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North African Campaign Begins
The North African Campaigns were a series of battles for control of North Africa, and began with Italy declaring war on Britain and France. Forces were fighting over the Suez Canal, which was an essential area for the British colonial empire. They also fought for the large oil deposits found throughout the Middle East. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is what is said to be the turning point of WWII for the US against Japan. In this air/sea battle the US was able to successfully protect its base located on Midway Island from Japan, and decimated their naval forces. This battle set Japan's naval forces back, and also showed them that the US would be a great threat in the war. -
Operation Torch
Part of the North African Campaigns, Operation Torch was the first major joint-invasion between Britain and America against The Axis. Operation Torch involved invading Italy-controlled colonies in North Africa. At the same time as Operation Torch, America and France fought German navy units in the Battle of Casablanca, Which led to a victory for America and Operation Torch. -
Island-Hopping Campaign
The Island Hopping campaign was the key to success in the Pacific Theater for the Allies and the US. This campaign consisted of invading Japan-controlled island one at a time, and using the newly acquired territory to launch attacks on the next island. Some of these islands included Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. This campaign allowed the Allies to significantly damage the Japanese naval forces, and eventually led to their surrender. -
Tunisian Campaign
This was a battle between the Allies and Axis in Tunisia, North Africa. The allies consisted of America, Britain and France while the Axis was Germany and Italy. They fought for total control of the North African area. It began with large success from Germany and Italy, but the Axis had poor communication for getting supplies and reinforcements, so they were eventually overrun and the Axis powers were driven out of North Africa, marking the end of the North African Campaign. -
D-Day
Allied forces landed on the shores of Normandy, France, starting D-Day. The D-Day battle lasted until August, and was one of the largest military advancements during the war. Lots of planning was made for this invasion, and the Allies had even been participating in an invasion campaign prior to fool Germany into thinking they were invading somewhere different. The invasion ended with the liberation of Paris, and was a big step in defeating the Nazis. -
The Battle of Leyte Gulf
This battle is considered the largest naval battle of WWII, and possibly the entire world. The battle consisted of the Allies versus Japan, and consisted of over 200,000 naval personnel total. This battle was very significant as it allowed The US to yet again cripple Japanese forces, but also begin invasion of the Philippines and set up bases to attack on the Japanese homeland, as well as reinforce the US control of the Pacific.