Forgotten Victory: Burma 1945 At the start of 1945, British Fourteenth Army faced massive logistical challenges and a veteran enemy full of fight. The British had to mount an offensive over hundreds miles of nearly impassable terrain and across two major rivers, which meant relying on aerial and riverine transport. Nevertheless, they conducted a brilliant campaign, retaking most of Burma before the onset of the monsoons in May.
Along with other great articles: St. Vith, 16–23 Dec 1944, Retreat to the Dnepr, July to September 1943, Truppenfuehrung: Germany’s Operational Manual
West Front ‘44, Decision on the Rhine The final quarter of 1944 saw Anglo-Allied armies advance toward the Rhine in a series of hard-fought battles. The start of that winter also saw the Germans launching a last great offensive. The result was, by the spring of 1945, the Allies were in position to move into the heartland of the Reich. All that was the result of command decisions made starting years before.
Along with other great articles: The Uman Pocket, July–August 1941, Australia’s Bougainville Campaign, Nov 1944–Aug 1945, Hermann Balck, Greatest “Forgotten” German General of World War II
France Overseas: What If They Fought On? On 16 June 1940, as the Germans advanced into France, Gen. Phillipe Petain said the “unity and preservation of France” demanded an armistice before the army was destroyed. Premier Paul Renaud refused, but the cabinet rejected his call to continue the war from North Africa by a vote of 13 to 6. In that way, one of the most significant strategic decisions made among the Allies during the first half of the war was decided by four votes.
Along with other great articles: The Battle of the Mius River, 1943, The Bougainville Campaign, The Desert Air Force
Operation Ironclad: Madagascar 1942 On 5 May 1942, under the codename Operation Ironclad, the British attacked the Vichy French port of Diego Suarez on the north coast of Madagascar. It was the beginning of a six-month campaign for that island, control of which was vital if the Allies were to keep secure the lines of communication across the Indian Ocean.
Along with other great articles: The Vistula-Oder Offensive, 1945, Netherlands 1940, Defeating the U-boats
1941 in the Middle East From April to November 1941, the British won crucial victories in the Middle East. They did so first in Iraq, then in Syria and Lebanon and finally in Iran. With those campaigns, they consolidated Allied control of the Eastern Mediterranean, secured their oil supply and opened a land communication route to their new Soviet ally. Those wins were not foreordained. Here is our analysis.
Along with other great articles: Vitebsk 1943: Third Panzer Army’s Fight for Survival, The Battle of Attu Island, The Doenitz Trial
Finland Leaves the War On 9 June 1944, the Red Army launched a massive surprise offensive against Finland. Their objective was to inflict total defeat on the Finns, occupy their whole country and set up a Soviet-style puppet regime in Helsinki. Here is our analysis of how and why they failed to accomplish those last two objectives.
Along with other great articles: Operation Olive & The Gothic Line Campaign, Japan’s Oil War, Compare & Contrast: ETO vs. PTO Amphibious Operations
Invasion Australia: Japanese Plans By late mid-1942, the Japanese had seized Singapore, the Netherlands East Indies and Burma. With that, their high command reevaluated their strategy. While the initial objective had been to conquer the “Southern Resource Area,” with that accomplished a possible new goal emerged—the invasion of Australia. Here is our analysis of the factors that led them to forego that attempt.
Along with other great articles: The Colmar Pocket, Santa Cruz: Japan’s Final Lunge in the Solomons, Velikiye Luki: Little Stalingrad of the North
The Solomons Campaign, 1942–43 While the Battle of Midway was a key action in the Pacific War, Guadalcanal and the subsequent fighting across the rest of the Solomon Islands was the true turning point in the war against Japan.
Along with other great articles: The Mediterranean Air War, 1943–44, The Soviet East Pomeranian Offensive, February–March 1945, The Sanjak Muslim Militia, 1941–45
D-Day to the Rhine: 1944–45 Early in 1945, the armies of the Western Allies conducted a series of offensives that defeated the Germans in battles starting at the Rhine River and extending to the link up with the Soviets on the Elbe. Those offensives were the payoff of earlier strategic decisions as well as the logistical realities that shaped them.
Along with other great articles: The Fall of East Prussia, 1945, Pacific D-Day: Saipan, 15 June 1944, Germany’s Middle East Option
