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Battles of World War II involving Italy

  • Battle of Alam el HalfaMontgomery knew Rommel's attack plan before the Battle of Alam el Halfa began. Ultra intercepts told him.
  • Battle of GazalaRommel used a decoy attack at Gazala, then swung his tanks south around the British line by night.
  • Operation CrusaderErwin Rommel was not even in Africa when Operation Crusader began. A deception plan had him expecting December.
  • Operation CompassOperation Compass was planned as a five-day raid in the Egyptian desert. It ended with about 133,000 Italian prisoners.
  • Second Battle of El AlameinA thousand guns opened fire at once at El Alamein on October 23, 1942. A 13-day battle had begun.
  • Italian invasion of EgyptItaly's 1940 invasion of Egypt began with a marshal who thought it could not succeed.
  • Spring 1945 offensive in ItalyItalian partisans liberated Milan on the 25th of April 1945, before Allied troops entered.
  • Italian invasion of British SomalilandChurchill's fury over losing British Somaliland helped end General Wavell's career.
  • Battle of FranceIn 1940, France fell within six weeks despite having more tanks than Germany.
  • Allied invasion of ItalyA loudspeaker on an Italian beach told landing American soldiers to give up. They landed anyway.
  • First Battle of El AlameinThe First Battle of El Alamein was fought at a railway station with no value of its own.
  • German invasion of GreeceHitler invaded Greece partly to protect Romanian oil from British bombers.
  • Battle of StalingradHitler promoted Paulus to field marshal at Stalingrad, since no German field marshal had ever surrendered.
  • Battle of BritainThe Battle of Britain was named before it began. Churchill announced it on June 18, 1940, weeks ahead of the start.
  • Invasion of YugoslaviaHitler attacked Yugoslavia in April 1941 after a coup toppled a government that had just allied with him.
  • Greco-Italian WarIn 1940 Italy invaded small Greece, and within weeks the Greeks were advancing.
  • Operation AchseOne coded word, "Achse," turned German troops on Italy on September 8, 1943.
  • Second Battle of KharkovA Soviet offensive at Kharkov in May 1942 ended with more than 250,000 troops trapped.

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