The Bicester School



WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT TURNING POINT OF WWII?5715-5715The Battle of Midway was one of the most important naval battles of World War II. Between 4th - 7th June 1942, America defeated an attack by Japanese ships in the Pacific Ocean between Japan and Hawaii. A key reason why America won this battle was due to American codebreakers were able to work out the date and location of the Japanese attack. Four Japanese aircraft carriers were sunk at a cost of one American aircraft carrier. After this battle, Japan's shipbuilding and pilot training programs were unable to keep pace in replacing their losses, while America was able to. Japan continued to defend its land territories instead.349686220955The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943) was a major battle of World War II. It was part of Operation Barbarossa, which reversed the Nazi-Soviet pact and brought Russia into the war on the Allies’ side. Nazi Germany fought Russia for control of the Russian city named Stalingrad. Stalingrad is known as the single largest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare. The German main army, the 6th army surrendered. The German forces were now on the defensive against constant Russian attacks, and it ultimately paved the way to the Russians to push west against the Nazis, forcing them back into Germany. 57159017000The attack on Pearl Harbor (7th December 1941) was a surprise attack by Japan against America. The Japanese hoped this attack would scare the American people into refusing to join WWII. However, the shock that this event had on the American people led to the United States joining WWII when they had previously been hesitant to get involved. As Japan had an alliance with Germany and Italy, it led to Germany and Italy declaring war on America on 11th December. The USA had huge amounts of manpower ready to throw at the war effort, having not suffered the effects of fighting like the European nations had since September 1939.50806076200D-Day happened on 6th June 1944, when British, American and Canadian forces attacked the German army in France, in order to free France from Nazi control. The attack was led by a US General and the Americans contributed huge amounts of troops and equipment. The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day; French cities remained in German hands, and the French city Caen, a major objective, was not captured until 21st July. Approx. 4,400 allied soldiers were killed in the first day of the invasion. However, D-Day was a disaster for Germany as they were now being attacked from both sides, and gave the Allies a foothold in France – essential for pushing the Germans out of Western Europe. Allied deaths for whole of the attack were about 40,000 ground and air force troops, whilst around 200,000 Germans were killed, and another 200,000 taken as prisoners of war. 403542563500The Battle of Britain is the WWII battle that was fought entirely in the air between Germany and Britain in 1940. The German objective was to gain control over the sky of Britain by destroying the Royal Air Force (RAF). Britain had a home advantage, and also managed to stop the Germans from winning by inventing radar. The British could always see when the Germans were about to attack. Hitler eventually cancelled Operation Sea-Lion, (invasion of Britain). The failure of Germany to destroy Britain's RAF or force Britain to negotiate peace or even surrender, is seen as Germany’s first major defeat in WWII.5715322400Dunkirk was the evacuation of British and French soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 27th May and 4th June 1940. The operation was decided upon when British and French troops were surrounded by the German army. Many British politicians thought that it was inevitable that Germany would win, and that Britain should surrender. In a speech, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called the events in France "a military disaster". In his ‘we shall fight on the beaches’ speech on 4 June, he hailed their rescue as a "miracle.” The men were evacuated by the famous little ships of Dunkirk. The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers during the battle and had to abandon all of their tanks, vehicles, and artillery. ................
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