The North African Campaign: In june 1942, General Erwin Rommel took the key port city of Tobruk. With the fall of Tobruk, General Bernard Montgomery took control of the British forces in North Africa. During that time, Germany had advanced an Egyptian village known as El Alamein. Rommel then decided to launch the battle of El Alamein.
On October 23, more than 1,700 British soldiers attacked the Axis soldiers. However, the Axis soldiers fought back in fierce. By the beginning of November, Rommel's army was beaten, so his forces retreated west. As Rommel retreated west, the Allies created the Operation Torch. Around 107,000 troops lead by the American General Eisenhower landed in Morocco and Algeria. The Desert Fox's Afrika Korps was finally smashed by the army. See the map below:
On October 23, more than 1,700 British soldiers attacked the Axis soldiers. However, the Axis soldiers fought back in fierce. By the beginning of November, Rommel's army was beaten, so his forces retreated west. As Rommel retreated west, the Allies created the Operation Torch. Around 107,000 troops lead by the American General Eisenhower landed in Morocco and Algeria. The Desert Fox's Afrika Korps was finally smashed by the army. See the map below:
Battle of Stalingrad: The Battle of Stalingrad began in August 23, 1942. Hitler sent his army to seize the rich oil fields in the Caucasus Mountains, and also the city of Stalingrad. There was massive bombing raids that set the city with "enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke," one German officer said. However, Stalin told his commanders to defend the city at all costs. Towards the beginning of November, Germans controlled ninety percent of the ruined city. On November 19, Soviet troops were ready to attack, they trapped the Germans inside in order to prevent them from getting supplies. On February 2, 1943, German troops surrendered to the Soviets. Soldiers were starving and freezing due to the harsh climate during winter. The city was 99% destroyed and Stalingrad's defense had cost the Soviets one million soldiers. Watch both videos bellow (one from a footage of the battle, and the other of Stalingrad today):
The Invasion of Italy: In January 1943, Churchill and Roosevelt met at Casablanca, and decided to attack Italy. On July 10, 180,000 soldiers landed on Sicily representing the Allied forces. On July 25, Mussolini (the dictator of Italy) was fired by King Emmanuel lll, and later arrested. On September 3, Italy surrounded. However, Germans still had controlled over Northern Italy, and placed Mussolini back in power. The fighting did not stop there. The fighting continued until Germany fell in 1945. Soon, Mussolini was shot and his body was hanged.
Japanese Camps in America: The bombing of Pearl Harbor frightened many Americans. The Japanese were seen as the enemy to United States. The propaganda against Japanese suddenly turned into the Japanese living in United States. In March, the military troop began placing the Japanese that lived in America to camps. In these camps, there were 31,275 people. Most of those were American citizens with Japanese descent. Watch the video below for more information of how the relocation of the Japanese worked, and their living conditions:
The D-Day Invasion (also known as Operation Overlord): By May 1944, 3.5 million troops under General Eisenhower waited to attack. The plan was to strike Normandy. Even though the Germans knew about the attack, they did not know where the attack would take place. So, United States ordered a make-believe army to attack the French seaport of Calais in order to keep Hitler guessing. In June 6th, the allied troops fought their way ingot he beach of Normandy. The germans were hidden with weapons. Many Americans died that day. Soon, the Germans retreated. On august 25, the Allies marched into Paris. On September, they liberated France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and a great part of the Netherlands.
The Battle of Bulge: As Allied forces attacked from West Germany, Soviet army attacked from East Germany. Hitler then decided to attack the West first, hoping that he could break apart the Allied forces. On December 16, tanks broke in order to weaken the Americans' army. Eventually, the Allied attacked the Germans and won.
Germany Surrenders: On April 1945, the Soviets and the Allied surrounded the capital of Berlin. That same day Hitler married his companion, Eva Braun. He wrote his last letter to the Germans blaming the Jews for starting the war and the generals for loosing the war. Two days letter, he shot himself as his new wife swallowed poison. Their bodies were carried outside the location in which their death took place, and they were finally burned.
On May 7, 1945, General Eisenhower accepted the surrender of the German military. However, President Roosevelt did not live so see his long-waited victory. He died on April 12th. However, his sucessor, Harry Truman, received the news. On May 8, the surrender was finally signed in Berlin. The Allied forced celebrated V-E-Day because the war in Europe ended at last.
On May 7, 1945, General Eisenhower accepted the surrender of the German military. However, President Roosevelt did not live so see his long-waited victory. He died on April 12th. However, his sucessor, Harry Truman, received the news. On May 8, the surrender was finally signed in Berlin. The Allied forced celebrated V-E-Day because the war in Europe ended at last.
Victory in the Pacific: During the fall of 1944, the Allies headed to Japan. They landed in the island of Leyte in the Philippines. However, the Japanese decided to destroy the American fleet. So, they risked almost their entire fleet. By the end of October, the Japanese army lost. On April 1st, American troops moved to the island of Okinawa. The Japanese then attacked the Americans. However, on June 22, the battle ended. After Okinawa, Truman's advisers informed him that the invasion of the Japanese homeland will cost the Allies half a million lives. Truman had to make a decision to use the new weapon called atomic bomb. Believing that the atomic bomb would soon bring the battle to an end. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima (Japanese city.) Around 73,000 people died in the attack. Three days later, another bomb was dropped in Nagasazi killing 37,500 people. On September 2, the Japanese surrendered to General MacArthur. With Japan's surrender, the war had finally ended.
More Sources:
http://www.wjcash.org/WJCash10/Charlotte.News.Articles/NorthAfricaMaps-1942.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/stalingrad/
http://www.army.mil/d-day/
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_the_bulge.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/truman-hiroshima/
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4KuIVnGRFk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6gSShuQCUE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-xSe1QdzdU
http://www.wjcash.org/WJCash10/Charlotte.News.Articles/NorthAfricaMaps-1942.htm
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-stalingrad
http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwii/stalingrad/
http://www.army.mil/d-day/
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/d-day
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_the_bulge.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-hiroshima
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/truman-hiroshima/
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4KuIVnGRFk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6gSShuQCUE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-xSe1QdzdU