WWII Flashcards
Nonaggression pact/Nazi-Soviet pact
Hitler and Stalin agreed not to attack each other & to divide up land in Eastern Europe.
Blitzkrieg
“Lightening War”. German war tactic used air strikes then tank surges.
Winston Churchill
British prime minister during WWII
Franklin D. Roosevelt
President of the US during Great Depression and WWII
Battle of Britain
Prolonged battles of British cities by the Germans during WWII.
D-Day
Code name for June 6, 1944 - Invasion led by Eisenhower, over a million Allied forces invaded France during WWII.
Island Hopping
Allied strategy of bombing some Japanese islands while bypassing others(WWII).
Defeat Europe First Strategy
Allied plan to defeat Germany & Italy first then deal with Japan.
The Phony War
Quiet period during WWII when British & French troops waited for Germans.
Pearl Harbor
Surprise attack on Hawaii by Japan - December 7, 1941, US to declares war on Japan & head into WWII?
Douglas MacArthur
American commander in WWII - used the Island Hopping strategy against Japan.
Battle of Midway
US victory over the Japanese fleet entirely from the air. June 1942. Crushing defeat for Japan.
Battle of Okinawa
Major Island Battle of WWII, where Kamakazi’s were used.
Battle of Iwo Jima
Major Island Battle of WWII, where Kamakazi’s were used.
Holocaust
Hitler called for the elimination of Jews, non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and mentally and physically disabled.
Auschwitz
Concentration death camp in Poland.
Final Solution
Hitler’s program of killing the entire jewish people & by mass arresting and trafficking of Jews to the concentration camps & gas chambers.
Ghettos
Segregated Jewish areas
Concentration Camps
Camps like Auschwitz, where Jews & “undesirables” were sent by Nazi’s to work & die.
Eisenhower
General of the Army WWII, fought in Northern Africa - later became Pres of USA.
Battle of Stalingrad
Bbattle between Germans & Soviets for control of Stalingrad.
Germany’s lost & was a turning point in the war.
Battle of the Bulge
December, 1944-January, 1945 - After recapturing France, the Allied advance became stalled along the German border. The Allies stopped the German advance and back across the Rhine with heavy losses.
Kamikaze
A Japanese plane used for suicide missions by Japanese pilots in WWII
Nuremburg Trials
Court proceedings held WWII, in which Nazi leaders were tried crimes against humanity.
Genocide
Systematic killing of an entire racial or religious group
Anschluss
Union of Austria & Germany (Nazi WWII)
Why were the early months of WWII referred to as the “phony war”?
There wasn’t much happening, Britain sent troops to France & waited with them for Germans to invade.
Why was North Africa of strategic importance in WWII?
The Suez canal which was necessary for trade & supplies.
Why did President Roosevelt want to offer help to the Allies?
Hitler was gaining so much power he might become a threat to the United States if the Allies failed to win.
How did the Japanese plan to catch the European colonial powers and the United States by surprise?
Planned attacks on British and Dutch colonies in & Pearl Harbor. (Instead of on their mainland)
What was General Douglas MacArthur’s island-hopping strategy?
WWII - skipping over certain Japanese Islands & attacking others.
What was the new racial order proposed by the Nazis?
Racial goal of exterminating any “inferior races” - anyone non-German.
What Nazi action marked the final stage of the “Final Solution”?
Sending all “undesirables” (Jews,disabled,inferior races) to Concentration Death Camps.
How did some non-Jews oppose Hitler’s “Final Solution”?
By hiding Jews in their homes or helping them escape to safer countries/areas.
Why did Stalin want the United States and Britain to launch a second front in the west?
So some of the strain was taken off the eastern front (Russia).
Where was Operation Overlord supposed to take place?
The beaches of Normandy, France
What brought about the Japanese surrender?
The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
How did the Allies deal with the issue of war crimes in Europe following the war?
The Nuremberg Trials - holding accountable the Nazi for “crimes against humanity”
What event finally unleashed WWII?
Germany attacked Poland.
What was Yamamoto’s objective at Pearl Harbor?
Was to immobilize the US Fleet.
Name two tactics that Hitler used to rid Germany of Jews before creating his “Final Solution”?
Nuremberg Laws & Kristallnacht
What tactics did Hitler use in his “Final Solution”?
Sending Jews to Concentration Death Camps & using the Gas Chamber to kill them.
Why were consumer goods rationed during the war?
Armies needed to be supplied with materials.
What was Operation Overlord?
Code name for the Battle of Normandy - invasion of Allied forces (WWII) to beat back the Germans in France.
