German 'Blitzkrieg' overwhelms Belgium, Holland and France.

Germany suffers setbacks at Stalingrad and El Alamein

Surrender

defeat

Germany takes over the battle

Allies land at Anzio

Soviet offensive gathers pace in Eastern Europe

Russians reach Berlin

mounting international tension

Western Europe was eerily quiet

'phoney war'

in earnest

drifted

carved up

meant

Despite

proved no match

retreated

haste

ragged fleet

craft

that ranged from

under a hero

fled to

chagrin