PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTIONS. At the beginning of 1941, Britain stood alone against Germany and Italy. The war in Africa dominated the headlines, with control of huge swathes of North African desert changing hands continually. At sea, Germany's Bismarck sank HMS Hood, but was soon sunk herself, while Fortress Britain endured night after night of the Blitz. The first turning point of the war came in June, with Germany's invasion of Russia, opening up a second front. The next would not come till December, when the war moved from beyond its European and African front lines to become a truly global conflict. Japan awoke the sleeping giant that was the USA with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Simultaneous attacks on Hong Kong, Malaya and Indonesia saw huge parts of Asia firmly under Japanese control by the end of the year.