13.2 Theaters of War

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Describe the Allied and Axis operations in Europe and Africa during World War II
• Explain why the Battles of Stalingrad and Midway are considered turning points in World War II
• Discuss U.S. operations in East Asia and the Pacific during World War II
• Describe the evolution of the Holocaust after the German invasion of Poland

World War II was perhaps history’s most globalizing event. Troops fought battles on three continents, in the air, and at sea. Britain and the United States planned early in the war to focus on defeating Italy and Germany before Japan but left the Soviet Union to battle Germany alone. In Asia, the “liberation” of the inhabitants of European and U.S. colonies by Japanese troops only replaced Western rule with Japanese rule, igniting or giving impetus to nationalist movements. Fought on so many fronts, World War II proved to be the deadliest conflict in history. Among those who perished were millions of noncombatants, including the victims of the Nazi death camps. The experiences of survivors shaped the rest of their lives and the course of the societies to which they returned.