World War 2 Flashcards
Why did the 2nd world war start?
Hitler wanted more land to make a great German Empire called ‘The third Reich’. He invaded Austria, Czechoslovaia and Poland. Britain and Frnace were concerned that Germany would turn on them next so they declared war
What countries and people were involved in WW2?
Germany (with Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland and Bulgaria) against Britain (+commonwealth countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand)Russia, USA. In tIn Asia there was aalso significant fighting with Japan fighting against the allies.. NB there were other countes invsaded which is part of another question)
Which countries were occupied and when?
Hint: the way to help remember this is that Hitler first went south and east (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland) then came down from the north (Norway, DenmarkNetherlands) and then back to the west (Belgium, Luxembourg, France)
1938 Austria (March)
1939 Czechoslovakia (March)
1939 Poland (September)
1940 Norway, Denmark (April)
1940 Netherlands, Belgiul, Luxembourg (May)
1940 France (June)
What was the Maginot Line?
A line fo strong forts (maded of steel and concrete with large guns and deep underground protection) built by the French. It ran along the border between France and Germany. It stopped at the Belgium/Luxembourg border. Unfortunately it didn’t work as the Germans simply went round, invading through Belgium and Luxembourg!
How did Hitler come to power?
He was lazy at school and became a not very good artist but he fought in WW1 and was very brave. He was hoorified that Germany lost the war and was made poor by paying the war debts. With others he formed the NAzi Party; he was a brilliant speaker and told people that he would make them rich again. He became leader in 1933.
How was Hitler bad?
He hated Jews and put them in prison and killed millions. He formed a secret police force called the Gestapo and a private army called the SS to make sure that no one disobeyed him. Children were told to tell their teachers if parents spoke against Hitler (the parents would then go to jail)
Name 4 weapons that were important to Germany in WW2
1) Dive bombing aircraft (Stukas(
2) Fast armoured vehicles (eg tanks) to allow army to move fast
3) magnetic mines (used to blow up ships)
4) U-Boats to stop supplies reaching Britasin
What was ‘Blitzkrieg’?
‘Lightning quick war’’ - fast, armoured vehicles (called Panzer divisions) would rush through the enemy. Slower soldiers would follow to finish them off.
why did the british and French troops need rescuing at dunkirk
the German forces had split the French and British forces and they retreated to Boulogne and were trapped (so they want to the port at Dunkirk to escape)
what kinds of boats were used at Dunkirk? why
little ships (860) were used to get close to the shore because the port of Dunkirk had been badly bombed. the little boats took the men from the shore to the big boats. the big boats took the men back to England
the Germans bombed the troops on the Dunkirk beaches; why didn’t it kill many people?
the bombs sank in the soft sand
how many troops were evacuated? how long did it take?
300,000 troops over nine days
why was it important to get them evacuated
so that they could fight later in the war
why did they have to leave equipment behind
not enough space on the boats
why were some men left behind?
they were the ‘rearguard’ to fight off the Germans as others escaped. They ended up as prisoners of war, however they had saved 300,000 people who fought later to win the war.
