The British Homefront In WWII Flashcards
Why did Hitler leave the League of Nations in 1933? (1)
To secretly rearm
What did Hitler do in 1936? (1)
Ordered the reoccupation of the Rhineland
When did Hitler order the reoccupation of the Rhineland? (1)
1936
How did France and Britain react to Hitler’s reoccupation of the Rhineland? Why? (1,4)
They did nothing
Thought the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
Germany had the right to move troops in their country
Could not afford war
People did not want another war
How many people signed the Peace Ballot in the early 1930s? (1)
Over 10 million households
When was the Peace Pledge Union set up? (1)
1936
What international policy did Britain have during the 1930s? (1)
Appeasement
What was appeasement? (2)
Avoid war through discussion, negotiation and compromise
Who became Prime Minister of Britain in 1937? (1)
Neville Chamberlain
When did Neville Chamberlain become Prime Minister of Britain? (1)
1937
Who was against appeasement? (2)
Sir Anthony Eden
Winston Churchill
Who was Sir Anthony Eden? (2)
Against appeasement
Resigned as Foreign Secretary
Who was the most outspoken critic of appeasement during the 1930s? (1)
Winston Churchill
What steps did Hitler take to achieve Anschluss? (3)
Austrian Nazi supporters held demonstrations in favour of Anschluss
Austrian chancellor resigned in 1938 after a meeting with Hitler
New chancellor invited Hitler into Austria on the 12th of March, 1938
When was Hitler invited into Austria? (1)
12 March 1938
What happened on the 12 March 1938? (1)
Anschluss
How did Britain and France react to the Anschluss? (1)
Protested but took no further action
Why did Hitler want the Sudetenland? (2)
It had belonged to Germany before the Treaty of Versailles
It had 3.5 million German speakers
Why was the Munich Conference held? Who was invited? (1,4)
Because Hitler wanted the Sudetenland
Germany, Britain, France and Italy
Where was the Sudetenland? (1)
Czechoslovakia
When was the Munich Conference held? (1)
September 1938
What happened in September 1938? (1)
The Munich Conference
What was the Munich Agreement? (2)
The Sudetenland was given to Germany
Germany could make no more demands
What did Chamberlain say he had done after the Munich Conference? (1)
“Achieved peace in our time”
What happened on the 15 March 1939? (1)
Hitler ordered German troops to invade Czechoslovakia
When did Hitler order German troops to invade Czechoslovakia? (1)
15 March 1939
What did Chamberlain do after Germany invaded Czechoslovakia? (2)
Rearmament
Promise to help Poland if they were invaded
What happened on the 23 August 1939? (2)
The Nazi-Soviet Pact
Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to share Poland
What, and when, was the Nazi-Soviet Pact? (2)
Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to share Poland
23 August 1939
What happened on the 1 September 1939? (1)
Germany invaded Poland
When did Germany invade Poland? (1)
1 September 1939
How did Britain respond to Germany invading Poland? (2)
Gave Hitler an ultimatum - ignored
Declared war on Germany 3 September 1939
What happened on the 3 September 1939? (1)
Britain declared war on Germany
When did Britain declare war on Germany? (1)
3 September 1939
By 1938, how much of government spending was on rearmament? (1)
Nearly 20%
What part of the British forces was prepared for WWII? (1)
The navy
What were the good and bad points of the armed forces when WWII broke out? (3)
Royal Navy - prepared for war
Royal Air Force - well trained, best planes, but too small
Army - small, poorly trained, badly equipped
What were the best fighter planes in WWIII? (2)
Hurricane
Spitfire
How many men were conscripted into the forces by 1939? (1)
More than 1.5 million
How did men not conscripted help the war effort? (3)
They joined the Local Defence Volunteers, later called the Home Guard
ARP wardens
What act was passed to protect the British population from air attacks? When? (1,1)
Air Raid Precautions Act
December 1937
When was the Air Raid Precautions Act passed? (1)
December 1937
How much did spending on air raid precautions increase in 1939? (1)
5 times
What were the two types of air raid shelters? (2)
Anderson shelters - in gardens
Morrison shelters - in homes
Who enforced the blackout and coordinated the emergency services? (1)
ARP wardens
What did ARP wardens do? (3)
Enforced the blackout
Co-ordinated the emergency services
Advise households for bombings
How was radar important in WWIII? (2)
Alerted RAF where German planes were
Attacks were more effective
What protection did Britain have against German bombings? (5)
Radar RAF Barrage balloons Anti-aircraft guns Searchlights
What were the first 6 months of war called? (1)
“Phoney war”
Why was the start of the war nicknamed the “phoney war”? (3)
There was little action in Britain
Britain was not yet prepared to fight
Germany was occupied with Poland
When did Chamberlain resign as Prime Minister? Who replaced him? (1,1)
1940
Winston Churchill
Why did Churchill replace Chamberlain as Prime Minister in 1940? (2)
Early failures while Chamberlain was in charge (nazi occupation of Norway in 1940)
Churchill had been proved right in his idea that appeasement was bad
Why did the government want to evacuate women and children during WWII? (1)
So that morale wouldn’t be damaged
When did evacuation begin? (1)
The weekend after the war began
Who were children evacuated with during WWII? (1)
Teachers
Why were parents not evacuated from cities? (1)
Their jobs were vital for the war effort
What were “Trekkers”? (1)
People who left cities at night and returned in the morning
During the Blitz of Plymouth in 1940, how many people left the city each night? (1)
Over 50 000
Where were evacuees sent? (2)
Some to Canada or the USA
Many to the South Wales valleys
Why did some children like being evacuees? (3)
Welcome by host families
Better standard of living
Some evacuees learnt to speak Welsh fluently
Why did some children not like being evacuees? (3)
Resented as families were forced to take them in
Expected to work on farms
Host families were shocked by poor behaviour
How did evacuation help depressed areas in South Wales? (3)
Families received evacuation allowances
More money was spent in local shops
It reversed depopulation of the 1930s
What bombing tactics did the Germans use during WWII? (2)
Blitzkrieg
Lightning war
What was the Dunkirk evacuation? (4)
British and French troops were forced to Dunkirk
Most of the BEF and thousands of French troops were evacuated
Lots of equipment lost
Portrayed by media as a miraculous escape
What retreat was portrayed by Churchill as a miraculous escape? (1)
The Dunkirk evacuation
What happened on the 22 June 1940? (1)
France surrendered to Germany
When did France surrender to Germany? (1)
22 June 1940
What was the Battle of Britain? (3)
Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to destroy the RAF
Fought over southeast England
July-September 1940
What happened during the first five weeks of the Battle of Britain? (1)
The RAF lost nearly 20% of its strength
Why did the British not lose the Battle of Britain? (1)
Hitler changed tactics to bomb cities instead of airfields
Why did Hitler stop bombing airfields in exchange for bombing cities on the 7 September 1940? (3)
To damage morale
To force the government to surrender
In retaliation to RAF bombing Berlin
When did Hitler order the Luftwaffe to bomb London? (1)
7 September 1940
What was the bombing of British towns and cities known as during WWII? (1)
The Blitz
What did Churchill say after the Battle of Britain? (1)
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”
Between which days was London continually bombed? How many raids were there? (2,1)
7 September to the 2 November 1940
57 raids
When was Coventry bombed for the first time? (1)
14 November 1940
What happened on the 14 November 1940? (3)
Coventry was bombed for the first time
554 people were killed
50 000 houses destroyed
Which areas of Wales were worst hit by the Blitz? (3)
Cardiff, Swansea and Newport
Between which months did the Blitz last? How many people died and how many houses were destroyed? (2)
September 1940 to May 1941
45 000 civilians were killed
3.5 million houses were damaged or destroyed
What Civilian Defence units were set up during WWII? (3)
ARP wardens
The Auxiliary Fire Service
The Auxiliary Ambulance Service
What did newspapers do during the Blitz? (2)
Exaggerated calm and brave behaviour
Boosted morale
When and why did the Blitz end? (2)
June 1941
Germany invaded the Soviet Union
