List of battles 1901–2000
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
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This article lists all the battles that occurred in the years of the 20th century (1901-2000).
1901–1905[edit]
1906-1910[edit]
| Year | War | Battle | Loc. | Date(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | Saudi–Rashidi War | Battle of Rawdat Muhanna |  | 12 April | Ibn Saud defeat Rashidis in Rawdat Muhanna |
| Moro Rebellion | First Battle of Bud Dajo |  | 5–8 December | ||
| 1907 | Saudi–Rashidi War | Battle of Tarafiyah | | 24 September | Ibn Saud defeat Rashidis in Tarafiyah |
| 1908 | - | Battle of Marrakesh |  | 23 August | Mulay Hafid successfully revolts against Moroccan Sultan |
1911-1915[edit]
| Year | War | Battle | Loc. | Date(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Mexican Revolution | Battle of Casas Grandes |  | 6 March | |
| Moro Rebellion | Second Battle of Bud Dajo | | 18–26 March | ||
| Mexican Revolution | Battle of Cuautla | | 11–19 May | ||
| Italo-Turkish War | Battle of Preveza | At sea | 29–30 September | ||
| Battle of Tripoli |  | 3–10 October | |||
| Battle of Benghazi | 20 October | ||||
| Battle of Shar al-Shatt | 23 October | ||||
| Battle of Ain Zara | 4 December | ||||
| Battle of Tobruk | 22 December 1911—9 January 1912 | Italy begins the invasion of Libya | |||
| 1912 | American occupation of Nicaragua | Battle of Msaya |  | 19 September | |
| Battle of Coyotepe Hill | 3–4 October | ||||
| First Balkan War | Capture of Lemnos | | 8 October | Greek troops occupy the Ottoman-held island of Lemnos | |
| Battle of Sarantaporo | 9 October | Greeks defeat Ottomans near Koritza | |||
| Battle of Kumanovo | 23-24 October | Serbs defeat Ottomans in North Macedonia | |||
| Battle of Kirk Kelesse | 24 October | Bulgarians defeat Ottomans in Thrace | |||
| Battle of Pente Pigadia | 24–30 October | Greeks defeat Ottomans in seven-day battle near Bizani | |||
| Battle of Lule Burgas | 31 October—3 November | Bulgarians compel Ottomans to full retreat toward the lines of Tchataldja, 30 km from Constantinople and the last line of defense for the Ottoman capital. In terms of forces engaged, it was the largest battle fought in Europe between the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the beginning of the First World War. | |||
| Battle of Giannitsa | 2 November | Greeks defeat Ottoman Turks in Central Macedonia | |||
| Battle of Vevi | Successful Turkish counter offensive against Greek positions | ||||
| Battle of Prilep | 3 November | Serbs defeat Ottomans | |||
| Siege of Adrianople | 3 November 1912—26 March 1913 | Fall of Adrianpole to the forces of Bulgaria and Serbia and the capture of Turkish general Ghazi Shulkri Pasha | |||
| Battle of Monastir | 16–19 November | Decisive and final defeat in Macedonia of the Ottomans by the Serbs | |||
| Battle of Çatalca | 17–18 November | Defeat of Bulgarian advance toward Istanbul | |||
| Battle of Lesbos | 21 November—21 December | Greeks capture the island of Lesbos from the Ottoman Empire | |||
| Battle of Chios | 24 November 1912—3 January 1913 | Greeks capture the island of Chios from the Ottoman Empire | |||
| Battle of Elli | At sea | 3 December | Greek navy defeats Ottoman fleet and forces it to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles straits | ||
| 1913 | First Balkan War | Battle of Lemnos | At sea | 5 January | Greek navy defeats Ottoman fleet near the Island of Lemnos in final naval engagement of the war |
| Battle of Bizani | | 20–21 February | Greeks defeat last operational Ottoman Army in Epirus and capture city of Ioanina | ||
| Moro Rebellion | Battle of Bud Bagsak | | 11–15 June | The end of the Moro Rebellion | |
| Second Balkan War | Battle of Kilkis–Lachanas |  | 19–21 June | Greeks defeat Bulgarians in the three-day battle for Kilkis | |
| Battle of Bregalnica | | 30 June—8 July | Serbs defeat Bulgarians | ||
| Battle of Kresna Gorge | | 8–18 July | Inconclusive ten-day battle between Bulgaria and Greece | ||
| Battle of Kalimantsi | | 15–18 July | Bulgarian defensive victory against the Serbs | ||
| Dervish movement | Battle of Dul Madoba |  | 9 August | A Dervish force raids the Somali Dhulbahante tribe near Burco, killing or wounding 57 members of the "Somaliland Camel Constabulary", including the British commander, Colonel Richard Corfield | |
| 1914 | World War I | Battle of Liège |  | 4–17 August | Germans invade Belgium; start of World War I |
| Battle of Mulhouse |  | 9 August | Part of the Battle of the Frontiers, France takes Mulhouse but then loses it again | ||
| Battle of Halen | | 12 August | Belgian victory | ||
| Battle of Lorraine | | 14 August | German victory | ||
| Battle of Agbeluvhoe |  | 15 August | Togoland campaign | ||
| Battle of Dinant | | 15–24 August | German victory | ||
| Battle of Cer |  | 16–19 August | Serbian forces push back Austro-Hungarian invasion | ||
| Battle of Stallupönen |  | 17 August | First battle on the Russian Eastern Front | ||
| Battle of Gumbinnen | 19–20 August | Russians defeat German Eighth Army, advance deeper into East Prussia | |||
| Battle of the Ardennes | / // | 21-23 August | |||
| Battle of Charleroi | | ||||
| Battle of Chra | | 22 August | |||
| Battle of Mons | | 23 August | British forces hold back | ||
| Battle of Tannenberg |  | 23-30 August | Samsonov's Russian 2nd Army encircled and destroyed by the German 8th Army | ||
| Battle of Galicia |  | 23 August—11 September | Russians occupy Eastern Galicia | ||
| Battle of the Trouée de Charmes | | 24–26 August | The second French army, under General Castelnau, defeat a Bavarian army | ||
| Siege of Maubeuge | 24 August—7 September | Germans capture Maubeuge | |||
| Battle of Le Cateau | 26 August | Allied Powers retreat from German forces | |||
| First Battle of Heligoland Bight | At sea | 28 August | First major naval engagement of World War I, heavy German losses | ||
| Battle of Guise | | 29-30 August | The French 5th Army, under General Lanzerac, defeat the second German army under General Bülow | ||
| Occupation of German Samoa | | New Zealand forces defeat German forces in Samoa | |||
| First Battle of Garua | / | 29–31 August | |||
| First Battle of the Masurian Lakes | | 2-16 September | German Eighth Army defeats Rennenkampf's Russian 1st Army | ||
| First Battle of the Marne | | 5–9 September | French armies and BEF, under French General Joffre, defeat the Germans armies under General Von Moltke. German invasion of France halted by Allies. The city of Paris was saved. | ||
| Battle of Nsanakong | | 6 September | |||
| Battle of Bita Paka |  | 11 September | Australian forces defeat German forces in German New Guinea | ||
| First Battle of the Aisne | | 13–28 September | Indecisive battle | ||
| Battle of Ukoko | | 21 September | |||
| Siege of Przemyśl | | 24 September 1914—22 March 1915 | Russians initially unsuccessful, but second siege attempt succeeds | ||
| Battle of Sandfontein | | 26 September | |||
| Siege of Antwerp | | 28 September—10 October | |||
| Battle of the Vistula River |  | 29 September—31 October | Russians defeat Germans under Marshal von Mackensen | ||
| Battle of Rufiji Delta | | October 1914—11 July 1915 | British Empire naval forces defeat German naval forces in East Africa | ||
| Battle of the Yser | | 16–31 October | French and Belgian victory | ||
| First Battle of Ypres | 19 October—22 November | Early trench warfare; "Kindermord bei Ypern" | |||
| First Battle of Edea | | 20–26 October | |||
| Battle of Penang |  | 28 October | German victory, two Allied ships sink near Malaysia | ||
| Battle of Coronel |  | 1 November | Admiral Graf Spee defeats Admiral Cradock | ||
| Battle of Kilimanjaro | | 3 November | |||
| Battle of Tanga | 3–5 November | Colonel von Lettow-Vorbeck defeats General Aitken in German East Africa | |||
| Fao Landing | | 6-8 November | British begin the Mesopotamian campaign against the Ottoman Empire | ||
| Battle of Cocos | At sea | 9 November | Australia defeats Germany in a naval battle | ||
| Battle of Łódź | | 11 November—6 December | Russians take city, lose it on 6 December | ||
| Battle of Elhri | | 13 November | Moroccan tribes defeat French troops | ||
| Battle of Kraków |  | 16 November | Heavy casualties to Austria and Russia | ||
| Battle of Cape Sarych | At sea | 18 November | Inconclusive | ||
| Battle of Łowicz | | 30 November—17 December | Russians take city | ||
| Battle of Kolubara | | 3–9 December | Serbs drive out Austrians | ||
| Battle of Falkland Islands | At sea | 8 December | British defeat Admiral Graf Spee | ||
| 1915 | World War I | Second Battle of Edea | | 5 January | |
| Battle of Bolimów | | 14 January—February 28 | Cold weather thwarts German gas attack against Russians | ||
| Battle of Jassin | | 18–19 January | German victory in East Africa | ||
| Battle of Dogger Bank | At sea | 24 January | Admiral Beatty drives off Vice-Admiral Hipper's raiding force, sinks Blücher | ||
| First Suez Offensive |  | 28 January—3 February | Ottoman attack fails | ||
| Battle of Kakamas |  | 4 February | A skirmish for control of two river fords between contingents of the German and South African armed forces, ending with a South African victory | ||
| Second Battle of the Masurian Lakes | | 7–28 February | Initial German attack is highly successful, but further attacks are repulsed | ||
| Battle of Fort Rivière |  | 17 February | |||
| Battle of Gallipoli | | 19 February 1915—8 January 1916 | The Allied powers attempt a failed frontal assault on the Ottoman Empire | ||
| Naval assault in strait of Çanakkale | At sea | 18 March | Turks repel an Allied fleet | ||
| Battle of Hill 60 | | 17–22 April | British forces defeat German forces | ||
| Second Battle of Ypres | 22 April—25 May | Germans use poison gas | |||
| Landing at Cape Helles | | 25-26 April | British amphibious assault against the Ottoman Empire Concurrently, a French assault in the Asiatic side of the straits | ||
| Landing at Anzac Cove | 25 April—3 May | Australia and New Zealand successfully land but later get bogged down | |||
| Battle of Trekkopjes | | 26 April | |||
| Second attack on Anzac Cove | | 27 April | Ottoman forces attack Australian and New Zealand forces | ||
| First Battle of Krithia | 28 April | British attack against Turks fails | |||
| Battle of Gurin | | 29 April | |||
| Battle of Hill 60 | | 1-7 May | British forces defeat German forces | ||
| Battle for Baby 700 | | 2–3 May | ANZAC attack on the hill Baby 700, defended by Ottoman forces | ||
| Second Battle of Krithia | 6–8 May | Second British attack against Turks uses same plan, also fails | |||
| Third attack on Anzac Cove | 19 May | ANZAC forces defeat Ottoman attack | |||
| Second Battle of Garua | | 31 May—10 June | |||
| Third Battle of Krithia | | 4 June | Temporary British success reversed by Ottoman counter-attack | ||
| Battle of Bukoba | | 21–23 June | |||
| First Battle of the Isonzo | / | 23 June—7 July | Failed Italian attack on Austrian positions in the Alps | ||
| Battle of Gully Ravine | | 28 June—5 July | British and Indian forces defeat Ottoman forces | ||
| Second Battle of the Isonzo | / | 18 July—3 August | Second attempt on Austrian positions fails | ||
| Attack of the Dead Men | | 6 August | Russian forces repel German gas attack and advance on Osowiec Fortress | ||
| Battle of Lone Pine | | 6–10 August | Australians stop Ottoman attack, but it was only a diversion | ||
| Battle of Krithia Vineyard | 6–13 August | Turkish diversionary attack to allow for Sari Bair Offensive | |||
| Landing at Suvla Bay | 6–15 August | The main attack for which the two diversions were staged; Ottoman victory | |||
| Battle of the Nek | 7 August | Ottomans defeat Australians | |||
| Battle of Chunuk Bair | 7-19 August | Ottomans defeat Britain and New Zealand | |||
| Battle of Scimitar Hill | 21 August | Decisive battle of the Gallipoli Campaign, Ottoman victory | |||
| Battle of Hill 60 | 21-29 August | Final British attempt to take Gallipoli fails | |||
| Second Battle of Champagne | | 25 September—6 October | German victory | ||
| Battle of Loos | 25 September—14 October | ||||
| Third Battle of Artois | 25 September—4 November | Partial Franco-British victory | |||
| Battle of Es Sinn | | 28 September | |||
| Actions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt | | 13-19 October | German victory | ||
| Third Battle of the Isonzo | / | 18 October—4 November | Austrians endure massive Italian bombardment | ||
| American occupation of Haiti | Battle of Fort Dipitie | | 24–25 October | ||
| World War I | Battle of Banjo | | 4–6 November | ||
| Battle of Ctesiphon | | 22–25 November | Indecisive battle between British and Ottoman forces | ||
| Siege of Kut | 7 December 1915—29 April 1916 | Ottoman forces capture the city and force the surrender of the British Army of Mesopotamia under General Townshend. Largest British surrender of the war. |
1916-1920[edit]
1921-1925[edit]
1926-1930[edit]
1931-1935[edit]
1936-1940[edit]
| Year | War | Battle | Loc. | Date(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Second Italo-Ethiopian War | Battle of Ganale Dorya |  | 7–10 January | General General Graziani attacks troops under Ras [[Desta Damtew}]]; after over three days of slaughter, the Ethiopians break and flee |
| First Battle of Tembien | 20–24 January | Ethiopian forces suffer 8,000 casualties compared to Italy's 1,100 | |||
| Battle of Amba Aradam | 10 February | Ethiopians under Ras Mulugeta Yeggazu counterattack the invading Italians southwest of Chalacot, but are defeated with heavy losses | |||
| Second Battle of Tembien | 27 February | ||||
| Battle of Shire | 29 February—2 March | ||||
| Battle of Maychew | 31 March | Emperor Haile Selassie leads in person the final Ethiopian counter-attack of the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, which is a crushing Ethiopian defeat | |||
| Battle of the Ogaden | 15–25 April | Final battle during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. By 5 May, Emperor Haile Selassie has gone into exile and Italians have declared victory | |||
| 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine | Battle of Anabta |  | 21 June | Mandatory British victory | |
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of Mérida |  | 10–11 August | Spanish Nationalist victory | |
| Battle of Badajoz | 14 August | Nationalists storm Badajoz | |||
| Battle of Irún | 19 August—5 September | Nationalist victory | |||
| Battle of Monte Pelado | 28 August | Republican victory | |||
| 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine | Battle of Balaa | | 3 September | Palestinian rebels withdraw | |
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of Talavera de la Reina | | |||
| Battle of Cerro Muriano | 5–6 September | Republican victory, the Falling Soldier photograph was taken during this battle by Robert Capa | |||
| 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine | Battle of Beit Imrin | | 29 September | Palestinian rebels withdraw | |
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of Seseña | | 29 October | Nationalist victory over Republicans and Soviets | |
| Battle of Ciudad Universitaria | 15–23 November | Spanish Republican victory | |||
| First Battle of the Corunna Road | 29 November—3 December | ||||
| Second Battle of the Corunna Road | 13 December 1936—15 January 1937 | ||||
| Battle of Lopera | 27–29 December | Nationalist victory | |||
| 1937 | Second Italo-Ethiopian War | Battle of Gogetti | | 19 February | Battle between the Italian occupation forces and the remnants of the Ethiopian armies. The surviving elements of the Ethiopian armies of Sidamo and Bale are encircled and destroyed by the Italian forces near Lake Shala[citation needed] |
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of Guadalajara | | 8–23 March | Spanish Republican defeat Italians | |
| Battle of Gernika | 26–28 April | Franco's forces capture Guernica following a Luftwaffe bombing | |||
| Battle of Albarracín | 5 July—11 August | Nationalist victory | |||
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Lugou Bridge |  | 7 July | Japanese victory triggers outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War | |
| Battle of Beiping-Tianjin | 25–31 July | Japanese victory | |||
| Second Battle of Shanghai | 13 August—9 November | ||||
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of Santander | | 14 August—17 September | ||
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Taiyuan | | 1 September—9 November | Japanese victory | |
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of El Mazuco | | 6–22 September | Nationalist victory | |
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Xinkou | | 13 September—8 November | Japanese victory | |
| Battle of Pingxingguan | 25 September | Chinese victory | |||
| Battle of Nanjing | Early November—13 December | Japanese victory | |||
| 1938 | Spanish Civil War | Battle of Alfambra | | 5–8 February | Nationalist victory |
| Battle of Cape Palos | At sea | 5–6 March | Republican victory | ||
| Battle of Caspe | | 16–17 March | Nationalist victory | ||
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Xuzhou | | 24 March—1 May | Japanese victory | |
| Battle of Tai er zhuang | 27 March | Chinese victory | |||
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of Gandesa | | 1–3 April | Nationalist victory | |
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Wuhan | | 11 July—27 October | Japanese pyrrhic victory | |
| Spanish Civil War | Battle of the Ebro | | 25 July—16 November | Spanish Republicans launch attacks across the Ebro River. The purpose of the battle is to relieve pressure off Valencia and Catalonia. It is soon to become the decisive battle of the war, and a Republican defeat. | |
| Soviet–Japanese border conflicts | Battle of Lake Khasan |  / | 29 July—11 August | In Manchuria between forces of the Soviet Union and Empire of Japan | |
| 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine | Battle of Beersheba | | 9-10 September | Palestinian rebels capture Beersheba | |
| 1939 | Hungarian invasion of Carpatho-Ukraine |  | 15-17 March | Hungarian forces defeat Carpatho-Ukraine | |
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Nanchang | | 17 March—9 May | Japanese forces defeat Nationalist Chinese | |
| Soviet–Japanese border conflicts, World War II | Battle of Khalkhin Gol |  | 1 May—16 September | The Soviet Union and Mongolia defeat Japan | |
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Suixian-Zaoyang | | 24 May | Nationalist Chinese counterattack successful against Japan | |
| World War II | Invasion of Poland |  / / | 1 September—6 October | Start of World War II in Europe, German victory | |
| Battle of the Border | / | 1–4 September | Collective term for battles between Germany and Poland in the first days of the invasion; German victory | ||
| Battle of Danzig Bay | At sea | 1 September | Germany defeats Poland | ||
| Battle of Chojnice | | Germans capture Chojnice from Poland | |||
| Charge at Krojanty | Failed Polish counterattack against Germany | ||||
| Battle of Mokra | First German defeat in Poland and one of the only Polish victories in the invasion | ||||
| Battle of Lasy Królewskie | Polish victory over Germany | ||||
| Defence of the Polish Post Office in Danzig | | Polish forces hold up in the Polish post office, but fail to defend it against Danzig and Germany | |||
| Battle of Mikołów | | 1–2 September | German tactical victory during the Invasion of Poland | ||
| Battle of Pszczyna | German victory over Poland | ||||
| Battle of Mława | 1–3 September | ||||
| Battle of Jordanów | |||||
| Battle of Częstochowa | |||||
| Battle of Węgierska Górka | |||||
| Battle of Grudziądz | 1–4 September | ||||
| Battle of Tuchola Forest | 1–5 September | ||||
| Battle of Westerplatte | | 1–7 September | First battle in the Invasion of Poland; Germany and Danzig defeat Poland | ||
| Raid on Fraustadt | | 2 September | Polish insurgents successfully raid a German town | ||
| Battle of Borowa Góra | | 2–5 September | German victory over Poland | ||
| Battle of Bukowiec | 3 September | ||||
| Defense of Katowice | 3–4 September | Polish Boy and Girl Scout units irregularly defend Katowice but fail against Germany | |||
| Battle of the Atlantic | At sea | 3 September 1939—8 May 1945 | Name given to the conflicts in the Atlantic Ocean throughout World War II between Allied forces, and Germany and Italy. | ||
| Battle of Piotrków Trybunalski | | 4–6 September | Polish withdrawal from German forces | ||
| Battle of Różan | German victory over Poland | ||||
| Battle of Tomaszów Mazowiecki | 6 September | ||||
| Battle of Pułtusk | 6–7 September | Poles lose Pułtusk to Germany | |||
| Battle of Łódź | 6–8 September | German victory over Poland | |||
| Battle of Barak | 7–8 September | Poland retreat from German Forces | |||
| Battle of Wizna | 7–10 September | German victory over Poland | |||
| Battle of Łomża | |||||
| Battle of Wola Cyrusowa | 8 September | Pyrrhic German victory over Poland | |||
| Battle of Radom | 8–9 September | Germans capture Radom from Poland | |||
| Battle of Gdynia | 8–14 September | Germans capture Gdynia from Poland | |||
| Battle of Warsaw | 8–28 September | Germany captures Warsaw from Poland | |||
| Battle of the Bzura River | 9–19 September | Largest Polish counterattack, but it fails against Germany | |||
| Battle of Kampinos Forest | 9–20 September | German victory over Poland | |||
| Battle of Hel | 9 September—2 October | ||||
| Battle of Jarosław | 10–11 September | ||||
| Battle of Kępa Oksywska | 10–19 September | ||||
| Battle of Kałuszyn | 11–12 September | Poland defeats Germany | |||
| Battle of Przemyśl | 11–14 September | German victory over Poland | |||
| First Battle of Lwów | 12–22 September | Germans, aided by the Soviet Union, capture Lviv from Poland | |||
| Battle of Modlin | 13–29 September | Pyrrhic German victory over Poland | |||
| Battle of Jaworów | 14–16 September | Poles hold Yavoriv against Germany | |||
| Battle of Brześć Litewski | 14–17 September | Germans capture Brest from Poland | |||
| Battle of Kobryń | 14–18 September | Inconclusive battle between Germany and Poland | |||
| Second Sino-Japanese War | First Battle of Changsha | | 17 September—6 October | Chinese forces successfully defend city; heavy Japanese casualties | |
| World War II | Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski | | 17–26 September | Germany defeats Poland in the Invasion of Poland's second largest battle | |
| Battle of Wilno | 18–19 September | Soviets capture Vilnius from Poland, which is transferred to Lithuania | |||
| Battle of Wólka Węglowa | 19 September | Polish victory over Germany | |||
| Battle of Krasnystaw | 19–20 September | Failed Polish counterattack against Germany | |||
| Battle of Grodno | 20–22 September | Soviets capture Hrodna from Poland | |||
| Battle of Cześniki | 21–22 September | Polish victory over the Soviet Union | |||
| Battle of Łomianki | 22 September | Failed Polish counterattack against Germany | |||
| Battle of Krasnobród | 23 September | Successful Polish counterattack against Germany, and one of the last battles using cavalry in Europe | |||
| Battle of Husynne | Soviet victory over Polish | ||||
| Battle of Kodziowce | 23–24 September | Poles hold the town against the Soviet Union, but later retreat to Lithuania | |||
| Battle of Władypol | 27 September | Soviets capture Wladypol (now Vladypil in Ukraine) from Poland | |||
| Battle of Szack | 28 September | Poles hold the town from the Soviets | |||
| Battles of Parczew, Jabłoń and Milanów | 29–30 September | Poles hold the towns from Soviets | |||
| Battle of Wytyczno | 1 October | The Soviet Union defeats Poland | |||
| Battle of Kock | 2–5 October | Last battle in the Invasion of Poland; Germany defeats Poland | |||
| Winter War, World War II | Battle of Suomussalmi |  | 30 November 1939—8 January 1940 | First battle of the Winter War, and the most notable Finnish victory over the Soviet Union | |
| Battle of Petsamo | 30 November 1939—12 March 1940 | Russian victory over Poland | |||
| Battle of Salla | 30 November 1939—13 March 1940 | Finnish victory over the Soviet Union | |||
| Battle of Taipale | 6–27 December | ||||
| Battle of Kollaa | 7 December 1939—13 March 1940 | ||||
| Battle of Varolampi Pond | 10–11 December | Finnish hold the pond against the Soviet Union, in what's called the "Sausage War" | |||
| Battle of Tolvajärvi | 12 December | Colonel Talvela's Finnish forces defeat Soviet forces | |||
| World War II | Battle of the River Plate | At sea | 13 December | Admiral Graf Spee chased into Montevideo harbour and scuttled by the UK and New Zealand | |
| Winter War, World War II | First Battle of Summa | | 16-22 December | Finnish attack thwarted against the Soviet Union | |
| Battle of Kelja | 25–27 December | Finnish victory over the Soviet Union | |||
| 1940 | Battle of Raate Road | 1–7 January | |||
| Second Battle of Summa | 1–15 February | Finnish attack against the Soviet Union thwarted | |||
| Battle of Kuhmo | 28 January—13 March | Stalemate between Finland and the Soviet Union | |||
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of South Henan | | 30 January—1 March | Chinese Nationalists led by Li Zongren defeat Japanese | |
| Winter War, World War II | Battle of Honkaniemi | | 25–27 February | In the only tank action of the Winter War, the Soviet Union defeats Finland | |
| First Battle of Vyborg Bay | 2–13 March | Battle ends after a ceasefire between Finland and the Soviet Union | |||
| World War II | Battle of Drøbak Sound |  | 9 April | German naval attack thwarted by Norwegian forces | |
| Battle of Midtskogen | 9–10 April | Norwegian forces defeat German raiding party | |||
| Battle of Narvik | 9 April—10 June | A minor Allied victory of Norway, France, the UK and Poland against Germany in the Arctic | |||
| Battle of Dombås | 14–19 April | Norwegian Army units defeat German Fallschirmjäger attack | |||
| Battle for The Hague |  | 10 May | In the first major air-landing operation in history, the Netherlands defeat Germany | ||
| Battle of Maastricht | Maastricht was a key city for the German advance; Germany defeats the Netherlands | ||||
| Battle of Fort Eben-Emael | 10–11 May | Germany captures the fort and breaks through the Belgian line of defense | |||
| Battle of Mill | Dutch troops manage to hold back a German battalion | ||||
| Battle of Rotterdam | 10–14 May | German attempt to seize the Dutch city; it ends in a German victory following the Rotterdam Blitz | |||
| Battle of the Netherlands | 10–17 May | Germany invades the Netherlands | |||
| Battle of France | 10 May—25 June | Germany takes on France; British Expeditionary Force and French Army defeated | |||
| Battle of the Grebbeberg | 11–13 May | A major engagement during the Battle of the Netherlands, Operation Fall Gelb. Germany defeats the Netherlands. | |||
| Battle at the Afsluitdijk | 12–14 May | The Netherlands hold against Germany | |||
| Battle of Hannut | | Largest tank battle of the campaign. France defeats Germany in Belgium. | |||
| Battle of Sedan |  | 12–17 May | Germany defeats France and the UK. After a quick advance, Germany reaches the English Channel and traps most of the Allied army in northern France and western Belgium. | ||
| Battle of Arras | 21 May | France and the UK fail to break through German lines to end the encirclement of the Allied main armies | |||
| Battle of Dunkirk | 27 May—5 June | Escape of defeated British Expeditionary Forces. Dunkirk is captured by Germany. On the Allied side, forces from France, the UK, Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands participated in the battle. | |||
| Battle of Mers-el-Kebir | At sea | 3 July | British Navy destroys Vichy French fleet off the coast of North Africa | ||
| Battle of Calabria | 9 July | British forces fight indecisive naval battle with Italians | |||
| Battle of Cape Spada | 19 July | British and Australian forces sink an Italian cruiser | |||
| Battle of Britain | | 10 July—31 October | Germans try to bomb Britain into submission – the Royal Air Force answers with fighters | ||
| Battle of Tug Argan |  | 11 August | Italy defeats the UK and captures British Somaliland | ||
| Second Sino-Japanese War | Battle of Hundred Regiments | | 20 August—5 December | Major engagement of the Soviet Red Army against the Japanese Imperial Army | |
| World War II | Skirmish at Diosig |  | 4 September | Romanian victory over Hungary | |
| Battle of Taranto |  | 11–12 November | British carrier-based planes destroy Italian fleet at Taranto harbour | ||
| Battle of Cape Spartivento | At sea | 27 November | British Navy under Admiral Somerville fights indecisive battle with Italy | ||
| Battle of Pindus |  / | 28 October—13 November | Italy invades Greece, but is defeated. Greece captures parts of Albania from Italy in response. |
