1941 German bombing of Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, in retaliation for the coup d’état that overthrew the government that had signed the Tripartite Pact. The bombing occurred in the first days of the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II. The Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (VVKJ) had only 77 modern fighter aircraft available to defend Belgrade against the hundreds of German fighters and bombers that struck in the first wave early on 6 April.
Operation Sea Lion
Operation Sea Lion was the plan to invade the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany during World War II. The plan began in 1940. However, Germany first had to control the sky and sea of the English Channel before a land invasion. Operation Sea Lion could never have succeeded even if the forces of Operation Barbarossa had been redirected for many reasons. In order for Operation Sea Lion to have succeeded the Germans would have needed to destroy the Royal Air Force and win The Battle of Britain - which they didn’t.
