Download Battle Of Midway

Key Events In The
Second World War
Battle Of Britain

10 July 1940 – 31 October
1940
Battle Of Britain (1940)
Battle Of Britain is a sustained strategic
effort by the German Luftwaffe to gain air
superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF)
 The Battle of Britain was the first major
campaign to be fought entirely by air force
 The failure of Nazi Germany to destroy
Britain's air defence or to break British
morale is considered its first major defeat.
 Had it been successful, the planned
amphibious and airborne forces landings in
Britain would have followed
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Battle Of Britain
“We shall go on to the end, we shall fight on
the seas and oceans, we shall fight with
growing confidence and growing strength in
the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever
the cost may be, we shall fight on the
beaches, we shall fight on the landing
grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in
the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we
shall never surrender...”
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister Of Britain
(1940)
Battle Of Britain
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Allied Powers
• Britain
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Axis Powers
• Germany
• Italy
Battle Of Britain
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British strength
•754 single-seat fighters
•149 two-seat fighters
•560 bombers
•500 coastal
•1,963 total
Battle Of Britain
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Axis strength
•1,107 single-seat fighters
•357 two-seat fighters
•1,380 bombers
•428 dive-bombers
•569 reconnaissance
•233 coastal
• 4,074 total
Battle Of Britain
British casualties and losses
• RAF; Pilots and Aircrew Killed (Fighter
Command): 544
 Aircraft Losses:
• Fighters: 1,023
• Bombers: 376
• Maritime: 148 aircraft (Coastal Command)
• Total: 1,547 aircraft destroyed

Battle Of Britain
Luftwaffe casualties and losses
• Pilots and Aircrew Killed: 2,500.
 Aircraft Losses:
• Fighters: 873
• Bombers:1,014
• Total: 1,887 aircraft destroyed
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Battle Of Britain
Reasons for German defeat:
 Tactical errors:
• The German Luftwaffe, under direct
command of Hermann Goering and overall
command of Hitler, committed tactical
errors despite gaining an advantage over
the RAF
• Goering and Hitler ordered an intensified
aerial blitz on London in September after the
RAF performed a retaliatory air raid on
Berlin on late August.

Battle Of Britain

Tactical errors:
• The Berlin air-raid struck Hitler's ego
that he ordered the London blitz
• However, more planes were lost during
the blitz and they were not replaced nor
repaired immediately
• Whereas for the British, the RAF was
very quick to repair damage air defence
installations as well as planes that were
downed.
Battle Of Britain

Logistical problems
• Despite having more planes than the RAF,
the Luftwaffe did not have a responsive
system to repair damaged planes and
make them battle-ready within a short
duration
• Aircraft adjustments were also not made
for the planes to last the air-raid on Britain
• A Messerschmitt Bf.109 had only enough fuel
to remain over England for 20 minutes and
bombers were often left unescorted
Battle Of Britain

Poor intelligence
• The Luftwaffe intelligence sources said that
radar stations were unimportant and should
not be targets. Eventually it was the radar
station in Britain that detected the incoming
German fighters and alerted the air defence
system to knock out the fighters
• It also misreported strength, weapons, and
losses.
• At one point, Hitler complained to Goering that
"you have apparently shot down more aircraft
than the British ever possessed."
Battle Of Britain

Effectiveness and high morale
• It should also not be forgotten that the
effectiveness of the RAF in repairing their
planes and key installations quickly ensured
the longevity of Britain in the battle, despite
being 3 weeks away from defeat
• The people of Britain who had to endure the
incessant bombings were able to rise up to
the government's call to defend Britain and
help out in the restoration of damaged
military and civilian buildings
Battle of Britain

Significance of Battle of Britain to
Britain
• Displayed courage and strong resolve of
its people and leadership to defend the
empire, despite it being the only Allied
Power remaining
• At the same time, resources from
colonies and Commonwealth channeled
to this effort, draining the wealth of the
Empire
Battle Of Britain

Significance of the Battle of Britain to
Germany
• Exposed the frailties of German air force,
unable to carry an operation on its own
accord (most of the times, the air force
supported land and naval troops)
• Failure to remove Britain as a major threat to
German ambitions allowed Britain to recover
and rebuild itself as a strong base to launch
future assault on Germany
Battle Of Midway
(4 June to 7 June 1942)
Battle Of Midway

The Midway operation, like the attack on Pearl Harbor,
was not part of a campaign for the conquest of the
United States, but was aimed at its elimination as a
strategic Pacific power, thereby giving Japan a free
hand in establishing its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere.

It was also hoped another defeat would force the U.S. to
negotiate an end to the Pacific War with conditions
favorable for Japan.

Japanese plan was to lure America's few remaining
carriers into a trap and sink them.

The Japanese also intended to occupy Midway Atoll to
extend their defensive perimeter.
Battle Of Midway
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Both sides sustained significant losses. Four Japanese
aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser were sunk in
exchange for one American aircraft carrier and a
destroyer.
The heavy losses permanently weakened the Imperial
Japanese Navy (IJN), in particular the four fleet carriers
and over 200 experienced naval aviators.
Japan was unable to keep pace with American
shipbuilding and aircrew training programs in providing
replacements.
By 1942, the United States was three years into a massive
ship building program intended to make the navy larger
than Japan's.
As a result of Midway, strategically, the U.S. Navy was
able to seize the initiative in the Pacific and go on the
offensive.
Battle Of Midway
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Midway dealt Japanese naval aviation a heavy
blow.
The pre-war Japanese training program produced
pilots of exceptional quality but at a slow
rate.This small group of elite aviators were
combat hardened veterans.
At Midway, the Japanese lost as many of these
pilots in a single day as their pre-war training
program produced in a year.
Japanese planners failed to foresee a long
continuous war, and consequently their
production failed to replace the losses of ships,
pilots, and sailors begun at Midway; by mid-1943,
Japanese naval aviation was decimated.
The North Africa Campaign
10 June 1940 – 16 May 1943
North African Campaign

Allies
• Britain
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Commonwealth countries
• US (joined the Allies later in the campaign)
• Free French exiles
Axis
• Italy
• Germany
• Vichy France
North African Campaign
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Fighting in North Africa started with the Italian
declaration of war on June 10, 1940.
On June 14, a division of the British army and
armoured regiment crossed the border into Libya
and captured the Italian Fort Capuzzo.
This was followed by an Italian offensive into Egypt
and then in December 1940 by a Commonwealth
counteroffensive, Operation Compass.
During Operation Compass, the Italian Tenth Army
was destroyed and
German Afrika Korps, commanded by Field Marshal
Erwin Rommel, was dispatched to North Africa,
during Operation Sonnenblume, to bolster the
Italian forces and prevent a complete Axis defeat.
North African Campaign

Allied Casualties
•Free French
 16,000 Killed, Wounded or Captured
• British Empire
 33,000 Killed, Wounded, or
Captured
• United States
 2,715 killed, 8,978 wounded 6,528
missing
North African Campaign
Germany:
• 12,808 killed
• Numbers wounded unknown
• 101,784 captured
 Total Axis:
• 950,000 total casualties
• 8,000 aircraft destroyed or captured
• 6,200 guns destroyed or captured
• 2,500 tanks destroyed or captured

North African Campaign

Reasons for Axis defeat
• Ineffective Italian forces (Mussolini rushed Italian
participation into the war after being pressed by
Hitler despite Italy not being ready for war, due
to its previous involvement in Abyssinia)
• The entry of the United States into the war added
more firepower to the Allies
• Despite early success of Rommel in the desert
front, lack of logistical and armour support
contributed to the Axis defeat (lack of support
due to Operation Barbarossa in the Soviet Union)
North African Campaign

Reasons for Axis defeat
• Despite Rommel receiving reinforcements
from the German High Command, the North
African Campaign was later split into 2
fronts:
• In Tunisia (Battle Of Tunisia, 1943)
• In Egypt (Battle Of El Alamein, 1942)
• The Axis forces were totally out-stretched,
out-gunned and out-flanked by the Allied
powers consisting of troops from Britain,
Australia, NZ, South Africa, Free French
forces, United States and British India
Battle Of Stalingrad
21st August 1942 to 2nd February
1943
http://www.slideshare.net/guest2a942f/battle-of-stalingrad221001/
Operation Overlord
(Battle Of Normandy)
(D-Day: The Normandy Landings)
6th of June 1944 - 30th of August 1944
Battle Of Normandy
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Operation Overlord was the codename giveven
to the planned invasion of northwest Europe
during World War II by Allied forces
The operation began with the Normandy
Landings on June 6, 1944 (commonly known as
D-Day), among the largest amphibious assaults
ever conducted.
Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English
Channel on 6 June, landing more than 3 million
troops by the end of August.
Battle of Normandy

Allied land forces that saw combat in
Normandy on D-Day itself came from
• Canada
• Britain
• United States of America
• Substantial Free French and Polish forces
also participated in the battle after the
assault phase
• Contingents of resistance fighters from
Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the
Netherlands, and Norway.
Battle Of Normandy

Objectives of Battle Of Normandy
• To secure the five beaches along the
coast of Normandy (codenamed: Gold,
Sword, Juno, Omaha, Utah)
• The five beachheads would be the
launching pad to launch the full-scale
invasion of German-occupied Western
Europe and of Germany itself
• A the five beachheads, artificial harbours
(Mulberry harbours) were built to act as
the entry point of military logistics,
crucial to the operation.
Battle Of Normandy
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While the Germans anticipated the
invasion, there was disagreement
between the generals and Hitler over how
fortification and defences should be built.
Generals like Rommel and Guderian were
in favour of putting tanks alongside the
bunkers protecting the coastline but Hitler
wanted more focus on stemming the
Soviet advance
Though the Atlantic Wall was planned, the
fortifications were not completed
Battle Of Normandy
Allied troops strength:
•1,452,000 (by July 25 1944)
•3,000,000+ (by end August
1944)
 German troops strength:
•380,000 (by July 23 1944)

Battle Of Normandy
Allied casualties:
• 46,000 dead, 173,000 wounded and
missing
• 12,000 French civilian and
Resistance dead or missing
 German casualties:
• 400,000 casualties (50,000 dead,
150,000 wounded and 200,000
captured)

Battle Of Normandy
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The invasion of Normandy would eventually
lead to the liberation of France with the
surrender of Paris in 25 August 1944
From that point onwards, Belgium and
Netherlands were liberated and a full-scale
invasion of Germany began
The Normandy landings not only signalled the
beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, it
heralded in the start of the race for Europe,
which some historians consider to be the start
of the Cold War (The Race To Berlin)
The End Of World War 2
The End Of WW2 in Europe
The war in Europe ended with the
occupation of Germany by the four
Allied nations; US, USSR, Britain and
France
 As Berlin was sieged by the Soviet
army, Hitler committed suicide in his
bunker on the 30th of April 1945
 German forces officially surrendered
to the Allies on 7th May (Western
Europe) and 8th May (Eastern Europe)

The End Of WW2 in Asia-Pacific
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In an attempt to weaken Japan, American
bombers destroyed Japanese cities and
American submarines cut off Japanese
imports.
Potsdam declaration (July 11 1945): The
Allied leaders reiterated the demand for
unconditional surrender by Japan, specifically
stating that “the alternative for Japan is
prompt and utter destruction.”
Japan rejected the Potsdam terms and US
dropped the atomic bombs on the cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The End Of WW2
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On August the 15th, 1945, Japan
surrendered and therefore ending the
Second World War
The end of WW2 also led to the creation
of the United Nations
The end of WW2 saw the emergence of
the United States and the Soviet Union as
world superpowers (bipolar world order)
Creation of spheres of influence in Europe
(West vs East) which eventually ushered
in the Cold War period (1945-1989)
Post-War Landscape

Emergence of United States as a
superpower
• Strength of the American economy
allowed US to sustain its war effort as
well as financing the reconstruction of
Europe after WW2
• American involvement in WW2 and its
newfound military and economic power
gave US more clout to promote
democratic ideals in Europe and UN
concept (as compared to post-WW1)
Post-War Landscape

Emergence of Soviet Union (USSR) as
a superpower
• Soviet resistance to Nazi Germany and
military strength to push the German
army back to Berlin signaled the arrival
of USSR as a superpower
• Soviet Red Army advance in Eastern
Europe and the ensuing occupation of
these territories would put them under
Soviet influence (these countries would
turn Communist)
Post-War Landscape

The beginning of Cold War (Clash
between the two emerging superpowers)
• First point of conflict was over the future of
occupied Germany and divided Berlin
• Under Soviet influence, countries occupied by
the Soviets rejected Marshall Plan for Europe
reconstruction
• Eastern European countries established
Communist regime even though under
pretext of “free elections”
• Korean War (proxy war between Communism
and Democracy)
Post-War Landscape

The formation of United Nations
• To replace League of Nations as a
supranational organization that would
ensure collective security
• Victorious Allied Powers in WW2 given
permanent seats in UN Security Council
• UN given powers to establish
multinational defence forces for peacekeeping mission in flashpoint areas.
Post-War Landscape

Decline of Empires
• Despite given permanent seats in the UN
Security Council, traditional Great Powers like
Britain and France fell into decline
• War involvement ruined their economies,
required Marshall Plan to aid and finance their
countries' reconstruction
• To relinquish economic burden and to follow the
US demands of nations' right to selfdetermination, UK and France began the gradual
process of decolonization of their empires
Post-War Landscape

The Ultimate War Deterrent
• Hiroshima and Nagasaki provided a grim
reminder to the world of the devastating
effects of the nuclear bomb
• Both US and USSR had nuclear weapons
in their arsenal
• It's MAD to start another WW3 so both
superpowers either engage in proxy wars
or diplomacy to engage each other
• MAD = Mutually Assured Destruction
Post-War Landscape

Sowing the seeds of European Union
• The destruction and massive
reconstruction of Europe brought about
by WW2 convinced 2 European
politicians to suggest the formation of a
bloc that would prevent future wars in
Europe
• European Coal and Steel Community ->
European Economic Community ->
European Community -> European Union
Post-War Landscape

Recall what contributed to this new
post-war landscape
• American involvement in WW2?
• Soviet strength of recovery and its advance
in Eastern Europe?
• Decline of the British Empire due to British
sustained involvement in WW2? (Note:
Britain is the only Allied power to fight the
war from the beginning till the end)
• The factor of economic and military strength?
Post-War Landscape

American involvement in WW2
• What caused the Americans to be able to
sustain its involvement in WW2?

Economy?
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Military?

Ideology? (Democracy can prevent the rise of
belligerent authoritarian regimes)
Post-War Landscape

Soviet strength of recovery and its advance in
Eastern Europe?
• What enabled the Soviets to recover from the
initial German invasion and then repel the
Germans back to their own territory?
 Economy?

Military?
Size of the country?
 Ideology? (Spread Communism)
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Security? (Need to create buffer zone for
Soviet Union)
Post-War Landscape

British decline
• What caused the decline of the British
empire?
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Drained resources due to prolonged war
involvement?
Massive reconstruction after WW2, dependent
on American aid?
Post-War Landscape

The factor of economy and military
• How much role did the state of
economies of the countries involved in
WW2 play in the outcome of WW2 and
hence the creation of a new post-war
landscape?
• How much role did military play in this
context and how much was the military
factor co-related with the economic
strength factor?