Chapter 18: 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.

Battle of Britain

1940, German air forces invaded Britain but the British Royal Air Force drove them out with the help of the new invention radar that let them know where the German planes were.

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 amd to work for peace after the war.

Battle of Midway

1942 World War II battle between the United States and Japan, a turning point in the war in the Pacific.

Yalta Conference

1945 Meeting with US president FDR, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and and Soviet Leader Stalin during WWII to plan for post-war.

How many people died in the German invasion of the Soviet Union?

27 million people.

How many Europeans were forced to move during WWII?

30 million Europeans.

Harry Truman

33rd President of the United States after FDR. Led the U.S. to victory in WWII making the ultimate decision to use atomic weapons for the first time. Shaped U.S. foreign policy regarding the Soviet Union after the war.

Maginot Line

A fortification built before World War II to protect France's eastern border.

Island hopping

A military strategy used during World War II that involved selectively attacking specific enemy-held islands and bypassing others.

Strategic bombardment

A military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale or its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations.

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.

Zionism

A policy for establishing and developing a national homeland for Jews in Palestine.

Rosie the Riveter

A propaganda character designed to increase production of female workers in the factories. It became a rallying symbol for women to do their part.

How many Jews were killed during the Holocaust? Why was the concentration camp system used?

About 6 million Jews were killed. It was used because it was a cost less way of murdering people.

Lend Lease Program

Act of 1941 that permitted the US to led or lease arms and other supplies to the Allies, signifying an increasing likelihood of American involvement in WWII.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

American General who began in North Africa and became the Commander of Allied forces in Europe.

Pearl Harbor

American base in Hawaii that was bombed by Japanese planes on December 7, 1941. The bombing of Pearl Harbor forced the United States to enter the war.

What was the total cost of WWII in monetary terms?

Around 1.5 trillion dollars.

How was Britain able to withstand defeat by the Germans?

Because of Churchill, Germany tried to destroy Great Britain's Air Force, but Churchill kept the people willing to fight with Great Britain against Germany.

Why did Germany need to be defeated first?

Because they posed a greater threat to the survival of the allies and then allies could more effectively concentrate against it.

Why was Japan so reliant on shipping?

Because they wanted to secure food and raw materials and to supply its armies on the Asian mainland.

Incendiary bombs

Bombs made to start fires. the British used these bombs to burn down many buildings in opposing countries. this was to bring down the 'morale' of the people. it was exceptionally destructive.

Iwo Jima and Okinawa

Brought American soldiers closer than ever to Japan. Japanese commited suicide, rather than surrender.

How was the US able to win major naval battles?

By bringing in Aircraft carriers. Most battles were called a win by how many carriers were sunk.

How did the Soviet military machines outpace that of the Germans by the summer of 1943?

By creating an industry that sustained a huge military machine - over 6 million men; more than double Germany's army.

How did the Allies start winning the air battle after 1942?

By flying deeper into Germany and Central Europe. They had flyers protecting their bombers and shot down German planes faster then they could be replaced.

How did the US get ready for a possible war in 1940 and 1941?

By increasing funds in armed forces.

How did WWII lead to a situation of "total war" in the US?

By producing 300,000 planes, 2.5 million trucks, 88,000 tanks and 3,000 ships. The US military also produced the production of Axis powers, and propaganda on movies and radio.

How did Japan increase its control in Asia by 1940?

By securing coal and iron in Manchuria.

How did the US and Great Britain aid the Chinese?

By sending supplies to continue to fight the Japanese. The US then threatened Japan saying that if they go south east they would get involved.

Operation Barbarossa

Codename for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II.

General Douglas MacArthur

Commander of the US forces in the Philippine Islands who directed the Allied occupation of Japan.

Terror bombing

Common tactic of war; no military strategy: just used to terrify the population into submission; often used incendiary bombs; moral justification: line between combatants and civilians had been blurred.

Battle of Ardennes Forest

December, 1944-January, 1945 - Final German assault in December 1944 in Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg.

Genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group.

What were German submarines doing in the fall of 1941?

Destroying US ships they were being attacked by.

Great Arsenal of Democracy

During one of FDR's fireside chats. He said he didn't want to send our young men to fight but the only way we were gonna keep from doing that is to help the countries that were already fighting, give them the goods they needed to defeat Hitler.

Charles de Gaulle

French general and statesman who became very popular during World War II as the leader of the Free French forces. (1890-1970)

Luftwaffe

German Air Force

Panzers

German tanks

Admiral Chester Nimitz

He was the commander of the Pacific Fleet during WW2, and he was the man who directed the U.S. victories at Midway, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

Battle of Kursk

Hitler wanted to take the offensive by making use of the newly developed tanks. The german forces were defeated by the Soviets at the greatest tank battle of WWII.

New Order

Hitler's program, based on the guiding principle of racial imperialism, which gave preferential treatment to the Nordic peoples above "inferior" Latin peoples and, at the bottom, "subhuman" Slavs and Jews.

What were some new air weapons developed during WWII?

Incendiary bombs, modern cruise missiles, and V-2 rockets.

Master Class

Invented by Liszt, the concept of bringing lots of students together.

When did the German blitzkrieg wind down?

It started to wind down by late November due to the large amounts of snow and rain.

What was the greatest point of disagreement between the Allies?

It was the time and place to attack German forces from the west.

What was the "massive vice" that the Germans were caught in by the summer of 1945?

It was when the western allies crossed the Rhine River while soviet forces moved from the east and surrounded Berlin. Hitler then committed suicide and by May 8th, 1945 Germans surrendered and the war was over.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots who loaded their planes with explosives and crashed them into American ships.

Whose empire was bigger geographically, Japan's or Germany's?

Japans

D-Day

June 6, 1944 - Led by Eisenhower, over a million troops stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. The turning point of World War II.

Where were concentration camps primarily located? Why do you think they were put here

Mainly located in Poland and Germany, they were put here because they had fall control of those countries.

When did WWII officially end?

On September 2nd, 1945

Dunkirk

Port in France, 300,000 Allied troops were evacuated when their retreat by land was cut off by the German advance in 1940.

Franklin Roosevelt

President of the US during Great Depression and World War II.

Invasion of Poland

September 1, 1939 - Germany invaded, breaking their agreement, so Britain and France declared war, starting World War II.

How did tensions rise in the summer of 1941 between the US and Japan

Tensions rised when Japan moved to Southeast Asia and looked ready to start a military conquest.

What did the Soviet Union do while Hitler was conquering most of Western Europe?

The Soviet Union was taking most of Eastern Europe including Baltic nations and part of Finland for use of a port.

Which country had the most dead during WWII?

The Soviet Union with 27 million dead.

Final Solution

The cover name for Hitler's plan to destroy all the Jews in Europe, It began in December 1941.

What was the general publics view of getting involved in conflict in Europe?

The general public opposed any action into getting involved in the war with Europe.

What did the Soviet Union, the US, and the UK agree to do during the war?

They agreed that their nations wouldn't make a separate peace but would fight the war to the unconditional surrender of all the Axis powers.

What do historians debate regarding the dropping of the atomic bombs?

They argued whether Japan would've surrendered without being hit by the Atomic bombs. Also, whether they were dropped to end the war or to shape the post war era.

Why did so many civilians die during WWII?

They died by starvation, disease, air raids, battles, labor and extermination camps.

What were some of the problems that kept the Germans from capturing Moscow?

They ran very low on supplies. It was freezing cold, so the distances accross Russia were hard to cover.

How was Germany able to win so much in the first two years of the war?

They used mechanized warfare. Specifically, troops, tanks and aircrafts coming at the enemies all at once.

How were the Japanese cut off in the Pacific Islands

They were cut off by the US forces attacking islands in the central pacific. Once the took control over one island they moved to the next until they were under full control.

How was Europe and Asia physically devastated?

They were physically devastated by principal cities in Central Europe whom were bombed. Roads, railroad systems, and millions of acres of farm land were either destroyed or damaged. In Asia, cities mainly in Japan were obliterated.

Carrier warfare

US Navy dominated aircraft carriers.

Battle of Stalingrad

Unsuccessful German attack on the city of Stalingrad during World War II from 1942 to 1943, that was the furthest extent of German advance into the Soviet Union.

What was the role of U-Boats in WWII?

Used to blocade the Allies.

Tripartite act

an agreement between Germany, Italy and Japan signed in Berlin on September 27th 1940.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

nuclear attacks during World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States of America at the order of U.S. President Harry Truman.

Guadalcanal

one of the Solomon Islands in southwest Pacific, Japanese building airstrip, August 1942 battle, Allies won.

Hideki Tojo

premier of Japan during World War II while this man was dictator of the country. He gave his approval for the attack on Pearl Harbor and played a major role in Japan's military decisions until he resigned in 1944.