Key Turning Points of World War II: Eastern, Pacific, and African Fronts

The Eastern Front

Germany initiated the invasion of the Soviet Union, a maneuver Hitler intended to seize Soviet oil, grains, and minerals, known as Operation Barbarossa. German forces conquered Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, and much of Ukraine, but were contained at Leningrad and later at Moscow. The German army was unprepared for the harsh Russian winter and suspended attacks until the following spring.

In August 1942, Germany planned the conquest of Stalingrad. By January 1943, the Wehrmacht suffered its first major defeat and was forced to surrender. From that moment, the Soviets took the initiative and began a slow but inexorable offensive toward the West.

The War in Asia and the Pacific

Japan took advantage of the defeat of the Netherlands to seize Indochina, a French colony, and threatened Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and Hong Kong. The USA, which also had business interests in the area, objected, demanding the evacuation of the colonies and imposing a trade embargo. After the failure of negotiations, the Japanese bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor by surprise on December 7, 1941.

Following this, President FDR declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, a statement joined by the UK. Three days later, Germany and Italy, who had signed the Tripartite Pact with Japan, responded with declarations of war on America. Thus, the war spread to the Pacific front. Japan conquered the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma, but faced a counter-offensive where the U.S. won victories at the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway.

The African Front

The Italians managed to enter Egypt from Libya but were rebuffed. Traditional British hegemony was partially broken by the action of the Afrika Korps, German forces under Marshal Rommel. The Germans sought to control the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, which provided access to oil from the Middle East. Ultimately, German and Italian forces were defeated at the Battle of El Alamein. That same month, Anglo-American forces under General D. Eisenhower landed in Algeria and Morocco, launching an offensive that broke the Afrika Korps and began the conquest of Italy.