Turning Points of WWII Essays - Military History By Country

Turning Points of WWII It is often thought that there were three specific turning points on the Allies road to victory in the second world war. The points that are considered to have the most significance are the Battle of Midway, the Battle of Stalingrad, and the Battle of El Alamein. Each one of these battles contributed to the rise of the Allies, and the fall of the Axis in their own way. The Battle of Midway is considered the most influential battle in the Pacific theater. It took place between June 4th and June 7th, 1942, near Midway Atoll. American Admirals Chester Nimitz, Frank Jack Fletcher, and Raymond A. Spruance lead a battle against the Japanese fleet, under the Admirals Isoroku Yamamoto, Chuichi Nagumo, and Nobutake Kondo. The battle ended with the Americans victorious, and the Japanese fleet suffering irreversible damages. The victory of this battle is largely due to the American cryptographers, who managed to find the time, date, and place that the attack was to take place. This allowed the Americans to prepare for the attack, and ultimately lead to their victory. The battle of midway is considered the biggest naval victory in history, and marks a turning point in the war. With the Japanese fleet decimated, the Pacific remained under US control, allowing trade to continue for the US, and allowed the US to focus more of their efforts in Europe. The Battle of Stalingrad was considered to be one of the largest and bloodiest battles in history. Nazi Germany and its allies tried to advance on the Eastern front, further into Russia. The Germans began their offensive on August 23rd, 1942, by sending in the 6th army with support from the 4th Panzer division, all the while having support from the Luftwaffe. Despite this apparent tactical advantage, the fighting was eventually reduced to fighting house for house. In the end, the Red Army managed to push the Germans back, out of Stalingrad, and the Germans never regained their footing on the Eastern front. This battle is considered a turning point because it marks the point where the Germans could no longer advance to the East. Putting Germany on the defencive in the East also meant the German army had to redistribute troops, withdrawing them from the West, and sending them East. This made the war on the Western front significantly easier. The Battle of El Alamein, marked the first major victory of the Allies, without US intervention. The battle took place on the 23 of October, 1942, and ended November 3rd of the same year. It took place near the El Alamein railway in Egypt. Lead by Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, the battle cut the Axis powers, off from the Suez Canal, and the oil fields of the Middle East. During the battle a German oil tanker was also sunk, leading to dire lack of fuel for the German army. This battle was the main turning point in the North African Campaign, and helped lead to the ultimate defeat of the Axis. The Suez Canal was a vital resource for trade and troop movement, making it a strategic point. Cutting off Germany from the oil fields was also a tactical decision, making it harder to fuel the tanks and trucks in use by the Germans at the time. On top of it all, the win was a massive boost to the morale of the Allies. World War Two was a bloody affair, fought by honest men, and lead by strong leaders. There are many battles that made up the second world war, but without the victory at these three points, the path which the war took could have been very different.