WW2 Flashcards
Appeasement/Abbandonment of TOV
- Occurred in 1938 during the Munich Agreement.
- British PM Neville Chamberlain pursued a policy of appeasement.
- Allowed Germany to control territories it had invaded in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.
- U.K. and France agreed in exchange for Germany ceasing military actions against Europe.
- Chamberlain claimed “peace in our time” but ultimately failed to prevent World War II.
- The appeasement policy demonstrated the abandonment of strict enforcement of the Treaty of Versailles, contributing to the subsequent aggression and expansion of Nazi Germany.
Blitzkrieg/Lightening war
- Germany invaded Poland on September 1st, 1939, causing France and the UK to declare war two days later
- Mass production of motorcycles, trucks, tanks, and aircrafts allowed the Germans to cross the Ardennes with shocking speed.
- Technological superiority surprised all European states, giving the Germans an advantage, however, they only had enough means for those vehicles, but most of the military traveled on foot/horses.
Dunkirk
- In 1940, After the Blitzkrieg attacks on Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Germany faced allied troops to evacuate from Dunkirk
- Paris was captured on June 14, leading to the surrender of French forces
The Battle of Britain
The battle lasted from July 10 to October 31, 1940
- During the Battle of Britain, the German Luftwaffe (air forces) attempted to establish air superiority over the UK by launching air raids and bombing.
- However, the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, with the support of radar technology resisted the German attacks.
- The RAF’s resilience and effective defense thwarted the Nazi plan to gain control of the skies over Britain, a turning point in the war, preventing the german invasion.
Battle of the Atlantic
It started on September 3, 1939, with the outbreak of the conflict, and continued until the defeat of Nazi Germany in May 1945.
German U-boats attacked military and civilian convoys crossing the Atlantic to provide aid to Britain.
Blitz
The Blitz (1940-1941)
Sustained German bombing campaign against the UK during World War II.
Aimed to weaken British morale and disrupt industrial production, potentially paving the way for a German invasion.
Canada’s contributions to Battle of Atlantic and Battle of Britain
- Canada’s choice to join the battle, not immediately at war when Britain was. They joined Sept 10, 1939, a week after Britain.
- They contributed significantly to both, with more than 1 million men and women serving full-time between 1939 and 1945.
- More than 43,000 killed.
- British Commonwealth Air Training Program helped to supply pilots trained on Canadian soil to the RAF defense of Britain.
- Canadian factories tried to produce one Lancastor bomber per day.
Canadian women in the War
- Initially only trained for nursing and other support roles
- Eventually trained as lab assistants, mechanics, drivers (etc.)
- Over 50,000 served in the armed forces directly during WW2, and Canada’s domestic female workforce doubled to 1.2 million.
- Most Canadian women contributed to Allied efforts in some form (eg. fundraising, food production)
- After the war, they were fired from their jobs
D-Day (1944)
D-Day stands for ‘Day of Decision’ or ‘Designated Day’.
The D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, involved the landing of Allied forces on five different beaches along the coast of Normandy, France. Each beach had a specific code name, and the decision to land on multiple beaches served strategic and operational purposes. The five designated beaches, from west to east, were:
- Utah - assigned to USA
- Omaha - assigned to USA
- Gold - assigned to Uk
- Sword - assigned to Uk
- Juno - assigned to Canada
More allied countries helped including; Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg
Around 6,939 ships, approximately 11,590 aircrafts, and over 156,000 soldiers took part.
- Intelligence efforts, and effective coordination contributed to the surprise factor, overwhelming German defenses and facilitating the invasion’s success.
After D-Day
- Allied troops advanced through Northern France to Paris whilst Canadian troops liberate the Netherlands from Nazi occupation (April - May 1945)
- Allied forces also liberated Nazi concentration and death camps.
May 1945:
- Brtitsh, American, and Canadian soldiers close in from the west, soviet soldiers closing from the east
- Soviets reached Berlin first and succeeded in defeating Nazi’s, ending European chapter of war.
- Hitler, his wife, and close advisors commit suicide in an underground bunker
Pearl Harbor Japanese attack
- December 7, 1941
- It was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- The primary objective of the Japanese attack was to disable the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy, particularly its aircraft carriers, and prevent the United States from interfering with Japan’s military actions in Southeast Asia.
- The attack was launched without a formal declaration of war, catching the American forces off guard.
- The attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in the deaths of approximately 2,403 Americans and the injury of over 1,000 others.
- The day after the attack, on December 8, 1941, the United States declared war on Japan. This marked the entry of the United States into World War II.
Bombings by US on Japanese
- The bombings were ordered by the United States, led by President Harry S. Truman, as a means to bring about a swift end to the war in the Pacific. - Little Boy: Dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 (estimated 70,000 died, though 140,000 died in the following weeks)
- Fat Man: Dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 (10’s of thousands more killed)
- While the bombings did contribute to Japan’s surrender, they also caused immense destruction and had lasting consequences, raising ethical and moral questions about the use of such devastating weapons
- Japanese Canadians were sent to internment camps in remote locations, and their property and belongings were confiscated. The internment continued throughout the war and, in some cases, extended beyond the war’s end.
What marked the end of the war?
The end of World War II was marked by Japan’s formal surrender to the Allied powers. The surrender took place on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri, a United States Navy battleship, in Tokyo Bay.
DUE TO TIME DIFFERENCE, SURRENDER IS CONSIDERED TO BE SEPTEMBER 1st.
How have new technologies changed the realities of conflict?
- The machine gun allows a much greater distance and accuracy
- No longer line up shoulder to shoulder and wait to face combat
- Countries with machine guns could take out soldiers row by row until they dig trenched to hide, being the start of trench warefare.
- Flying above in WW2 eliminated need for trenches
Alliances ww2
Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allies (France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China)
