World War II
Erwin Rommel
"Desert Fox"-May 1942; German and Italian armies were led by him and attacked British occupied Egypt and the Suez Canal for the second time; were defeated at the Battle of El Alamein; was moved to France to oversee the defenses before D-Day; tried to assassinate Hitler.
Blitzkrieg
"Lighting war", typed of fast-moving warfare used by German forces against Poland in 1939
Sitzkrieg
"Phony War" with Hitler in 1939-1940 where Hitler prepared for his attack
V-J day
"Victory over Japan day" is the celebration of the Surrender of Japan, which was initially announced on August 15, 1945
D-Day
(FDR) , June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which "we will accept nothing less than full victory." More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day's end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy.
Lebensraum
(German for "habitat" or literally "living space") served as a major motivation for Nazi Germany's territorial aggression.
Nazi Racial War
1) Judenrein "free of jews" 2) containment (1938-1944) -concentration camps. a. Krisallnacht-Nov. 10, 1938. b. Einsatzgrupen (mobile killing units) gas Jews in back of it.
Atlantic Charter
1941-Pledge signed by US president FDR and British prime minister Winston Churchill not to acquire new territory as a result of WWII and to work for peace after the war
Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd US President - He began New Deal programs to help the nation out of the Great Depression, and he was the nation's leader during most of WWII
Following the end of the war in Europe, Germany was divided into _______ zones of occupation.
4
Pearl Harbor
7:50-10:00 AM, December 7, 1941 - Surprise attack by the Japanese on the main U.S. Pacific Fleet harbored in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii destroyed 18 U.S. ships and 200 aircraft. American losses were 3000, Japanese losses less than 100. In response, the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, entering World War II.
Vichy France
A Nazi-controlled puppet state in Souther France established by Hitler and headed by Marshal Philippe Petain
Wannasee Conference
A meeting where Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the "Final Solution", one of the officials suggested putting them in concentration camps, working them to death. Some said it was too time consuming. Months later, "gas cans" in Poland killed 1,000 people a day and they got their solution.
Holocaust
A methodical plan orchestrated by Hitler to ensure German supremacy. It called for the elimination of Jews, non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and mentally and physically disabled.
Winston Churchill
A noted British statesman who led Britain throughout most of World War II and along with Roosevelt planned many allied campaigns. He predicted an iron curtain that would separate Communist Europe from the rest of the West.
Nuremberg Trials
A series of court proceedings held in Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II, in which Nazi leaders were tried for aggression, violations of the rules of war, and crimes against humanity.
Casablanca Conference
A wartime conference held at Casablanca, Morocco that was attended by de Gaulle, Churchill, and FDR. The Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of the axis, agreed to aid the Soviets, agreed on the invasion Italy, and the joint leadership of the Free French by De Gaulle and Giraud.
George Patton
Allied Commander of the Third Army. Was instrumental in winning the Battle of the Bulge. Considered one of the best military commanders in American history.
Battle of Britain
An aerial battle fought in World War II in 1940 between the German Luftwaffe (air force), which carried out extensive bombing in Britain, and the British Royal Air Force, which offered successful resistance.
lend-lease act
Approve by Congress in March 1941; The act allowed America to sell, lend or lease arms or other supplies to nations considered "vital to the defense of the United States."
The turning point in the war in the Pacific between the U.S. and Japan was which event?
Battle of Midway
Joseph Stalin
Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition
By the end of June 1940, there remained only one Allied Power with any true independence. That was _____.
Britain
RAF
British Royal Air Force
While two of the Allied Powers initially fear the rebirth of a strong Germany following World War II, one leader wanted Germany to be strong again. Which leader wanted this?
Churchill
Which leaders disagreed the most during the conferences of World War II?
Churchill & Stalin
Hiroshima
City in Japan, the first to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, on August 6, 1945. The bombing hastened the end of World War II.
Stalingrad
City in Russia, site of a Red Army victory over the Germany army in 1942-1943. The Battle of Stalingrad was the turning point in the war between Germany and the Soviet Union. Today Volgograd.
Judenrein
Clean of Jews; the removal of Jews from the presence of a place
Operation Barbarossa
Codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II -- led to USSR joining the Allies
Teheran Conference
December, 1943 - A meeting between FDR, Churchill and Stalin in Iran to discuss coordination of military efforts against Germany, they repeated the pledge made in the earlier Moscow Conference to create the United Nations after the war's conclusion to help ensure international peace.
"Scorched Earth" policy
Destroying crops and livestock so that one's enemy has nothing to use for food as they invade. Used by the Russians when Napoleon invaded in 1812.
August 30, 1945
Douglas MacArthur arrives in Japan
All of the following were signs that the U.S. was getting more involved in the war prior to December 1941 EXCEPT: Lend-Lease Act, Atlantic Charter, Roosevelt's communications with Churchill, Dunkirk evacuation
Dunkirk evacuation
Dwight Eisenhower
Eisenhower (nicknamed "Ike") later became a very popular 2 term Republican American president. He was elected because he was a WWII war hero. Ike planned the successful Operation Torch attack and was later appointed to be "Supreme Allied Commander" in Europe (he was placed in charge of all generals for all nations allied with the US). His next big plan was Operation Overlord.
Yalta Conference
FDR, Churchill and Stalin met at Yalta. Russia agreed to declare war on Japan after the surrender of Germany and in return FDR and Churchill promised the USSR concession in Manchuria and the territories that it had lost in the Russo-Japanese War
"Final Solution"
Final solution of the Jewish question-murder of every single Jew-had begun-mass arresting, and trafficking of Jews to the concentration camps-mass killings occurred as well in the gas chambers
All of the following were countries that were taken over by Hitler, either in part or in whole, in the 1930s EXCEPT: Czechoslovakia, Austria, Poland, France
France
Prior to the Spring of 1940, some falsely believed that World War II was a farce and that the Germans were not intending to continue to fight. All of the following are reasons for this belief EXCEPT: They thought Hitler had achieved the lebensraum (living space) he desired by the end of 1939, There wasn't any significant fighting after the successfully conquering of Poland in the fall of 1939, France had surrendered her northern territories to Germany in return for the promise of peace with all of the Allied Powers, Hitler had not publicly declared his desire to take over Western parts of Europe as much as he had done with the Eastern areas of Europe.
France had surrendered her northern territories to Germany in return for the promise of peace with all of the Allied Powers
Charles de Gaulle
French general and statesman who became very popular during World War II as the leader of the Free French forces in exile (1890-1970)
Bernard Montegomery
General that led the victorious troops in the Battle of El Alamein
The success of the German blitzkrieg form of fighting was assisted by all of the following EXCEPT: new military technology, German experience with trench warfare, strategic planning of German high command, use of surprise attack methods
German experience with trench warfare
September 1, 1939
Germany invaded Poland; the beginning of World War II
The tide of war definitively turned against the Germans when
Hitler demanded that his troops secure control of Stalingrad at all costs in 1942
Identify the correct chronological order of the following events: I. Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor II. D-Day III. Teheran Conference IV. German invasion of USSR V. Death of MussoliniI
IV, I, III, II, V
All of the following were mistakes made by Hitler during World War II EXCEPT: Switching targets during the Battle of Britain, Allowing the Dunkirk evacuation to occur, Declaring war on the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Invading France through the Ardennes Forest
Invading France through the Ardennes Forest
All of the following are reasons for the growing tension between the U.S. and Japan in 1939 - 1941 EXCEPT: Japan's colonization of territories in the Pacific, US oil embargo on Japan, Japanese threats toward the Philippines (U.S. controlled territory), Japan's alliance with Fascist Italy and Germany
Japan's alliance with Fascist Italy and Germany
Nagasaki
Japanese city devastated during World War II when the United States dropped the second atomic bomb on Aug 8th, 1945.
Potsdam Conference
July 26, 1945 - Allied leaders Truman, Stalin and Churchill met in Germany to set up zones of control and to inform the Japanese that if they refused to surrender at once, they would face total destruction.
V-E Day
May 8, 1945; victory in Europe Day when the Germans surrendered
Auschwitz
Nazi extermination camp in Poland, the largest center of mass murder during the Holocaust. Close to a million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, and others were killed there. (p. 800)
Moscow Conference
October 1943, win the war in Europe first, then the Russians will help the Americans fight the Japs in 90 days
Neutrality acts
Originally designed to avoid American involvement in World War II by preventing loans to those countries taking part in the conflict; they were later modified in 1939 to allow aid to Great Britain and other Allied nations.
Tripartite Pact
Pact between Japan, Germany, and Italy signed in September 1940, by which each pledged to declare war on any nation that attacked any of them
"Arsenal of democracy"
Referred to America's Ability to supply its European allies with war supplies prior to the U.S. entry into WWII.
In less than a year, Germany had conquered more land than it had in all of World War I. Which other European country also redeemed itself from World War I failures by conquering significantly more territory in Europe than it had while losing World War I?
Soviet Union
In the summer of 1939, Hitler was intent on continuing the expansion of his lebensraum in Eastern Europe. What country was the most fearful of upsetting in this effort?
Soviet Union
The Tripartite Pact formed the core members of the Axis Powers and it included all of the following countries EXCEPT: Italy, Germany, Soviet Union, Japan
Soviet Union
Why was the U.S. reluctant to join in the war prior to December 7, 1941?
The American public wanted the U.S. to remain isolated to stay out of European affairs.
Operation Overload
The code name for the Allied invasion of France in 1944, which commenced on the beaches of Normandy and ultimately was successful in liberating France and pushing German forces back east to their own territory.
December 7, 1941
The date Pearl Harbor was attacked
How did the Germans overcome the defenses of the Maginot Line in order to successfully invade France?
They directed the main thrust of their attack to an area along the French border that was west of the Maginot Line.
The Allied invasion of Italy was known as Operation _____________.
Torch
Which of the following was NOT a conference of the Allied Powers that occurred in 1943? (Moscow, Teheran, Tunisia, Casablanca)
Tunisia
Which of the following were the "Big Three" Allied Powers?
US, Britain, USSR
Which country was the most desperate for the Allied Powers to open a third front against the Germans in 1944?
USSR
The only countries that were able to significantly influence world affairs in the immediate aftermath of World War II were:
United States & Soviet Union
By the end of 1943, the Allies had opened two fronts against the Germans and were planning to open a third front in ________ Europe in 1944.
Western
Where did the Dunkirk evacuation occur?
Western France
When compared to World War I, the advancements in which technology are most to blame for the increased death toll of World War II?
aircraft
"Big Three"
allies during WWII; Soviet Union - Stalin, United Kingdom - Churchill, United States - Roosevelt
Which of the following adjectives most accurately describes the reaction of the international community to the non-aggression pact signed in August 1939? (Astonishment, resigned acceptance, animosity, disappointment)
astonishment
Operation Torch
begun Nov 1942, American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria, and pressing eastward trapped the German and Italian armies being driven westward by the British, forcing German and Italian troops to surrender, despite Hitler's orders to fight to the death.
What area was the greatest point of disagreement about during the conferences?
eastern Europe
All of the following were problems with the Maginot Line EXCEPT: It was designed for a defensive war, It did not enable the French to advance upon an enemy, It lacked the powerful weapons necessary to defend against an army invading by land, Once controlled by the enemy/it could be used against France
it lacked the powerful weapons necessary to defend against an army invading by land
All of the following were mistakes made by Hitler EXCEPT: Operation Barbarossa, Allowing the Dunkirk Evacuation, changing strategies during the Battle of Britain, making the Nazi-Soviet non aggression pact
making the Nazi-Soviet non aggression pact
Luftwaffe
the German air force
Dunkirk Evacuation
the evacuation of Allied forces from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France between May 26 and June 3, 1940. The evacuation saved Britain from surrendering to the Axis powers.
"Free France"
they were led by General Charles de Gaulle, they kept fighting Germany until they won
Which of the following reasons for why the U.S. decided to drop the atomic bombs on Japan was the LEAST important? (To bring an end to the war more quickly, To avoid having to invade Japan, To show the world the destructive power that the U.S. had, To save American lives that would have been lost by prolonging the war.)
to show the world the destructive power that the U.S. had