Conor+Capps

Three Major Turning Points of WW2

1. Pearl Harbor

- Pearl Harbor was a major turning point during the second World War. The countries that were involved was the Japanese air force and the navel base of Pearl Harbor located in Hawaii. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese sent two fleets of airplanes to bomb the navel base of Pearl Harbor. They inflicted heavy damage including the deaths of 2,350 civilians/soldiers and the successful sinking of the USS Arizona. The Japanese decided to bomb the naval base of Pearl Harbor because the U.S naval fleet was very powerful. They thought that the U.S was a huge threat to the Axis powers so Japanese decided that they needed to be taken care of.

- This event changed the course of the war because It made the U.S enter the war on the side of the allies. Which gave the allies a big advantage. It also was one of the main reasons why the U.S Dropped the Bomb on Heroshima and Nagasaki.

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2. D-Day - Along with Pearl Harbor, D-day was a major turning point in WW2. D-day or Operation Neptune happened on a cloudy grey day, June 6th 1944. The Americans and the British stormed the beaches of Normandy at 6:30 am. The Americans and the British attacked in two waves, one was through the air in an air assault, the other was a water assault. The Americans lost 6603 solders taking the beach. The main reason why the American and British armies touchdown at Normandy was to push the Germans back and to retake France.

- This event was a major event that changed the course of the war because the Americans were now successfully in France and gave the allies momentum in the war. It was also major because the Americans helped push back the Germans to defeat.

[]3. Hiroshima

- The bombings at Hiroshima was a huge turning point for the war but also for war in general forever. At 8:15 on August 6, 1945 the American air force dropped "little boy" which was an atomic bomb on the Japanese island of Hiroshima. The death count after the bomb was dropped was 90,000 to 166,000. President Truman thought it was necessary because dropping the bomb saved thousands of US lives and he knew that the Japanese would never give up fighting. The U.S chose Hiroshima because it was heavily populated and had many Japanese bases and factories stationed there. So the U.S wanted to hit them were it hurt the most. - This event changed the face of war itself forever because it introduced a new form of destruction that was never seen before through the human eye.



Map of WW2

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Timeline of WW2

1. April 1940 2/12/1940- Himrek Himmler signs the order that initiates the construction of the Auschwitz camp in Poland. 2. October 1940 10/20/1940- This was the Deportation of 29,000 German Jews from the Saar, the Alscace-Lorraine and they were deported to Vichy France. 3.November 1940, 11/15/1940- This was when 400,000 Jews were sealed off in the Warsaw Ghetto 4. March 1941, 3/26/1941- The high ranking German command gives approval to RSHA and Heydrich on the tasks of SS murder squads to occupy Poland 5. June 1941, 6/2/1941 Anti Semitic laws based on German laws are published which announce that Jews are banned from public office. 6. December 1941, 12/8/1941 Extermination camps become operational, started in Chelmno, Jews were placed into gas chambers were they were killed by toxic gas. 7. January 1942, 1/30/1942- Hitler speaks to audience about how the result of this war will be the complete annihilation of the Jewish race. (Hitler's goal) 8. April 1942, 4/20/1942 German Jews are banned from using public transportation. 9.June 1942, 6/4/1942 SS confirms 97,000 killed in gas chambers. 10. April 1943, 4/20/1943- Jewish uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto triggers massive German response by killing 60,000 Jews in the ghetto. 11. November 1943, 11/3/1943- Nazi's carry out their operation Harvest Festival and march to Poland killing 42,000 Jews. 12. December 1943, 12/2/1943- This is when the First transportation of Jews arrive at Auschwitz 13. November 1944, 11/8/1944- Himmler orders the destruction of the crematories at Auschwitz 14. January 1945, 1/27/1945- Soviet troops invade and liberate Auschwitz by the time they arrived it was estimated that 2,000,000people including 1,500,000 Jews were murdered there. 15. December 1945 12/14/1945- members of the SS personal are convicted for their acts in the concentration camps and are sentenced to hanging.

Bibliography
 * 1) "Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 01 Mar. 2010. <[]>.
 * 2) //World War 2 Timeline 1939-1945 - Worldwar-2.net//// . Web. 28 Feb. 2010. <[]>. //
 * 3) "Attack At Pearl Harbor, 1941." EyeWitness to History - history through the eyes of those who lived it. Web. 01 Mar. 2010. <[]>.
 * 4) "The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945." Department of Energy - CFO Home. Web. 01 Mar. 2010. <[]>.
 * 5) "D-Day June 6, 1944." The United States Army Homepage. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. <[]>.