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world war 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

when was the invasion of poland?

A

September 1st, 1939

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2
Q

what was another name for Blitzkrieg?

A

Lightning War

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3
Q

What were the major techniques used in blitzkrieg? and describe each one

A
  1. Surprise
    Panzer Tanks smash through the front
  2. Speed
    Motorized infantry and Wermacht (Ground Troops) pour in
  3. Weight of Attack
    Aerial Support: Stuka Dive Bombers, Luftwaffe Air Force Attack, Drop shock troops, and paratroopers BEHIND ENEMY LINES
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4
Q

what was the german vs polish

A

German Army vs. Polish Army
Tanks Horses

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5
Q

what were some of the defining features of Blitzkrieg? Like what did French and Polish tactics look like during Blitzkrieg?

A
  • Poland was still using cavalry, trench warfare, and surprise attacks, which were OUTDATED tactics. So they were slaughtered by the Germans.
  • French also used outdated tactics like putting soldiers in front/next to tanks
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6
Q

what happened on september 17th?

A

Stalin/USSR army attacked from the east

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7
Q

What did Stalin/USSR do on September 17, and what happened to Poland on September 29th?

A

On september 17, Stalin/USSR attacked from the east, and by September 29, Poland ceased to exist

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8
Q

what was the phony war?

A

a period of time where Britain and France didn’t engage with Germany until the 1940s

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9
Q

what happened during the phony war?

A

Hitler invaded Denmark and Norway

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10
Q

What was relevant about the phony war? Like what did Hitler do in the Phony war(**hint what did he install in one of the countries he invaded), Also what played a big factor in the phony war? and what did people expect hitler do to in the phony war?

A
  • Hitler installed a puppet government in Norway
  • Everyone expected Hitler to attack Western Europe
  • Bad weather and indecision played a big factor
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11
Q

when did Hitler invade Denmark?

A

April 8

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12
Q

when did Hitler invade Norway?

A

April 9

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13
Q

what was appeasement?

A
  • not taking action against Germany building its naval forces
  • not taking action against Germany invading the Rhineland and Czechoslovakia
  • only taking action against Germany at the last second
  • Poland is divided between Germany and the USSR
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14
Q

What happened on May 10th, 1940?

A

Hitler invaded France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg

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15
Q

what was the French Maginot line?

A

It was a useless line set up by the French as a defense. However it was useless, and the Nazis simply went through Belgium or over the Maginot line. They would also go around it and through the Ardennes (a dense forest) using tanks. Essentially, this magical line was ineffective.

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16
Q

List the four reasons why France was overrun very quickly?

A
  1. The Maginot Line, that could just be went around, either through Belgium, over the Maginot Line, or just through the Ardennes with tanks.
  2. French Tank Tactics - The French would walk next to the tanks
  3. Luftwaffe - German air support surprised and destroyed the French troops
  4. Internal Trouble - French army was full of arrogant commanders who hated each other
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17
Q

What did the German operation look like for the war in western europe? (describe the image)

A

supply cargo trucks in the back, tanks, small cars in the front, with parachutes/hot air balloons at the very front of the operation

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18
Q

what happened on May 26th? (optional)

A

Evacuation begins, and 500 ships sailed from england

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19
Q

what was the importance of Dunkirk?

A

Many of Britain’s top military officials were rescued and would live to fight another day

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20
Q

what happened on June 10th?

A

Mussolini/Italy declared war on France

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21
Q

what happened on June 14th?

A

the Nazis entered Paris

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22
Q

what happened on June 22, 1940?

A

The French surrendered

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23
Q

What was Vichy France?

A

A town in southern France that was a puppet regime of the Nazis. The French officials in this town cooperated with the Nazis, and supported Hitler and Germany. THIS IS WHY THIS TOWN OF FRANCE WAS SPARED

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24
Q

Who was Charles De Gaulle?

A

Leader of the Free French Forces. He evacuated to England in the Dunkirk evacuation

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25
Q

What was Collaboration in WW2?

A

Members of the French government who cooperated with the Nazis

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26
Q

From what year to what year was the battle of Britain?

A

The Battle of Britain was from July 10th to September 30th, 1940

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27
Q

Who was fighting against who in the Battle of Britain?

A

It was Germany’s Luftwaffe vs Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF)

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28
Q

Who was the head of the Luftwaffe during this time?

A

Hermann Goering

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29
Q

What did the head of the Luftwaffe promise Hitler?

A

That he could eliminate the RAF (Britain’s Royal Air Force)

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30
Q

What Ratio did the Luftwaffe enjoy in terms of aircraft?

A

A 3:1 advantage

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31
Q

What was the first step in “Operation Sea Lion”?

A

Removing the RAF (Britain’s Royal Force) was the first step in Operation Sea Lion. !!THIS IS IMPORTANT!!

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32
Q

What was Germany’s initial strategy in the Battle of Britain? Also, list what month each step took place in? There are 3 points.

HINT:
one is about convoys in what channel?
another is about attacking a specific thing
and the last one is about hitting a specific target

A
  1. Attack British naval convoys in the English Channel (July)
  2. Attack British Airfields (August)
  3. Hit British radar stations (August-September)
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33
Q

What were the results of Germany’s strategy in the Battle of Britain?

A

Their initial strategy DID NOT succeed in crippling the RAF (Britain’s Royal Air Force), so as a result, Germany failed to gain superiority over Britain in an air sense. This boosted the morale of the British, and it showed the vulnerability of Germany’s air force.

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34
Q

What are some additional points about the Battle of Britain (optional)

A
  • nobody has ever fully taken over Britain because of the large bodies of water around it
  • If the Germans captured Britain, it would’ve been GAME OVER
  • The British were outnumbered, but they had the enigma machine (decoded messages) and they also had radar to detect U-boats underwater.
  • Winston Churchill was VERY against Hitler, saying that England would forever change if Germany were to take over
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35
Q

How were the British looking against the Nazis in the Battle of Britain?

A

Britain stood alone against the Nazis

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36
Q

What was the USA practicing during the battle of Britain?

A

The USA was still practicing isolationism

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37
Q

What was up with France during the Battle of Britain, and what was up with Germany and the USSR during the Battle of Britain?

A

France was defeated, and the USSR and Germany were still following the Nazi-Soviet Non Aggression Pact

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38
Q

What was the mistake Germany made on August 24th, 1940?

A

Germany turned away from bombing airfields and starting bombing London. He also turned away from bombing radar installations and focused on hitting civilian targets like London.

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39
Q

What was Churchill’s reaction to Hitler’s mistake on August 24th, 1940?

A

Churchill’s response was to attack Berlin.

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40
Q

What was Hitler’s reaction to Churchill’s reaction to his mistake?

A

Hitler’s reaction was “The Blitz” were there were major (Consecutive) nights of bombing london (major attack on London

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41
Q

What was the significance of Hitler’s response back to Churchill’s response?

A

He indefinitely postpones his invasion until later and CREATES A TWO FRONT WAR. HE LOSES THE CHANCE TO DEFEAT ENGLAND (TURNS TO RUSSIA). DEMORALIZATION.

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42
Q

What were three major technological advantages that Britain had during the Battle of Britain? think planes and there are only 4 points (one extra optional)

A
  1. Radar
  2. Lancaster Bomber
  3. Spitfire Plane
  4. Hawker Hurricane Fighter
  5. Raiding Bombers (optional)
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43
Q

What happened on September 30th, 1940?

A

Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion

44
Q

What was significant about the Battle of Britain?

A
  1. It opened a two front war
  2. Base for USA (BRITAIN BECOMES A BASE)
  3. Hitler lost the opportunity to be in total control of western europe
45
Q

What years did the eastern front take place?

A

1939-1945

46
Q

What country did the USSR attack in the “Winter War”?

A

The USSR attacked Finland

47
Q

What year was the Winter War in?

A

November 30th, 1939

48
Q

What states did the USSR Occupy during the Eastern Front?

A

The USSR occupied the Baltic States: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia

49
Q

What year did the USSR occupy these states?

A

The USSR occupied these states in June 1940

50
Q

What country did Germany occupy during October 1940? **

A

Germany occupied Romania in October 1940

51
Q

What country did Italy invade during the Eastern Front?

A

Italy invaded Greece

52
Q

What happened when Italy invaded this country during the Eastern Front?

A

When Italy invaded Greece, they were soon forced back into Albania

53
Q

What was the significance of Hitler invading this country during the Eastern Front?

A

The significance was that Yugoslavia disappeared from the map and Hitler had to come to Mussolini’s rescue (THIS WAS ALSO CALLED OPERATION RED BEARD)

54
Q

What was it called when Hitler had to come to Mussolini’s rescue?

A

It was called operation Red Beard

55
Q

What were the three goals of Operation Barbarossa?

A
  1. Invasion of Russia (surprise attack)
  2. Destruction of communism (war of extermination)
  3. Grab for Lebenscaum (more living space)
56
Q

What was the length of the front in Operation Barbarossa?

A

The length of the front was 200 miles long

57
Q

How many German divisions initially attacked the USSR during Operation Barbarossa?

A

158-200 divisions

58
Q

How many German soldiers would fight in the east in Operation Barbarossa?

A

3 million soldiers

59
Q

How many miles did German motorized divisions advance on the first day in Operation Barbarossa?

A

They advanced 50 miles

60
Q

How many miles did German motorized divisions advance in the first week in Operation Barbarossa??

A

200-300 miles in the first week

61
Q

How many soldiers did the USSR lose in the first 6 months of Operation Barbarossa?

A

they lost 3 million soldiers

62
Q

Name the three German successes in the first 6 months of Operation Barbarossa

A
  1. Leningrad
  2. Kiev/Kharkov/Smolensk
  3. USSR’s economic base
63
Q

What happened in Leningrad?

A

Hitler’s armies surrounded the 3 million people living there, essentially cutting off the people living there. People suffered from Hunger, thousands died of intense starvation and intense cold.

64
Q

Where were Kiev/Kharkov/Smolensk?

A

Kiev (Ukraine)
Kharkov (west of Stalingrad)
Smolensk (west of Moscow)

65
Q

What were Autumn Rains & ‘General Winter’?

A
  • The coldest winter in half a century
  • Dirt roads became muddy, bogging down machines and men
  • Soldiers froze to death
66
Q

What was the T-34?

A

The T-34 was a Russian tank

67
Q

What was Stalin’s scorched earth policy?

A
  • Russians poison wells
  • Slaughter livestock
  • Crops in flames
    They wanted to make sure they scorched the earth so that the Germans had no food/shelter
68
Q

What was USSR’s economic base about?

A

60% of Russian coal and pig Iron was produced here (OVER 1/2 the output of steel)

69
Q

Name the 4 Russian counter attacks to this? AND EXPLAIN EACH ONE (Eastern Front)

one has something to do with the weather
another has something to do with technology (starts with a T)
another has something to do with divisions
another has something to do with deaths

A

Moscow
The russian winter halted the germans, they smashed into russian barbed wire and trenches dug by civilians near the city.
(off-topic: Hitler failed to take moscow, and this created a two-front war)

technology
Amasses new tanks: 134 tanks, wide tanks, very reliable

Soviet Reserves
1,000 soviet divisions

German dead
1 million Germans died (BUT SOVIET LOSSES WERE 3x THAT NUMBER)

70
Q

What happened in the Spring of 1942? What was the German’s new plan? (Eastern Front)

A
  • 2 pronged attacks
  • 6th army to take Stalingrad
  • Army group A to take the oil rich area of the Caucasus
71
Q

When was the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

September 1st 1942- February 2nd, 1943

72
Q

What was the size of the city in the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

The city was 30km long around the Volga R.

73
Q

What was the symbolic importance of the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

HITLER HAD LOST and FAILED TO CAUSE THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION

74
Q

What was the strategic importance of the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

IT WAS HITLER’S BIGGEST LOSS SO FAR BECAUSE OF BAD STRATEGIES

75
Q

What was Hitler’s mistake in the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Hitler’s troops weren’t dressed for the cold winter
Hitler refused to face the reality of the situation, like the immense landscape, size of the front which was opening up, and the effects of Stalin’s scorched earth policy
Choosing the most heavily armored city to attack
Germany’s army was completely surrounded

76
Q

Who introduced the scorched earth policy?

A

Stalin

77
Q

What were Germany’s losses in the Battle of Stalingrad?

how many specifically died, who surrendered, how many generals died, how many soldiers, what happened to the wehrmacht

A

IT WAS HITLER’S FIRST LOSS
300,000 deaths of the 100,000 prisoners
24 generals died
1,000 soldiers died
Field Marshall Von Paulus surrendered
MOMENTUM STARTS TO SLOW DOWN
THE LOSSES TO THE WEHRMACHT COULDN’T BE REPLACED

78
Q

What was the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad?

A
  1. For the first time in Hitler’s war, a German army in Europe had been beaten
    Hitler failed to capture the Caucasus that had oil
    Hitler was fighting a TWO FRONT WAR because he failed to take moscow
79
Q

What german general would surrender in the battle of stalingrad?

A

Field Marshall Von Paulus

80
Q

What did Hitler say to General Guderian after the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

“had I known Russian tank strength, I would not have started this war.”

81
Q

How did General Guderian summarize the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

“the enemy, the size of the country, and the foulness of the weather were all grossly underestimated”

82
Q

WHO were the two major figures going up against each other in the Battle of North Africa?

A

Rommel vs Montgomery

83
Q

Why did the Axis and Allied powers know that North Africa would be important? There are three reasons

A
  • To control the Suez Canal
  • Oil Fields
  • Mediterranean Sea
  • The Middle east was very important to the British empire
84
Q

Who made up the allies in WW2?

A

Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union

85
Q

Who made up the axis in WW2?

A

Germany, Italy, and Japan

86
Q

When did Italy attack Egypt (Battle of North Africa)

A

September 13th, 1940

87
Q

What does General Wavell do in the Battle of North Africa?

A

General Wavell (With the British) counter-attacks against Italy in North Africa

88
Q

What country did Italy attack in North Africa?

A

Egypt

89
Q

What did Erwin Rommell do in North Africa? and what was his nickname?

A

Erwin Rommell, nicknamed Desert Fox, and who was a supporter of Nazis, took command of German forces in North Africa

90
Q

What did Bernard Montgomery do in North Africa? Whose side was he on, and what was his nickname?

A

Bernard Montgomery (momy) takes command of British forces in North Africa

91
Q

When was the city of El Alamein involved in the North Africa issue?

A

October 1942

92
Q

What city is El Alamein located west of?

A

El Alamein is located 100km WEST OF the city Alexandria in EGYPT

93
Q

What were the British nicknamed in the Battle of North Africa?

A

They were nicknamed the Desert Rats

94
Q

What did the British do in El Alamein?

A

They defeated Rommel’s forces

95
Q

Whose side was Bernard Montgomery on?

A

He was on the side of the allies

96
Q

Whose side was Erwin Rommel on?

A

The Germans side (although he secretly wanted to overthrow Hitler)

97
Q

What happened to the German and Italian forces during the battle of El Alamein

A

They retreated over a thousand miles across North Africa, and then the Free French Forces joined the war in El Alamein

98
Q

What was Operation Torch about? (This is still in El Alamein)

A

American forces under General Eisenhower landed in Morocco and advanced from the west

99
Q

What happened to Rommel as the British advanced to the East?

A

Rommel was trapped, but he managed to escape to Libya

100
Q

What was the significance of El Alamein and North Africa? 6 points
one about how it was the….
one about how the war was…
one about hitler’s mistake
what did it divert away from?
who won?
what did it keep away from…

A
  1. It was one of the longest retreats in history
  2. THE WAR IN NORTH AFRICA WAS FINALLY OVER
  3. MISTAKE on Hitler’s part not to take the Mediterranean war more seriously
  4. Troops diverted away from the Nazi invasion of Russia
  5. IT WAS A SHATTERING BRITISH VICTORY AGAINST A HEAVILY OUTNUMBERED ENEMY, AND CHURCHILL REALLY NEEDEED THIS VICTORY
    - Kept Egypt and the Suez Canal OUT OF GERMAN HANDS-Kept the middle east oil fields out of German control
101
Q

During what years did the Battle of the Atlantic take place?

A

1941-1945

102
Q

What was the Battle of the Atlantic about?

A

The struggle for the allies(Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union) to keep their shipping lanes open to Britain

103
Q

What did U-boats do during the Battle of the Atlantic?

A

Most Allied ships were sunk by U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic, hunting in groups called “Wolf Packs”

104
Q

What did the setup look like for the Battle of the Atlantic? (image)

A

Destroyers at the very top, trawlers all in-between, more trawlers at the bottom, and one torpedo boat close to the bottom

105
Q

What year turned the tide against the U-boats?

A

1943

106
Q

What changed and turned the tide against U-boats in the battle of the atlantic?

A
  1. Long ranged aircraft cooperating with naval support groups using radar
  2. Allies were punching through the soft underbelly of Europe
  3. Indiscriminate bombing of German cities
  4. Raids of French ports U-boats were deployed to these locations
  5. America’s involvement in the war
107
Q

What was the significance of the Battle of the Atlantic?

A
  1. IT created an umbilical cord between North America and Britain (It strengthened the ties between North American and Britain)
  2. It could not run the war without supplies
  3. It kept supply lines open

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