Alex+Gandlmayr


 * World War Two Turning Points**

//TIMELINE// Link: []

//Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact// The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggresson pact was signed on August 23, 1939. It was a 10-year agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union stating that neither would attack the other. The reason that Germany really wanted this pact was to ensure that they would not be fighting a two front war like in World War One. However, German attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, less than two years after the agreement was signed.

The Germans breeched their contract because they wanted to include the Soviet Union into their German Reich to create more Lebensraum, or living space for incoming Germans. At the beginning of the war, the Soviet Union started out as a member of the Axis forces, but after the German attack, they shifted sides and joined the Allies. With the Soviet Union's large quantity of soldiers and resources, they were an asset to the Allies.

Primary Document Link: []

In addition to the non-agression act, there was a part of the agreement that was not known to the rest of the world until 1989. This was called the //Secret Protocal// and it stated that Germany would give the Soviet Union the Balkans and half of Poland in the event of German dominace over Europe. This was significant becaues it entailed that Germany was preparing for world dominance.

//Pearl Harbor// The attack of Pearl Harbor occured in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. Japanese sent 353 planes to attack the harbor in two shifts: the first shift occured at 7:55 AM and the second came at 9:00 AM. The Americans were taken completely by surprise since Japan and America were supposedly on good terms. Japan felt threatened by the large pacific naval fleet in Pearl Harbor, and they did not want America to get involved in their war in the pacific. As a result, the US declared war on Japan, and then Germany and Italy declared war on the US.

The importance of this attack was that America finally got involved in the war. Although at first the US tried to not get involved in this global conflict, they finally decided that it was neccessary to join the Allies to protect themselves and the world from tyranny. This created a major war in the pacific between Japan and America.



Primary Document Link: []

This is President Roosevelt's speech to Congress and the American people on December 8, 1941, asking to declare war against Japan. It was this speech that fully convinced the public and Congress that America needed to get involved in World War Two.

//D-Day//

D-Day was on June 6, 1944, when the Allies attacked on the beaches of Normandy, France. It was the first phase of Operation Overlord, which was led by Dwight D. Eisenhower. The goal of Operation Overlord was to surprise the German troops, and get a stronghold in the German territory. Since there was only 1 Allied troop to every 5 German troops, the element of surprise was crucial in the attack.

The significance of this attack was that it changed the course of the war. After D-Day, the Allies defeated the Germans in Normany and then traveled through Europe taking Paris and many other significant cities. Operation Overlord was the beginning of the Allied victory in World War Two.





Primary Document Link: []

These are the plans that were set for Operation Overlord by the War Cabinet. It's objective was to "secure a lodgment on the Continent from which further offensive operations can be developed". It shows the details of the operation and prospective dates. It's significance is that it shows how desperate the Allies were to get a strong foundation in Europe in order to defeat Germany.

Bibliography

"Attack on Pearl Harbor -." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].

Berryman, Clifford. "Nazi-Soviet Wedding." Cartoon. //Unfortune Cookie//. 14 Feb. 2008. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].

"D-Day." Map. //D-Day and Normandy Battle//. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

"D-Day." //World History: The Modern Era//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].

//D-Day (Battle of Normandy)//. Photograph. National Archives, Washington D.C. //ABC-CLIO: World HIstory: The Modern Era//. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].

"Franklin D. Roosevelt: infamy speech (1941)." //United States at War: Understanding Conflict and Society//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].

"Operation Overlord plans (1943)." //World History: The Modern Era//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].

"Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (1939)." //World History: The Modern Era//. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].

Sandburg, Allen. "Remember Dec. 7th!" Cartoon. //Naval History & Heritage Command//. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. [].