Pearl Harbor:
- date of battle: December 7, 1941
- countries involved: Japan and the USA
- Where did the fighting take place? Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory
- What happened? a surprise military strike by the Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor
- Who won? Japan
- Why is it a turning point? The surprise attack led directly to the American entry into World War II
Midway:
- date of battle: between 4 and 7 June 1942
- countries involved: Japan and the USA
- Where did the fighting take place? near Midway Atoll
- What happened? The Americans, who had cracked the Japanese code, knew the details and timing of the operation
- Who won? The USA
- Why is it a turning point? The USA inflicted devastating damage on the Japanese fleet that proved irreparable.
El Alamein:
- date of battle: 23 October – 11 November 1942
- countries involved: The Great Britain, Italy and Germany
- Where did the fighting take place? near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein
- What happened? The Axis advance menaced British control of the Suez Canal, the Middle East and its oil resources
- Who won? Great Britain
- Why is it a turning point? The battle revived the morale of the Allies, being the first big success against the Axis
Stalingrad:
- date of battle: 23 August 1942 – 2 February 1943
- countries involved: Germany, Italy, Japan and the Soviet Union
- Where did the fighting take place? city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia
- What happened? the largest confrontation of World War II in which1.8–2 million people were killed, wounded or captured
- Who won? The Soviet Union
- Why is it a turning point? The Battle of Stalingrad puts an end to the myth of German invincibility and German morale is seriously affected.
D-day:
- date of battle: 6 June 1944
- countries involved: The USA, Canada and The United Kingdom
- Where did the fighting take place? Normandy, France
- What happened? it was the largest seaborne invasion in history
- Who won? The Allies ( USA, Canada and UK)
- Why is it a turning point? It began the liberation of German-occupied France from the Nazis
Iwo Jima:
- date of battle: 19 February – 26 March 1945
- countries involved: The USA and Japan
- Where did the fighting take place? Iwo Jima, a Japanese Volcano Islands
- What happened? It was a major battle in which the USA landed on and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Army
- Who won? The USA
- Why is it a turning point? One of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War. A few months later, Japan's encirclement was total.
Okinawa:
- date of battle: April 1, 1945
- countries involved: USA, UK, Japan
- Where did the fighting take place? Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- What happened? it is the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War
- Who won? USA and UK
- Why is it a turning point? Okinawa provided a fleet anchorage, troop staging areas, and airfields to invade Japan
Britain:
- date of battle: 10 July – 31 October 1940
- countries involved: UK, Canada, Germany and Italy
- Where did the fighting take place? British airspace
- What happened? the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against attacks by Germany's air force
- Who won? The UK
- Why is it a turning point? German’s failure to invade England
Hiroshima:
- date of battle: August 6, 1945
- countries involved: USA, UK, Canada and Japan
- Where did the fighting take place? Hiroshima, Japan
- What happened? The USA dropped and atomic bomb on Hiroshima
- Who won? The USA
- Why is it a turning point? Japan announced its surrender to the Allies
Bataan:
- date of battle: 31 January to 21 February 1945
- countries involved: USA, Philippines and Japan
- Where did the fighting take place? Bataan Peninsula, Philippines
- What happened? reconquest of this peninsula by the Americans
- Who won? The USA
- Why is it a turning point? It accelerated the landing and delivery of supplies and equipment for the troops