The Allies' first decisive successes

Submitted by:
Md. Asif Hossain
Roll: 2141921114
Section:B
Batch: BIR 2021

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 Title: Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is considered by many historians to be one of the most important naval
battles in world history and a turning point in the Second World War which was fought between
the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Pacific Ocean that took place on 4–7 June
1942. The battle was fought near the Midway Atoll in the Northern Pacific Ocean. In the Battle of
Midway the United States destroyed an attacking fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy and thus
their first-line carrier strength as well as most of its most well trained naval pilots. Because the
American victory in this battle was so significant, many historians regard the Battle of Midway as
the turning point of the war. John Keegan, a prominent military historian, described the Battle of
Midway as, "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare".
Background: The Japanese appeared unbeatable after a streak of victories. However, the Allies
were anxious to strike back in the Pacific. At the same time the United States wanted revenge for
Pearl Harbor. So they carried out the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942 in Tokyo and other major
Japanese cities raised concerns among the Japanese. The raid was militarily insignificant as it did
little damage. However, the attack made a significant psychological point: the Japanese could be
attacked. As one Japanese citizen described it, “We started to doubt that we were invincible”.
Similar successful hit-and-run raids by American carriers in the South Pacific, made the Americans
a threat for Japan’s expansion.
After that, on May 4-8, Allied naval forces won a strategic victory at the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Following this defeat, the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku
Yamamoto, created a plan to draw the remaining ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet into a combat
where they could be destroyed. Yamamoto believed that another attack at Pearl Harbor would
induce all of the American fleet including the carriers to sail out to fight. However, because of the
increased strength of American land-based airpower he found it too risky to attack Pearl Harbor
directly. So he chose Midway instead as Midway was key to Pearl Harbor’s defense and a vital
outpost of Pearl Harbor, he believed the Americans would be compelled to send their remaining
aircraft carriers to protect the island.
Commanders:
U.S. Navy Imperial Japanese Navy
Admiral Chester Nimitz Isoroku Yamamoto
Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher Nobutake Kondō
Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance Chūichi Nagumo

The Battle: On June 3 the first military engagement in the Battle of Midway took place in the
Aleutians Islands. A PBY Catalina from Midway noted Kondo's force at 9 a.m. and reported its
location. Acting on intel, a fleet of nine B-17 bombers were scrambled from Midway to attack
Kondo’s invasion force. However, the attack on the Aleutians was a feint to divert attention away
from the Midway to support the fleet's engagement at Midway. This attack against the Japanese
turned out to be ineffective for the Americans. On June 4, more B-17s departed from Midway for

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a second attack on the Japanese invasion force but it also failed. Meanwhile, Nagumo started the
initial phase of Japan’s attack and launched 108 planes to attack Midway Island and seven scout
planes to locate the American fleet as planned. The Japanese planes inflicted severe damage to
Midway's installations overwhelming the island's small military force. The airfield, however, was
still usable, and the US anti-aircraft defenses were still operational. Shortly after the first attack
while the planes were returning to the carriers to rearm and refuel, Nagumo was informed by his
pilots that one more attack against the base would be necessary. Acting on the information,
Nagumo ordered the rearming of Japanese planes for a second attack. Meanwhile, a scout plane
from the cruiser Tone spotted the presence of US naval forces to the east of Midway. After
receiving this information, Nagumo changed his strategy and ordered his reserved planes that were
still armed to prepare for the attack on U.S. ships when the rest of the Japanese planes arrive.
Meanwhile, Fletcher received information regarding the location of the Japanese fleet and ordered
Spruance to begin launching his aircraft. TBD Devastator torpedo-bombers from Hornet (VT-8)
attacked the Japanese fleet but without fighter escort, consequently all 15 TBD Devastators of VT-
8 were shot by Japanese Zero fighters without being able to do any damage. The entire squadron
was lost except for Ensign George H. Gay, Jr. the lone survivor of the aircrew of VT-8. Meanwhile
VT-6 and VT-3 were also shot down without scoring a hit and with only 6 of their 26 Devastators
surviving.
In the same morning at 07:06 a.m., Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky and his air group
launched off the Enterprise to attack Japanese carriers. But at 9:20 a.m. when McClusky and his
group arrived at the location they expected the Japanese carriers to be at they found nothing.
McClusky intuited that the Japanese might have headed towards the northwest and turns his
squadron in the same direction. At 10:22 a.m. McClusky’s group located Kaga and dropped nine
bombs in it, leaving kaga destroyed. At 10:45 a.m. dive bombers from the Yorktown dived and
bombed the Soryu setting it ablaze. At 10:26 a.m. US fighters struck the Akagi and destroyed it.
The only surviving carrier the Hiryu launches an air attack on the Yorktown. At 11:00 a.m. 18 dive
bombers and 6 fighters take off from Hiryu and confront and they confront American fighters in
its way to attack thr Yorktown. 14 Japanese planes survive the attack and at 12:05 p.m. successfully
attack the Yorktown setting it ablaze yet it remains functional. At 2:30 p.m. Hiryu launches a
second attack on the Yorktown. In response, Admiral Spurance send dive bombers to attack the
Hiryu and set it ablaze as well, putting all four Japanese carriers out of service and thus completing
the victory.
Casualties:

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Reasons behind the American victory against heavier odds: At the time, the Americans were
losing the war against the Japanese. Japan with four aircraft carriers (the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, and
Soryu), nearly 400 aircraft, 17 large warships and an invasion force of 5000 troops was quite an
overwhelming enemy for the Americans who had only three carriers (USS Hornet, the USS
Enterprise, and the USS Yorktown) and 233 planes. Despite having lower military power, the
Americans destroyed four of the Japanese carriers (the Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu) and about
330 planes. The US was able to provide a devastating blow to the Japanese military by causing
them to lose a large number of planes and ships, as well as their highly trained and specialized
crews and ultimately won the battle against terrible odds. A number of factors played important
role behind the victory of the Americans against the Japanese. Some of the most important factors
are as follows:
• The U.S. intelligence had broken the Japanese radio code and knew exactly when and
where the attack was to be launched.
• The Japanese split their forces, thus giving the Americans the opportunity to concentrate
on the main carrier force.
• The Japanese attacked with aircraft from all four carriers at the same time, making the
entire fleet extremely vulnerable while they were all rearming.
• The Japanese placed far too much emphasis on offense and gave little thought to defense
measures as a result it suffered from several defensive deficiencies. The effectiveness of
Japanese carrier anti-aircraft weapons and associated fire control systems was hampered
by many design and configuration flaws.
• The Japanese suffered from poor radio communications with the fighter aircrafts and
lacked a radar to have an early warning system.

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 • Nagumo, the Japanese commander in charge, made a few crucial mistakes which cost them
the battle. According to Japanese radio intercepts. American submarine activity and
message traffic increased and this information was sent to Nagumo. But Nagumo did not
change his plans or take any additional precautions for unknown reasons.
• The fleet carrier Zuikaku escaped the Battle of the Coral Sea undamaged but the Japanese
appear to have made no real effort to prepare Zuikaku for the upcoming war
Significance: Midway proved to be a major turning point in the Pacific War: the Japanese were
severely weakened by the loss of their carriers and strike planes, and the Americans retained their
lead in carriers and aircraft, particularly dive-bombers, from then on. The Battle of Midway also
shifted the Pacific War’s tide against the Japanese. It was the Allies’ first major naval victory
against the Japanese and one of the most decisive battles of WW2. According to some historians,
the Imperial Japanese Navy was irreparably damaged as a result of the heavy losses of carriers and
veteran aircrews at Midway. When the Japanese lost their four main aircraft carriers and were
forced to return home, the Battle of Midway redefined the primary importance of air dominance
for the rest of the war. The battle instilled confidence in US soldiers and drained away Japanese
morale, effectively shifting the tide of the Pacific War in the Allies' favor.

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 Title: Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein was the decisive battle of the North African campaign fought
between the British Eighth Army and the Axis army of Italy and Germany over 23 October to 4
November 1942. The Allies’ victory marked a turning point in the Western Desert Campaign. Its
significance was expressed by Winston Churchill: ‘before Alamein we never had a victory, after
it never a defeat.’ It followed the First Battle of El Alamein, which was a stalemate but had halted
the Axis advance on Alexandria. The Second Battle of El Alamein was launched in October and
witnessed British forces grinding through the enemy defenses before shattering the Italo-German
lines. This victory turned the tide in the North African Campaign in favor of the Allies and
eliminated the Axis threat to Egypt and the Suez Canal. From a psychological, the victory provided
the Allies with a significant boost to Allied morale.
Background: Following the victory at the Battle of Gazala, the Panzerarmee Afrika, composed
of German and Italian infantry, tank and mechanised units under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel,
had advanced into Egypt forcing the British forces to retreat. General Claude Auchinleck retreated
the Eighth Army to within 50 miles of Alexandria to a point where the Qattara Depression came
to within 40 miles of El Alamein on the coast in order to be able to stop the Italo-German offensive
at El Alamein in July. This gave the Eighth Army a relatively short front to defend and secure
flanks, as tanks could not traverse the Qattara Depression and consequently Axis attacks in the
First Battle of El Alamein were defeated. At the same time, counter-attacks by the Eighth Army
also failed. Both sides called off the attacks at the end of July to rebuild their forces.
Change of Leadership in the Eighth Army: Meanwhile, Churchill was dissatisfied with the
progress in the Western Desert. In early August, Churchill visited Cairo and replaced Auchinleck
as Commander-in-chief Middle East Command with General Sir Harold Alexander while the
Eighth Army was given to Lieutenant General William Gott. Before he could take command,
Lieutenant-General William Gott was killed when his transport aircraft was shot down by the
Luftwaffe. As a result, General Bernard Montgomery was handed over the command of the Eighth
Army.
The battle: Rommel attacked Montgomery’s lines between 30 August and 7 September the battle
of Alam Halfa but the Eighth Army defended pretty well. Instead of making a counter-attack,
Montgomery was biding his time as he knew reinforcements, particularly the new Sherman tanks,
were on their way. Rommel knew that an attack from the Eighth Army was inevitable and chose
to be take a defensive position by sheltering his force behind a deep and complex minefield and
placed over 500,000 mines. The mine field was 5 miles wide and consisted of both anti-tank and
anti-personnel mines. It was later dubbed as the ‘Devil’s Garden’. On 23 September, Rommel fell
ill and had to leave treatment in Germany and General Georg von Stumme had been given the
command of the Panzerarmee.
Montgomery planned his attack in two phases. The first phase was called Operation Lightfoot and
the second phase was called Operation Supercharge.

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Operation Lightfoot: The infantry divisions of the 30th Corps in the north and the 13th Corps in
the south would strike in Operation Lightfoot, which would begin with a massive artillery barrage.
They would clear routes in the minefield for the 10th Corps’ armoured divisions to cross through.
After assembling a powerful multinational Allied force on the night of October 23, Montgomery
launched his attack. Montgomery launched a five-hour bombardment on the Axis lines. But
'crumbling' the German defences proved to be more difficult than Montegoy expected. Four
infantry divisions marched behind this, with engineers working behind them to build two channels
in the minefields through which the armoured forces were to advance (the soldiers did not weigh
enough to trigger the anti-tank mines). A five-mile section through the ‘Devil’s Garden’ had to be
cleared by the engineers. The armored advance began at 2:00 a.m. on October 24, but progress
was slow and traffic problem developed as only one non-moving tank could hold up all the tanks
that were behind it. Diversionary strikes to the south by the British 7th Armoured Division aided
the assault. In the same day as dawn approached, General Georg Stumme suffered a heart attack
and passed away. Taking control of the situation Generalleutnant Wilhelm von Thoma stepped in
as the acting commanding officer and launched counterattacks against the advancing British
infantry. On 25 October, Rommel returned from Germany and took command.
Operation Supercharge: Montgomery started the second phase of his attack, Operation
Supercharge which was a British and New Zealander infantry attack, on the night of November
1st, with the goal of breaking through the remaining of the German defenses. The infantry divisions
cleared the way for the armored divisions, and Rommel, with his force reduced and his gasoline
nearly gone, declared the battle lost. On November 2 informed Hitler that his force was doomed.
Hitler rejected any notion of retreat and ordered Rommel to ‘stand and die’ but Rommel, on the
other hand, refused to carry out the command. At midday on November 4, Rommel's final defenses
crumbled, and Hitler ordered him to retreat that evening.
Casualties: The Second Battle of El Alamein was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Norty
African Campaign. Of the 230000 commonwealth troops, over 13000 were killed or wounded.
The defending Axis forces lost approximately 10000 men out of 120000 with an additional 50000
to 60000 wounded or captured during the retreat.
Reasons behind the Allies’ victory at El Alamein: Some of the key factors behind the Allies’
victory in the second battle of El Alamein are as follows:
• The Allies were successful partly because during the seven-week pause, massive rein
forcements had arrived, so that the Germans and Italians were heavily outnumbered 120000
men and 540 tanks against 230 000 troops and 1440 tanks.
• Allied air power constantly attacked the Axis forces and sank their supply ships as they
crossed the Mediterranean, and by October there were serious shortages of food, fuel oil
and ammunition.
• At the same time, the air force was capable of protecting the Eighth Army’s own supply
routes
• Lieutenant-General Bernard Law Montgomery was a very capable commander with great
leadership qualities. He boosted the army's morale with his bold fighting talk and he also

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 strengthened the army’s relationship with the Desert Air Force which later proved essential
in winning the battle.
Significance: The Second Battle of El Alamein was a major turning point in the North African
campaign and turned the tide in favor of the Allies in North Africa. In addition, the battle is
considered to be of much significance for the below reasons:
• It prevented Germany from gaining control of Egypt and the Suez Canal.
• It put an end to the possibilities of collaboration of the Axis forces in the Middle East and
those in Ukraine.
• It had depleted German resources significantly which could have been used in Russia.
• Most importantly, it set the stage for the ultimate defeat of the Axis' North African
Campaign in Tunisia in May 1943.

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 Title: The Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle Of Stalingrad was one of the most decisive on the Eastern Front fought from August
23, 1942 to February 2, 1943 in the Second World War. The German Sixth Army was besieged
and captured at Stalingrad after more than six months of warfare. In August 1942, the Germans
attacked the Soviet Union as they advanced into the country. The Battle of Stalingrad was the
largest of all the battles fought during World War II. This Soviet victory was a turning point in the
European Theater.
Commanders:
Germany Soviet Union
General Friedrich Paulus Marshal Georgy Zhukov
Field Marshal Erich von Manstein Lieutenant General Vasily Chuikov
Colonel General Wolfram von Richthofen Colonel General Aleksandr Vasilevsky

Background: In 1941 the offensive against the Soviet Union allowed Germany to capture Belarus,
Ukraine Baltic countries and other territories and besieged Moscow and Leningrad. In spite of the
armed forces of Germany quickly advancing deep into Soviet territory, Operation Barbarossa
failed to defeat the Soviets and the German forces were halted at the gates of Moscow. In
December, because of harsh weather conditions and repeated counter-attacks by the Soviet forces,
the Operation Moscow
In 1942, Hitler ordered more offensives in the USSR. The main target of the German offensive in
1942 was Stalingrad and the oil reserves in the Caucasus. Hitler believed that destroying
Stalingrad’s industrial capability, capturing the Soviet Union’s primary oil reserves, and seizing
control of the Volga, which was a key transportation hub, would be a decisive blow against the
Soviets. And also because Stalingrad was named after the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Hitler
believed that capturing it would offer propaganda values. As two dictators send their forces for the
sake of oil and renown, the stage was set for a bloodbath.
The Battle: On August 23, 1942, the Wehrmacht's 6th Army launched their assault. During a
series of brutal engagements, Russian forces were successful in limiting the German Wehrmacht’s
advance. Stalin’s forces lost over 200,000 men, but the Soviet Army held off German soldiers
under Vasily Chuikov’s command.
The Russians had previously transported much of the food supply and cattle out of Stalingrad,
having a clear understanding of Hitler’s plans. The city’s 400,000-plus citizens, on the other hand,
were not evacuated, as Stalin believed the army would strive harder for a “living city.”
The Luftwaffe air force of Germany had rendered the Volga River impassable to shipping just a
few days after commencing its onslaught, sinking several Russian commercial vessels in the
process. The Luftwaffe bombarded the city with scores of air raids from late August through the
end of the assault. The Luftwaffe had largely taken control of the skies around Stalingrad by
September, and the Russians were desperate. Even workers in the city who were not involved in

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the production of war-related weaponry were asked to join the combat, usually without their own
firearms. Women and underage population were enlisted to build fortifications and dig trenches at
the front lines. Still, Russians continue suffering heavy losses and Stalingrad, by the fall of 1942,
was in ruins.
Despite significant casualties and Luftwaffe bombardment, Stalin commanded his forces in the
city not to retreat. On July 27, 1942, Stalin issued Order No. 227, which stated that any commander
who orders an unauthorized retreat should face a military tribunal. The slogan was “Not a Step
Back!”
Stalin’s generals finally began bringing reinforcements into the city and surrounding areas with
less than 20,000 troops and less than 100 tanks in the city. In the highlands to the north and west
of the city, Russian generals Georgy Zhukov and Aleksandr Vasilevsky organized Russian
soldiers. Following that, they launched a counter-offensive, commonly known as Operation
Uranus.
Soviet troops raced around Stalingrad in a pincer movement and On November 23, the Soviet
forces successfully encircled 6th Army trapping around 300,000 German and Axis troops. Thanks
to Russian gains elsewhere along the Eastern Front, the Germans failed to send reinforcements to
Stalingrad. Field Marshall Erich von Manstein launched Operation Winter Storm on December 12
but was unable to reach the 6th Army. Over December 16, the Russians launched Operation Little
Saturn, breaking the Axis forces’ defenses to the west of the city and forcing the Germans back on
a wide front. As the German forces were facing starvation and ammunition shortages and situations
started to deteriorate for the Germans, Paulus asked Hitler for permission to surrender but Hitler
refused to surrender. On January 30, Hitler promoted Paulus to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall
expecting that Paulus would either fight to death or commit suicide as there wasn’t any record of
any German field marshal surrendering. The next day, Paulus was taken by surprise and captured
when the Soviets overran his headquarters. On February 2, 1943, the German 6th army finally
surrendered after a five-month battle.
Casualties: The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest military engagements in modern
history, with an estimated 850,000 Axis soldiers killed, missing, or wounded, and over a million
Soviet soldiers killed or wounded. During the battle, a large number of civilians were also killed.

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Significance: The battle of Stalingrad was a turning point of the war on the Eastern Front. It was
the first time that Nazi Germany faced a military defeat and they realized that they are anything
but invincible. The victory boosted Russian morale which helped them continue their battle on the
Eastern Front in World War II and finally in July 1943, in the Battle of Kursk, the Soviets defeated
Germany and thus ending Hitler’s dream of conquering Russia

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