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
2
Q
What was included in the secret clause of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?
A
Partitioning of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland
3
Q
When did full-scale war in Europe begin?
A
1 September 1939
4
Q
What tactics did Germany use to invade Poland?
A
Blitzkrieg tactics
5
Q
What countries declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939?
A
Britain and France
6
Q
What was the British Expeditionary Force?
A
A military force sent to France by Britain
7
Q
What is the period of non-confrontation between major powers in late 1939 called?
A
The Phoney War
8
Q
When did Soviet forces join the invasion of Poland?
A
17 September 1939
9
Q
Where did the Polish government evacuate to during the invasion?
A
Romania
10
Q
When did Poland fall during World War II?
A
Within five weeks of the invasion
11
Q
When did the last large operational units of Poland surrender?
A
6 October 1939
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
13
Q
When did the United Kingdom formally refuse Hitler’s peace offer?
A
12 October 1939
14
Q
What was the state of the Franco-German frontier after the Polish campaign?
A
A quiet period
15
Q
When did Germany launch an invasion after the Phoney War?
A
10 May 1940
16
Q
What did the Soviet government present to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania after 28 September 1939?
A
Ultimatums threatening military invasion
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
18
Q
What was the Soviet Union’s demand to Finland in October 1939?
A
To conclude a mutual assistance pact
19
Q
When did the Soviet invasion of Finland start?
A
30 November 1939
20
Q
What war began with the Soviet invasion of Finland?
A
The Winter War
21
Q
What was the result of the Winter War for the Soviet Union?
A
They did not accomplish their goal of annexing Finland
22
Q
What treaty ended the Winter War and when was it signed?
A
The Moscow Peace Treaty, April 1940
23
Q
What territory did Finland cede in the Moscow Peace Treaty?
A
9% of its territory, including parts of Karelia and Salla
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
25
When did Germany invade Denmark and Norway?
April 1940
26
What territories did Britain occupy in response to Germany's invasion of Denmark?
The Faroe Islands and Iceland
27
What was the status of Sweden during the invasions of Scandinavia?
Sweden remained neutral
28
When were the Baltic Republics occupied by the Soviet army?
June 1940
29
When were the Baltic Republics formally annexed to the Soviet Union?
August 1940
30
When did the Phoney War end?
10 May 1940
31
What event marked the end of the Phoney War?
German invasion of the Low Countries and France
32
What countries did Germany invade on 10 May 1940?
Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
33
How did Germany bypass French fortifications during the invasion of France?
Bypassing the Maginot Line through the Ardennes
34
When did Germany enter France through the Ardennes?
13 May 1940
35
Where were most Allied forces during the German invasion of France?
In Flanders
36
What was the outcome of the Battle of France?
France surrendered on 22 June 1940
37
When did Italy declare war on France and the United Kingdom?
10 June 1940
38
Where was the French surrender document signed?
In the Forest of Compiègne
39
What were the two major parts France was divided into after the surrender?
Northern part under German control and southern part under Vichy French control
40
Who proclaimed himself the legitimate leader of Free France?
General de Gaulle
41
What ceremony followed the German victory in France?
The 1940 Field Marshal Ceremony
42
What did Vyacheslav Molotov congratulate the Germans for?
The success of the German Wehrmacht
43
When did the USSR give full diplomatic recognition to the Vichy government?
24 April 1941
44
Who replaced Neville Chamberlain as British Prime Minister?
Winston Churchill
45
What was the significance of the Dunkirk evacuation?
Much of Britain's army escaped capture
46
What was Operation Seelöwe (Sea Lion)?
The code name for the planned German invasion of Britain
47
What was the focus of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain?
Destroying the RAF and bombing British cities
48
What was the Blitz?
The bombing of British cities by the Luftwaffe
49
Which British Prime Minister famously praised the RAF personnel?
Winston Churchill
50
What was Churchill's famous quote about the RAF personnel?
'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few'
51
What were some of the major British cities targeted during the Blitz?
London, Birmingham, Coventry, Plymouth, and Kingston upon Hull
52
What was the outcome of the Battle of Britain for the Luftwaffe?
Failure to achieve air superiority
53
When were the plans for the German invasion of Britain suspended?
September 1940
54
When did the air war in the European theatre commence?
1939
55
What was the pre-war expectation about bombers?
'The bomber will always get through'
56
What was the Royal Air Force's strategy for the air war?
Building up a large strategic bomber force
57
What was the primary focus of Nazi German air force doctrine?
Supporting the army
58
Why were German bombers smaller than British bombers?
German doctrine focused on supporting the army rather than strategic bombing
59
What was the German heavy bomber that was operational later in the war?
Heinkel He 177A
60
What were the initial targets of German bomber attacks against the UK?
RAF's airfields during the Battle of Britain
61
What period is referred to as 'The Blitz'?
7 September 1940 until 10 May 1941
62
Why were German cities left vulnerable to Allied bombings later in the war?
The strength of the Luftwaffe was diverted to the war against the Soviet Union
63
What new weapons did Germany use against Britain later in the war?
V1 Flying Bomb and V-2 ballistic missiles
64
Why did the British switch to night bombing?
Daytime bombing resulted in too many losses and too few results
65
When could Bomber Command put 1,000 bombers over one German city?
By 1942
66
What happened to the Soviet air forces during the initial raids of Operation Barbarossa?
The majority were wiped out by the Luftwaffe
67
How did the Soviets regain their air wing later in the war?
With the help of the Allies, mainly through aircraft delivered by arctic convoys
68
When did U.S. Army Air Forces units join the assault on mainland Europe?
4 July 1942
69
What was Operation Gomorrah?
Raids on Hamburg causing a firestorm from 24 July 1943 to 29 July 1943
70
When did the devastating raid on Dresden occur?
14 February 1945
71
How many people were killed in the Dresden raid?
Between 18,000 and 25,000
72
What other attacks killed more people than the Dresden raid?
Hamburg attack, Tokyo firebombing on 9–10 March 1945, and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
73
Which bombers were used extensively by the RAF during the Battle of Britain?
Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes
74
What was the role of Great Britain for the U.S and Allied forces?
A base for the D-Day landings and the liberation of Nazi-occupied Western Europe
75
What was the result of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk for Soviet Russia?
Loss of substantial territory in Eastern Europe
76
Which territories were ceded by Soviet Russia to the Central Powers in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and other areas
77
What happened to these territories after Germany's surrender in World War I?
They became independent states under the terms of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919
78
Why was there no Soviet Russian representation at the Paris Peace Conference?
Soviet Russia was in the midst of a civil war and the Allies did not recognize the Bolshevik government
79
What did Adolf Hitler declare on 11 August 1939 to Carl Jacob Burckhardt?
His intention to invade the Soviet Union
80
What was the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?
A non-aggression agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union signed in August 1939
81
What did the secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact aim to do?
Return Central Europe to the pre–World War I status quo by dividing it between Germany and the Soviet Union
82
Which countries were to return to Soviet control under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
83
How were Poland and Romania to be divided under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?
Between Germany and the Soviet Union
84
What did the German–Soviet Border and Commercial Agreement provide?
The resources necessary for Germany to launch military operations in Eastern Europe
85
When did Germany invade Poland, starting World War II?
1 September 1939
86
When did the Soviet Union invade Eastern Poland?
17 September 1939
87
What was the result of the invasions of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union?
Poland was partitioned among Germany, the Soviet Union, and Lithuania
88
What did the Soviet Union demand from Finland after the invasion of Poland?
Significant territorial concessions
89
When did the Soviet Union attack Finland, starting the Winter War?
30 November 1939
90
What was the outcome of the Winter War for Finland?
Finland maintained its independence but lost its eastern parts in Karelia
91
When did the Soviet Union occupy and annex the Baltic states?
June 1940
92
Which Baltic states were occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in June 1940?
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
93
What did the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact ostensibly provide for the Soviets?
Security in the occupation of the Baltics and northern and northeastern Romania
94
What territories did the Soviet Union annex from Romania in June–July 1940?
Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia
95
How did Moscow partition the annexed Romanian territory?
Between the Ukrainian and Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republics
96
What did Hitler argue for in his autobiography Mein Kampf?
The necessity of Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe
97
What was Hitler's vision for the territories in Eastern Europe?
Settling Germans there, exterminating or deporting most of the existing inhabitants, and using the remainder as slave labor
98
How did Hitler view the Russians?
As inferior and ruled by Jewish masters after the Bolshevik Revolution
99
How did the Nazi leadership view the war against the Soviet Union?
As a struggle between Nazism and Jewish Bolshevism
100
What were the Germanic people considered according to Nazi ideology?
The master race or Aryan Herrenvolk
101
What were the Soviet people considered according to Nazi ideology?
Slavic Untermenschen (subhumans)
102
What did Hitler refer to the war as?
A 'war of annihilation' (Vernichtungskrieg)
103
What was the Generalplan Ost?
The Nazi vision for the future of Eastern Europe involving deportation, enslavement, and extermination of the local population
104
What was the Nazi program for European Jews?
Aiming to exterminate all European Jews
105
What did some Germans experience during the surge to the east in 1941?
Ostrausch - an intoxication with the idea of colonizing the East
106
What did Hitler announce after the Battle of Kiev in 1941?
That the Soviet Union was militarily weak and ripe for immediate conquest
107
What did Hitler say in his speech at the Berlin Sportpalast on 3 October 1941?
'We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.'
108
What shift occurred in Nazi propaganda after the Battle of Stalingrad?
Portraying the war as a German defense of Western civilization against Bolshevik hordes
109
What was the Soviet Union's focus during the 1930s?
Massive industrialization and economic growth under Joseph Stalin
110
What was Stalin's central tenet?
'Socialism in One Country'
111
What were the Soviet Union's five-year plans?
Nationwide centralized plans for industrialization and militarization starting in 1929
112
What conflict served as a testing ground for the Wehrmacht and the Red Army?
The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
113
What was the Anti-Comintern Pact?
An anti-communist agreement signed by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1936
114
What was the Soviet Union's response to Germany's expansion in Europe?
Negotiating treaties of mutual assistance with France and Czechoslovakia
115
What demonstrated the impossibility of establishing a collective security system in Europe?
The German Anschluss of Austria and the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia
116
What led to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Germany?
The reluctance of the British and French governments to sign a full-scale anti-German political and military alliance with the USSR
117
When was the Tripartite Pact signed?
Four years after the Anti-Comintern Pact
