1. Turning Points of WWII

2. Sides of War War began in 1939
By 1941, US and Japan had joined the war effort
Axis Powers= Germany, Japan, Italy(‘40-’43)
Allies=Soviet Union, Britain, France, USA

3. Beginning of War Blitzkrieg-- “lightning war”
Poland taken in less than a month
Severe Polish casualties
Beginnings of war atrocities towards Jewish Poles
France-- “Phony War” and the Maginot Line
French resistance would spring up with varying success

4. Punishment for collaborating with Nazis

5. Dunkirk
Europe almost fell completely into Nazi hands if it wasn’t for the events at Dunkirk

6. Dunkirk
British, French, and Belgian troops were trapped at the French port of Dunkirk
If captured the war for the allies could have been over
British Air Force and “navy” helped to rescue 300,000 troops from Dunkirk
Showed Hitler was not unstoppable  Boosted morale of Allied forces

8. Britain
“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets...we shall never surrender.”

9. Operation Barbarossa Invasion of the Soviet Union
Scorched earth approach...again
Blitzkrieg was initially effective....Russia = Manpower and industrial strength
Stalingrad ended the major German advance of the Soviet Union

11. Importance of Stalingrad
If taken:
Access to Soviet oil fields
Cut off Moscow Soviet Union will eventually fall

12. Stalingrad
After the German defeat at Stalingrad, Hitler was on the defensive
Soviet Union continued to advance and push Hitler back towards Germany
Allies string together victories in North Africa and start planning D-Day invasion

13. USA wins in the Pacific
US and Japan engaged in warfare throughout the Pacific(‘41-’45)Atomic Bomb dropped
D-Day Invasion is successful in bringing and end to war in Europe(‘39-’45)
May 8th 1945-V-E Day
September 2nd 1945= Japan surrenders