Hallie+Miller

__**World War II Timeline**__ The lend-lease act was an incredibly important even during World War II which was able to change the course of the war. The act was a bill passed by congress which enabled the U.S. to sell, trade, and lend equipment to countries to defend themselves against the axis powers. It was signed on March, 11, 1941. Supplies were provided by the U.S. to twenty eight different countries. 50.1 Billion dollars worth of supplies were allotted for this, the bulk of which went to Great Britain. Many supplies also went to China, France, and other allied countries. The bill was supported much more by republicans than democrats in America. The U.S. passed this bill as a way of protecting themselves during the war. There was a fear of the axis powers threatening the United States’ democracy and this was a way of supporting the fight against the axis powers without directly joining the war. America was able to do this because of unemployment rates during the great depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt created works projects to make supplies for the war which not only pulled America out of the depression but improved nationalism in America. The lend- lease act was a critical turning point in World War II.
 * The Lend-Lease Act**

The lend-lease act was a crucial determining factor for the outcome of the war because it is the marker which demonstrated the U.S. officially choosing a side after being considered neutral. Not only was this a symbolic moment of America’s openly anti axis feelings but it also lead to furthering their involvement in the war. As a reaction to this provision of supplies Hitler began bombing U.S. ships off the East coast. At this point Germany’s goals expanded to include protecting Atlantic water so that the Allies could not receive American goods. This was a contributing factor to the United States’ eventual active involvement in the war. Without the lend-lease agreement, the outcome of World War II could have been entirely different. Primary Source: []

__**Pearl Harbor**__ The attack on Pearl Harbor was a huge turning point in World War II. In this attack, the Japanese attacked the American navy base in Hawaii. During the time leading up to this event, tensions were high between the U.S. and Japan. Japan desired to expand their Asian empire; knowing this, the United States stopped sending resources (mainly oil) to Japan. Seeing that the US was becoming more biased in favor of the Allies, Japan assumed it was a matter of time before they joined the war. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was a preventative attack to deter the US large amount of planes and military supplies being used against Japan. The attack took place December 7, 1941. The Japanese used 350 aircrafts in two attacks to take 200 US aircrafts, 2,403 lives, and a significant impact on the US navy. They used two waves of attack to devastate the U.S. bases. Fortunately for the United States multiple carrier crafts were not at the base during the attack. The attack caused the outrage and need for revenge of Americans.

Pearl Harbor is a day which is known for the entrance of the U.S. into World War II. It was a point where they changed their stance on the war from a purely financial backing of the allies to actively fighting and increasing their personal investment into the war. As a direct result of the bombings, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked congress to declare war against Japan, actively entering World War II. The entrance of the US into World War II on the side of the allies was crucial to an allied victory. Without American contribution to the war it is quite possible that there would have been an entirely different outcome. Pearl Harbor was also a contributing factor to the eventual use of the atomic bomb. The U.S. goals became to defeat Japan’s large influence over the pacific and Japan’s goals expanded to destroying American control in the pacific. Pearl Harbor speeded the United States’ entrance into World War II and positively impacted the ability of the Allies to be victorious. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1941PEARL.html

__**D- Day**__ D- Day was a crucial turning point for the outcome of World War II. D-Day took place June 6, 1944. Over 200,000 allied troops were involved in the mission to land almost 180,000 troops on the beach in Normandy, France. Troops were comprised of Americans, French, British soldiers. The operation was commanded by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Huge amounts of airborne attack were necessary as well as naval offensive. Nearly 7,000 ships were engaged for the mission. This offensive took incredible amounts of planning. Prior to the day of landing on the beach allies bombed major bridges and roadways so as to disable Germany from being able to send supplies quickly to the area. Plans also included misleading Germans to think an attack was planned for other ports along the French coast. The Normandy invasion was over a year in the making to be successful and was strictly successful because of the immense planning and weather considerations. This was the Allies first major offensive attack in Northern Europe, they found necessary to invade “Hitler’s Fortress” to ultimately defeat the axis powers.

The invasion of Normandy was a huge turning point for the outcome of the war. It was the first of the Allies offensives to break down the secure empire which Hitler had created. The Axis Powers had gained substantial land and superior military positioning in Europe, to ultimately be victorious the Allies had to invade that fortress. Without landing on a beach in France, they would have never been able to proceed to liberate Paris or get their supplies onto the mainland. Not only was it strategically a turning point but it also was able to improve morale. It increased anti German energy and pro war feeling on the home front which was crucial to the development of war materials. The Allies goals became to continue to invade German lands in France and liberate Paris whereas German goals became to prevent further Allied advancement. D-Day was a crucial turning point which determined the destruction of Hitler’s empire. (map of control in Europe pre D- Day) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dday/sfeature/sf_letters.html

"D-Day June 6, 1944." //The United States Army//. Web. 01 Mar. 2010. <[]>.
 * __Bibliography__**

"Europe in April 1944," in //Germany and the Second World War//, edited by the Research Institute for Military History, Potsdam, Germany. Volume V, //Organization and Mobilization of the German Sphere of Power//, Part 2, //Wartime Administration, Economy, and Manpower Resources 1942-1944/45//, by Bernhard R. Kroener, Rolf-Dieter Müller, and Hans Umbreit. Clarendon Press: Oxford, 1998.

"Lesson Plans - The Legacy of Pearl Harbor." //National Geographic//. The National Geographic Society, 1998. Web. 01 Mar. 2010. <[]>.

Suess, Theodore. "Lend-lease act." Cartoon. 10 Sept. 1941. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <[]>.

"The Most Destructive War in History." //Rompedas//. Blog spot, 27 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <[]>.