"=The War Becomes Global ===
On June 22, 1941 Germany, along with other European Axis members and Finland, invaded the Soviet Union. The  primary objectives of this surprise offensiveAmnon Sella. 'Barbarossa': Surprise Attack and Communication. Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 13, No. 3, (Jul., 1978), pp. 555-583. were the Baltic region, Moscow and Ukraine with an ultimate goal to end campaign of 1941 near the line connecting Caspian and White Seas. Although before the war the Red Army was preparing for a strategic offensive, ""Barbarossa""' forced Stavka to adopt a strategic defence. During the summer, Axis made significant gains into Soviet territory, inflicting immense losses in personnel and matériel, however by the middle of August, German OKH decided to suspend the offensive of a considerably depleted Army Group Center, and to divert a part of its armored force to reinforce troops advancing toward central Ukraine Alan F. Wilt. Hitler's Late Summer Pause in 1941. Military Affairs, Vol. 45, No. 4 (Dec., 1981), pp.187-191. . The Kiev offensive was overwhelmingly successful, resulting in encirclement and elimination of four Soviet armies, and made further advance into Crimea and industrially developed Eastern Ukraine possible. By October, Axis operational objectives in the Baltic region and Ukraine were achieved, with only Leningrad and Sevastopol resisting in siegesShukman, Harold. Stalin's Generals, p.113 a major offensive against Moscow had been renewed. After two months of fierce battles, the German army almost reached Moscow suburbs, where the exhausted German army was forced to go on the defensive. Despite impressive territorial gains, no strategic goals of the war had been accomplished: two major Soviet cities hadn’t been captured, Red Army's capability to resist was not broken, and the Soviet Union retained a considerable part of its military potential. The blitzkrieg phase of WWII in Europe had ended.A. S. Milward. The End of the Blitzkrieg. The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 16, No. 3 (1964), pp. 499-518. In mid-December, when freshly mobilized reserves  Louis Rotundo. The Creation of Soviet Reserves and the 1941 Campaign. Military Affairs, Vol. 50, No. 1 (Jan., 1986), pp. 21-28.  allowed the Soviets to achieve numerical parity, they launched a massive counter-offensive along 1000 km front, although success was temporary, and in January was halted. 
Paragraph B4 With majority Axis troops tied down on Eastern Front the United Kingdom got an opportunity to regroup.In the Mediterranean. The New York Times: Jul 13, 1941 5 In July, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union formed a military alliance against GermanyPravda, Alex; Duncan, Peter J. S. Soviet-British Relations Since the 1970s, pg. 29 and shortly after jointly invaded Iran to secure the Persian Corridor and Iran's oilfields.Heptulla, Najma. The Logic of Political Survival, pg. 131 6 In August, the United Kingdom and United States jointly issued the Atlantic Charter.Louis, William Roger. More Adventures with Britannia: Personalities, Politics and Culture in Britain, pg. 223 7 In November, Commonwealth forces launched a counter-offensive in the desert, reclaiming all gains the Germans and Italians had made.Gannon, James. Stealing Secrets, Telling Lies: How Spies and Codebreakers Helped Shape the Twentieth Century, pg. 76Paragraph C8 Japan, hoping to utilize Germany's control over the Netherlands, made several demands, including a steady supply of oil, from the Dutch East Indies; these talks, however, broke down in June.AFLMA Year in Review, pg. 32 9' In July, Japan seized military control of southern Indochina since it would not only put them in a better position to coerce the Dutch East Indies into yielding, but it would also be a blow against China; should war be necessary, it also improved their strategic position against the America