WWII Flashcards
Countries in opposing sides in ww2
Axis Powers: Italy, Japan and Germany
Allies: UK, France, Soviet Union, US,
How did the treaty of versailles cause WWII?
The Treaty of Versailles was the most important of the peace treaties that brought World War I to an end.
The Treaty ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919.
It was set up by the BIG FOUR attending powers:
American
French
British
Italian
-The terms of the treaty were designed to punish and contain German power.This treaty left a legacy of bitter resentment.
- The aim was to destroy German power (and ensure French security), but German militarism was not dead.
- The treaty left the way for a German dictator who would seek revenge on the democratic government that had accepted the German humiliation.
How did the great depression cause WWII?
Germany was in ruin after WWI as a result of the crippling terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Losing key industrial territories and being forced to pay reparations to the Allies.
Loans from the US were keeping the Republic running but after the Great Depression hit the United States those loans disappeared.
The Depression struck Germany hard, resulting in unemployment rates of over thirty percent.
The resulting social chaos set the stage for the rise of a man like Adolf Hitler. His message of hope and pride amongst the disparity of the situation allowed him to come to power, and caused the German people to follow in search of stability.
How did the failure of the league of nations cause WWII?
When Germany began re-arming in 1934, many politicians felt that Germany had a right to re-arm in order to protect herself.
In 1936, Hitler argued that because France had signed a new treaty with Russia, Germany was under threat from both countries and it was essential to German security that troops were stationed in the Rhineland. France was not strong enough to fight Germany without British help and Britain was not prepared to go to war at this point.
In May 1937, Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister of Britain. He believed that the Treaty of Versailles had treated Germany badly. He felt that giving in to Hitler’s demands would prevent another war. This policy, adopted by Chamberlain’s government became known as the policy of Appeasement.
The most notable example of appeasement was the Munich Agreement of September 1938.
The Munich Agreement, signed by the leaders of Germany, Britain, France and Italy, agreed that the Sudetenland would be returned to Germany and that no further territorial claims would be made by Germany.
The Czech government was not invited to the conference and protested about the loss of the Sudetenland. They felt that they had been betrayed by both Britain and France.
When Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, he broke the terms of the Munich Agreement & the Appeasement policy
How did the failure of appeasement cause WWII?
When Germany began re-arming in 1934, many politicians felt that Germany had a right to re-arm in order to protect herself.
In 1936, Hitler argued that because France had signed a new treaty with Russia, Germany was under threat from both countries and it was essential to German security that troops were stationed in the Rhineland. France was not strong enough to fight Germany without British help and Britain was not prepared to go to war at this point.
He believed that the Treaty of Versailles had treated Germany badly. He felt that giving in to Hitler’s demands would prevent another war. This policy, adopted by Chamberlain’s government became known as the policy of Appeasement.
The Munich Agreement, signed by the leaders of Germany, Britain, France and Italy, agreed that the Sudetenland would be returned to Germany and that no further territorial claims would be made by Germany.
When Hitler invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, he broke the terms of the Munich Agreement & the Appeasement policy
How aggressive was Italy
In December 1934, Italy claimed part of Abyssinia in east Africa.
In September 1935 the League proposed that Abyssinia give some of its land to Italy. In October, Italian troops invaded Abyssinia.
Britain and France feared the negative impact of the bans on their economies and secretly planned a deal that would allow Italy to take two-thirds of Abyssinia.
In May 1936, Italy took control of all of Abyssinia
In April 1939, in another expansionist move, Italy invaded Albania.
How aggressive was Japan
Japan suffered significantly during the Great Depression, especially when both China and the United States placed trade barriers on Japanese imports.
In 1931, Japanese forces invaded Manchuria, giving Japan access to important timber, coal, iron, oil and gold resources
In early 1933, the League of Nations ordered the Japanese out of Manchuria. Japan resigned its membership.
In July 1937, Japanese forces invaded east China. Japan also took advantage of the weaknesses of the powers who were involved in war in Europe.
In 1940, Japan occupied French Indochina. Its next target was the rubber and oil resources in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).
How aggressive was Germany?
Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Almost immediately he began secretly building up Germany’s army and weapons.
In 1934 he increased the size of the army, began building warships and created a German air force.
In 1938, his troops took over Austria and he was well on his way of achieving his goals of uniting all Germans & expanding.
Britain was not ready (economically & militarily) for war.
In March 1939, Hitler’s troops took over the rest of Czechoslovakia. Poland was his next likely target and Britain and France told him they would go to war with Germany if he invaded Poland. Hitler did not take this threat seriously. Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. On 3 September, Britain and France declared war on Germany.
What was the Beer Hall Putsch?
In November 1923, Hitler and the Nazis stormed an important meeting and started a march to the centre of Munich with 3000 men.
Hitler was arrested, charged with treason, tried, convicted and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.
He was eligible for parole after 6 months and was out of jail in time for Christmas 1924.
What did Hitler immediately do after becoming chancellor?
As chancellor, Hitler acted quickly to decrease the power of his coalition partners.
He encouraged fear of communism & imprisoned 1000s of Communist & political rivals.
By August 1934, Germany was a one – party state with Hitler as the dictator.
The German Army swore an oath of personal loyalty and he used his power to reverse key decisions and limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles.
Who declared Australia’s involvement in WWII?
Robert Menzies
Reasons for enlistment
a desire for adventure and new experiences linked to escaping boredom or unhappiness in their civilian lives
a sense of duty to protect Australia and other nations from German and Japanese aggression
a desire to be part of the military heritage associated with Australia’s efforts in World War I.
Many young men came to view the war as their opportunity to rival the wartime achievements of their fathers’ generation. A minority enlisted to gain better wages than they could obtain elsewhere.
Why did Aus join WWII
In December 1941 Australia declared war on Japan in support of the United States, whom Australian Prime Minister John Curtin saw as the nation’s only hope against the Japanese advance through Asia.
Define Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg, meaning ‘Lightning War’, was the method of offensive warfare responsible for Nazi Germany’s military successes in the early years of the Second World War.
What was Dunkirk
German forces had pushed British, French and Belgian troops back to an area of coastline about 97km in length and 24-40km in width around the French port of Dunkirk - just south of the French - Belgian border.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called on anyone with a boat to make
the trip across the English Channel and bring home the Allied troops. For some reason, the Germans halted their advance and enabled this to happen. Over a nine-day period from 26 May to 3 June 1940, people came in fishing boats,
lifeboats, merchant marine ships, warships and yachts and succeeded in rescuing over 338 000 Allied troops.
What was the Blitz Campaign
From 7 September 1940 until 10 May 1941, the Luftwaffe turned its attention to almost nightly bombing raids on London and other major British cities in a campaign known as the Blitz. Bombs included:
* high explosives (usually with a timed fuse)
* parachute mines, which had maximum impact on concrete and steel structures
* incendiary bombs, designed to start fires.
The Germans hoped this campaign would destroy civilian morale and inflict such serious damage on important industrial centres that Britain would ask for peace. Nearly 43 000 civilians died, and in London bombing destroyed or damaged one million homes. Despite this, the bombing failed to either ruin Britain’s war industries or to demolish civilian morale. Eight months after the Blitz started, the German military abandoned its plan to invade Britain.
Why did the RAF prevail in the Britain bombing campaign
Despite having well-trained crews and more planes than the British, the Luftwaffe failed to defeat the RAF. This failure was due to the RAF having:
* more effective leadership and organisation
* very good radar communication
* Hurricane and Spitfire fighter planes, which were better suited to the battle conditions than the Germans’ Messerschmitts.
How did the Germans prepare to initiate Operation Sea Lion
Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe, conducted a major bombing campaign in Britain from early July until the end of October 1940. Its goal was to destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the British navy in preparation for Operation Sea Lion, Hitler’s plan to invade Britain. Initially, German planes targeted convoys in an attempt to force RAF planes into the air to protect them, and also attacked RAF airfields and radar installations. The destruction of the RAF would make it much easier to bomb Royal Navy shipping.
Describe the crete island battle
In October 1940, Italian forces invaded Greece & failed – in retreat and the Allied troops came to support Greece.
Germany tries to assist the invasion in April 1941 (coming from Bulgaria).
With little air support, shortages of tanks & anti-aircraft guns, the Allies were no match for their well-equipped German enemies using the blitzkrieg tactic.
Language barriers and insufficient equipment made it difficult.
Australia began to pull out of Greece on 24 April 1941. 320 Australian soldiers died there and over 2000 had become prisoners. Some troops were evacuated to Crete. But then German parachutists invaded Crete on 20 May, causing many more Australians became prisoners of war as there were not enough ships to evacuate them.
Describe the libya campaign
In June 1940, Italy launched attacks from their East African colonies (Ethiopia, Italian Somaliland and Eritrea) into the Sudan, Kenya and British Somaliland.
They had some initial small successes and forced the British to evacuate their territory.
September 1940: Italy sent 236,000 troops across the border from Italian-controlled Libya into British-occupied Egypt.
The Italians with outdated tanks & machine guns (unaware that they vastly outnumbered the 36 000 British troops stationed in Egypt) scattered their forces over too wide an area to be able to assist one another.
In early 1941, 60,000 Allied troops forced the Italians to retreat into Libya.
On 4 January 1941, Allied forces captured Bardia, a fortress town. This was the Australian troops’ first major involvement in the war.
Describe the Tobruk campaign
From 10 April 1941, Rommel’s Afrika Corps laid siege to Tobruk, a key base from which the Allies could defend Egypt and the Suez Canal.
By controlling Tobruk & its harbour, the Allies could force the Germans to rely on supplies from Tripoli (1400 km away)
The Allies at Tobruk faced a force twice as large, together with ongoing shelling, bombing and ground attacks.
Germany’s English language propaganda program described them as ‘rats caught in a trap’.
The term became a symbol of pride for the 14 000 Australians who made up over 50 per cent of the Allied soldiers defending it.
During the eight-month siege, the ‘Rats’ strengthened their defences by installing barbed wire and mines around the town’s perimeter.
Fought from trenches and conducted night-time raids to sabotage
In late November Tobruk was the first major setback for German forces.
The siege resulted in 559 Australian deaths, nearly 2500 wounded and 941 Australian prisoners of war.
However, Rommel’s surprise counterattack on l January 1942 forced the British-led Eighth Army to retreat but ended in a stalemate while each side rebuilt its fighting capability
Who were the rats of Tobruk
From 10 April 1941, Rommel’s Afrika Corps laid siege to Tobruk, a key base from which the Allies could defend Egypt and the Suez Canal.
By controlling Tobruk & its harbour, the Allies could force the Germans to rely on supplies from Tripoli (1400 km away)
The Allies at Tobruk faced a force twice as large, together with ongoing shelling, bombing and ground attacks.
Germany’s English language propaganda program described them as ‘rats caught in a trap’.
The term became a symbol of pride for the 14 000 Australians who made up over 50 per cent of the Allied soldiers defending it.
How did the rats of tobruk fight
During the eight-month siege, the ‘Rats’ strengthened their defences by installing barbed wire and mines around the town’s perimeter.
Fought from trenches and conducted night-time raids to sabotage
In late November Tobruk was the first major setback for German forces.
The siege resulted in 559 Australian deaths, nearly 2500 wounded and 941 Australian prisoners of war.
However, Rommel’s surprise counterattack on l January 1942 forced the British-led Eighth Army to retreat but ended in a stalemate while each side rebuilt its fighting capability
reasons for allies and germany requiring North Africa
Egypt & El Alamein
The Allies: needed to be able to maintain a supply route via the Suez Canal.
Germany: needed access to Middle East oil supplies.
Cause of El Alamein
The British defeat of the siege of Tobruk helped the Allies regain the advantage, but by mid 1942 Rommel’s troops had gained a good foothold in Egypt and were threatening Britain’s control of the Suez Canal.
Describe the first battle of El Alamein
In July 1942, with the First Battle of El Alamein, Allied forces halted the German advance.
Both sides paused to regain their strength.
Rommel’s men were exhausted and struggling to obtain supplies, especially fuel supplies.
Then in August 1942, British General Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976) took charge and began to put Rommel under further pressure.
Describe the second battle of El Alamein
On October 23 1942, General Montgomery (allies) launched a counter-offensive attack at El Alamein (twice the number of men & tanks)
When the Allies still didn’t break through, Montgomery ordered the 9th AIF Division to attack from the enemy’s heavily defended northern side. The Australians advanced against Rommel’s troops in a week of intense fighting and on Nov 4, Germans retreated
Montgomery praised the role of the AIF’s ‘magnificent’ 9th Division in this campaign. It had had 6000 casualties between July and November 1942.
The 9th Division returned to Australia in January 1943, thus ending Australia’s involvement in the campaign in North Africa
Significance of El Alamein
By mid 1942, Germany controlled most of western Europe and had made significant advances into eastern Europe, and its U-boats were severely interrupting supply routes between the United States and Britain.
The defeat of Rommel at El Alamein changed this trend.
The North African front strained Germany’s resources and cost it some of its best soldiers. Allied success there ended Germany’s plans of controlling the Middle East oil fields and gave the Allies control of Mediterranean shipping and a base from which to launch attacks on Italy and the Balkans.
Why did Japan despise USA
Japan resented USA (because the US froze assets, restricted trade opportunities & assisted Japan’s enemies
When did Japan ally with the Axis powers?
When did Japan begin their expansion campaign?
In 1940, Japan allied itself with Axis powers.
By 1941, Japan had been engaged in a 10 year campaign of expansion in East Asia (acquiring resources e.g. oil).
What was prohibiting Japan to continue expanding?
Before continuing its expansion into South East Asia, Japan wanted to remove the threat of the US Navy based in Hawaii.
When did Pearl Harbour occur?
Casualties of Pearl Harbour
The war in the Pacific began with Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 Dec 1941. In two hours of bombing, Japan:
Sank/damaged 21 American ships (8 were battleships, 4 destroyers)
Destroyed 188 aircraft, damaged 159
Killed nearly 2400 American military
Wounded over 1000 people (including civilians)
When did US declare war?
When did Hitler declare war on US?
On 8 December, 1941, US declared war on Japan.
On 11 December, Hitler declares war on the US.
Australia response to Japanese expansion
Australia stations its 8th division in Malaya from 1940 onwards.
When did Australia declare war on Japan?
On 9 Dec 1941 – After Japan declares war, Australian Prime Minister John Curtain announces Australia’s declaration of war on Japan.
By this time, Japan had begun their attack on Singapore (home to British Navy).
What did Australia do once they declared war on Japan?
Australian divisions fighting in North Africa/Middle East region were pulled from there to serve closer to home.
Although Australia was always loyal to Britain, Australia knew that their resources were stretched thin & could not supply protection to Australia.
The PM looked for American assistance.
When did the Japanese capture Singapore
15 Feb 1942
Describe the fall of Singapore
The day after Pearl Harbour, Japan invaded the Malay Peninsula & began to advance towards Singapore through the jungle. Singapore was a significant base for the British Navy. The Japanese attack there began on 8 Feb & within 6 days they had reached Singapore city
