Favourite campaign/battle in the 'West' WW2
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renrich
Chief Master Sergeant
I picked the North African campaigns, particularly the portion in the beginning against the Italians and then the Afrika Korps. It seems like North Africa was tailor made for a mechanised war with not many civilians and not much environment to mess up.
For me it is the N. African campaigns. I have always been fascinated with learning about Rommel and the Afrika Korps. I read as much as I can on the subject and I also collect Afrika Korps artifacts and uniforms.
MacArther
Staff Sergeant
I like North Africa because of the vastness of the terrain and the variety of tactics that could be employed. However, my favorite campaign would have to be D-Day. Cliche I know, but the fact that the Germans were caught off guard not by a well orchestrated air drop, but rather by the exact opposite has always fascinated me. Also, the attack on Pegasus Bridge and the subsequent holding of the area despite major counter attack leaves me in awe.
ToughOmbre
Senior Master Sergeant
D-Day and the Ardennes have always held interest for me since my father fought in both battles.
TO
TO
SoD Stitch
Banned
I like the Ardennes because by then the Germans were utlizing all of their classic "heavies", like the Tiger, the Panther and the Tiger II, and were just beginning to use their wunder weapons, like the Me 262 and the Ar 234. "The gamble that nearly paid off".
pbfoot
1st Lieutenant
The march up the boot of Italy
BombTaxi
Tech Sergeant
I see I have posted the only vote for the Battle of the Atlantic so far, so I will briefly explain why 
IMHO, without this battle, none of the others would have been possible. Even before the large-scale advent of Lend-Lease and eventual staging of US forces through the UK, the Atlantic trade was vital to keep money and materials flowing into the UK. The Admiralty learned a hard lesson in 1917, when Britain was literally weeks away from starvation due to U-boats, and tragically this lesson was forgotten over the next 25 years. Churchill admitted that nothing scared him more than the U-boat threat.
Over the next 3 years, the Allies re-learned all that had been forgotten and then some. Huge resources poured into the theatre resulted in huge advances in radar, sonar, weaponry and ship design - the Atlantic bred the Flower class corvettes, escort carriers, Type XXI U-boats and Liberty, Victory and Standard class transports to name a few.
And most importantly, it demanded huge sacrifice on the part of the civilian, non-combatant crews of the merchantmen, who never volunteered to fight on this particular front line, and were sometimes unwilling warriors. These men never wore a uniform, and did not receive much of the glory or reward of the servicemen who performed equally heroic service beside them. I believe their sacrifice to be one too often overlooked
IMHO, without this battle, none of the others would have been possible. Even before the large-scale advent of Lend-Lease and eventual staging of US forces through the UK, the Atlantic trade was vital to keep money and materials flowing into the UK. The Admiralty learned a hard lesson in 1917, when Britain was literally weeks away from starvation due to U-boats, and tragically this lesson was forgotten over the next 25 years. Churchill admitted that nothing scared him more than the U-boat threat.
Over the next 3 years, the Allies re-learned all that had been forgotten and then some. Huge resources poured into the theatre resulted in huge advances in radar, sonar, weaponry and ship design - the Atlantic bred the Flower class corvettes, escort carriers, Type XXI U-boats and Liberty, Victory and Standard class transports to name a few.
And most importantly, it demanded huge sacrifice on the part of the civilian, non-combatant crews of the merchantmen, who never volunteered to fight on this particular front line, and were sometimes unwilling warriors. These men never wore a uniform, and did not receive much of the glory or reward of the servicemen who performed equally heroic service beside them. I believe their sacrifice to be one too often overlooked
Konigstiger205
Staff Sergeant
Battle of Britain by far. First the war hadn't reach a standstill yet and the Germans still had the advantage. To be honest I can't imagine something more majestic than a sky filled with warbirds dogfighting
. That doesn't mean I support war or anything.
. That doesn't mean I support war or anything.Arsenal VG-33
Senior Airman
Battle of France 1940 for me. After 65 years, details are still surfacing about this campaigne.
parsifal
Colonel
I think its the Battle for Maltafor me. It was just a struggle of will more than anything, neither side able to claim victory until the very end. The fate of the North African campaign resting on this one small island. No clear winner until the very end
As with all campaigns of WW2, new details surface all regularly...
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
No clear favorite for me, interested in them all....
michaelmaltby
Colonel
The Scheldt in Holland, late '44. Nasty battlein flooded fields.
Vassili Zaitzev
Master Sergeant
Paticuarly intereted in D-day, Arnhem(Market Garden) and the Ardennes. I've read Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far", and "The Longest Day."
Ferdinand Foch
Staff Sergeant
I went with Arnhem, I don't know, but the whole idea of the British Paratroopers fighting incredible odds against the S.S. kinda struck me as something to remember (as the rest of the Second World War should be).
I do enjoy reading about Italy, though, especially about the Battle for Monte Cassino. Just reminds me alot of the First World War, with the trenches and gaining only a few hundred yards at a cost of a few thousand casualties.
I do enjoy reading about Italy, though, especially about the Battle for Monte Cassino. Just reminds me alot of the First World War, with the trenches and gaining only a few hundred yards at a cost of a few thousand casualties.
RabidAlien
1st Lieutenant
In the absence of the Hurtgen Forest campaign, I chose Battle of the Bulge. Yeah, alot of green troops broke and ran, which history tends to focus on. But there were a TON of other, smaller heroic "last stands" similar to the 101st in Bastogne. If the 10th Infantry hadn't delayed the Germans on the road to Bastogne, the 101st would've arrived to an occupied city. If the 82nd hadn't made its stand on the Elsenborne Ridge, pounding away at the passing columns, there might've been enough fodder to overrun Bastogne, and push all the way to Antwerp. Countless stories of sheer heroism in the face of overwhelming odds by the Allies....and the ability of the Axis to scrape that many forces together, and assemble them, without the Allies knowing what they were up to, ya just gotta respect that, too!
drgondog
Major
I like most of them, but have a passion for studying the batteles that required combined air/land/sea strategies.
The air battles of BoB and Germany take up the most of my time as airpower has been a long study for me.
The air battles of BoB and Germany take up the most of my time as airpower has been a long study for me.
