MAKING HISTORY The Battle of Stalingrad: A turning point
In 1942, Hitler’s forces advanced toward Stalingrad and the oil fields of the Caucasus. Their advance was stopped at the Battle of Stalingrad. ● The German Army, under von Paulus, fought vicious street battles with the Russian Army defending the city. Stalin insisted the city must not be lost.
The Russians then attacked from the sides in a pincer movement and cut off the German Army in the city from their supplies. Hitler continued to supply them with airdrops, but the army suffered greatly in the freezing winter of 1942–43. ● Eventually, over 100,000 German soldiers were forced to surrender in February 1943.
● The German defeat at the Battle of Stalingrad was another major turning point in the war.
Assessing Your Learning
1. Why did Hitler send Rommel to North Africa? 2. Who fought in the Battle of El Alamein? 3. Why was that battle a turning point in the war? 4. What was Operation Barbarossa?
5. What was the three-pronged attack made by the Germans on Soviet Russia?
6. What role did Stalin play in the war? 7. What was the scorched-earth policy? 8. Why was the Battle of Stalingrad a turning point in the war?
America Joined the War
Events in the Far East caused the United States to join the war. Japan wanted to create its own empire and relations between America and Japan worsened in the 1930s. In December 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in Hawaii, where the American Pacific fleet was based. ● Fortunately, for America, the main part of the fleet was at sea when the attack occurred.
US President Roosevelt
Soon after, Hitler declared war on America as part of an agreement with Japan.
The US entry into the war was another major turning point. 314 Damage at Pearl Harbour A female Soviet sniper