This document discusses several major turning points of World War 2: [1] Appeasement in 1938 and its significance; [2] The Fall of France in June 1940 which saw a quick defeat of France in less than three weeks; [3] Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 where Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, opening a deadly two front war. It then analyzes the significance of Pearl Harbor which brought the US into the war in 1941 and the Allied D-Day invasion in 1944 as the largest amphibious invasion in history. The final turning point discussed is the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 which marked the end of the war.

1. Turning Points of
World War II

2. Appeasement
• 3 possible motives
• Significance in 1938?
• Modern significance?
• Modern application to U.S. foreign
• end of isolationism

3. The Fall of France
June 1940
• “phony war”
• blitzkrieg warfare
• less than three weeks....
• train car

4. Battle of Britain aka
“The Blitz” (Fall 1940)
• Background of battle
• new technology
• Nazis change tactics
• First major turning point: Allies go on the
offensive--Germany is not invincible!

5. Operation Barbarossa June 1941
• Nazis invade the USSR! (lebensraum)
• second major turning point: two front war
• a new alliance and propaganda--”Uncle Joe”
• lend lease is extended to the USSR

6. Significance of Operation Barbarossa
Ultimately, Hitler failed to learn from WW I

7. Pearl Harbor
• policy of isolation
• impact of the Battle of Britain
• Why did Japan attack?
• U.S. responses (turning point #3)

9. D-Day
• turning point #4--largest amphibious invasion--ever!
• strategy
• toehold in Europe
“The destruction of the enemyʼs landing attempt...is the sole decisive
factor in the whole conduct of the war and hence in its final result.”
---Adolf Hitler

10. A-bomb
Turning Point #5:
game over

11. Lessons Learned
• how to create a long-lasting peace
• power of a-bombs
• importance of industry, inventions & mass
production
• isolation
• appeasement
• intelligence organization
• tactics