In World War II there were many changes in the land owned for many countries. Some gained land while many lost large amounts of territory. During one conflict between Britain and Germany something that no one thought could happen happened. A not so well known resupply mission to Malta could have been the most crucial point and victory of the whole World War II. This convoy brought supplies to the struggling Malta that were crucial and necessary to winning this battle. If the battle had been lost that would have been very bad for the allies. The Mediterranean would have been gone and Germany would have taken up more land which meant more places to have militarty bases or Naval bases which ment more opportunites to strike on the allies and make …show more content…
the war harder to win. This crucial battle was nearly lost and with it, almost the whole operation. While not many, just like all operations there were still lives lost in these battles. When the small island of Malta was under attack in June of 1940 they did not have the supplies to survive a full blown siege from Germany. This is where the Convoys came in, the first resupply mission had 9 ships with more than 85,000 tons of supplies, these included weaponry, food, and oil. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. The civilian population and the garrison required imports of food, medical supplies, fuel and equipment; the military forces on the island needed reinforcements, ammunition and spare parts. When the struggling Malta received these supplies they could defend themselves form an oncoming threat. There were 2 different routes that brought supplies to the port in Malta, One of which was a British base at the Port of Alexandria in Egypt and the other one was out of Gibraltar, Both were extremely dangerous. U-boats patrolled the surrounding area to make sure nothing happened along with Axis planes which also kept watch of these areas. On February 12th 1942, a convoy of three freighters left Alexandria bound for Malta. Two cruisers, eight destroyers and one anti-aircraft ship, the ‘Carlisle’, guarded the three freighters ‘Clan Campbell’, ‘Rowallan Castle’ and ‘Clan Chattan’. These eleven ships provided a great amount of anti-aircraft fire between them. The British assembled large flotillas of warships to escort convoys, sent fast warships to make solo runs to the island and organised Magic Carpet supply runs by submarine. Hawkey Hurricane and then Submarine Spitfires fighters were flown to Malta from aircraft carriers on Club Runs from Gibraltar towards Malta. In mid-1942, Axis air attacks on the island and on supply convoys neutralised Malta as an offensive base and an Axis invasion Another aspect of this battle that made them a huge part of the war was that if it was lost then the Mediterranean sea would have been gone and thus probably the war.
Malta was a major militarised are and who ever owned it had possession of the sea. Malta would have been overrun my german forces in this battle giving them the advantage in the war and Britain would have lost the upper hand in the war. This would have been devastating in more than one way, the area known as Crete had recently been taken into the hands of the Germans. This allowed them to set up airfields and the loss of Malta would give them more of advantage to set up more militarised areas and given the opportunity to have a better chance of winning the war. This battle was not won or lost by anyone. On the Convoys the British were met with hard opposition from many forces. While this battle was technically a stalemate it was still in the favor of the British. To have more area given up to the enemy would spell almost certain death. They were a strong enough force as it is, but with another major militarised area then there would be nearly no chance to win in the war. The battle that was for control of the mediterranean sea was called the Battle of the mediterranean, without the sea many more lives would have been lost any the enemy would have chances to claim much more land and conquor many more places than at the point of the …show more content…
attack. While the convoy mission was a complete success, it was not without many losses and casualties. It could be regaurded as a limited time success, where the goal of the Operation wsa met but the battla was not technically won. Within bringing the supplies needed to Malta there was over 1,600 civilian casualties and 5,000 soldiers who had gotten killed. There were also many ships that had gotten destroyed or sunk while bringing supplies or while aiding the supply carries to the ports of Malta. With this victory there was also some luck involved, a very important aircraft carrier was hit with a bomb from an air strike. This ship was called the HMS Victorious, the bomb landed on the deck of the ship and simply bounced off without ever blowing up. A ship carrying High-Octane gas was hit by an air-strike, the crew had to abandon ship, as it was clearly going to sink. But somehow with only 3 inches of leeway the ship stopped sinking. Malta sent in tug boats to take it the rest of the way into the ports of Malta, supplying the island with fuel for the oncoming threats. In one of the resupply mission to Malta there were 3 freighters that went, none of the 3 made it. They were taken down by Axis attacks from the enemy. These axis aerial attacks were hard to defend because they occured too far out into sea for Maltas Hurricane force to give them support. Many would say that the Malta Convoys did not need to happen for the war to be won, this however is completely false.
This needed to be won for many reasons and not just to help the chances of war. By the time of 1940 there was a population of Malta of nearly 350,000 and if Germany had taken over the Island than many more than just the 3,000 citizens that were killed could have been killed, and even more in captivity and in danger. Many lives could have been lost and if it was lost than many would have been lost. Some people say that the war could have been won without this war but this was most likely wrong, if the Mediterranean was lost then so was the war, there was no room to lose this. If Malta was lost then there would be a chance to set up more Airfields and more Military bases for Germany. If these were setup then there would be a perfect opportunity to have a shorter path to Britain and other European places and would have different unprotected areas to strike an attack by Air or sea. If Britain had their bases set up facing Germany in the expectations that there would be an attack from that angle. It would make one of the fronts of Britain less protected and more susceptible to a fatal attack that could be the end of the war. Whoever says that the Malta Convoys was not crucial to the victory does not know the importance the the Mediterranean sea in World War 2, it was a strong area to have a Military base and a great overall place to own to get the advantage in a
war. People also may say that the battle was not technically won because of the losses of ships compared to the amount of ships that were put into battle, but that was not the hope of the convoy missions. Their sole purpose was to get supples to the island of Malta and help out the actual Battle of the Medditeranean where the victor would be the leader of the whole sea and have major advantages in the war The convoy that brought supplies helped out the war in many ways. The lives lost and the victory of this battle were very important to any success to the war. The loss of the mediterranean would have been detrimental to the victory of the war. Germany would have been in control of a very large militarized area and the war would have been lost as a whole. When ships brought oil, gas, food, and other supplies to malta there was a chance of hope that came out of it. Although there were many downsides like losses and ships sunk, this battle was a overall victory. This battle is not very well known, but it was no doubt a crucial and a battle that changed the tides in the war. Without a victory here then the world as we know it today could not be the same, who knows what might have happened. Undoubtedly there would have been many lives lost and detrimental consiquences could have been dished out to not only Britain but the World as a whole
Even though Germany was very committed to World War II, Operation Valkyrie would have altered the course of the war, had it been successful. Had Operation Valkyrie been successful Germany could have made peace agreements with the Western Allies, and the war would have been over before they got completely destroyed. Germany could have annexed and kept some of its conquered territories. The coup of the Nazi party would kick all Nazis out of the government. And most importantly Adolf Hitler would be dead.
World War II was one of the greatest wars in our history. Richard Overy wrote Why the Allies Won to explain his taking of how this happened. Why the Allies Won is about how Germany was in almost full control of Europe and Germany felt like they should start moving into the Middle East. Germany and Japan had felt since they took over large lands in 1942, they should try to take over the rest of the world. This caused the Second World War. The other countries were not going to let Germany and Japan take over without a fight. The Allies, the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain, was one of the most powerful alliances there was. They had the resources and the power they needed. They also had the technology to help them conquer. Germany did not expect the Allies to be so powerful. The economics within the countries had also been a factor.
World War II was one of the most important wars in history. It featured multiple countries at constant conflict with each other. There were several battles that occurred in this 12 year long war. An example of two of the battles would be the Battle of Britain in the European theater of war, and the Attack on Pearl Harbor in the Pacific theater of war. Only one of these wars saw victory, while the other caused great devastation to the American military.
The First World War, also known as the Great War, began in about 1914 and went on until 1918. This brutal war was an extremely bloody time for Europe and the soldiers that fought in it. These men spent their days in trenches holding down bases and taking in attacks from all sides. The soldier's only free time was consumed with writing letters to those on the home front. The letters they wrote contain heart breaking stories of how their days were spent and the terrible signs of war. The War consumed them and many of them let out all their true feelings of war in their letters to loved ones. In The First World War: A brief History With Documents we can find some of these letters that help us understand what the First World War might have been like for these young and desperate soldiers.
The result of World War II had tragic results for Japan, Germany, and also Italy. The United States and the Allies came out victorious once again but the cost of war greatly affected all the countries. Germany, Japan, and Italy now have more debts to pay and also lost much of their territory once again. The war took many lives and also ended up destroying many beautiful cities. World War II showed how not just the soldiers were affected in the war, but everyone in all the different countries were affected by the war.
This only intensified the anger of the German people, living conditions were harsh and the people struggled to buy simple needs. Workers went on strike and fewer goods were produced, hurting Germany even further. Altogether this shows how one of the ways the Treaty of Versailles was the most significant event that led to WWII.Another reason why the Treaty of Versailles was the most significant event that led to WWII was because the treaty caused Germany to lose a substantial amount of territory, this loss of territory intensified the frustration between Germany and other countries greatly. Document A states, “The Versailles Treaty also required Germany to permanently give up its colonies. German colonies included all or part of the modern nations of Tanzania, Rwanda, Cameroon, Namibia, and Botswana, as well as Pacific territories, such as Sa- moa and the Marshall Islands.
In the fall of 1931, the Atlantic Ocean was the boiling point of a criminal battle between the British and Germans. Most people think that the Battle of the Atlantic may have decided World War II’s outcome. This battle was the dominating factor throughout the war. The Battle of the Atlantic was a violent and destructive battle. Many people lost their lives fighting in this battle. New technology was one of the major factors in the Allies winning the long and crucial Battle of the Atlantic.
After World War I and the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to forfeit a great amount of their land. As shown in Document
Soon after the war had ended, the allies began to draw up peace treaties with Italy and four other countries that had fought with the Axis. Throughout the history of the world there have been major power shifts, wars, and abrupt changes in society. World War II, being as destructive as it was, was bound to happen. But, through all the death, destruction, surprise attacks, and torn cities, peace was accomplished at a great cost.
The reason this battle had to occur was to end the Third Reich and Nazi rule. Another reason this battle was such a great victory for the Allies was that it ended the World War in Europe. In addition, it resulted in rebuilding a stronger, more advanced Germany. Thousands of brave men will be remembered in history for their bravery and determination in Berlin during the Battle of 1945. For the millions of men and more killed, they were some of the most courageous and most remembered men in our history.
WWII has a ripple effect across the globe causing changes both internationally and domestically. Internationally, The sun finally began to set over the British Empire with the majority of her majesties colonial possessions gaining independence in the years following the war. Britain’s stage left exit from its hegemonic role resulted in the start of a new “Great Game” between two burgeoning superpowers. A new world order began to take shape with the United States and USSR vying to establish their own hegemony.
because of their defeat by Britain and France. Many Germans were angered by the treaty, for
If Dunkirk never happened, World War II may not have had the same outcome. If Dunkirk never happened, Germany wcould have attacked an even bigger, more important city and ended up winning the war. When one thinks about it, the Battle of Dunkirk was actually a huge win for both sides. The British were never defeated, and Hitler technically did not lose the battle. In reality, Germany and the British both consider this neither a win, nor defeat, which made the British army mentally stronger from surviving the evacuation, causing them to believe in themselves and eventually gain enough strength over several months after the battle to eventually defeat Hitler and the other Axis powers.
Ultimately the battle was not won by either side, but rather abandoned. The lack of decisive military strategy resulted in the British being unable to quickly overtake the Germans, allowing time for reinforcements to be recruited. Ultimately both sides tallied extensive casualties, for a battle which receives little glory for its gruesome history.
There were, however, other reasons that Italian government entered the First World War, though they are a direct result of the myth of Italy the Great Power. First, as alluded earlier, concerns Italy’s colonial ambitions. The most obvious and easily quantifiable reason the Italian government joined the war, and the sole reason they joined in May 1915 in particular, were the territorial gains Italy received for doing so. These territorial ambitions were important not only financially (due to Italy’s poor record of colonial success), but also ideologically, as they fed into both the myth of Italy as the Great Power and the fantastical patriotic campaign of the Risorgimento. Italy had been attempting to expand colonially with very limited success