Analysis of the Major Turning Points of the Second World War
When considering the Second World War, we must be mindful of both ends of the spectrum in regards to the two main theatres of war, Europe and the Pacific. The Allies had been involved both in the East and the West. It was, however, mainly the Americans that had been involved in the Pacific. This is largely due to the fact that their naval base at Pearl Harbour was destroyed on the 7th of December, 1941. The United States had also been a prevalent power in aiding the British and the Russians in their defeat of the Axis Powers of Europe. Through analysis, we can see that as the war was just beginning, it was the Axis and Japanese who had had supremacy; the Axis in the West, and the Japanese in the East. Throughout the war, and as it plays on, however, there becomes a very evident shift in power, of which the Allied forces, who had always been second to the Axis, gain ultimate supremacy.
The Battle of Britain, in 1940-’41, marked one of the first events that can be regarded as pointing in the direction of turning points of the war, however, not strictly for any one party. This was a time which Britain and Germany had both come to see turning points. Previously, the British, at the hands of the Germans, were being repeatedly sacked, however, with the Battle of Britain, this eventually changed. While the Germans had almost succeeded in smashing the British resistance, and in savagely bombing many of the larger British cities, the British eventually came out victorious. The RAF had come together, with the addition of new technological developments, namely radar, which gave the British an advantage of the Germans. The British had now taken the place of Germany in war, while Germany had seen one of its first sights of failure. For this reason, the Battle of Britain has come to be, arguably by many, one of the early signs of turning in the war.
