World War II Flashcards
1
Q
World War II ended in
A
1945
2
Q
Factor that played a role in the eventual Nazi defeat
A
The entry of the United States of America (USA) into the war on the side of the Allies
3
Q
Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in
A
1941
4
Q
USA entered the war and…
A
Built a powerful wartime coalition with Britain and the Soviet Union
5
Q
Nazi Germany had control over much of Europe
A
By 1941
6
Q
Germany had defeated and occupied the following countries:
A
- Poland (attacked in September 1939) - start of war
- Denmark (April 1940)
- Norway (April 1940)
- Belgium (May 1940)
- Netherlands (May 1940)
- Luxemburg (May 1940)
- France (May 1940)
- Yugoslavia (April 1941)
- Greece (April 1941)
7
Q
World War 2 began with…
A
Nazi attack on Poland in September 1939
8
Q
07 December 1941
A
Usa did not enter the war until Japanse bombed the American fleet in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii
9
Q
Neutrality Act
A
1939 - Prohibited USA from supplying arms, ammunition/financial aid to belligerent countries
10
Q
Lend-lease agreement
A
September 1940 - USA (although not at war) provided military supplies and other forms of assistance to Allies
11
Q
Lend-lease agreement enabled the USA to:
A
- Loan/give armaments to Britain
- Became the supply line that enabled Britain to resist Hitler
- Billion dollars of aid of weapons, ships and other vital needs
12
Q
USA’s agreement with the government of Greenland:
A
- To build bases and station troops in Greenland
- To extend America’s protection of their Lend-lease ships that were crossing the Atlantic between the USA and Britain
13
Q
Relationship between Japanese and Americans
A
Hostile relationship between Japanese and Americans for decades
14
Q
USA was unhappy with Japan’s
A
- Expansionist policy
- Hostile attitude towards China
15
Q
Japanese government had ____________ problems
A
- Economic
- Demographic
16
Q
Japanese government believed that to solve its economic and demographic problems they needed to:
A
- Expand into China
- Take over China’s import market
17
Q
Japan declared war on China
A
1937: resulting in the Nanjing Massacre and other atrocities
18
Q
American officials responded to Japans actions towards China with:
A
- Economic sanctions and trade embargoes
- Believed that without access to money, goods, oil - Japan would have to reconsider its policy
19
Q
However sanctions imposed on Japanese made ______
A
Japanese more determined to stand their ground
20
Q
________ of negotiations between America and Japan were ______
A
Months
Unfruitful
21
Q
Pearl Harbour
A
- US Naval Base near Honolulu, Hawaii
- In the Pacific Ocean, about 2000 miles from US mainland and about 4000 miles from Japan
22
Q
No one _____________ that Japanese would ________
A
Believed
Start a war with an attack on Pearl Harbour
23
Q
American __________ were confident that if Japan attacked it would be:
A
Intelligence officials
Nearby European colonies in the South Pacific e.g. Dutch East Indies, Singapore/Indochina
24
Q
US __________ were not expecting an attack so close to home therefore:
A
Military leaders
Naval facilities at Pearl Harbour were relatively undefended
25
To Japanese Pearl Harbour was considered
An Easy Target
26
When was Pearl Harbour attacked
07 December 1941: America’s isolation from war ended when Japan staged a surprised attack on the American fleet at Pearl harbour just before 8h00
27
Pearl Harbour casualties:
- Destroyed/damaged nearly 20 American naval vessels
- 8 Battleships
- Over 300 airplanes
- More than 2400 Americans died, including civilians
- 1000 people were wounded
28
Attack on Pearl Harbour lasted:
2 hours
29
Day after the attack…
American president Franklin.D.Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan
30
Who were the Kamikaze Pilots?
Part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military pilots who flew suicide attacks for Japan near the end of the war in the Pacific of WWII
31
Kamikaze attack casualties:
- About 3800 kamikaze pilots died during the war
- More than 7000 naval personnel were killed by kamikaze attacks
32
Kamikaze means
‘Divine Wind’ - pilots believed that their sacrifice paid the debt they owed to God and showed the love they had for their families, friends and emperor
33
Why US Navy was able to recover quickly from the attack:
- Japanese had failed to cripple the US Pacific Fleet
- By the 1940’s, battleships were no longer the most important naval vessel: aircraft carriers were
- All the Pacific Fleet’s carriers were away from the base on 07 December - some had returned to mainland and others delivered planes to troops on Midway and Wake Islands
- Bases’ most vital onshare facilities, oil storage deposits, repair shops, shipyards and submarine docks were intact
34
US Congress approved President Roosevelt’s declaration of war on Japan
08 December 1941
35
Japan’s allies Germany and Italy declared war on USA
11 December 1941 (3 days later)
36
When did the USA enter the war
More than 2 years after the start of WWII: 1941
37
What pushed USA into the war:
Japanese wanted to provoke the USA into an agreement to lift the economic sanctions against them, instead this pushed the USA into the war.
38
USA entering the war resulted in:
- Defeat of the Japanese
- End to the war in the Pacific
- Eventually to the end of WWII
39
Entry of USA may be considered …
A turning point in the war because it made the eventual defeat of Germany possible
40
Allies’ military effort against Germany was…
Strengthened by the entry of USA into the war (financially and in terms of man power) which contributed significantly to the defeat of Nazis and end of WWII
41
Axis Powers
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
42
Allies Powers
- France
- Great Britain
- United States
- Soviet Union
- China (to a lesser extent)
43
On ________ Japan signed a __________ with ________ thus ________
1940
Treaty
Germany and Italy
Bringing it to WWII
44
The attack on Pearl Harbour resulted in:
- Entry of USA into the war
- Moving the war into areas in the Pacific Ocean and Far East
45
War was not going well for the Germans
By April 1945
46
Hitler realised that all was lost on
30 April
47
Hitler realised that all was lost:
- Battle of Nuremberg and Battle of Hamburg ended with American and British occupation
- Battle of Berlin raging above his bunker
- Soviets surrounding the city, Berlin
- Hitler’s escape routes was cut off by the Americans
48
Hitler’s death
Not wishing to suffer Mussolini’s fate, German dictator Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his Führerbunker along with Eva Braun 30 April 1945
49
Eva Braun
Hitler’s long-term partner whom he had married less than 40 hours before their joint suicide
50
Joseph Goebels death
Committed suicide 01 May 1945 (following day)
51
Final battles of the European Theatre & German surrender to the Allies
Late April and early May 1945
52
Which German forces were first to surrender
German forces fighting in Italy in 29 April 1945 and became effective in 02 May 1945
53
_______ followed suit and surrendered
Italy & Austria
54
Germany unconditionally surrendered to Allied forces
07 May 1945
55
VE-Day
Victory on Europe Day marking the end of the war in Europe
56
Which war still continued
War in the Pacific and Far East
57
Japanese believed that surrendering…
Was dishonourable and were prepared to fight to the death
58
When Japanese refused to surrender
USA was convinced they needed to take more drastic actions
59
When is VE-Day
News of the surrender broke in the west and celebrations erupted in Europe and parts of British Empire, US Americans awoke to the news and declared 08 May VE-Day
60
Russia and many other European countries east of Germany commemorate Victory Day on
09 May: Soviet Union was east of Germany, it was 09 May Moscow Time when German military surrender became effective
61
The atomic bomb the first weapon of mass destruction was ready
July 1945
62
_____ decided to use the atomic bomb against Japan
President Harry Truman of the USA
63
Bombing of Hiroshima
06 August 1945: an American aeroplane, Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Japanese city of Hiroshima
64
Why was Hiroshima chosen
Because it was an industrial city with military operations
65
First atomic bomb was nicknamed
Little Boy
66
Causalities of the bomb on Hiroshima
Killed about 80 000 people and destroyed about 90% of city - Japanese still did not surrender
67
Bombing of Nagasaki
09 August 1945 (3 days after bombing on Hiroshima): USA dropped a second atomic bomb on city of Nagasaki
68
Why was Nagasaki chosen
Nagasaki was the oldest port city in Japan, bomb was aimed at the harbour but missed its mark
69
Casualties of the bomb on Nagasaki:
Destroyed half the city
70
Japan surrendered
14 August 1945, signing the formal surrender on board the battleship USS Missouri
71
Dropping of the atomic bomb was and is…
One of the most controversial decisions in military history
72
Casualties of the atomic bombs
- Killed almost 110 000 Japanese citizens
- Injured 130 000 Japanese citizens
- By 1950, 230 000 Japanese died from injuries/radiation sickness
- Many others died of cancer
- Decades later, some people gave birth to children with physical and mental disabilities because of the radiation
73
Reasons why USA dropped the bomb:
- Japan wold never surrender unless the country was utterly destroyed
- Germany had already surrendered
- Believed that using the bomb would end the war quickly
- Avoid further casualties: as a full scale invasion of Japan would have cost more Allied and Japanese lives
- Japan had started the war against the USA when they attacked Pearl Harbour
74
Decision to use the atomic bomb was not justified
- USA wanted revenge for Pearl Harbour
- USA knew how much destruction the bomb would cause
- Japan tried 3 times to discuss peace terms with USA
- Japan asked Sweden and Portugal to help get the message to USA that they were prepared to surrender but didn’t want Emperor Hirohito to be touched
- USA ignored these attempts
75
Decision to use the atomic bomb was justified
- It would save American lives
- It would save Japanese lives
- Dropping the bomb would end the war faster - American soldiers were desperate for this
- The bomb was in retaliation of Japanese cruelty
76
World War 2
- Deadliest military conflict in history which involved over 30 countries, e.g. US, Soviet Union, Germany, Japan etc.
- One of the largest and most widespread wars in history
- Six years of conflict - over 60 million people killed (3% of 1940 world population)
- On home front with many men away fighting, women stepped into many roles, challenging traditional gender roles
- Many new technologies developed, e.g. radar/first computers which had lasting impact on world
77
Holocaust
Most tragic example of genocide in History
78
After the war…
United Nations (UN) was created in 1945: to help countries work together, prevent future wars and protect human rights, a role it continues to play till today
79
End of WWII saw the beginning of a new era for all countries involved:
- Decline of all European colonial empires
- Rise of 2 super powers: Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States of America (USA)
80
______ became competitors on ________
USA and USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)
World stage and became involved in the Cold War
