WW2 Flashcards
German rearmament
Hitler increases military, Lufftwaffe at Nuremberg rally 1935, navy expansion under Anglo-German Naval Pact
Appeasement
Britain didn’t want a Hitler temper tantrum, too broke, Peace Ballot, thought the Treaty of Versailles was too harsh
Spanish civil war
Franco’s Fascism, Hitler + Mussolini help, blitzkreig practice
Axis powers sign
Germany + Italy = Rome-Berlin Axis 1936
Japan joins Anti-Comintern Pact
Rhineland
Supposed to be demilitarised. 1936, Hitler orders army to march into Rhineland + retreat if the French show up. Hitler got away with it + got bold
Anchuss
Austrian Chancellor is a Nazi. Austrian Nazis demand Anchuss. Hitler welcomed in Vienna
Sudetenland
Hitler encouraged Sudeten Nazis to push for independence from Czechslovakia. Czech Près asked Britain for help but appeasement
Munich conference
Hitler demanded to be given Sudetenland by Sept 28. T-4hrs Mussolini convinced Tim to conference. Munich conference the next day, Hitler got Sudetenland + promised to stop invading. Anglo-German Agreement
End of Peace
6 months later Hitler invaded the rest of Czechslovakia. Nazi conscription
Nazi Soviet Non Agression Pact
10 years no fighting, Poland partitioned in secret clause. Hitler buys time, Stalin rebuilds
WW2 begins.
Invasion of Poland Sept 1st, via Blitzkreig. Poland defeated on 6th. Britain + France declare “Phoney War”
French invasion
German Panzers roll in through Ardennes, Blitzkreig. Soldiers retreat to Dunkirk beach, Operation Barabarossa to escape. Pétain pres of Vinchy France
Operation sea lion
Invasion of Britain. Battle of Britain in the air.
Blits
Brits best tech
Operation Barabarossa
Invasion of USSR. Stalin ordered scorched earth tactics + soldiers to be shit if they retreated. Nazis froze to death
Pearl Harbour
Roosevelt supplied allies via Land Lease Programme. Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. US joins war
Operation avalanche
Allied invasion of Italy. Fascist Grand council got sick of Musollini and hung him up by his bootstraps
Operation Overload
D-Day. US, UK, French + Canadian troops. 5 code named French beaches. Amphibious attack. Paris liberated in August
Battle of the Bulge
Germany tries to redo OG invasion in Dec. Went to shit, Allies invaded Germany instead
Yalta conference
Unconditional German surrender, German partition and German denazification + demilitarisation. USSR would help against Japan once Germany was done
Battle of Berlin
Red army rampage after discovery concentration camps. Hitler hid in the Führer bunker. When he heard about Mussolini, he married Eva Braun + did join suicide before they could meet Mussolinis end
Potsdam conference
Roosevelt died, Truman took over. Japan surrendered after Hiroshima + Nagasaki
Life on the British home front: Conscription
Compulsory National service. Too old to fight = dad’s army, a second line of defence who’s presence boosted morale
Life on the British home front: Operation Pied Piper
Kids evacuated
Life on the British home front: Women
Women’s land army prevented food shortages + Women’s Volunteer services worked in Air Raid Precautions. Women entered the work force
Life on the British home front: Government
Ministry of food made ration books
Ministry of Information regulated news + pushed propaganda
The Blitz
Air Raid Precautions: night time blackouts, barrage ballons, air raid centres (London underground), RAF defended against Lufftwaffe, air raid sirens for warning
Life in Nazi Germany
¼ if workforce was POWs, so women didn’t enter workforce until late. Stole resources from occupied countries so didn’t need to ration until late. Strategic bombing started 1942, main cities ½ destroyed
The holocaust: Einsatzzgruppen
Special killing squads of SS units, police + local assholes who ratted out Jewish neighbours. Killed >1.5 mill Jews Stopped as it was “inefficient”
The Holocaust: Operation Rhinehard
Wansee conference - death camp + Zyklon B plan decided in <2 hours
