Question- What are the Key Turning Points of The World War II?

Answer -

Key Turning Points of the World War II

The Start

(i) Three years of mounting international tension - encompassing the Spanish Civil War, the union of Germany and Austria, Hitler’s occupation of the Sudetenland, and the invasion of Czechoslovakia led to deterioration of ties between Axis Power and Allied Powers.

(ii) However, the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and subsequently two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

(iii) This marked the beginning of World War II.

Phoney War

(i) Western Europe was very quiet during the first few months of the war.

(ii) This period of war is known as "phoney war".

(iii) Preparations for war continued in earnest, but there were few signs of conflict, and civilians of the Western European countries (Allied Powers) evacuated to safe places.

Ribbentrop Pact

(i) By the early part of 1939, the German dictator Adolf Hitler had become determined to invade and occupy Poland.

(ii) Poland, for its part, had guarantees of French and British military support should it be attacked by Germany. Hitler intended to Hitler intended to invade Poland anyway, but first, he had to neutralize the possibility that the Soviet Union would resist the invasion of its western neighbor.

(iii) Secret negotiations in August 1939 led to the signing of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact in Moscow.

(iv) Further, Russia followed Germany into Poland in September, and Poland was carved up between the two invaders before the end of the year.

Winter War 1940

(i) The ‘Winter War’ between Russia and Finland concluded in March, and in the following month, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway.

(ii) Denmark surrendered immediately, but the Norwegians fought on - with British and French assistance - surrendering in June 1940.

Fall of France 1940

(i) After war with Scandinavian countries ended, Germany invaded France, Belgium, and Holland.

(ii) During this phase, Western Europe encountered Blitzkrieg - or ‘lightning war’.

(iii) Blitzkrieg: Germany’s combination of fast-armored tanks on land and superiority in the air made a unified attacking force that was both innovative and effective. Despite greater numbers of air and army personnel in Allied powers, they proved no match for German Forces.

(iv) In France, an armistice was signed with Germany, with the puppet French Vichy government.

(v) Having conquered France, Hitler turned his attention to Britain and began preparations for an invasion.

Battle of Britain 1940

(i) Lasting from July to September 1940, it was the first war to be fought solely in the air.

(ii) Germany decided to attack airfields and factories in the major cities, but somehow the Royal Air Force managed to secure a narrow victory.

(iii) This ensured the indefinite postponement of the German invasion plAnswer

War Getting Global

(i) With continental Europe under Nazi control and Britain safe - for the time being - the war took on a more global dimension in 1941.

(ii) Following the defeat of Mussolini’s armies in Greece and Tobruk, German forces arrived in North Africa and invaded Greece and Yugoslavia in April 1941.

Operation Barbarossa

(i) After facing defeat in Britain, Hitler broke the Ribbentrop Pact and invaded Russia in 1941.

(ii) The initial advance was swift, with the fall of Sebastopol at the end of October, and Moscow coming under attack at the end of the year.

(iii) The bitter Russian winter, however, crippled the Germans, similar to what Napoleon had experienced a century and a half earlier.

(iv) The Soviets counterattacked in December, and the Eastern Front stagnated until the spring.

Pearl Harbour

(i) The Japanese, tired of American trade embargoes, mounted a surprise attack on the US Navy base of Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, on 7 December 1941.

(ii) This ensured that global conflict commenced, with Germany declaring war on the US, a few days later.

(iii) Also, within a week of Pearl Harbor, Japan had invaded the Philippines, Burma, and Hong Kong.

American Entry into The War

(i) Through the Battle of Midway 1942, the US entered World War II. In this battle, US sea-based aircraft destroyed four Japanese carriers and a cruiser, marking the turning point in World War II.

(ii) Also, the news of mass murders of Jewish people by the Nazis reached the Allies, and the US pledged to avenge these crimes.

Reversal of German Fortunes

(i) By the second half of 1942, British forces gained the initiative in North Africa, and Russian forces counterattacked at Stalingrad.

(ii) In February 1943, Germany surrendered at Stalingrad to the Soviet Union. This was the first major defeat of Hitler’s armies.

(iii) Further, German and Italian forces in North Africa surrendered to the Allies.

(iv) As the Russian advance on the Eastern Front gathered pace, they recaptured Kharkiv and Kiev from Germany. Moreover, Allied bombers began to attack German cities in enormous daylight air raids.

(v) The Russians reached Berlin (capital of Germany) on 21 April 1945. Hitler killed himself on the 30th, two days after Mussolini had been captured and hanged by Italian partisAnswer

(vi) Germany surrendered unconditionally on 7 May, and the following day was celebrated as VE (Victory in Europe) Day. The war in Europe was over.

Nuclear Bombing and The End

(i) Plans were being prepared for an Allied invasion of Japan, but fears of fierce resistance and massive casualties prompted Harry Truman - the new American president - to sanction the use of an atomic bomb against Japan.

(ii) Such bombs had been in development since 1942, and on 6 August 1945, one of them was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

(iii) Three days later, another was dropped on Nagasaki.

(iv) No country could withstand such attacks, and the Japanese surrendered on 14 August.

(v) With the surrender of Japan, World War II was finally over.

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