World War II began on September 1, 1939, and lasted six years, ending on September 2, 1945, although the United States didn’t officially enter the war until the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which occurred on December 7, 1941. It has been more than three-quarters of a century since the end of World War II and no conflict since then has come close to the magnitude of death and destruction wrought. During the six years of battle, over 80 million people, soldiers and civilians, lost their lives.
Some of the deadliest battles in human history took place during this war. Many of the battles on the list are conflicts between the Soviet Union, one of the Allied powers, and Nazi Germany, the main Axis power. These battles were characterized by the size of military resources and significant civilian population loss. There were countless battles fought on multiple continents – Asia, Europe, and Africa – and many of the most intense battles took place on the water.
24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of World War II’s biggest battles based on the number of casualties, which includes deaths and wounded. When available, we included civilian casualties. To create our list, we reviewed material from sources such as the Imperial War Museum in London, World War II battle database, and more. However, The fog of war always complicates exact casualty totals. The estimates result from historians patching together primary documents over many years.
Here are World War II’s Biggest Battles
18. Battle of Monte Cassino
- Estimated total casualties: 75,000
- Date: January 17 to May 18, 1944
- Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
17. Battle of the Rhineland
- Estimated total casualties: 113,000
- Date: February 8, 1944 to January 25, 1945
- Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
16. Battle of the Bulge
- Estimated total casualties: 195,000
- Date: December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945
- Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
15. Invasion of Poland
- Estimated total casualties: 250,000
- Date: September 1 to October 6, 1939
- Combatants: Nazi Germany and Poland
14. Second Battle of Kharkov
- Estimated total casualties: 300,000
- Date: May 12 to May 28, 1942
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
13. The Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign
- Estimated total casualties: 356,000
- Date: May 15 to September 4, 1942
- Combatants: China and Japanese Empire
12. Battle of Luzon
- Estimated total casualties: 370,000
- Date: January 9 to March, 1945
- Combatants: United States and Japanese Empire
11. Battle of France
- Estimated total casualties: 517,000
- Date: May 10 to June 22, 1940
- Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
10. Battle of Narva
- Estimated total casualties: 550,000
- Date: February 2 to August 10, 1944
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
9. Operation Overlord
- Estimated total casualties: 625,000
- Date: June 6 to August 30, 1944
- Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
8. Battle of Smolensk
- Estimated total casualties: 700,000
- Date: August 7 to October 2, 1943
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
7. Battle of Berlin
- Estimated total casualties: 820,000
- Date: April 16 to May 8, 1945
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
6. Battle of Kiev
- Estimated total casualties: 822,000
- Date: August 23 to September, 1941
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
5. Battle of Kursk
- Estimated total casualties: 1,000,000
- Date: July 5 to August 23, 1943
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
4. Operation Bagration
- Estimated total casualties: 1,080,000
- Date: June 23 to August 19, 1944
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
3. Battle of Moscow
- Estimated total casualties: 1,300,000
- Date: October 2, 1941 to January 7, 1944
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
2. Dnieper-Carpathian Campaign
- Estimated total casualties: 1,442,956
- Date: December 24, 1943 to April 14, 1944
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
1. Battle of Stalingrad
- Estimated total casualties: 2,000,000
- Date: July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943
- Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
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