The+Turning+Point

The Turning Point
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Overview
In this activity, you will investigate why 1943 marked a change in who had control in World War II and also why events such as the Allied invasion of Italy and D-Day made the outcome of the war inevitable.

1943: Better News for the Allies
In the fourth year of World War II, the momentum started to swing to the Allied side (Canada's side): 1. The Russians, with a spectacular effort, stopped the German advance at the city of Stalingrad. After taking 90,000 German prisoners, the Russian forces began planning an attack on the German homeland;  2. The British and American armies also defeated the German forces in the deserts of North Africa;  3. American forces began to defeat the Japanese on various islands in the Pacific Ocean area.

Canada's Action in 1943
One of Nazi Germany’s partners (aside from Japan) was Italy, ruled by the dictator, Benito Mussolini.  The disaster at Dieppe in 1942 had proven how difficult it was to attack the German-held parts of the European continent. A decision was made to attack Hitler by invading the southern part of Italy, and then advancing northward. Since Dieppe, Canadian soldiers had seen no combat duty. They were eager for action, and in the summer of 1943, some 92,000 Canadians took part in the invasion of Italy. With troops from Britain and the United States, they captured the island of Sicily, and then moved up the Italian “boot” toward the capital city of Rome. The Allies met heavy resistance from the occupying German forces in Italy. In the town of Ortona, the Canadian forces fought the Nazi enemy in the streets and houses for one month. At a price of 650 Canadian soldiers killed and wounded, victory was achieved at Ortona. Six months later, on June 4, 1944, Canadian soldiers marched into Rome as part of the Allied army. They were met by the loud cheers of the Italian people who, for the most part, had been happy to see the overthrow of Mussolini in the previous year. In total, 30 000 Canadians were killed or wounded in the Italian campaign.

<span style="background-color: #d0a4a4; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Canada and the D-Day Invasion
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">D-Day was the code name for the day (June 6, 1944) when the Allies started their massive invasion of the European continent along an 80 kilometer front of beaches in northern France. On the dawn of D-Day, 130,000 Canadian, American, and British troops went ashore at Normandy, France. Unlike the Dieppe raid, this mission was a surprise and was well organized, with massive air support. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">14,000 Canadian troops waded ashore or parachuted into an area code-named “Juno Beach.” All of the Allied troops fought through heavy <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">German resistance to work their way inland from the shore. By evening, the Canadian troops had advanced the furthest.

<span style="background-color: #d0a4a4; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">The End of the War in the Pacific Area
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">After the surrender of Germany, Japan continued the war. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">American casualties were high as they attacked Japanese- occupied territories in the Pacific. Some estimated that as many as one million US troops would die in an invasion of the Japanese homeland. In this context, the US decided to use a powerful new weapon - the atomic bomb. On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Scientists had discovered that by splitting uranium atoms, a powerful chain reaction of high energy took place. In the so-called atomic bomb, the energy released created temperatures of several million degrees Centigrade. Immense shock waves and fireballs came from the bomb blast. Enormous winds flattened buildings. All life within <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">1.5 kilometres of the bomb’s impact (or ground zero) was destroyed. Radiation from the bomb either killed human beings instantly or induced cancers years later. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">One half of Hiroshima was destroyed and about 80,000 men, women, and children died. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">When Japan did not surrender, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, and the horror of death and destruction was repeated. Japan finally surrendered on August 14, 1945. Now that the atomic bomb had been used in two instances, the world feared that it might be used again in the future. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">There are historians who feel that the US used these bombs to show their rivals for world power, the Soviets, that the US was more powerful. Those same historians say that Japan was ready to surrender before the bombs were dropped. This issue has not been settled one way or the other, but as with every historical question, it must be continually examined for evidence and truth.

<span style="background-color: #d0a4a4; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Task
<span style="background-color: #cee3e3; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 29px;">1. In your opinion, in what World War II battle did Canadian troops prove to be the bravest? Explain your answer. <span style="background-color: #cee3e3; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 29px;"> 2. In 1943, what three events led to a major turning point in the war that shifted the momentum in favor of the Allied Forces? <span style="background-color: #cee3e3; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 29px;"> 3. In your opinion, did the United States make the correct decision in dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945? Explain your answers.