D-Day

The European Western Front of World War II (1939-1945) was one of the main battlefields where the Allies fought against Nazi Germany. It was mainly divided into three stages: Early stage (1939-1940) After Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany, but the Western Front fell into a "fake war" stalemate. In April 1940, the German army launched the "Blitzkrieg" and quickly occupied Denmark and Norway. In May, they bypassed the Maginot Line and raided the Netherlands and Belgium. France surrendered in June and the British army retreated from Dunkirk. Stalemate and turning point (1941-1944) After Germany took control of Western Europe, it launched the "War of Britain" (1940) against Britain, but failed to force Britain to surrender. On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces launched the Normandy landing (D-Day) and opened up the second battlefield. Later, they broke through the German defense lines through "Operation Cobra" and liberated Paris in August. Allied Counteroffensive and German Surrender (1944-1945) At the end of 1944, the German army failed to counterattack in the Battle of the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge). At the beginning of 1945, the Allied forces crossed the Inn River, and the Soviet army simultaneously advanced from the east front. In April, the American and Soviet armies met at the Elbe River. On May 7, Germany surrendered unconditionally. Key impact: Containing the main force of the German army on the Western Front, cooperating with the Soviet counterattack on the Eastern Front, and accelerating the destruction of the Nazis. The Normandy landings became the largest amphibious operation in the history of modern warfare and laid the foundation for the liberation of Europe.