World War II was a brutal conflict in which both sides used many strategies to win, aiming for a turning point favoring their side. The Germans overwhelmed the enemy with a “lightning war” (Blitzkrieg) and U-boats (submarines). The Japanese used kamikaze attacks as a desperate means to stop the enemy. Each side endured strategic bombing as part of a total war that targeted the military and civilians. Key battles occurred in the air (Battle of Britain), on land (D-Day), and at sea (Battle for the Atlantic). The turning points included Midway (Pacific), Al-Alamein (Egypt), and Stalingrad (Soviet Union).
World War I was not the “war to end all wars.” A second world war (1939-45) began only a generation later. The war had many twists and turns with certain battles and turning points standing out. Each side, the Allies (U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union) and the Axis (Germany, Italy, Russia), also had key strategies that they used to try to win the war.
Strategies
Blitzkrieg
Germany used a blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) strategy.
Blitzkrieg is a military tactic that uses the elements of speed and surprise to overwhelm the enemy. The Mongols used a similar tactic many centuries before.
First, armored and motorized vehicles quickly break through the enemy’s line of defense. Second, a surprise air strike causes psychological and military damage. Third, infantry (ground forces) quickly overwhelm the enemy. The goal is total victory.
U-Boats
Germany used submarines (U-boats) to attack Allied shipping to control the seas and starve the enemy into submission. The two sides battled to control the Atlantic Ocean (Battle of the Atlantic) since many supplies came from the United States.
Allied forces tried to protect shipping by using a convoy system with the goal of safety in numbers. Germany responded with a “wolf pack” approach of striking convoys with groups of submarines. U-Boat attacks put Britain in a desperate situation in the early stages of the war.
Technology (radar and sonar) and code-breaking to learn the locations of German submarines were fundamental to fighting the German submarines.
Kamikaze
Kamikaze (“divine wind”) were Japanese aviators who deliberately went on suicide missions to attack enemy targets. It was a desperation tactic used later in the war in response to the inability to stop American naval offensives.
Kamikaze attacks sank 200 ships and caused over 15,000 casualties. The U.S. countered with radar stations and destroyers to detect and shoot down kamikaze planes.
Strategic Bombing
Strategic bombing has the goal of destroying enemy military and infrastructure (factories, railways, refineries) and decreasing morale. It is a method of “total war,” which harms civilians as well as the military.
The Germans attacked British cities (“the Blitz”), including using V-1 and V-2 rockets.
Meanwhile, Allied forces attacked German and Japanese targets. The most significant bombing on the Allied side was the two nuclear bombs dropped on Japanese cities by the United States.
Island Hopping
Japan controlled many islands in the Pacific. The Allied forces could not conquer them at all points, especially with the Japanese having so many strongholds.
The Allies used an “island hopping” strategy of attacking less well-defended islands. Once a new island was controlled, it could be used as a base for the next attack.
The Allies “leap-frogged” across the Pacific, ultimately reaching Japan itself.
Key Battles and Turning Points
WWII began early in Asia. Japan seized Manchuria (Northeastern China) in 1931. Japan later attacked the city of Nanking (1937), cruelly treating the civilians once they gained control.
Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, which was the beginning of World War II.
Germany defeated France in June 1940. Allied troops escaped at Dunkirk.
The Battle of Britain (July-October 1940) was won by the Royal Air Force (RAF) defeating the German Luftwaffe. It allowed the British to control the skies and was a big morale boost.
Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact before the war agreeing not to be enemies. Nonetheless, Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. The Germans expected a quick victory but instead now had a lethal “Eastern Front” that led to defeat at Stalingrad.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941) led the United States to enter the war.
The Battle of Midway (June 1942) turned the tide in the Pacific. This naval battle significantly weakened the Japanese Navy and shifted the balance of power to the Allies.
The Battle of El Alamein (October to November 1942) prevented German control of the Suez Canal and led to their retreating from North Africa.
The battles of Midway, El Alamein, and Stalingrad (1942-3) are three key turning points. They turned the tide in the Pacific, North Africa, and Eastern Front theaters.
German losses in North Africa allowed the Allies to invade Sicily, leading to the collapse of Mussolini’s government. On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), the Allies landed in Normandy, France.
This greatest waterborne invasion in military history led to a second (Western) front against Germany. The Germans tried one last major counteroffensive to stop the march to Berlin in the winter of 1944-1945 (Battle of the Bulge). They surprised the Allies but lost in the end.
The Soviets battled for control of Berlin (April-May 1945). The American and Soviet troops, marching from the West and East, met up at the Elbe River. Hitler committed suicide. The Germans surrendered in May, celebrated worldwide as V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.
The Battle of Okinawa, fought from April to June 1945, was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific. The Americans defeated the Japanese in the face of fierce resistance.
Okinawa along with Iwo Jima (the site of the famous photograph of six Marines raising an American flag) served as bases for attacks on Japan. Continual Japanese resistance convinced the U.S. to drop two nuclear bombs (August 1945) on Japan.
Japan surrendered unconditionally. The formal date of V-J (Victory in Japan) occurred on September 2, 1945. The World War was over. The Cold War soon began.