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North Africa campaigns, a series of conflicts for control of North Africa during World War II (1940–43). Control of the Suez Canal, a critical artery for Britain's colonial empire, and the Middle East's vast oil deposits were at stake. Between 1940 and 1943, British and Commonwealth troops waged a successful campaign to rid North Africa of German and Italian forces, aided by contingents from occupied European countries and the United States. -
Allowing the President to sell, lease, or lend military weaponry to any country that he deems critical to American national security. British authorities notified American diplomats in December 1940 that the country's battle against the Axis Powers had nearly bankrupted it. This act, which was passed on March 11, 1941, established a framework that allowed the US to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed "essential to the US defence." -
Following a spirited discussion in Congress, three "Neutrality Acts" were passed in November 1939, attempting to keep the United States out of war by prohibiting Americans from selling or transporting armaments or other war materials to belligerent nations. The arms embargo was lifted, and all trade with combatant countries was made "cash-and-carry." The loan embargo was maintained, and American ships were prohibited from carrying goods to belligerent ports. -
The attack was intended to be a deterrent. Its goal was to keep the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with its planned military actions in Southeast Asia against British, Dutch, and US foreign territories. The attack resulted in the deaths of 2,403 Americans, including 68 civilians, and the destruction or damage of 19 US Navy ships, including eight battleships. The US Pacific Fleet's three aircraft carriers were out at sea on maneuvers. -
The battle put a halt to a planned Japanese attack on Port Moresby by water. The depleted Japanese navy was met by a bigger Allied force than they had expected when they assaulted the American fleet at Midway the next month, and they were defeated. In the Pacific, this was the end of Japanese naval power. Ensued between two US Navy task forces and a combined US-Australian cruiser force with the Japanese Carrier Strike Force and accompanying units culminated in a tactical triumph for the Japanese -
The United States Navy's stunning victory in the air-sea combat (June 3-6, 1942) and successful defense of the important base at Midway Island essentially changed the tide of World War II in the Pacific. After that, Japanese industry was unable to build enough new flattops to replenish the fleet, while American industry was busy laying the keels for the seventeen-ship Essex class of carriers, among other things. After the Battle of Midway, Japan's naval aviation never fully recovered. -
In the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Japanese lost a total of 24,000 troops, while the Americans suffered 1,600 deaths, 4,200 injuries, and tens of thousands of deaths from malaria and other tropical diseases. The Guadalcanal Campaign put a halt to all Japanese aspirations at expansion and established the Allies as obvious leaders. It might be argued that this Allied triumph was the beginning in a long series of victories that culminated in Japan's capitulation and occupation of its home islands. -
To put it another way, the D in D-Day stands for Day. The day of any major invasion or military operation was given this coded name. The D-Day landings, which took place in 1944, were the largest maritime invasion in history. It's a pivotal date in World War II history. The landings took place on June 6th, following a five-year war with Nazi-led Germany. Operation Overlord was the codename for the entire operation. -
Operation Iceberg was an Allied plan to invade and occupy the Ryukyu Islands, which included Okinawa. Despite the fact that the Allies won, kamikaze fighters, rainy weather, and heavy battle on land, sea, and air killed a high number of people. -
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and maimed when two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in 1945, and the consequences are still being felt today.The bombing killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima and another 74,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945. Many of the survivors developed leukemia, cancer, or other horrible side effects as a result of the radiation in the years afterward. -
The Battle of the Bulge began on December 16, 1944, when German forces launched a surprise attack on Allied forces in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France's forested Ardennes area. The fight lasted until January 16, 1945, when German troops were forced to retreat by an Allied counteroffensive. The Battle of the Bulge was won by the Allies. The Germans lost about 100,000 soldiers, while the Americans lost about 81,000.