Which World War II event is associated with the turning point on the Mediterranean and in the Western Desert?

Which World War II event is associated with the turning point on the Mediterranean and in the Western Desert?

• A. The Maginot Line's breach led to German invasion
• B. The Normandy landings opened Western Front
• C. The British victory at El Alamein forced Germany to withdraw from positions throughout the Mediterranean region
• D. The attack on Pearl Harbor brought US into war

Answer: (C)

Turning points show a shift in control or momentum in a war. In the Mediterranean and Western Desert, the crucial shift came with the British victory at El Alamein in late 1942. Rommel’s forces had been advancing toward Egypt, but the Allied victory halted that push and forced a retreat across North Africa. That defeat stopped the Axis from threatening the Suez Canal and Middle East oil supplies, safeguarded important Allied supply lines, and opened the door for further Allied offensives in North Africa (into Tunisia) and the eventual invasion of Sicily and Italy. In short, El Alamein flipped the initiative to the Allies in this theater, making subsequent Mediterranean operations possible. Other events listed don’t fit this turning-point in the Mediterranean: the Maginot Line breach is tied to early war in Western Europe, the Normandy landings mark a Western Front turn in Northwestern Europe, and the attack on Pearl Harbor draws the United States into the war but not this regional turning point.

Turning points show a shift in control or momentum in a war. In the Mediterranean and Western Desert, the crucial shift came with the British victory at El Alamein in late 1942. Rommel’s forces had been advancing toward Egypt, but the Allied victory halted that push and forced a retreat across North Africa. That defeat stopped the Axis from threatening the Suez Canal and Middle East oil supplies, safeguarded important Allied supply lines, and opened the door for further Allied offensives in North Africa (into Tunisia) and the eventual invasion of Sicily and Italy. In short, El Alamein flipped the initiative to the Allies in this theater, making subsequent Mediterranean operations possible.

Other events listed don’t fit this turning-point in the Mediterranean: the Maginot Line breach is tied to early war in Western Europe, the Normandy landings mark a Western Front turn in Northwestern Europe, and the attack on Pearl Harbor draws the United States into the war but not this regional turning point.