More than 80 years ago, World War II swept through Europe, and all the major military forces in the world were involved, leaving only a scene of bloodshed and ruins. At least 50 million people died in this unprecedented war, so World War II is also considered as the bloodiest war in history. 1939, German dictator and careerist Adolf? Hitler's desire for power expanded to the extreme, and he began to wage a war of aggression against Poland, thus the Second World War began. Germany, Italy, Japan and other countries form axis countries, while their opponents are allies composed of powerful countries such as Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States. It was not until 1945 that the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, respectively, that the war ended. In World War II, these world powers used advanced bombs and weapons as efficient killing machines, so it is not difficult to imagine that some of the bloodiest battles in human history were born. In this article, we will introduce you to the five worst battles, each of which claimed thousands or even millions of lives. When we list these battles, you will notice that according to different sources, the exact number of casualties in these battles (including not only the number of deaths, but also the number of injured, sick and missing people) is often different and controversial. In addition, the word "sports" is not strictly defined. Some people only use it to refer to short-term conflicts in specific areas, while others have a broader definition of campaign, including large-scale military operations. We will start with the bloodiest battle in the Pacific theater. 1. Okinawa campaign? Although most of the battles on the list took place in Europe and the Soviet Union, Okinawa is one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Ocean. This battle is considered to be the largest battle of land, sea and air integration, which lasted for several months and caused tens of thousands of casualties on both sides. Okinawa, the largest island in the Ryukyu Islands, is under the jurisdiction of Japan and plays an important strategic role in the American war against Japan. 1in March, 945, the United States began to attack Japan, and the Japanese army countered with devastating air strikes. Kamikaze soldiers deliberately let the plane fly to American warships with the intention of mutual destruction. After the US military gained more positions and lost naval support, Japan also began to launch a large-scale ground counterattack. Although the United States finally won the battle, the process was full of hardships and did not end until June. In the battle of Okinawa, the Japanese army lost at least 6,543,800 people, and the United States also consumed at least 6,543,800 people. This does not include the number of injured people. The number of American soldiers injured in the battle was as high as 36,000. The saddest thing is that it is estimated that at least 6.5438+0.5 million Japanese civilians were killed in the Okinawa War. Second, the Normandy landing war? 1on the morning of June 6, 944, the allied forces launched an attack, which has now become a famous "d-day". British, American and Canadian troops attacked five beaches along the Normandy coast. Since morning, the allied forces have bombed the German troops stationed here with air force. Although the allies wanted to surprise them, after fierce resistance, the Germans were more or less ready to give up their positions. In the following months, the allies successfully captured some surrounding towns, including fortress and Caen. The attack lasted for several months until the end of August. The number of casualties on both sides is staggering: according to relevant estimates, there are at least 320,000 casualties in Germany (30,000 dead, 80,000 injured, and the rest are missing), while the number of allied casualties is as high as 230,000 (more than 45,000 dead). Third, the Ardennes campaign After the Normandy campaign, the allied forces began to March into Belgium, and the situation seems to have improved. They thought that the Nazi power should be greatly weakened. Unexpectedly, however, in the cold winter of 1944, when the allied forces were advancing in the Belgian jungle, the Axis countries launched a strong counterattack. 1944 12 due to bad weather, the allied air support forces could not take off, and Hitler's army took this opportunity to storm. Within a few weeks, Nazi troops and their tiger tanks were invincible, and the allies had to retreat for miles. However, by Christmas, the situation was reversed. In the middle of June, 65438+the following year 10, the allied forces struggled forward and regained the original stronghold of Ardennes forest. Hitler's last struggle in the war was still in vain. Some people think that this battle is the bloodiest battle for Americans. 19000 soldiers were killed and at least 70000 people were injured or missing. By comparison, the number of casualties in Britain is 12000200. Germany also suffered heavy casualties, with about 654.38+10,000 casualties. 4. In the Battle of Stalingrad (1942), the eyes of the Nazis fell on Stalingrad. The city lies along the Volga River. It is not only an industrial city that can produce military materials, but also an important strategic location for invading the Soviet Union. The Nazis carried out crazy air raids on the city, and the army strength also exceeded 1.5 million, with about 500 tanks. The Nazi commander thought he could win easily, but the Soviet army fought him back indefatigably. The battle lasted in full swing for five months, and the streets were full of gunshots. In June 5438 +065438+10, the Soviet Union launched a large-scale counterattack to repel the invaders. The Germans were exhausted and surrendered in February 1943. This was a decisive battle, which changed the situation in favor of the Allies. Although the Soviet Union won, they suffered more casualties than the enemy. The number of casualties in the Axis countries is about 800,000, and that in the Soviet Union is over 6,543,800+0,000. In addition, about 40,000 citizens were killed in this battle. 5. Battle of Leningrad? As we said before, historians and scholars sometimes define the word "fighting" broadly. The battle of Leningrad is a typical example. The battle of Leningrad, also known as the siege of Leningrad, lasted for several years, from September of 194 1 year to June of 1944, and lasted at least 900 days. In order to give you a more intuitive understanding of the huge casualties of this siege, we might as well say that the death toll of the Soviet Union in Leningrad is more than the total death toll of Americans and British people in the whole World War II. In this battle, not only soldiers, but all men, women and children were mobilized to protect the boundaries of the city and resist the invasion of Nazi tanks, as long as they could make contributions. Although the fighting was fierce, the Soviet army and people finally succeeded in stopping the German attack and saving their city from the danger of complete destruction. After a long battle, you can probably imagine that the number of casualties in the battle of Leningrad is astronomical. The most terrible thing is that at least 6.5438+0 million civilians died in the war, which was about one third of the population of Leningrad at that time. Some of them were direct victims of war, while others died of disease, cold or hunger. Nazi troops cut off supplies from Soviet troops by closing the city. As a result, the Soviet army lost more than 6,543,800 lives, not including 2 million wounded and sick people. The number of casualties in Germany is still controversial, but there are at least hundreds of thousands.