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Battle of the Atlantic
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Learn how the Third Reich utilized U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic to destroy Allied supply convoys
Memorial to French sailors in Greenock
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Germany invades Poland, September 1, 1939, using 45 German divisions and aerial attack. By September 20, only Warsaw held out, but final surrender came on September 29.
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U.S. marines raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, in February 1945
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Civil War era cannon overlooks Kennesaw Mountain National Battle. (military, artillery, American history)
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Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)
World Wars
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
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Battle of the Atlantic

World War II
Written by
Thomas A. Hughes
Dr. Thomas Alexander Hughes (BA, Saint John’s University; MA, PhD, University of Houston) is an associate professor at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He formerly served...
Thomas A. HughesAll
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Battle of the Atlantic, in World War II, a contest between the Western Allies and the Axis powers (particularly Germany) for the control of Atlantic sea routes. For the Allied powers, the battle had three objectives: blockade of the Axis powers in Europe, security of Allied sea movements, and freedom to project military power across the seas. The Axis, in turn, hoped to frustrate Allied use of the Atlantic to wage war. For British Prime...

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