World War 2 Turning Point Essay

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 Battle of Britain started on July 10, 1940 after German air forces flew over Britain, dropping bombs and clashing with opposing British air forces. It is described as one of the main turning points in the war, due to the fact that it caused the Germans to come to a realization that

Britain would never surrender no matter the circumstances. It was Winston Churchill’s bravery and driven ability to lead and give direction of the war. Air chief Hugh Dowding was the commander of the Royal Air Force behind the British defense. Reichsmarschall Herman Goring was on the opposing German side, who took the role of commander of the Luftwaffe.
The attack from the Germans started with an air raid on Britain with the goal to destroy the RAF.

This was to prepare for a ground invasion called Operation Sea Lion. “Eagle-day” is then planned to be begun by the Germans, which is a continued destruction of the RAF and a plan to install radar. However, this is delayed with poor weather conditions. Bombing continues in Britain, but the RAF are not yet defeated. They defend themselves aggressively, destroying at least 104 German aircrafts with a continued defeat of 330 German aircrafts. The British are constantly killing thousands of German troops, and Hitler eventually postpones Operation Sea Lion, with a new interest in dominating Russia. From both sides of the battle, more than 3,000 aircraft were destroyed; 1,023 from the British side, and 1,887 from the Luftwaffe. 544 RAF command pilots died, and 2,500 Luftwaffe aircraft were killed. During the relentless bombing known as “The Blitz”, 40,000 British citizens tragically died in the process. Britain had a much higher advantage in the war, due to its high performing navy, compared to Germany’s non-existing navy due to losses in Norway. If the Germans never gave up on this battle and won, the United States would probably become involved much deeper in the war. The Battle of Britain officially ended on October 31,

1940.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7, 1941. This was a surprise attack launched by the Japanese on American naval base Pearl Harbor in the Pacific. This event was the main cause of America’s declare of war on Japan, and their involvement in World War II. Isoroku Yamamoto was the Japanese mastermind behind the attack. The reason for the attack was due to the fact that the Japanese was in dire need for natural resources that were found in the Dutch East Indies. The attack was to neutralize the U.S. Since the attack was so sudden, 20 American naval vessels were destroyed, 2,000 American lives were lost and 1,000 were wounded. This was definitely a good enough reason for America to declare war. This event was a tragedy, with Japan victoriously following through with their plan within a short span of two hours. If the Americans had a better knowing of this attack, the Japanese would have not been able to follow through with their plans without a fight.
Both of these battles were significant turning points in World War II, however, they were very different wars with very different outcomes. The Battle of Britain saw triumph against Axis Powers, while the Attack on Pearl Harbor was an example of Axis Powers having defeat against America. The Battle of Britain outcome saw relief for Britain, while the attack on Pearl Harbor caused distress on America.