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German soldier walks toward the body of a Soviet soldier, during the early days of Operation Barbarossa. 

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In 1941 Hitler followed through on his longstanding threat, ordering a German attack on the soil of Russia. In doing so the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Germany which he had co-signed with Josef Stalin was effectively broken. Germany by invading Russia was at risk of simultaneously fighting a war on two fronts (on its eastern and its western borders). 66

After many catastrophic consequences for Russian civilians and soldiers, a lack of preparation lead to tragic defeats. Though a near suicidal resistance by the Russian Army managed to slow the German Army's advance, proving to be a turning point in the war. When winter arrived and the German Army became trapped in the snow and would never capture Moscow.

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/07/world-war-ii-operation-barbarossa/100112/

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USS West Virginia Pearl Harbor Attack...

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On December 7, 1941, Japan launched an attack on the US naval station in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The surprise attack by 350 Japanese planes, sank or severely damaged eighteen US naval ships including eight battleships, 300 US planes and killed 2,403 people.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was catastrophic but it failed its aim of destroying the American Pacific fleet. The US fleet was able to recover very swiftly despite the shock. More crucially, the US Congress voted 388 to 1 to declare war on Japan and join the war against Germany. This implied that the US would join the struggle against fascism and imperialism with its massive manpower and economic might. Germany now had to contend with the united power of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Russia. For the American people, the war against Japan became a matter of national importance.
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/remembering-pearl-harbor

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Soviet soldiers behind a demolished building in Stalingrad preparing for street combat

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Battle of Stalingrad: August1942–February 1943

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Battle of Stalingrad: August1942–February 1943

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The Battle of Stalingrad was World War II's crucial battle. The German Army's two-pronged onslaught on the city and the Caucasus oilfields in the south guaranteed Hitler a decisive triumph. The Soviet Union inflicted a catastrophic defeat on the German Army in and around this strategically important city on the Volga river, which bore the name of the Soviet dictator, Josef Stalin which is why (stupidly) Hitler was so persistent on destroying and capturing the city . Capturing Stalingrad would symbolize Hitler being superior to Stalin. Much to Hitler's disappointment, The Battle of Stalingrad was won by the Soviet Union against a German offensive.
https://www.rferl.org/a/stalingrad-photo-gallery/24691866.html

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US Marines charge ashore on Guadalcanal Island

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The Guadalcanal campaign more commonly known as the Battle of Guadalcanal was a military campaign fought between on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater during World War II. Japan began to build a vital airfield on Guadalcanal, part of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Only a few weeks later the US forces launched a surprise attack on them taking control of the airfield and forcing the Japanese into an early retreat.

https://www.businessinsider.com/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-battle-of-guadalcanal-2018-8?r=AU&IR=T

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American soldiers approach Omaha Beach on D-Day.

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On June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of German-occupied France was historic. It effectively put a stop to Germany's war plans. With the creation of a second front to combat the German Army, Germany suddenly had to fight a war in both the east and the west at the same time. In England, the build-up to and preparation of this invasion was done in complete secrecy. Despite tremendous deaths from soldiers arriving on the beaches including Utah beach while being shot at by German machine guns and paratroopers shot before reaching the ground, over 156000 troops had arrived by the conclusion of the day. By the end of June, 800,000 Allied troops had landed.  The fighting on the day was extraordinarily fierce due to the amount of soldiers that died before they even made it onto the sand of the beach. But in the end Germany was effectively caught by surprise and the battle ended.
https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/witnesses-to-d-day-gardner-botsford-aj-liebling

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Soviet soldiers rush through the streets of the doomed German capital in April 1945. 

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Berlin in the last days of World War II: April 1945

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Berlin in the last days of World War II: April 1945

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The German army suffered significantly more losses at the Battle of Kursk after their defeat at Stalingrad. This was the world's largest tank fight, with 6000 tanks and over two million troops engaged in a massive conflict that forced the German Army to retreat through its own eastern regions. As it advanced, the Russian Army gained momentum. It revealed atrocities, war crimes, and acts of genocide committed by German forces in Russian towns and against Eastern European Jews along the road. The German Army's fighting capacity had been shattered by the time the Russian Army arrived on the outskirts of Berlin in 1945. Meanwhile, the Russian Army's aggressiveness was increasing. The German Army formally surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945. It was commonly referred to as VE Day since it heralded the end of the European war.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/last-voices-of-world-war-2

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A huge expanse of ruins left the explosion of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima. 140.000 people were killed.

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The atomic bombing of Japan: 6th and 9th August 1945

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The atomic bombing of Japan: 6th and 9th August 1945

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On August 6, 1945, an American B-52 bomber detonated an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the most catastrophic weapon the world had ever seen. The city of Nagasaki was hit by a second atomic bomb three days later. Stunned, beaten, and befuddled, the Japanese Empire did what so many of its troops had died to do: it did what so many of them had died to avoid. The use of the atomic bomb has ramifications that the world is still dealing with today, although it was used to end a world war at the time. Newly elected US President Harry Truman had authorized the use of a weapon that America had been secretly developing as part of the Manhattan Project military effort. The total casualties of the bombings in Hiroshima were 135,000 and 64,000 in Nagasaki.
https://apimagesblog.com/blog/2015/08/04/atomic-bombs-on-japan-70th-anniversary