WWII was a global war that involved the Allied Powers who were the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union and the Axis Powers who were Germany, Japan, and Italy. It lasted from 1939 to 1945 claiming many people's lives throughout those years. There are many important points of the war. These key battles helped shape the course of the war. They had a big impact on the outcome of the war. Three turning points of World War II were Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and the atomic bombings. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese surprise attacked Pearl Harbor. It was a naval base in Hawaii. Japan did this because the U.S. was trying to hinder their growth by applying economic pressure. The U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt froze all Japanese funds