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World War 2 > World War 2 Second > Flashcards

World War 2 Second Flashcards

1
Q

What pact did Germany and the Soviet Union sign before World War II?

A

The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

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2
Q

What was included in the secret clause of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?

A

Partitioning of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland

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3
Q

When did full-scale war in Europe begin?

A

1 September 1939

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4
Q

What tactics did Germany use to invade Poland?

A

Blitzkrieg tactics

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5
Q

What countries declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939?

A

Britain and France

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6
Q

What was the British Expeditionary Force?

A

A military force sent to France by Britain

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7
Q

What is the period of non-confrontation between major powers in late 1939 called?

A

The Phoney War

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8
Q

When did Soviet forces join the invasion of Poland?

A

17 September 1939

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9
Q

Where did the Polish government evacuate to during the invasion?

A

Romania

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10
Q

When did Poland fall during World War II?

A

Within five weeks of the invasion

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11
Q

When did the last large operational units of Poland surrender?

A

6 October 1939

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12
Q

What offer did Hitler make to Britain and France after the Polish September Campaign?

A

Peace on the basis of recognition of German European continental dominance

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13
Q

When did the United Kingdom formally refuse Hitler’s peace offer?

A

12 October 1939

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14
Q

What was the state of the Franco-German frontier after the Polish campaign?

A

A quiet period

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15
Q

When did Germany launch an invasion after the Phoney War?

A

10 May 1940

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16
Q

What did the Soviet government present to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania after 28 September 1939?

A

Ultimatums threatening military invasion

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17
Q

What did the mutual assistance pacts between the Soviet Union and the Baltic states allow?

A

The Soviets the right to establish military bases

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18
Q

What was the Soviet Union’s demand to Finland in October 1939?

A

To conclude a mutual assistance pact

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19
Q

When did the Soviet invasion of Finland start?

A

30 November 1939

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20
Q

What war began with the Soviet invasion of Finland?

A

The Winter War

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21
Q

What was the result of the Winter War for the Soviet Union?

A

They did not accomplish their goal of annexing Finland

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22
Q

What treaty ended the Winter War and when was it signed?

A

The Moscow Peace Treaty, April 1940

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23
Q

What territory did Finland cede in the Moscow Peace Treaty?

A

9% of its territory, including parts of Karelia and Salla

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24
Q

How did the Finns feel about the Moscow Peace Treaty?

A

Embittered over losing more land in peace than on the battlefields and perceived lack of world sympathy

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25
Q

When did Germany invade Denmark and Norway?

A

April 1940

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26
Q

What territories did Britain occupy in response to Germany’s invasion of Denmark?

A

The Faroe Islands and Iceland

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27
Q

What was the status of Sweden during the invasions of Scandinavia?

A

Sweden remained neutral

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28
Q

When were the Baltic Republics occupied by the Soviet army?

A

June 1940

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29
Q

When were the Baltic Republics formally annexed to the Soviet Union?

A

August 1940

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30
Q

When did the Phoney War end?

A

10 May 1940

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31
Q

What event marked the end of the Phoney War?

A

German invasion of the Low Countries and France

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32
Q

What countries did Germany invade on 10 May 1940?

A

Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg

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33
Q

How did Germany bypass French fortifications during the invasion of France?

A

Bypassing the Maginot Line through the Ardennes

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34
Q

When did Germany enter France through the Ardennes?

A

13 May 1940

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35
Q

Where were most Allied forces during the German invasion of France?

A

In Flanders

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36
Q

What was the outcome of the Battle of France?

A

France surrendered on 22 June 1940

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37
Q

When did Italy declare war on France and the United Kingdom?

A

10 June 1940

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38
Q

Where was the French surrender document signed?

A

In the Forest of Compiègne

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39
Q

What were the two major parts France was divided into after the surrender?

A

Northern part under German control and southern part under Vichy French control

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40
Q

Who proclaimed himself the legitimate leader of Free France?

A

General de Gaulle

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41
Q

What ceremony followed the German victory in France?

A

The 1940 Field Marshal Ceremony

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42
Q

What did Vyacheslav Molotov congratulate the Germans for?

A

The success of the German Wehrmacht

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43
Q

When did the USSR give full diplomatic recognition to the Vichy government?

A

24 April 1941

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44
Q

Who replaced Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister?

A

Winston Churchill

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45
Q

What was the significance of the Dunkirk evacuation?

A

Much of Britain’s army escaped capture

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46
Q

What was Operation Seelöwe (Sea Lion)?

A

The code name for the planned German invasion of Britain

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47
Q

What was the focus of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain?

A

Destroying the RAF and bombing British cities

48
Q

What was the Blitz?

A

The bombing of British cities by the Luftwaffe

49
Q

Which British Prime Minister famously praised the RAF personnel?

A

Winston Churchill

50
Q

What was Churchill’s famous quote about the RAF personnel?

A

‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’

51
Q

What were some of the major British cities targeted during the Blitz?

A

London, Birmingham, Coventry, Plymouth, and Kingston upon Hull

52
Q

What was the outcome of the Battle of Britain for the Luftwaffe?

A

Failure to achieve air superiority

53
Q

When were the plans for the German invasion of Britain suspended?

A

September 1940

54
Q

When did the air war in the European theatre commence?

A

1939

55
Q

What was the pre-war expectation about bombers?

A

‘The bomber will always get through’

56
Q

What was the Royal Air Force’s strategy for the air war?

A

Building up a large strategic bomber force

57
Q

What was the primary focus of Nazi German air force doctrine?

A

Supporting the army

58
Q

Why were German bombers smaller than British bombers?

A

German doctrine focused on supporting the army rather than strategic bombing

59
Q

What was the German heavy bomber that was operational later in the war?

A

Heinkel He 177A

60
Q

What were the initial targets of German bomber attacks against the UK?

A

RAF’s airfields during the Battle of Britain

61
Q

What period is referred to as ‘The Blitz’?

A

7 September 1940 until 10 May 1941

62
Q

Why were German cities left vulnerable to Allied bombings later in the war?

A

The strength of the Luftwaffe was diverted to the war against the Soviet Union

63
Q

What new weapons did Germany use against Britain later in the war?

A

V1 Flying Bomb and V-2 ballistic missiles

64
Q

Why did the British switch to night bombing?

A

Daytime bombing resulted in too many losses and too few results

65
Q

When could Bomber Command put 1,000 bombers over one German city?

A

By 1942

66
Q

What happened to the Soviet air forces during the initial raids of Operation Barbarossa?

A

The majority were wiped out by the Luftwaffe

67
Q

How did the Soviets regain their air wing later in the war?

A

With the help of the Allies, mainly through aircraft delivered by arctic convoys

68
Q

When did U.S. Army Air Forces units join the assault on mainland Europe?

A

4 July 1942

69
Q

What was Operation Gomorrah?

A

Raids on Hamburg causing a firestorm from 24 July 1943 to 29 July 1943

70
Q

When did the devastating raid on Dresden occur?

A

14 February 1945

71
Q

How many people were killed in the Dresden raid?

A

Between 18,000 and 25,000

72
Q

What other attacks killed more people than the Dresden raid?

A

Hamburg attack, Tokyo firebombing on 9–10 March 1945, and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

73
Q

Which bombers were used extensively by the RAF during the Battle of Britain?

A

Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes

74
Q

What was the role of Great Britain for the U.S and Allied forces?

A

A base for the D-Day landings and the liberation of Nazi-occupied Western Europe

75
Q

What was the result of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk for Soviet Russia?

A

Loss of substantial territory in Eastern Europe

76
Q

Which territories were ceded by Soviet Russia to the Central Powers in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

A

Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and other areas

77
Q

What happened to these territories after Germany’s surrender in World War I?

A

They became independent states under the terms of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919

78
Q

Why was there no Soviet Russian representation at the Paris Peace Conference?

A

Soviet Russia was in the midst of a civil war and the Allies did not recognize the Bolshevik government

79
Q

What did Adolf Hitler declare on 11 August 1939 to Carl Jacob Burckhardt?

A

His intention to invade the Soviet Union

80
Q

What was the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?

A

A non-aggression agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union signed in August 1939

81
Q

What did the secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact aim to do?

A

Return Central Europe to the pre–World War I status quo by dividing it between Germany and the Soviet Union

82
Q

Which countries were to return to Soviet control under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?

A

Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

83
Q

How were Poland and Romania to be divided under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?

A

Between Germany and the Soviet Union

84
Q

What did the German–Soviet Border and Commercial Agreement provide?

A

The resources necessary for Germany to launch military operations in Eastern Europe

85
Q

When did Germany invade Poland, starting World War II?

A

1 September 1939

86
Q

When did the Soviet Union invade Eastern Poland?

A

17 September 1939

87
Q

What was the result of the invasions of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union?

A

Poland was partitioned among Germany, the Soviet Union, and Lithuania

88
Q

What did the Soviet Union demand from Finland after the invasion of Poland?

A

Significant territorial concessions

89
Q

When did the Soviet Union attack Finland, starting the Winter War?

A

30 November 1939

90
Q

What was the outcome of the Winter War for Finland?

A

Finland maintained its independence but lost its eastern parts in Karelia

91
Q

When did the Soviet Union occupy and annex the Baltic states?

A

June 1940

92
Q

Which Baltic states were occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in June 1940?

A

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

93
Q

What did the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact ostensibly provide for the Soviets?

A

Security in the occupation of the Baltics and northern and northeastern Romania

94
Q

What territories did the Soviet Union annex from Romania in June–July 1940?

A

Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia

95
Q

How did Moscow partition the annexed Romanian territory?

A

Between the Ukrainian and Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republics

96
Q

What did Hitler argue for in his autobiography Mein Kampf?

A

The necessity of Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe

97
Q

What was Hitler’s vision for the territories in Eastern Europe?

A

Settling Germans there, exterminating or deporting most of the existing inhabitants, and using the remainder as slave labor

98
Q

How did Hitler view the Russians?

A

As inferior and ruled by Jewish masters after the Bolshevik Revolution

99
Q

How did the Nazi leadership view the war against the Soviet Union?

A

As a struggle between Nazism and Jewish Bolshevism

100
Q

What were the Germanic people considered according to Nazi ideology?

A

The master race or Aryan Herrenvolk

101
Q

What were the Soviet people considered according to Nazi ideology?

A

Slavic Untermenschen (subhumans)

102
Q

What did Hitler refer to the war as?

A

A ‘war of annihilation’ (Vernichtungskrieg)

103
Q

What was the Generalplan Ost?

A

The Nazi vision for the future of Eastern Europe involving deportation, enslavement, and extermination of the local population

104
Q

What was the Nazi program for European Jews?

A

Aiming to exterminate all European Jews

105
Q

What did some Germans experience during the surge to the east in 1941?

A

Ostrausch - an intoxication with the idea of colonizing the East

106
Q

What did Hitler announce after the Battle of Kiev in 1941?

A

That the Soviet Union was militarily weak and ripe for immediate conquest

107
Q

What did Hitler say in his speech at the Berlin Sportpalast on 3 October 1941?

A

‘We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.’

108
Q

What shift occurred in Nazi propaganda after the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Portraying the war as a German defense of Western civilization against Bolshevik hordes

109
Q

What was the Soviet Union’s focus during the 1930s?

A

Massive industrialization and economic growth under Joseph Stalin

110
Q

What was Stalin’s central tenet?

A

‘Socialism in One Country’

111
Q

What were the Soviet Union’s five-year plans?

A

Nationwide centralized plans for industrialization and militarization starting in 1929

112
Q

What conflict served as a testing ground for the Wehrmacht and the Red Army?

A

The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

113
Q

What was the Anti-Comintern Pact?

A

An anti-communist agreement signed by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1936

114
Q

What was the Soviet Union’s response to Germany’s expansion in Europe?

A

Negotiating treaties of mutual assistance with France and Czechoslovakia

115
Q

What demonstrated the impossibility of establishing a collective security system in Europe?

A

The German Anschluss of Austria and the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia

116
Q

What led to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Germany?

A

The reluctance of the British and French governments to sign a full-scale anti-German political and military alliance with the USSR

117
Q

When was the Tripartite Pact signed?

A

Four years after the Anti-Comintern Pact

World War 2 (5 decks)

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