MIDWAY:
The Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942) was a "midway" point in the battle against Japan in the Pacific. It allowed the United States, fighting for the Allies, to go from a defensive position to being on offense. The battle was one fought mainly with aircraft, and the US was able to knock four of Japan's aircraft carriers out of commission while only losing one of their own aircraft carriers. Japan's advance across the Pacific halted at Midway, and US forces began its own offensive to retake islands and ultimately pursue the war all the way to Japan itself.
STALINGRAD:
Germany had invaded the Soviet Union in what they called Operation Barbarossa, beginning in June, 1941. The Battle of Stalingrad, fought from August 1942 to February 1943, became the turning point in the war between German and Soviet forces on the Eastern front of World War II. Stalingrad was a protracted and extremely bloody military confrontation. More than 2 million troops were involves, and the death toll (including many thousands of Russian civilians) also numbered around two million. The fact that Germany could not overtake the Soviet Union turned the tide in favor of Russia and the Allies and put Germany on the defensive.