Turning Points of World War II
Take a tour of World War II by exploring these major battles that, in retrospect, are considered pivotal in bringing about victory for the Allied Forces.
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December 7, 1941
December 7, 1941
REFERENCE ARTICLES
IMAGES
Minelayer USS Oglala lies capsized (foreground) as smoke pours from the destroyer USS Shaw (right) and cruiser USSHelena (left) during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Copy of the naval dispatch from the U.S. Commander in Chief Pacific (CINCPAC) announcing the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This dispatch was sent to the U.S. Commander in Chief Atlantic (CINLANT) and received by the aircraft carrier USS Ranger.
AUDIO & VIDEO
AUDIO & VIDEO
Poster referring to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Issued by the by the Office of War Information, 1942. The surprise attack, which Japan undertook without a declaration of war, provoked the United States to end its neutral stance on World War II and join the Allies (Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union).
Works Cited
"Avenge December 7" Pearl Harbor poster." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Pearl Harbor." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"ships USS Oglala, Shaw, and Helena suffer bombardment during attack on Pearl Harbor." Photos/Illustrations. Library of Congress. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Soderstrum, T. Jason, and Tucker, Spencer C. "Japanese planning for and attack on Pearl Harbor: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
June, 1942
REFERENCE ARTICLES
IMAGES
Scene on board the U.S. aircraft carrier Yorktown, shortly after it was struck by three Japanese bombs on June 4, 1942
Aerial view of U.S. Navy fighter planes during the attack on the Japanese fleet off Midway, with a burning Japanese ship below. The Battle of Midway was a Japanese attack to seize the island of Midway. The battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides but was successful for the United States as it put Japan on the defensive.
AUDIO & VIDEO
Works Cited
"Battle of Midway." Photos/Illustrations. U.S. Navy. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Battle of Midway." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 140-141. Research in Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Battle of Midway." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Midway Battle Marked the Turning Point in WWII." Morning Edition 5 June 2007. Research in Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Yorktown damaged during Battle of Midway." Photos/Illustrations. Naval Historical Center. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
July - November, 1942
REFERENCE ARTICLES
IMAGES
General Bernard L. Montgomery watches his tanks move up. North Africa, November 1942
German field marshal Erwin Rommel with his troops at El Alamein, Egypt, in November 1942. Rommel's defeat during the Battle of El Alamein marked the end of Axis success in North Africa and the beginning of a series of Allied victories.
Sherman tanks of 'C' Squadron, 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, 2nd Armoured Brigade, 1st Armoured Division, 5 November 1942.
AUDIO & VIDEO
Works Cited
"Battle of El Alamein." Photos/Illustrations. Library of Congress. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Carver, Michael, El Alamein, 1962; Pitt, Barrie, The Crucible of War: Year of Alamein, 1942, 1982; Strawson, J., El Alamein: Desert Victory, 1981.
Holmes, Richard, 2007; World War Two: The Battle of El Alamein, BBC History. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_el_alamein_01.shtml'
Works Cited
"Battle of El Alamein." Photos/Illustrations. Library of Congress. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Carver, Michael, El Alamein, 1962; Pitt, Barrie, The Crucible of War: Year of Alamein, 1942, 1982; Strawson, J., El Alamein: Desert Victory, 1981.
Holmes, Richard, 2007; World War Two: The Battle of El Alamein, BBC History. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_el_alamein_01.shtml'
Spring, 1942 - Winter, 1943
REFERENCE ARTICLES
IMAGES
Three German troops walk down a desolate street in the battle-torn city of Stalingrad, Russia in September 1942. Fought between August 1942 and February 1943, the Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most decisive Soviet victories against the Germans during World War II.
Soviet snipers looking for German targets during the Battle of Stalingrad, 1942.
AUDIO & VIDEO
AUDIO & VIDEO
Works Cited
"Battle of Stalingrad." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. History: War. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Research in Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Ruins of Stalingrad." Photos/Illustrations. Library of Congress. World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Soviet snipers at the Battle of Stalingrad." Photos/Illustrations. National Archives. World History: The Modern Era.ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Stolberg, Eva-Maria, and Tucker, Spencer C. "Battle of Stalingrad: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
June 6, 1944
REFERENCE ARTICLES
IMAGES
Canadian soldiers move into Caen, France in 1944. Caen was heavily bombed on D-Day, but the battle for the city did not end until July when British and Canadian troops launched a final attack on the city.
American soldiers disembark from a Coast Guard landing boat on the coast of France under heavy German machine gun fire on June 6, 1944 during the Allied invasion of Normandy, known as D-Day.
AUDIO & VIDEO
Works Cited
Baxter, Colin F. "Operation OVERLORD: World War II." World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO,2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"D-Day." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Soldiers rush the beaches of Normandy." Photos/Illustrations. National Archives and Records Administration. World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"Normandy Invasion, 1944." Map. World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.