Overview of WW2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What happened to Yang Kyungjong in WW2?

A
  • impressed into service by Japanese
  • captured by Soviets in the Mancharian border clashes in August 1939 who impressed him into the Red Army
  • 1942 - then captured by Germans who impressed him into service to build Atlantic wall
  • 1944 - captured by Americans on D - day, Japanese translator brought in, then Korean translator brought in
  • at end of WW2 given chose to go home to Korea or stay in America - chose to stay in America
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2
Q

How many people were killed in WW2

A

around 70 mill

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3
Q

what % of casualties were suffered by the victors in WW2?

A

85%

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4
Q

How many countries fought in WW2?

A

61 countries fought

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5
Q

How many people were involved in WW2?

A

1.7 bn people involved (3/4 of world population)

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6
Q

Where did the fighting for WW2 stretch to and from?

A

fighting stretched from Arctic to Australia

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7
Q

The Phoney War - Invasion of Poland (Overview of WW2)

A
  • 17 Sept 1939
  • when Soviet forces attacked Poland it collapsed - Britain and France took no a action to defend Poland
  • Victory for Soviet Forces and Germans - Germany won, Soviets got control of Poland
  • BEF went to France in Sept
  • German attack on Saar region of Germany in 1939
  • Little action taken between Sept 1939 - March 1940 = Phoney war
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8
Q

Battle of the Atlantic (Overview of WW2)

A
  • Sep 1939 - May 1945
  • caused by North America and Europe wanting to transfer men and supplies and Germany wanting to stop this using U-boats to sink them
  • technology developed - acoustic torpedos by Germans sensitive to noises of ships’ propellors
  • 30,000 casualties
  • allied losses - 3500 merchant vessels
  • German losses - 783 submarines
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9
Q

How was the Battle of the Atlantic a turning point in WW2? (Overview of WW2)

A
  • there would’ve no longer been resources coming to GB - it would’ve collapsed, starved
  • block Americans coming for D-day
  • longest continual battle of WW2
  • Churchill said the “only thing that ever frightened him during the war was the U-boat peril”
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10
Q

Dunkirk/ Battle of Britain (Overview of WW2)

A
  • 10th July - 31st Oct 1940- Britain + France against Germany
  • took place on the beaches around the port of Dunkirk
  • Neither side won
    —> Germany halted advance on Britain
    —> 26 May - 4 June 330,000 British + 10,000 French troops evacuated
    —> 300,000 troops left behind
    —> French troops left to fight Germans
    —> all of heavy equipment left for Germans or destroyed
    —> 2662 German casualties
    —> 10,700 German Luftwaffe aircrafts destroyed
    —> 1000 British casualties
    —> 1250 British aircrafts destroyed
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11
Q

How was the Battle of Britain a turning point in WW2? (Overview of WW2)

A
  • Britain not conquered by Hitler/Stalin
  • allies won war
  • all of Europe didn’t get under Nazi control
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12
Q

Operation Barbarossa (Overview of WW2)

A
  • June 1941
  • German Army vs USSR (Red Army)
  • Russia - centre in particular
  • USSR - 4 mill casualties + lost air and tank force
  • USSR used Winter of 1941 - 1942 to reorganise - turnabout and survived, German army stupidly left supplies behind
  • USSR played key role in defeating Hitler
  • biggest invasion in world
  • Nazi’s codename for Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union
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13
Q

How was Operation Barbarossa a turning point in WW2? (Overview of WW2)

A
  • Russia won
  • stalemate
  • 775000 casualties
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14
Q

Pearl Harbour (Overview of WW2)

A
  • 7th Dec 1941
  • Hawaii + Japanese vs Americans
  • took place at Pearl Harbour in USA
  • Japanese trying to sink American aircraft carriers
  • Japanese won - bombed pearl harbour
  • Japanese losses - 0 ships, 29 aircrafts, 0 civilians
  • American losses - 19 ships, 2403 aircrafts, 300 civilians
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15
Q

How was Pearl Harbour a turning point in WW2? (Overview of WW2)

A
  • lead to atomic bombing of Japan - 100,000 killed
  • battle brought American into war
  • Japan not able to sink any American aircraft carriers - Japanese aircraft carriers sank later in Battle of Midway
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16
Q

Battle of Midway (Overview of WW2)

A
  • 3rd - 6th June 1942
  • Japan vs America
  • took place in Japan
  • Americans carriers attack Japanese islands near Midway due to Pearl Harbour
  • Americans won
17
Q

How was the Battle of Midway a turning point in WW2? (overview of WW2)

A
  • ended threat of further Japanese invasion in Pacific as can’t move troops around Pacific otherwise the’ll be bombed
  • American aircraft carriers won
  • Japanese losses - 4 aircraft carriers
  • American losses - 1 aircraft carrier
18
Q

Battle of El Alamein (Overview of WW2)

A
  • Oct - Nov 1942
  • in Egypt for control of Suez Canal
  • Germany vs Allies and British empire
  • Britain won - Germans pushed out of North Africa
  • The Allies had 195,000 men and theAxis had 110,000
  • The Axis lost 9,000 men and Allieslost 4,800
19
Q

How was the Second Battle of El Alamein a turning point in WW2? (Overview of WW2)

A
  • “Before Alamein wenever had a victory. AfterAlamein, we neverhadadefeat”- Churchill
  • The Allied victory at El Alamein lead to the Afrika Korps’ retreat & Germany’s surrenderin North Africa.
  • By the summer of 1942, theAllies were in trouble throughout Europe. The Axis’ attackon Russia – Operation Barbarossa – had pushed the Russians back; U-Boats were givingGermany a great advantage in the Battle of the Atlantic and West Europe was mostlycontrolled by Germany.
  • The Second Battle of El Alamein was a turning point in the North African campaign. Itended the long fight for the Western Desert and was the only great land battle won bythe British and Commonwealth forces without direct American participation. Thevictory also persuaded France to start helping the North African campaign.
20
Q

Battle of Stalingrad (Overview of WW2)

A
  • 28th June 1942 - 2 Feb 1943
  • in Southern Russia
  • Russia vs Germany
  • offensive aimed at heart of Stalingrad - 3rd Sept 1942
  • Operation Uranus - counterattack from Soviets surround German 6th Army
  • after 5 months of battle - Russia won
  • nickname “Greatest and Bloodiest Battle” in history
21
Q

How was the Battle of Stalingrad a turning point in WW2? (Overview of WW2)

A
  • 500,000 causalities/prisoners in Germany
  • 26mil Russian casualties
  • gave Soviets huge morale boost
22
Q

Kursk (Overview of WW2)

A
  • in Ukraine
  • Russia vs Germany
  • Russia won
23
Q

Invasion of Italy (Overview of WW2)

A
  • Sept 1943
  • in Italy
  • Allies vs Italy
  • Allies won
  • Moussolini overthrown
24
Q

D-day/ Operation Overload/ Invasion of Normandy (Overview of WW2)

A
  • 6th June 1944 - 21st August 1944
  • in France
  • to liberate France - Americans, British and, Canadians - to gain foothold in France by retaking coasts and big cities
  • fed Germans false info about where attack would happen
  • allies invaded France which as under German control
  • allies won
  • German casualties - 9000+ troops
  • British casualties - 4413 troops
  • allies started with 156,000 troops
25
Q

How was D-day a turning point for WW2?

A
  • success for allies
  • regained France from Germans
  • both sides lost heavily
  • Omaha beach = horrific killing zone, wounded left to drown
26
Q

Battle of Berlin (Overview of WW2)

A
  • April - May 1945
  • Berlin
  • Germany vs Soviets
  • Soviets won outnumbering Germany with 2,500,000 soldiers, 7500 aircrafts and, 6250 tanks
27
Q

The Atomic Bombs (Overview of WW2)

A
  • August 1945
  • in Japan
  • allies vs Japan
  • two atomic bombs dropped on Japan