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it triggered World War II in Europe, showcasing the new "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war) tactic, shattering appeasement policies, and leading to the division of Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union -
it officially started World War II, fulfilling treaty obligations to Poland, halting Hitler's unchecked aggression, establishing the main Allied front against tyranny, and signaling that appeasement had failed -
marked the swift Blitzkrieg conquest of Western Europe, bypassing the Maginot Line, leading to the Dunkirk evacuation, France's collapse -
rescued over 338,000 Allied troops from near annihilation by the Germans in May-June 1940, allowing Britain to keep its army "in being" to continue the war -
World War II's first major German defeat, preventing a Nazi invasion (Operation Sea Lion) by securing air superiority, boosting Allied morale -
the first peacetime draft in U.S. history, establishing a system to train military personnel before direct involvement in World War II -
breaking U.S. neutrality, enabling massive military aid to Allies (Britain, USSR, China) to fight Axis powers, and becoming the "arsenal of democracy -
it shattered American isolationism, decisively bringing the United States into World War II, galvanizing national unity, and dramatically shifting global power dynamics by making the U.S. a major belligerent against Japan and Germany -
supplying immense economic and military might to the Allies, ending US isolationism, transforming the American economy by creating jobs and boosting production -
Germany and Italy declaring war on the U.S. on December 11, 1941, was a colossal blunder for the Axis, transforming World War II into a truly global conflict, solidifying U.S. entry into the European theater -
the first naval battle fought entirely by carrier aircraft, halting Japan's southward expansion, saving Australia from invasion, and proving crucial for the upcoming Battle of Midway by keeping Japanese carriers out of action -
crippling Japan's offensive strength, boosting Allied morale, and establishing U.S. naval dominance through superior intelligence, luck, and carrier tactics -
The invasion of North Africa (Operation Torch, 1942) was significant as the first major US ground combat in WWII, providing crucial experience, opening a vital second front against the Axis