World war II Flashcards
What was the miracle at Dunkirk?
Amphibious operation that miraculously rescued the British and French armies
Leader of the French government
Charles de Gaulle
Free France/France
By the summer of 1940 Germany had conquered all of W Europe except for Great Britain
Operation Sea Lion
Battle of Britain
What was the Battle of Britain?
Hitlers plan to invade and conquer Britain
What should they control first?
The Luftwaffe German Air Force, the sky, combers attack Britain day and night
What did they target first?
Communication centers and airfields— wanted to destroy the British RAF
New Prime Minister?
Winston Churchill
Hitler changed his targets..
To attacking civilian population cities
Why was Hitler changing his targets a mistake?
Cause it gave British RAF time to recover.
The Blitz?
London attacked for 57 consecutive days/nights
What was the purpose of the blitz?
To destroy people’s will to fight — motivational posters, however it backfired and made them more determined to resist
What new British invention changed the tide?
RADAR
Results of the Battle of Britain
Turning point cause Britain wins— first time Hitler lost
People of Europe realized that Hitler is not unbeatable which boosted morale
Battle of the Atlantic
Lifeline of GB, it was between USA and GB—The ocean was vital for gbs survival (supplies and equipment)
Two sides of the war?
Allied Powers: Gb, France, and the Soviet Union and later the USA
Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan
What did USA practice?
It was neutral practiced Isolationism
Cash and Carry Program?
1939-40 assisted Great Britain with supplies.
Lend Lease Program
The USA could lend or lease arms or other supplies to any country
Who got aid?
Great Britain, China, and the Soviet Union
By 1941 what was the us doing?
THE USA was fighting an undeclared war on the axis powers.
Operation Barbarossa
Invasion of the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front
What 4 reasons did Hitler want the Soviet Union?
- lebensraum (living space) for German people
- largest population of Jews
- Natural resources—oil etc
- He hated communism and Stalin
Red army?
Unprepared Russian army
Battle of Leningrad
900 day siege of the 2.5 million residents over 1 million died
Battle of Stalingrad
Fought for control over the Russian oil fields
Ordered to fight to the death no surrender lasted 5 months
Turning point of the War on the eastern front?
neither city surrendered —battle of Stalingrad
The Soviets lost the most people in the war 20 million
Why was the Russian was Hitler greatest mistake?
Drained his manpower lost one third and military resources he also gets himself into a two front war