The Phony War

Conscription

Conscription means compulsory military service. All men between certain ages are forced by law to serve in the military. This often happens in times of war.

British Expeditionary Force

The British Expeditionary force was another name for the British army. It was a relatively small fighting force but became larger as the war wore on and conscription was introduced.

Operation Dynamo

The code name for the rescue operation at Dunkirk between May and June 1940.

Adolf Hitler

The fuhrer of Germany. Came to power in 1933 and led Germany to WWII. He was the leader of the Nazi Party.

Dunkirk

The is the port in North West France where the allies were forced to evacuate over 300,000 troops from the beaches of Dunkirk. The operation code named Dynamo was a success but also hugely symbolic for the allies.

Phony War

This a phrase used to describe the period at the beginning of the war after September 1939 and up to April 1940 when nothing really happened.

Sitzkreig

This is a German term which literally means the sitting war and refers to the also known as the Phony war or the Twilight war.

Blitzkrieg

This is a term which literally means lighting war. This was a new tactic developed by the German military ton quickly knock out an opponent and gain an early advantage.

Wehrmacht

This is the German word for their army that fought against the allies in WWII. They were very well trained and well equipped but they still lost the war.

Emergency Powers Bill

This was a law passed by the British government and parliament in 1940. It gave the government more powers which restricted the freedom of the population so that the government could protect them.

Aerial Bombardment

This was a tactic used by both the allies and the axis powers. Their air force would drop massive amounts of bombs on to military and civilian targets to try and defeat their enemy.

"The Little Ships"

This was the armada of privately owned vessels which sailed to the rescue of the troops trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk.

Twilight war

This was the name that British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill gave to the period between September 1939 and April 1940.

Appease

To appease means to give in to the demands of an aggressor to avoid conflict. Some people believe that the policy of appeasement adapted by the allies before the war between 1936 and 1939 contributed to the outbreak of the war.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister between 1940 and 1945. He led a National Government during the war and is widely regarded as a hero by the British people.