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20th Century > WW2 European Theatre > Flashcards

WW2 European Theatre Flashcards

1
Q

How does WW2 start in Europe?

A

Hitler invades Poland

Great Britain and France declare war on Germany

(Hitler is surprised by this)

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2
Q

Blitzkrieg definition

A

Lighting Warfare

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3
Q

Blitzkrieg Phases

A

Phase 1: Air assault

Phase 2: land attack

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4
Q

What is revolutionary about Hitler’s army tactics?

A

He places the tanks in front of the infantry

Uses radio to communicate

First to use paratroopers?

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5
Q

Wehrmacht

A

German army

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6
Q

Why did France fall so quickly to Germany?

A

Their tanks came behind their infantry

German tanks would just blow up all their men

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7
Q

Which General uses blitzkreig for the US?

A

Patton

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8
Q

Phony war

A

8 month period where nothing happened between Germany, Britain, and France

Britain is preparing on the homefront

1940

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9
Q

How did the Phony War end?

A

Hitler launched a full scale Blizkreig attack on Denmark, Norway, Holland, Beligium, and Luzembourg

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10
Q

What is Hitler doing during the Phony War?

A

Enforces Lebensraum and moves Jews to Ghettos

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11
Q

What happens right after the Phony War and Hitler’s first invasions?

A

Italy declares war on Great Britain and France

Italy invades Southern France

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12
Q

What did Mussolini warn Hitler about?

A

Said he wasn’t ready for a land attack yet, but Hitler was insistent

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13
Q

Magniot Line

A

Defensive line in France

Underground network with above ground bunkers

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14
Q

Magniot Line’s weakness

A

Able to go around it in the North

The North was also flat and ideal for attacking

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15
Q

How does Germany take advantage of Magniot line?

A

They sweep through Belgium into North France and headed towards the English Channel

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16
Q

Battle of Dunkirk

A

Entire British army of 338,000 trapped between the Germans and English Channel

British evacuations saved 300,000 men

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17
Q

Significant outcomes of Dunkirk

A

Blitzkreig is born

British lose a lot of supplies

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18
Q

How does the media spin Dunkirk?

A

Some believe that the British media intentionally made the story seem very brave and courageous in order to boast British morale

British morale was greatly boasted after Dunkirk

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19
Q

When do the Germans overtake Paris?

A

June, 1940

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20
Q

What government pops up in France?

A

Vichy

French Nazis

Able to have some autonomy

Gave French Indochina to Japanese

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21
Q

Leader of Vichy Government

A

Henri Petain

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22
Q

Charles de Gaulle

A

French

Head of the underground resistance

becomes President of France after the war

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23
Q

What did Churchill see Italy as?

A

The soft underbelly of europe

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24
Q

Why are the French not allies but treated as victors?

A

They were key in their own survival

The underground resistance

Helped us greatly in D-Day

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25
Q

What is the United Nations at first?

A

Just a group of nations against the axis powers

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26
Q

What do a lot of the signatories on the United Nations provide?

A

Resources

Naval Bases

(A lot of south american countries)

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27
Q

What was the Allied strategy for the war?

A

Germany was the main target

Germany was the most eminent threat

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28
Q

Military theatre

A

Geographic areas where military operations are performed

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29
Q

Campaign

A

Various military operations performed in order to achieve an overall goal

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30
Q

Battle

A

A fight between two militaries

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31
Q

Operation Barbosa and goals

A

Eastern Europe

Germany wants to capture Moscow and defeat communism

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32
Q

Challenges of Operation Barbosa

A

Germans were not prepared for the harsh Russian weather

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33
Q

What was Stalin’s tactics during Operation Barbosa?

A

Scorched Earth tactics

All citizens must defend all of the Soviet union

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34
Q

How did the invasion into the Soviet Union contribute to the Holocaust>

A

Operation allowed the Einsatzgruppen to follow closely behind the German army and murder the Jews

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35
Q

German goal of Stalingrad

A

To occupy Southern Russia oilfields

Protect German left flank

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36
Q

Type of fighting at Stalingrad

A

Street fighting

Made it difficult for the Germans to use Blitzkreig

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37
Q

Outcomes of Stalingrad

A

USSR won

Began the German retreat

Boasted Soviet confidence

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38
Q

Characteristics of Stalingrad

A

Bloody fight because officers have a lot of pressure put on them by Stalin

Civilians are trapped in the city

39
Q

Significance of North Africa to Axis

A

Access to Suez Canal

Oil fields in Middle East

40
Q

Significance of North Africa to Allies

A

Back door into Europe

41
Q

Why at the beginning of the war does Britain stand alone?

A

USSR in non-aggression pact

USA does not want to get involved

42
Q

Operation Sealion

A

Amphibious invasion of England

43
Q

Defining characteristic of Battle of Britain

A

Primarily an Air battle

44
Q

German goal of Battle of Britain

A

To bomb Britain so badly that he can perform a naval attack

Needs to gain air superiority over the English channel

45
Q

Luftwaffe

A

German airforce

46
Q

Royal Air Force’s defenses in Battle of Britain

A

Radar

Attacked Luftwaffe before they reached mainland

47
Q

Blitz

A

Concentrated bombing of London through summer and fall of 1940

48
Q

Why did the Blitz take place?

A

Revenge for British bombing Berlin

49
Q

Hitler’s biggest mistake at Battle of Britian

A

Thought he could bomb England into submission

Doesn’t focus on bombing airbases

50
Q

Significant outcomes of Battle of Britain

A

Unified the British

Hitler changes his focus to Russia (Operation Sealion becomes Operation Barbosa)

Hitler leaves buzz bombs (ballistic missiles) for English

51
Q

What is the US doing during the Battle of Britain?

A

Isolation

52
Q

Selective Training and Service Act

A

Required every man between 21 and 35 to register for the draft

Pushed by FDR

53
Q

Land Lease Act

A

Budgeted for ships, planes, tanks, and supplies to be sent to Britain and the Allies

54
Q

Why did the Land Lease Act come about?

A

After Dunkirk British needed more supplies

55
Q

Cash and Carry Policy

A

If a country is at war they need to pay cash and their ships have to carry the goods

Saves the US from getting pulled into WW2 like they did WW1 buy selling equipment to countries at war

56
Q

Why does the US get into the war?

A

We only declare war on Japan

57
Q

Strategic

A

Military force translated into political and/or military objectives

Conferences, goals

Theatre

58
Q

Operational

A

Coordinate the overarching goals of strategy with the specific details of tactics

Operation sealion

59
Q

Tactical

A

Implement operational goals using short term decisions

Flanks, battle

60
Q

How do the Allies prepare for Operation Overlord?

A

gain control of the Atlantic by the use of radar and sonar

Constant stream of American troops and military supplies to England

Gained air superiority

61
Q

Breadth

A

Variety

Hitler had too much breadth and not enough depth

62
Q

Mistake of Hitler at D-Day

A

Micromanaged

63
Q

What does Operation Overlord End With

A

The liberation of France

64
Q

Battle of the Bulge

A

Germans launched their last major counter attack to split the Allies in half and drive them back to the English Channel

65
Q

How did the Germans gain an upperhand at Battle of the Bulge

A

Allie were halted by a lack of supplies

Troops divided and not concentrated

66
Q

101st Airborne

A

Protected Bastogne during Battle of the Bulge

Patton’s 3rd Army came and “saved” them

67
Q

Outcome of Battle of the Bulge

A

German failure allowed Allies to successfully push into Germany from the West

Germany done. Only boys and old men can protect Berlin

68
Q

Siegfried Line

A

Allies smashed through this German line at the end of the war

Crossed the Rhine River and were in Germany

69
Q

What drives Churchill and Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference

A

Churchill wants to keep Britain an empire, he was also concerned about Poland (free elections)

Roosevelt is concerned with Pacific war and Iwo Jima

70
Q

Who replaces Roosevelt?

A

Truman

71
Q

Hitler’s death

A

Committed suicide in the Fuhrerbunker

Russians had the city surrounded

72
Q

V-E Day

A

Victory Day in Europe

Germany officially surrenders to the Allies

May 8, 1945

73
Q

Atlantic Conference

A

Sign the Atlantic Charter (foundation for the UN)

Reaction to mistakes of Treaty of Versaille

No territorial expansion

Self-determination for all people

Disarming of all aggressors

74
Q

Who met at Atlantic conference

A

Roosevelt and Churchill

75
Q

Who met at Casablanca Conference

A

Roosevelt and Churchill

76
Q

Casablanca Conference

A

Accept nothing less than unconditional surrender of the Axis powers

77
Q

Who met at Tehran conference

A

The Big Three

78
Q

Tehran Conference

A

Leads to planning of Operation Overlord

Soviets will enter the war with Japan

79
Q

Who meets at Yalta Conference

A

Big Three

80
Q

Yalta Conference

A

Germany divided into 4 military zones

Creation of UN

Soviets given territory (free elections)

War crime trials to be held

81
Q

Who met at Potsdam

A

Truman

Clemet Attlee

Stalin

82
Q

Potsdam Conference

A

Unconditional surrender for Japan

Stalin announces there will be no free election in Eastern Europe

Trust between USA and USSR falling

83
Q

Turning point of North Africa

A

El Alamein

84
Q

What happens in North Africa

A

Italy invades to retake Mediterreanan

Hitler sends Rommel in for reinforcements

Rommel defeated by Montgomery

130,000 Axis troops taken prisoners

85
Q

What happens to Mussolini after Italy Invasion

A

He is forced to resign

86
Q

Why did the Allies begin invading Italy

A

Thought it would remove Italy from the war

soft underbelly

87
Q

Importance of Italian Campaign

A

Upset the balance in France

Took Germans away from France

88
Q

Patton in Operation Fortitude

A

In charge of a Phony army to trick the Germans into thinking that an attack was coming at the wrong place

89
Q

Challenge during Battle of The Bulge

A

Foul weather and lack of supplies

90
Q

Rommel

A

Afrika Corps

Desert Fox

Blitzkreig

91
Q

Montgomery

A

British

El Alamein is his big win

92
Q

Dwight D. Eisenhower

A

Supreme Allied Commander

Spearheaded invasion of Nazi europe

93
Q

Omar Bradley

A

Concerned with the welfare of his men

Well-liked

GI General

94
Q

Patton

A

Battle of the Bulge

North Africa

Old Blood and Guts

Slapped a soldier leading to be in charge of a fake army

20th Century (14 decks)

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