World War II

Question 1

Overview

Answer 1

1939-45–Allies vs. Axis

England, Russia, US vs. Germany, Italy, Japan–most expensive

Question 2

Beginning of war

Answer 2

September 1, 1939–Germany invades Poland, claiming they were sabotaging Germany
USSR too

Question 3

Germany turns West

Answer 3

April 1940 takes Denmark and Norway–key bases for Britain later
May-June 1940, Germany passes the Maginot Line and defeats France with Italy’s help

Question 4

Result of Western fighting

Answer 4

300,000 soldiers, most British, evacuate Dunkirk
New gov’t under Petain in Vichy working with Nazis
Charles de Gaulle wants to continue the fight

Question 5

Battle of Britain

Answer 5

1940 RAF under Winston Churchill holds off Luftwaffe, so they use Blitz–air raids

Question 6

Rulers during Battle of Britain

Answer 6

King George VI and Elizabeth–Buckingham Palace

Question 7

Lend-Lease Program

Answer 7

1941 Roosevelt–US helps supply Britain and fight subs

Question 8

Italian war and Hitler’s aid

Answer 8

Italy attacks Greece and British Egypt–wrecked 1940

General Rommel’s Afrika Korps fights Britain, also takes Balkan control

Question 9

Operation Barbarossa–when, what, why, and battles

Answer 9

June 22, 1941– 4 million (largest force ever) invades Russiafor lebensraum and slave labor and resources
Strong push to Leningrad and Moscow, but is stopped in December–winter time

Question 10

Holocaust stuff

Answer 10

Dachau, Auschwitz– led by SS/Himmler

Question 11

German Warfare

Answer 11

Blitzkrieg, atrocities and starving civilians. Collaborating countries risk resistence

Question 12

What’s going on in China in 1937?

Answer 12

Communists under Mao Zedong suffering to Chiang and nationalists–Long March
Japan invades China (Nanking)–Communists popular for fighting

Question 13

Why did US join the war?

Answer 13

Dec. 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor–2,400 Americans killed–

US was upset at Japanese imperialism, especially in northern China–Rape of Nanking and embargoes Japan

Question 14

Pacific Theater

Answer 14

1942 Japan wrecking until Coral Sea and Midway in Spring

island hopping until Spring 1945 Okinawa and Iwo Jima captured and Truman calls for bombs–September surrender

Question 15

Tide turns in Africa

Answer 15

October 1942 El Alamein–British under Montgomery defeat Rommel
Sandwiched next year by allies and forced to surrender

Question 16

Tide turns on the Eastern Front

Answer 16

Winter 42-43–Russians win Stalingrad and Hitler is on defensive

Question 17

Fighting in Italy

Answer 17

Hitler conquers Italy when Mussolini fails in Africa and is dismissed by V-EIII–late 1943-June 44 Allies take it back

Question 18

Tide turns on the Western Front

Answer 18

June 6, 1944–D-Day–largest seaborne invasion in history under Dwight D. Eisenhower
Paris liberated in August helped by de Gaulle

Question 19

Germany squashed

Answer 19

Soviets push Germany back in 1944 and Germany launches one final offensive in Belgium’s Ardennes Forest–December 1944 Battle of the Bulge

Question 20

End of European War

Answer 20

1945 Soviets take Vienna and close on Berlin–May 7 V-E Day

Question 21

Results

Answer 21

February 1945 Yalta Conference of Grand Alliance–dispute over Poland and Germany
50 million die–20 million Russian and half were civilian
Millions fled homes and industries/cities destroyed
Soviet-US tension