World War II
The Turning Points in the War
With the failed attack against Australia, the Japanese were once again encouraged to strike another
devastating blow against the American forces in the Pacific. In June, 1942, Yamamoto sent an invasion force
toward the island of Midway. With the invasion force was a Japanese carrier task force lead by Admiral Nagumo.
Nagumo’s orders were to destroy the air defenses at Midway Island, which based Marines and Army Air Force
planes, and to protect against any American aircraft carriers that might be in the vicinity. On the day before the
attack, several American land based bombers found the Japanese carrier force and tried to high altitude bomb the
carriers. However, not a single American bomb hit its target, and the Japanese pushed on. Not detecting any
carriers in the area, Nagumo launched his planes on the morning of June 4, to strike Midway Island. Several
Japanese and American planes were destroyed in the attack, however Nagumo’s strike failed to destroy the air base
at Midway. So, he began refueling and rearming his planes.
Prior to the attack at Midway Island, American code breakers had determined that Midway was going to be
the next Japanese target. Admiral Nimitz of the U.S. Navy was commander-in-chief of the Pacific Navy, he only
answered to the chief of naval operations, Admiral King, and the President of the United States, Franklin
Roosevelt. When Nimitz heard about the Japanese next target he quickly had to put together a defense of Midway.
Immediately he turned to one of his top commanders, Admiral Halsey, but Halsey was sick in the hospital at the
time. Halsey recommended Admiral Spruance to be in charge of the American force sent to defend Midway
Island. Luckily for the Americans this happened. On the morning of June 4, Spruance parked 3 American carriers
northeast of Midway. He planned to attack only when the Japanese force was known, both size and location. Once
Midway was struck by the Japanese, Spruance’s 3 carriers, the Enterprise, Hornet, and the newly repaired Yorktown
(damaged at the Battle of Coral Sea) all launched their planes to attack the Japanese “main body,” four Japanese
carriers, the Hiryu, Soryu, Akagi, and Kaga. What ensued next was the “Miracle at Midway Island.” (FS –
Midway)
With a devastating defeat at Midway, the Japanese would never be able to launch a successful naval
operation against the Americans for the rest of the war, and they would usually be on the defensive in the remaining
battles. Midway gave the Americans the upper-hand, and allowed them to start thinking about opening up offensive
operations. Yamamoto’s promise of being able to “run wild” for 6 months was nearly true to the day (2 days away
from 6 months exactly). Now the Americans would be the ones determining where fights would be, and on what
terms. However, with the turning point would have to come a turn in the overall strategy in the war. Would the
Americans be able to come up with a new effective strategy to defeat the Empire of Japan?
Meanwhile, in the North African campaign the “desert fox” Rommel has scored more victories against the
British. At first it seemed as if Rommel would fall short of retaking Tobruk. But, he was able to regroup and
counter-attack the British forces at Gazala, where the British take heavy loses and General Ritchie of the British 8th
Army had to retreat. But, it was a daring retreat, where he is able to have his forces mostly escape to fight another
day. However, by mid to late June, Tobruk does finally fall to Rommel’s forces. By July, the first battle of El
Alamein breaks out, where Rommel begins pushing his forces against the British defenses in North Africa.
Churchill in response to General Ritchie’s inability to stop Rommel, puts Bernard Montgomery in command of the
British 8th Army. Under his leadership, Rommel would be stalemated around El Alamein for some time.
Other German pushes began in the Soviet Union. By mid-June Case Blue has begun, an operation aimed at
the Germans taking Stalingrad in the southern push into the Soviet Union. By September, the Battle of Stalingrad
has begun. This battle became a long draw out siege where many forces were lost on both sides. Soviet forces
continue to pour into Stalingrad from the east, and it is not until winter that the Soviets finally gain the upper-hand
and defeat the Germans at Stalingrad. Stalin ordered that the city on the Volga River which held his namesake be
defended at all costs. Troops were rushed from many parts of Russia, as far away as Siberia, to defend the city on
the Volga. With strong and intense city fighting for months, the Soviets were able to claim their first major victory
against the Nazis, and in return cause the turning-point in the war for the European Theater. From this point onward
the Nazis were on the defensive as the Soviets begin to take and exploit the advantage and the offensive. By the
beginning of 1943, this would be a reality. (FS – Enemy Gates)
However, while the Stalingrad turning point was underway, there were also several other major events that
happened in the months that it took Stalingrad to finally come to an end. One major action was happening in the
Pacific from August until November, 1942, Operation Watchtower, the Guadalcanal Campaign is launched by
American Naval forces in the Pacific. This operation would see heavy Japanese resistance, but in the end the
Japanese are defeated, and a new American strategy in the Pacific starts to take form.
In the summer of 1942, the Manhattan Project begins. This was a heavily top secret project that began
when Albert Einstein sent a letter to President Roosevelt stating that it was theoretically possible to make a weapon
that could unleash the power of the sun on the enemy. Scientific work began at the University of Illinois, several
other Universities (including Cal Berkeley), research facilities like the Naval Research Laboratory, Oak Ridge
(Tennessee), and would eventually move to a more remote area in the southwest American desert where they
eventually built and tested the new “device” weapon that the Americans were working on.
By October of 1942, the U.S. was implementing its policy of “Germany first,” in the war by launching
Operation Torch. This massive operation was designed to retake North Africa for the Allies. For the Americans,
the leading commander would be a General George S. Patton. For the British Bernard Montgomery who had been
keeping Rommel busy was to lead. With Americans eventually landing in the west, and the British in the east, the
Allied forces were to squeeze Rommel’s Afrika Korps together in central North Africa. With Operation
Supercharge the British are able to breakout of El Alamein against the Nazi Afrika Korps. By December the
American 1st Armored Division was arriving in North Africa on the west side to undergo their major assault on
Algiers.
Also by the end of the year, in the Atlantic the Nazis had been forced to rely almost primarily on their Uboat force after losing the Battle of the Barents Sea to the British. This battle was launched by the Germans to
destroy a British convoy near Norway. But, the Kregsmarine complete failure to sink a single British convoy vessel
left Hitler infuriated and he shifted the focus to the undersea forces of the U-boat wolf-packs for the rest of the war.
The first several months of 1943 saw several key movements by the Allied powers against the Axis. The
battle for Stalingrad finally ends when Nazi troops are surrounded in the western end of the city. Rommel goes on
the retreat to Tunisia, and eventually must abandon the Afrika Korps. American troops first faced the Germans at
the Battle of Kasserine Pass, and this was a disastrous loss for the Americans. But, when Patton led his tanks
against the Germans at El Guettar, he scored a major victory against Rommel’s forces. When the Afrika Korps are
defeated this allows the Allies in North Africa to invade Sicily, and eventually mainland Italy. (FS – Patton)
American troops begin moving into the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Theater. Yamamoto, the architect
of the Pearl Harbor attack, was shot down over the Solomon Islands and killed by American aviators which scored a
major victory for the American morale. Due to heavy losses against Japanese in the taking of some islands, a new
“Island Hopping” campaign is launched, and by the end of 1943 the Americans are moving against islands in the
Gilbert chain.
During this time, Jews that were held in Poland were undergoing very severe conditions. By mid-1943 the
Warsaw Ghetto, which housed several thousands of Jews, had a huge uprising staged against the Nazis prior to it be
liquidated and all the inhabitants sent to the Treblinka Death Camp. This month long rebellion by Jews against their
Nazi oppressors was the single largest revolt by Jews during World War II. The Nazi “Final Solution” is in full
effect by this time, and thousands of Jews are being executed by the Nazis.