Turning Points of WWII Major Events and Battles that Turn the Tide in Favor of the Allies

Background War going badly for Allies ▫American fleet destroyed ▫Allied Asian territories being invaded by Japan  Hong Kong, Malay Peninsula ▫Rommel controlling North Africa ▫Soviets doing poorly vs. Germany

Early Air and Sea Allied (esp. British)German Supplies by sea from American Lend-Lease Act 114 ships sunk by 1939 American naval fleet decimated by Pearl Harbor attack U-Boats (submarines) threaten supply lines Air ▫Attack suppliers ▫Battle of Britain

Battle of the Atlantic Allies battle Germans for control of Atlantic Ocean – supply lines, troop movements, etc. May 1941 – German Bismark sent into battle ▫May 23 – British navy finds Bismark and others in Denmark Strait  British open fire – British navy badly damaged, Bismark gets away ▫May 26 – Bismark seen off French coast

Battle of the Atlantic Took 6 torpedo hits to sink Bismark Ends German sea dominance Will find ways to protect against U-boats

Early Air Attacks Battle of Britain – Aug 1940 – Luftwaffe (German air force) begin bombing airfield and plane factories; air battles with RAF; night bombings of London; keeps Germany from land invasion of England Allied offenses in Germany – 1941 – aimed at factories, railroads, dockyards, cities/town ▫To destroy war industry and weaken morale

Stalingrad July 1942 – Soviets retreating, Germans closing in on the city of Stalingrad ▫Highly industrialized (need economically) ▫Named for Stalin (need for morale/pride) ▫Stalin STILL wants Allies to open a western front to take pressure off of USSR/east – Churchill refuses in Aug 1942

Stalingrad Sept – Soviet counterattack, cut German supply lines ▫Hitler refuses to allow retreat ▫Umm…..winter?? Feb 1943 – German surrender of troops ▫Germany: 100,000 dead, 80,000 captured, equipment seized HUGE blow to the German army

The War in Africa REASONS Axis DominanceVichy ControlThreat to Egypt “Soft Underbelly”Access to Italy

North Africa Jan 1942 – Allies struggling against Erwin Rommel ▫Aka “Desert Fox” Spring – Rommel pushes British 2/3 way back to Egypt (out of Libya – part of Vichy France) May – continuing to battle and push British further east

North Africa July 1942 – British Gen. Bernard Montgomery stops German advances at El Alamein October – Brit counterattack = Germans forced back into Libya ▫British follow ▫January 1943 – British capture Tripoli (capital)

North Africa OPETROARTCIHONOPETROARTCIHON

1942 – Allies land in Morocco and Algeria to fight Rommel ▫Both part of Vichy France ▫Plan: trap Rommel by closing in from both East (British out of Egypt) and West (US/Brit)  “Pincer” strategy ▫Meet strong resistance from Vichy Nov 194 – Allied commander Dwight D. Eisenhower gets Admiral Francois Darlan (Vichy) to sign armistice

North Africa Results of Armistice ▫Ends Vichy resistance ▫Charles de Gaulle brings soldiers from Free France to join allies ▫Allows Allies to begin “closing their pincers” Rommel sees that the end is near… ▫Flies to Berlin to tell Hitler that situation is hopeless ▫Hitler disagrees – bans Rommel from returning to Africa May New German commander surrenders

Invasion of Italy

January 1943 – Casablanca Conference ▫Allied leaders discuss next move – invade Sicily to gain access to mainland Italy

Invasion of Italy July 1943 – air and sea attack on Sicily led by Eisenhower ▫Initially meet little resistance – fighting intensifies as Germans/ Italians escape into Italy Beginning of the End of Mussolini July 25, 1943 – King Victor Emmanuel III fires and arrests Mussolini New PM dissolves fascist party SEPT 3, 1943 – SURRENDERS TO ALLIES Secretly.

Invasion of Italy Sept – Allies land on Italian mainland ▫Surrender is announced Sept 5 - Germany occupies Rome and Northern Italy ▫Rescue Mussolini and put him in charge of North 1943-early 1944 – Allies fight up the Italian Peninsula ▫Difficulty penetrating Monte Cassino – needed for road to Rome  Heavy artillery and 5 months needed to remove Germans from mountaintop monestary June 4, 1944 – Allies enter Rome

Pacific War

Japan controls most of Southeast Asia ▫Kill civilians, steal property = resistance Gains made by Allies ▫May 1942 – Battle of the Coral Sea = Allied victory ▫June 1942 – Battle of Midway = MASSIVE air and naval battle; ends Japanese naval dominance

Pacific War Battle of Midway

Pacific War Allied Plan – “Leapfrogging” or “Island hopping” ▫Begins with Guadalcanal  General Douglas MacArthur attacks Japanese on land while Admiral Chester Nimitz attacks from sea  6 month battle = Allied victory ▫Series of island battles en route to Japan ▫Capture islands or cut off their trade routes

Leap- frogging or Island Hopping

Pacific War Japanese unwilling to surrender November 1943 – begin using kamikaze pilots ▫Volunteer pilots willing to crash their planes into Allied bases/ship ▫Suicide missions