Soldiers and Civilians of Wwii

Soldiers and Civilians of WWII

From 1939 through 1945, the world engaged in the biggest and most expensive war in history, World War 2. It was a war that consumed millions of lives and changed the course of history forever. As the Axis powers, composed of Germany, Italy, and Japan, stormed through Europe, most nations found themselves having to choose a side. In the end, it would come down to the Allied forces as well as retaliation from civilians doing everyday activities to oppose the oppressive rule of the "Axis of Evil". Of all the horrific battles of World War 2, few stand out more than The Battle of Stalingrad. It was a major turning point in the war effort for the Allies, allowing them to turn the tables on the Axis powers and bring the fight to them. Stalingrad was of enormous importance to both sides of the war. Whoever controlled Stalingrad would have access to untold amounts of oil, an essential component during the war. As pictured of page 871, three soldiers push through a massive trench in Stalingrad, which by then had turned into a total warzone. The battle lasted an entire nine months, with neither side willing to surrender. Finally, as of 1943, The Battle of Stalingrad had ended, with Russian forces coming up victorious. This was the pivotal moment of the war, allowing the Soviets a slow and difficult push westward. However, due to Hitler's unwillingness to surrender, many lives were lost that otherwise would have lived. Across the globe, other Allied forces made great progress as well, battling back against Axis powers in Africa and Italy. These conquests finally culminated in the greatest of all World War 2 battles, D-Day, in which the combined powers of the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, leading to the eventual liberation of Paris. Of course, the soldiers of the Allied forces were not the only heroes of that era. As Allied forces moved closer to victory, ordinary civilians began to take part in resisting the Axis powers.