WW2 Part 2 Flashcards
Wolfpack
groups of German submarines or U-boats that traveled the Atlantic in search for allies to destroy
Ghettos
Had walls built in large cities to close of these ghettos where thousands were imprisoned before being sent to camps.
As Germany takes territory – Jewish populations are moved into “ghettos” in large cities like Warsaw or Krakow in Poland OR to concentration camps
Genocide
the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group
Kamikaze
airplane suicide bombers, crashed into boats, planes, etc. to blow them up. First used by Japanese- “divine wind”; suicide bombers Japan hoped would help turn the war back to their favor.
Rationing
Rationing is the limiting of goods or services that are in high demand and short supply.
Internment
Relocation centers away from West Coast, used to hold Japanese Americans.
Convoy System
Cargo ships escorted by US military ships, subs, and planes
Concentration Camp
a place where large numbers of people, especially political prisoners or members of persecuted minorities, are deliberately imprisoned in a relatively small area with inadequate facilities, sometimes to provide forced labor or to await mass execution.
Island Hopping
tactic used by US forces in the Pacific, use of air, sea, and land forces to take control of one island at a time moving closer to Japan.
Theater
An area of land, sea, and air operations in a war.
Plan created by Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin (not happy with it later on)
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Elected to 4 terms as president
Last election was in 1944
Dies in April 1945
Erwin Rommel
commander of Germany’s Afrika Korps; “The Desert Fox”; later in charge of coastline of Northern France.
Ernie Pyle
WWII Journalist- wrote articles about the life of soldiers
Actually traveled with soldiers and experienced what they went through
Indiana native/ Dana, IN; attended IU
Harry Truman
vice president when Franklin Roosevelt was alive
when he died Harry became President
decided to use atomic bombs
Winston Churchill
Was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Dwight Eisenhower
Supreme Allied Commander, in charge of all American, British, Canadian, French, forces. “Ike”
James Doolittle
Commander of Doolittle’s Raid during the war.
Robert Oppenheimer
Scientific leader of the Manhattan Project
Bernard Montgomery
Allied Commander, British General “Monty”
George Patton
Allied Commander, American General, “Ole Blood and Guts”
Douglas MacArthur
General for the Army of the U.S vowed “I shall return” in The Philippines then does return to take it back
Chester Nimitz
major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II.
Omar Bradley
commander of the D-Day invasion forces
Battle of the Atlantic
British and US military fight German navy for control of the Atlantic; U-boats attack convoys of supply ships and military escorts going to Europe.
Allied success due to breaking German “Enigma” code.
Used info to know German sub movements
North African Theater of War- suez canal, oil
controlled by German and Italian Forces
Hitler wants control of Suez Canal and oil of middle east
British trying to hold off Axis Forces in Egypt
Operation Torch
Allied invasion of the North African coastline
US and British forces fighting German army (some Italian)
First use of US ground forces
Allies “squeeze” Axis powers from east and west- German’s evacuate across Med. Sea to Italy
Tuskegee Airmen- segregation in military, importance to war effort
First African Americans trained as pilots in the US military; also included other aviation positions (navigators, merchants, bombardiers)
Most white leaders believed they were not intelligent enough, brave enough, etc.
332nd fighter group 447th bomber group- fighters nicknamed “red trails”; better recorded than “white” fighter groups
Helped begin the path for integrated US military in 1948
Invasion of Italy- why difficult
US and British forces
Gens. Patton and Montgomery
Take island Sicily, then invade mainland
Hitler tries to hold Italy after Italy “surrenders”
Difficult terrain, resources reserved for Normandy (FR) invasion
Operation Overlord- The Atlantic Wall, deception activities, date, leaders, goals, pre-invasion activities, beaches of invasion, difficulties, results, “D-Day”
JUNE 6, 1944- KNOW THIS
Battle of the Bulge- importance, Hitler’s goal, Bastogne Nuremburg Laws of 1935
Last major German offensive (attack) against the allies
Germans trying to regain control of port city of Antwerp, Belgium
Kristallnacht
“the night of broken glass”
Coordinated attacks against Jews by Nazi party members, German SS, across Germany and Austria
The Holocaust - “The Final Solution”
6 million Jews killed in “The Final Solution” – this was the term used by Hitler and the Nazi’s for their plan to exterminate the Jews of Europe.
5 - 6 million others killed – Gypsies (Roma), Jehovah’s Witnesses, mentally and physically handicapped, Nazi political opponents, prisoners of war (many Russian Jews).
Following WWII, Jews around the world call for creation of a Jewish state – Israel becomes a nation in 1948.
The Philippines- MacArthur, Bataan Death March
US Territory- Attacked by the Japanese- Gen. Douglas MacArthur; US forced to retreat from islands leaving 70,000 troops behind
MacArthur vows “I shall return”
Bataan Death March- that 76,000 prisoners of war (Filipinos, Americans) were forced by the Japanese military to endure in during the early stages of World War II.
Doolittle’s Raid
intended to scare citizen of Japan; give the US a morale boost
Bombers launched from aircraft carriers in Pacific; land in China
Raid successful-Americans celebrate
Battle of Coral Sea- type of battle? Results?
Japan wants to take island of New Guinea for airbases to launch attacks on Australia
Battle considered a “tie”- strategic victory for the US- we lose more ships, BUT the US navy STOPS JAPANESE ADVANCE
Midway- “magic” Results?
Japanese Goals- capture island to use as a base to attack Hawaii; destroy remaining US naval fleet; force US back to Cali- Japanese believe their attack will be a “surprise”
US knows Japanese are coming through decoded messages- “magic”
US aircraft carriers defeat Japanese naval forces off the coast of the Midway islands
TURNING POINT OF THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC- JAPAN WILL BEGIN TO LOSE CONTROL OF TERRITORY AFTER THIS BATTLE
Guadalcanal- difficulty in capture, beginning of ‘island hopping’
Part of the Solomon islands; US forces take island from Japanese- first territory taken away from Japan since beginning of war
Difficulties- jungle, swamp, tropical heat, insects
Advantages of US in the Pacific theater
US industrial force could replace lost ships, planes, etc.
Navajo Codetalkers
Navajo Native Americans created spoken code; worked with Marines- Japanese never crack this code
Navajo ONLY in Pacific
Philip Johnson- hung out with natives and learned their language told U.S and they used the language, was never written down or figured out
Iwo Jima
US wants island for air base to use for bombing Japan
US marines carry out invasion and take island after several weeks
Most Japanese soldiers fight to the death- surrenders is dishonor, weakness (bushido code)
Flag raising on Mt. Surabachi, Iwo Jima
Manhattan Project
Secret gov’t program to create an atomic weapon
Military AND scientific program
WAC’s. WASPs
WAC’S- Women army corps
WASP’S- Women air service pilots
Women in the Workforce- reasons? types of jobs?
women served as nurses with the US military
Women worked at home in war industries
many women used rivet guns to put rivets into metal
Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter was the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries during World War II
Rationing- Purpose, items rationed, Office of Price Admin; Victory Gardens; War Bonds
Office of Price Administration- price freezes to prevent inflation; rationing programs for consumer goods- meat, gas, shoes, sugar, coffee, canned goods, etc.-issued ration coupons for items. They wanted to be sure the military had necessary products first, fairly distribute to the rest of consumer
items rationed- silk, rubber products, gasoline, fuel oil, metal products
Victory Gardens- most families plant vegetables to make rationed food last longer; women encouraged to ‘can’ fruits & veggies.
war bond- a debt security issued by a government to finance military operations during times of war or conflict.
Office of War Information
Distributed information through posters, movies, new articles, radios, etc. to get and keep the public involved in the war effort; controlled info the public was given about areas of fighting; censorship
Japanese Internment- reasons? Executive Order 9066, Korematsu v. United States
Executive order 9066
Issued by Pres. Roosevelt, gave US military authority to establish “military zones” and the power to force removal of people from the zones.
Japanese in West coast states sent to “relocation centers”- internment camps away from West coast.
Korematsu v. US was a decision by the Supreme Court of the US to uphold the exclusion of Japanese Americans from the West Coast Military Area during World War II.
Yalta Conference
“The Big Three” (Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill)- decision made to divide Germany into occupation zones following war in Europe
Hiroshima and Nagasaki- atomic bomb use- why? Controversy?
Hiroshima- Aug. 6 1945
Nagasaki- Aug, 9, 1945
Many die from the effects of radiation months and years later
Pres. Truman decided to use bombs to save lives, American AND Japanese
VE Day, VJ Day
V-E Day- MAY 8, 1945, “Victory in Europe”
V-J Day- AUGUST 15, 1945 “Victory over Japan Day”
Nuremberg Trials
Trials of Naz. Officials accused of crimes against humanity- most used defense "I was just following orders" 22 Nazi officials on trial 12 Sentenced to death by hanging 7 prison sentences 3 acquittals (declared innocents)
The Atlantic WALL- (operation overlord)
line of German defenses along the coast of northern Europe (mainly France, Belgium); Heavy artillery, machine gun bunkers, obstacles on beaches, etc. Gen. Rommel in charge.
Defense Obstacles on beaches installed by the Germans:
‘hedgehogs’-crisscrossed sharp metal objects
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
General Omar Bradley
Deception Plan- (operation overlord)
movement of Gen. Patton around Europe
“Fake” army-radio traffic, paperwork, fake equipment (inflatables)
Pre-invasion bombing away from Normandy region
US forces in charge of; UTAH, OMAHA
British and Canadian: GOLD, JUNO, SWORD
Attack planned for the lowest tide to expose beach obstacles
Major Goals of D-Day (operation overlord)
Establish beachhead and gain control of pathways/ exits off the beaches
Gain control of roads, bridges, rail lines leading away from the coast
City of Bastogne
Bastogne- many US troops “trapped” there by German forces, eventually relieved by armored division led by Gen. Patton
Allies successful in pushing back German forces
Hitler commits suicide
Soviet Army takes control of Berlin, US enters city later that day
Nuremburg Laws of 1935
Stripped Jews of citizenship
forbids marriages between Jews and non-Jews (purity of Aryan / German race)
Use of propaganda to gain anti-Jewish support from the public.
