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The Battle of the Atlantic
By August 1942, German submarines had sunk about 360 American ships along the East coast. The loss of so many ships convinced the U.S. Navy to set up a convoy system. At the same time, American airplanes and warships were using new technology, including radar, sonar, and depth charges, to locate and attack submarines. This turned the Battle of the Atlantic in the Allies favor. -
Battle of Midway
This battle was between the Japanese and American aircraft at Midway. The American code-breaking team found out Japan was planning on attacking Midway. When the Japanese launched their attack on Midway, the Americans were ready. Soon the remaining Japanese ships were ordered to retreat. This battle was significant because it was the turning point in the pacific war. Japan was finally on defense. -
The Battle of Stalingrad
Hitler was convinced that defeating the Soviet Union depended on destroying the economy. The city of Stalingrad was the key to the attack.When German troops entered Stalingrad in mid-September, Stalin ordered his troops to protect the city at all costs. On November 23, Soviet reinforcements arrived and surrounded Stalingrad, trapping about 250k German troops. When the battle ended in February 1943, thousands of Germans had surrendered. The Battle of Stalingrad put the Germans on the defensive. -
The Battle for North Africa
Roosevelt finally ordered for the invasion of Morocco and Algeria because he wanted to give the army some experience without requiring a lot of troops. It would also help the British troops fight the Germans in Egypt. Under Eisenhower's command, Americans fought the German army for the first time in western Tunisia. The Americans and British forces finally pushed back the Germans with a lot of casualties. -
D-Day (operation overlord)
This is the day that Allied troops invaded Normandy, France. Nearly 7,000 ships carrying more than 100,000 soldiers headed for the coast. At the same time, 23,000 paratroopers were dropped inland. The American landing at Utah beach went well, however, Omaha beach was different. The Germans dug trenches and built concrete bunkers for machine guns at the top of cliffs and positioned them to guard the ravines leading to the beach. Luckily, American troops began to slowly knock out German defenses. -
The Battle of Leyte Gulf
This was the battle to take back the Philippines from Japan. American carriers protecting the invasion headed North because they thought that's where the Japanese would be. The Japanese warships then raced into Leyte Gulf and ambushed the remaining American ships. Despite all of this, the Japanese commander thought that more American ships were coming and ordered a retreat. This was the biggest naval battle in history, and it was also where the Japanese used kamikaze attacks for the first time.