Ww2 Flashcards
Battle of britain
First major military campaign fought entirely by air forces;
UK RAF defends against German Luftwaffe (1940).
Battle of Stalingrad
Brutal battle where the USSR defeats Germany; marks the turning point on the Eastern Front (1942-43).
D-DAY
June 6, 1944.
Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France across five beaches; a major step toward victory in Europe.
Dieppe Raid
1942 Canadian-led raid on the French coast; disastrous with heavy losses but valuable lessons for D-Day.
Longest campaign of WWII (1939-45); Allies fought German U-boats to secure vital shipping merchant routes.
Battle of the Atlantic
Pearl Harbor Attack
December 7,
1941. Japan’s surprise attack on the US naval base in Hawaii to get resource rich; caused the US to enter the war.
Battle of Hong Kong
• Battle of Hong Kong: December 1941.
Japan invades Hong Kong; Canadian and British troops suffer heavy losses and are captured.
Siege of Leningrad
Germans siege over leningrad Over 1 million civilians died due to starvation, cold, and bombardment, but the city never surrendered.
Operation barbarossa
June 1941.
Germany invades the USSR; the largest military operation in history, leading to heavy German losses.
Adolf hitler
Dictator of Nazi Germany; initiated WWIl and orchestrated the Holocaust.
Winston Churchill
Prime Minister of the UK; famous for his speeches and leadership during the war.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
US President during most of WWil; led the country through Pearl Harbor and into victory.
Joseph stalin
Fascist dictator of Italy; allied with Hitler but was overthrown in 1943.
Mackenzie King:
Prime Minister of Canada; led the country’s war effort and supported Allied strategies.
Axis powers
Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan aiming for global domination.
Allied Powers:
Coalition of nations, including the UK, US, USSR, and Canada, fighting against the Axis.
The holocaust
Systematic extermination of 6 million Jews and millions of others (Roma, disabled, etc.) by the Nazis.
Anti-Semitism
Prejudice and hatred against Jews, heavily promoted by the Nazis.
Concentration Camps
Detention centers for political prisoners and minorities; forced labor and starvation were common.
Death Camps
Camps like Auschwitz where mass executions using gas chambers occurred.
Genocide
Deliberate mass killing of a group based on ethnicity, religion, or culture.
Nuremberg Trials
Post-war trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Total War
A war strategy where all resources and people are mobilized for the war effort.
War Crimes
Violations of the laws of war, including targeting civilians, mistreatment of prisoners, and mass killings. In WWIl, examples include the Holocaust, the Nanking Massacre by Japanese forces, and the use of slave labor by the Nazis.
