WW2 Flashcards
Admiral Chester Nimitz
-He decoded Japanese naval codes, planning to knock out the American fleet, and he knew the plans and locations of the Japanese ships. He lead a smaller carrier at Coral Sea and Midway; commander of Pacific fleet. Led under Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, against the powerful invading Japanese fleet.
Adolf Hitler
-Born in Austria, he became a radical German nationalist during WWI. He led the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nazi Party) in the 1920s and became dictator of Germany in 1933. He led Europe into WWII with the Holocaust.
Albert Einstein
-A German Jew, stated that matter and energy are interchangeable, and that even a particle of matter contains enormous amounts of potential energy. He also stated that the speed of light is the only thing constant from all frames of reference.
Atlantic Charter
-1941-pledge signed by US president FDR and British prime minister Winston Churchill not to acquire new territory as a result of WWII and to work for peace after the war
Appeasement
-policy by which Czechoslovakia, Great Britain and France agreed to Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland in agreement for not taking any additional Czech territory.
Bataan Death March
-after the Japanese landed in the Philippines in May 1942, nearly 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners were forced to endure a 60-mile forced march; during the ordeal, 10,000 prisoners died or were killed.
Battle of Iwo Jima
-a bloody and prolonged operation on the island of Iwo Jima in which American marines landed and defeated Japanese defenders. The island was needed for closer bases from which to blast and burn enemy cities and industries. The Americans finally captured the island after fighting from April to June of 1945. The American navy suffered heavy damage from the “kamikaze” Japanese pilots.
Battle of Midway
-An enormous battle that raged for four days near the small American outpost at Midway Island, at the end of which the US, despite great losses, was clearly victorious. The American navy destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and lost only one of its own; the action regained control of the central Pacific for the US.
Benito Mussolini
-Fascist dictator of Italy; sought to recreate a Roman empire; allied with Hitler in Roman-Berlin Axis; invaded Ethiopia; “Benevolent Dictator”; “Il Duce”
Bracero Program
-formed by the US government in the 1940’s as a way to exploit hundreds of thousands of Mexican American laborers. The braceros were paid little and treated poorly, which exemplified the oppressive conditions of farm labor in the US.
Casablanca Conference
-Jan. 14-23, 1943: FDR and Chruchill met in Morocco to settle the future strategy of the Allies following the success of the North African campaign. They decided to launch an attack on Italy through Sicily before initiating an invasion into France over the English Channel. Also announced that the Allies would accept nothing less than Germany’s unconditional surrender to end the war.
Code Talkers
-Navajo Indians hired by the American military to use their complicated language as military code to communicate without fear of the message being intercepted and decrypted. The Code Talkers were vital to the US war effort, allowing the military to coordinate attacks without the US concerned about the Axis Powers interpreting their codes.
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
-Civil rights organization founded in 1942 in Chicago by James Farmer and other members of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) that espoused nonviolent direct action. In 1961 CORE organized a series of what were called Freedom Rides on interstate bus lines throughout the South to call attention to blatant violations of recent Supreme Court rulings against segregation in interstate commerce
D-Day
-June 6, 1944 was the day that the combined Allied armies led a massive invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France. The assault involved millions of troops and workers and led to the liberation of France, and the ultimate end to the war.
Election of 1940
-repub nominee was Wendell Wilkie, dem nominee was FDR. FDR won because of a strong economic recovery based on defense purchases and fear of war causing voters to stay with experienced leader
Erwin Rommel: “The Desertfox”
-Top German general in North Africa whose advance was finally halted at El Alamein by British General Montgomery
Executive Order 9066
-presidential executive order issued during WW2 by FDR that sent Japanese ethnic groups to internment camps. It was issued because of the fear for the country’s safety and also Japanese-Americans safety.
Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC)
-Created in 1941 by executive order, the FEPC sought to eliminate racial discrimination in jobs; it possessed little power but represented a step toward civil rights for African Americans.
General Douglas MacArthur
-dislodged the Japanese military from the Pacific Islands they had occupied. Following the war, he was in charge of the occupation of Japan. After North Korea invaded South Korea, Truman sent the U.S. military to defend South Korea under the command of MacArthur. Later in the war, Truman expressed his willingness to negotiate the restoration of prewar boundaries which MacArthur attempted to undermine. Truman fired MacArthur for his open insubordination.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Former US General who led the Allied forces in D-Day during WWII who was the Republican candidate for president in the election of 1952 with the slogan “I like Ike”. He won over Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic candidate.
-operation overlord (d day)
