Battle Of Midway Essay

World War II was a wide-scale global conflict from 1939 to 1945 in which the Allied Powers, the USA, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union prevailed over the Axis Powers, which consisted of Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan. During the war, the majority of battles were fought in two theaters, the Pacific Ocean and Europe, and unsurprisingly, most of the devastation occurred there. The beginning of the war is largely debated among historians, but many consider it to be the Nazi invasion of Poland and Great Britain and France’s subsequent declaration of war in 1939. Germany and Japan had a great deal of success in the early stages, quickly capturing nearby territories and gaining power. However, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and

In the Battle of Midway, the Japanese sought to destroy the depleted American fleet, and the two sides met at Midway Island in the Pacific. The United States was aware of Japan’s intentions and wanted to avoid battle, choosing instead to bomb the Japanese from the air. This strategy was largely successful, with the United States destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers, the majority of their fleet, while only losing one. This allowed the United States to easily take the island, and from there, they effortlessly captured the rest of the Pacific islands, as the diminuished Japanese navy failed to defeat them. Without a strong navy and with the United States attacking its mainland, the Japanese were forced to surrender. Another key point in the war was the Allied Invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day. Until the Normandy invasion, the Allies had almost no troops on the Western European Front. In order to take back Europe, the Allies landed 3 million soldiers on the beaches at Normandy, where they faced heavy fire from Nazi weaponry. Despite the adversity, they pushed inland and were able to force the Germans out of Normandy. From there, the Allies steadily marched towards Berlin, their large, technologically-advanced troops outnumbering the Nazis, and leading to the German surrender. The Battle of Midway destroyed Japan’s navy and the Invasion of Normandy allowed the Allies to push the Nazis to Berlin, both acting like stepping stones to the defeat of the Axis