Western Front (World War II)

The **Western Front of World War II** was a theatre in which Germany invaded most of Western Europe in 1940, and where the western allies liberated most of Western Europe between 1944 and 1945. (The Italian Front is a separate but related front).

## 1940

On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded France and its northern neighbours. France and Britain had militarised the border between France and Germany in case of invasion. Allied forces were trapped at Dunkirk, but most of them would be evacuated back to Britain. Meanwhile, Italy joined the war and invaded the French Alps. German forces took Paris and France fell.

## 1944 - 1945

On 6 June 1944, allied forces landed at Normandy. They advanced even more in August. On 15 august, allied forces landed in southern France. On 25 August, Paris was liberated. The allies moved into Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands (the overlord and dragoon forces also linked up at this time). In December, Germany decided to do an offensive in Belgium, trapping some Americans, but it failed. In March 1945, the allies crossed the Rhine River and invaded Germany. In April 1945, the western allies linked up with the Soviets and the eastern front, On 8 May, Germany surrendered, ending the war in Europe.

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **conflict**: Western Front
- **partof**: the European theatre of World War II
- **image**: Western Front collab.png
- **image size**: 300px
- **caption**: Clockwise from top left: Rotterdam after the the Blitz, Blitz, German Heinkel He 111 planes during the Battle of Britain, Allies of World War II, Allied paratroopers during Operation Market Garden, American troops running through Wernberg-Köblitz, Wernberg, Nazi Germany, Germany, Siege of Bastogne, American troops landing at Omaha Beach during Operation Overlord
- **place**: Northern Europe, Northern and Western Europe
- **result**: **1939–1940**: Axis powers, Axis victory
* Occupation of most of Western and Northern Europe by Axis troops
* End of the French Third Republic and creation of the Vichy regime
* Strategic stalemate following the Battle of Britain
* Continuation with the Defense of the Reich and the Battle of the Atlantic
* Beginning of the North Africa Campaign, North Africa and East African Campaign (World War II), East Africa campaigns
**1944–1945**: Allied victory
* Fall of Nazi Germany (concurrently with the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front)
* Fall of the Vichy Regime
* Liberation of occupied countries in Western and Northern Europe
* Beginning of the Iron Curtain and the Cold War
- **territory**: Partition of Germany (1945)
- **combatant1**: **Allies of World War II, Allies**
**1939-1940**

(German invasion of Denmark (1940), 9 April 1940)

Czechoslovak government-in-exile, Czechoslovakia
- **combatant1a**: **1944-1945**

Czechoslovak government-in-exile, Czechoslovakia<hr>
- **combatant2**: **Axis powers, Axis**
**1939-1940**

- **combatant2a**: **1944-1945**

- **commander1**: **1939–1940**
 Maurice Gamelin
 Maxime Weygand

Władysław Sikorski
 Henri Winkelman
 Leopold III of Belgium, Leopold III
 Émile Speller
 Otto Ruge
 William Wain Prior, William Prior
**1944–1945**

**Winston Churchill**

**Arthur Tedder**
 **Omar Bradley**
 **Jacob L. Devers**
 George S. Patton
 Courtney Hodges
 William Hood Simpson, William Simpson
 Alexander Patch
  Miles Dempsey
  Trafford Leigh-Mallory
  Bertram Ramsay
 Charles de Gaulle
 Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, Jean de Tassigny
 Kenneth Stuart
 Harry Crerar
 Kazimierz Sosnkowski
 Stanisław Maczek
- **commander2**: **1939–1940**

Gerd von Rundstedt
 Erich von Manstein
 Heinz Guderian
 Fedor von Bock
 Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, Wilhelm von Leeb
 Erich Raeder

Umberto II of Italy, Prince Umberto
**1944–1945**
 **Adolf Hitler**
 **Heinrich Himmler**
 **Hermann Göring**
 **Gerd von Rundstedt**
 **Karl Dönitz**
 Günther von Kluge
 Walter Model
 Albert Kesselring
 Erwin Rommel
 Johannes Blaskowitz
 Hermann Balck
 Paul Hausser
** Benito Mussolini**
** Rodolfo Graziani**
- **strength1**: **1939–1940**
* 7,650,000 troops (total)
**1944–1945**
* ~5,412,219 troops (total that served)
* 4,500,000 troops (total as of V-E Day, Victory in Europe Day)
- **strength2**: **1939–1940**
* 5,400,000 troops (total)
**1944–1945**
* ~8,000,000 troops (total that served)
* ~1,900,000 troops (peak)
- **casualties1**: **1940**
* 2,121,560–2,260,000 casualties, including 73,000 killed and 15,000 missing
**1944–1945**
* 164,590–195,576 killed/missing
* 537,590 wounded
* 78,680 captured
(~70% of Allied troops and casualties were Americans)
* 10,561 tanks destroyed
*909 tank destroyers destroyed
**Total:**
* ~3,000,000 casualties
- **casualties2**: **1940**
* 160,780–163,650 casualties, including 49,000 killed or missing
**1944–1945**
* 263,000–655,000 killed
* 400,000+ wounded
* 4,209,840 captured
**Total:**
* 5,000,000–5,400,000+ casualties
- **casualties3**: **Civilian casualties:**
1,650,000 dead