Throughout history, wars and battles have shaped the world we live in. From the trenches of World War I to the tank battles of World War II, these conflicts have left a lasting impact on nations and societies. In this article, we’ll explore 9 largest Battles in Human History, each one a turning point in its own right. Let’s dive into the stories behind these battles and understand their impact on the world.
Human history is filled with bloody and devastating wars, be it in World War I or World War II. In this article, we will discuss the 9 largest Battles in Human History
9 largest Battles in Human History
9. Battle of Verdun
The battle of Verdun, 21 February-15 December 1916, became the longest battle of World War I. It’s been a year & half since World War started. The German high command decided to shift its strategic focus westward, targeting the fortress of Verdun in France.
The goal was to defeat the French army before the Allies could fully deploy their forces. The Allies would be unable to fight in the west without France’s ninety-six divisions.
In this battle, the German army invested about 1.25 million people and 1,000 cannons in 50 divisions, and the French military invested about 1.14 million people and 270 cannons in 75 divisions.
After ten months of intense battle, the Germans suffered between 355,000 and 434,000 casualties, including 143,000 deaths, while the French suffered between 400,000 and 540,000 casualties, including 156,000 deaths.
The Battle of Verdun was the most destructive and longest battle of the First World War and a turning point in the war. The French army defended Verdun at the cost of hundreds of thousands of elite troops.
8. Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk, which drew 2,692,000 soldiers, made the First World War even more terrible and devastating. Aside from the fact that the principal battle technique shifted from trench warfare to offensive warfare in World War II, planes and tanks also became the primary weapons of the war.
On the Soviet-German battlefield, the Battle of Kursk was one of the largest tank battles in the world and the largest confrontation in World War II. In this battle, 910,000 Germans and 1.91 million Soviets fought in the battle.
Both sides deployed nearly 8,000 tanks. The Germans lost 500,000 men, 1,500 tanks, 5,200 pieces of artillery, and 1,000 fighter jets. The Soviet army lost 800,000 soldiers, 6,000 tanks, 3,000 artillery pieces, and 1,600 fighter jets during the battle.
7. Moscow Defense War
About 3.05 million men fought in this war; the total number of participants in the Moscow Defense War was 3.05 million. This is a series of defensive battles conducted by the Soviet Union in World War II, from the European battlefield to the node of the world battlefield.
About 1.8 million German troops participated in the war, with about 500,000 casualties, accounting for about 1.25 million in the former Soviet Union. As the war continued, it increased to 2.6 million.
After three months of bloody fighting, the myth of the German blitzkrieg was shattered, and the Soviet army won the final victory in this battle.
6. The Battle of Somme (1 July – 18 November 1916)
Including 84 British and French forces in a coalition, a total of 3.2 million people were involved in the battle. Among the divisions, There were 54 British divisions, 32 French divisions, and 67 German divisions —The British sustained 420,000 casualties throughout the five-month battle.
The French army suffered 204,000 casualties, the Anglo-French coalition suffered 604,000 losses, while the German army suffered 630,000 casualties, 136,000 were missing, 300,000 escaped, and more than 1.2 million casualties. The casualty rate reached about 40%. This battle was also known as the Somme Hell.
5. Operation Bagration
With 3.43 million participants, Operation Bagration was a large-scale offensive operation by the Soviet Union against Belarus during World War II. The Soviets attacked from four directions, routed the German Army Group Center, and at the same time recaptured the Belarusian capital of Minsk.
Germany had 1,032,000 soldiers, 200,000 killed or captured, and the Soviet Union had 2.4 million, with 180,000 killed or missing, after a year and two months of the ruthless war. The Soviet Union won this operation and regained most of its territory in the west, causing heavy losses to the German army and an excruciating war in the east.
4. Soviet-German War
The total number of participants in the Battle of Berlin was 3.5 million. It was the last strategic offensive by the Soviet Union against the German army during the Soviet-German War in World War II.
The Soviet army stormed into the central area of Berlin and captured the Reichstag the next day. The day after, Hitler committed suicide in the basement of the Chancellery. About 800,000 German troops fought in the battle.
The Army Group and the Central Army Group had 48 infantry divisions, nine motorized divisions, six armored divisions, 10,400 artillery pieces, 1,500 tanks and assault artillery pieces, 3,300 combat aircraft, 400,000 casualties, and surrenders.
About 2.62 million Soviet troops participated in the war, with 270 Belarusian and Ukrainian divisions and cavalry divisions, 20 tank and mechanized corps, and 14 air force groups. 2,450 aircraft, 14,200 guns, 1,500 tanks and self-propelled guns, 80,000 killed and 270,000 wounded.
3. Battle of Stalingrad
The battle of Stalingrad, with a total of 3.54 million participants and about 2 million casualties on both sides, was one of the most intense and bloody battles in modern history and a turning point in World War II, which directly ended the southern German cluster in 1941.
Both sides maintained this awful situation with numerous Tanks, Howitzers, and other heavy armed forces. The air fighters covering the Soviet Navy transport ships also made a massive difference to the victory of the war.
Holding the indiscriminate bombardment of the Luftwaffe, the Soviet army passed through the Volga River and Stalingrad, ensuring that there would always be enough troops in the city to fight the brutal street battle with the German military.
2. Invasion of Normandy
The invasion of Normandy, with a total of 4.43 million participants, was a large-scale offensive launched by the Allies on the Western Front in Europe during World War II. It was also the most extensive naval landing operation in the world so far.
3,056,000 Allies fought, 1.38 million Germans, 29,000 Americans killed, 101,600 wounded or missing, Britain 11,000 killed, 54,000 wounded or missing, Canada 5,000 killed, 13,000 wounded or missing, France 12,000 killed or missing Wounded, 20,000 Germans were killed, 67,060 were injured, and 198,616 were missing or captured.
The Allied army achieved victory in just over two months, successfully opening the second-largest battlefield in Europe.
1. Operation Barbarossa
With 9.4 million people participating in the war, Operation Barbarossa is on the top. Germany made a lighthearted move to kick off the Soviet-German war in World War II. The Axis powers participated in the war with 5.5 million people.
The German army had about 1.3 million casualties. The Soviet Union participated in the war with 4.3 million people and nearly 3 million casualties. It was the largest battle in human history and one of the bloodiest wars.
