World War II

Holocaust

... In a program of mass murder that became known as the Holocaust, Hitler and the Nazis had attempted to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe in the name of Aryan supremacy.

Manhattan Project

A secret program known as the Manhattan Project. The goal was to develop an atomic bomb, a weapon that produces tremendous power by splitting atoms. On July 16, 1945, the Allies successfully tested the first atomic bomb in the New Mexico desert. The massive explosion melted the desert sand into glass for 800 yards in all directions.

General Dwight Eisenhower

American General came ashore in Morocco and Algeria, west of Egypt. Caught between two Allied forces, the Afrika Korps surrendered in May 1943

Douglas MacArthur

American and Filipino forces under the command of American general Douglas MacArthur could not stop Japan's advance in the Philippines. MacArthur left the islands in March 1942, vowing to return.

Totalitarianism

As a result, in the 1920s and 1930s, several European countries moved toward totalitarianism, a political system in which the government controls every aspect of citizens' lives.

Appeasement

At the 1938 Munich Conference, Germany was given control over the Sudetenland in return for a promise not to demand more land. This approach was known as appeasement—a policy of avoiding war with an aggressive nation by giving in to its demands. British admiral Winston Churchill was convinced that this strategy would not stop Hitler.

VJ Day

August 15, 1945, the day on which the Allies announced the surrender of Japanese forces during World War II.

In what battle did Montgomery stop Rommel's advance?

Battle of El Almein

Benjamin O. Davis

Benjamin O. Davis Jr., who later became the first African American general in the U.S. Air Force, led the group. Davis and his pilots had to overcome prejudice in the military as well as the hazards of war.

What was Rommel's nickname?

Desert Fox

Who said he would return to the Philippines?

Douglas MacArthur

August 6, 1945?

Enola Gay, dropped history's first Nuclear Weapon on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.

How did industry contribute to the war effort?

Factories ran 24 hours a day, producing ships, tanks, jeeps, guns, and ammunition. Americans turned their knowledge of mass production toward the production of war supplies. One remarkable example was the building of Liberty ships—transport vessels for troops and supplies. Workers could build an entire 441-foot-long Liberty ship in as little as four days.

fascism

Fascism, a political system in which the "state"—or government—is seen as more important than individuals. Fascist systems are typically militaristic and headed by a strong leader.

Who was the U.S. President at the beginning of WWII when the US became involved?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

President(s) of the U.S.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman

Battle at Dunkirk

German troops then invaded France, trapping hundreds of thousands of Belgian, British, and French soldiers in the French port city of Dunkirk. British ships raced to Dunkirk and carried the soldiers across the English Channel to safety in Britain.

Erwin Rommel

Germany's Afrika Korps was led by General Erwin Rommel, nicknamed the Desert Fox for his bold, surprise attacks. Rommel began an offensive to take Egypt.

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, Japan

How did the U.S. pay for the war?

Government raised taxes and sold war bonds

Who was the U.S. President at the end of the war?

Harry S. Truman

Emperor of Japan?

Hirohito

Battle of the Bulge

Hitler's goal was for German forces to drive through a weak spot in the Allied lines and capture the city of Antwerp, Belgium. On Dec. 16 the Germans seized a moment when Allied planes were grounded due to bad weather. In heavy snow some 25 German divisions attacked the Ardennes. The Germans quickly pushed the Allied forces back about 65 miles, creating a huge bulge in the Allied lines.

Sonar

In 1942 alone German U-boats sank more than 6,000,000 tons of Allied materials. To prevent further damage, the Allies used the convoy system of multiple ships traveling at once, along with new sonar technology. Sonar, which uses sound waves to detect objects underwater, helped Allied ships find and destroy German U-boats.

Warsaw Ghetto

In April 1943 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto staged a violent uprising, attacking the Germans with guns and homemade bombs. It took German troops nearly a month to crush the revolt. Survivors were sent to Treblinka.

Dresden

In February 1945 Allied bombers attacked the German city of Dresden, igniting a firestorm that destroyed the city and killed more than 35,000 civilians.

Battle of Britain

In July 1940 the Luftwaffe, or German air force, began attacking British planes and airfields in what became known as the Battle of Britain. Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to begin bombing British cities in the hope of crushing British morale. Using the new technology of radar, the RAF was able to detect and destroy some 2,300 of the Luftwaffe's aircraft. Hitler cancelled the invasion of Britain.

Luftwaffe

In July 1940 the Luftwaffe, or German air force, began attacking British planes and airfields in what became known as the Battle of Britain. In August Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to begin bombing British cities in the hope of crushing British morale.

Lend-lease Act

In March 1941 Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act, allowing the president to aid any nation believed vital to U.S. defense. Under Lend-Lease, the United States sent billions of dollars' worth of aid in the form of weapons, tanks, airplanes, and food to Great Britain, the Nationalists in China, and other Allied countries.

Battle of the Coral Sea

In May 1942 Nimitz sent Allied forces to stop the Japanese fleet. American and Japanese aircraft carriers and fighter planes clashed in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Neither side won a clear victory, but the Japanese assault on Port Moresby was stopped.

Battle at Leyte Gulf

In October 1944 General MacArthur led a mission to retake the Philippines. The Japanese navy confronted the Allies at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history. The Allies crushed the Japanese fleet, crippling Japan's naval power for the remainder of the war.

Battle of Leyte Gulf

In October 1944 General MacArthur led a mission to retake the Philippines. The Japanese navy confronted the Allies at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history. The Allies crushed the Japanese fleet, crippling Japan's naval power for the remainder of the war.

Battle of El Alamein

In the summer of 1942, Rommel began an offensive to take Egypt. General Bernard Montgomery led the British forces to stop the Germans. The British stopped the Afrika Korps in July at the Battle of El Alamein. At the same time, U.S. and British troops, led by American general Dwight D. Eisenhower, came ashore in Morocco and Algeria, west of Egypt. Caught between two Allied forces, the Afrika Korps surrendered in May 1943.

Kamikaze

In the waters near the island, Japanese planes struck U.S. ships with the tactic of kamikaze—purposely crashing piloted planes into enemy ships. In wave after wave, kamikaze pilots flew planes loaded with explosives straight down onto the decks of Allied ships.

Mussolini

Italian Prime Minister; Mussolini's rule was based on fascism, a political system in which the "state"—or government—is seen as more important than individuals. Early in 1945, German forces were driven out of Italy. Italian freedom fighters executed Mussolini.

Fuehrer of Germany?

Joseph Stalin

D-Day

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. More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion at pearl harbor when ja invasion, and by day's end on June 6, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy.

Omar Bradley

Led by American General Omar Bradley, Allied forces began fighting their way across France toward Germany.

VE Day

May 8, 1945, the day on which the Allies announced the surrender of German forces in Europe.

How many people died in WWII?

More than 50 million people died.

Nazi

Only by ridding itself of Jews, Hitler declared, would Germany again rise to greatness. Hitler's National Socialist Party, or Nazis, gained a large following. Hitler became chancellor in 1933 and quickly seized all government power.

House to house fighting brought on by whom?

Paratroopers

Robert Oppenheimer

Physicist and the director of the Manhattan Project. Developed the first atomic bomb and became a leading opponent of its use.

Adolph Hitler

Politician and World War I veteran Adolf Hitler took advantage of public anger to gain power. A fiery speaker, he inspired huge audiences by vowing to restore Germany to prosperity and a position of international power.

Joseph Stalin

Russian dictator who first helped Hitler destroy Poland before becoming a victim of Nazi aggression in 1941

Zoot-suit riots

Some men wore zoot suits—fancy, loose-fitting outfits with oversized hats. Despite their aiding of the war effort, many faced discrimination. In Los Angeles in June 1943, groups of sailors attacked Mexican Americans wearing zoot suits, beginning the zoot-suit riots. During the 10-day period, white mobs attacked many Mexican Americans.

Enola Gay

The B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb above the city of Hiroshima.

Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad thus became a key turning point of the war. German supplies began to run desperately low as the harsh Russian winter began. Hitler remained obsessed with capturing Stalingrad, however. He ordered his troops to keep fighting, though he did not send enough new supplies or soldiers. Thousands of Germans froze or starved to death. In late January 1943 the German commander at Stalingrad defied Hitler and surrendered to save his remaining troops.

Suez Canal

The Germans and British were battling for control there because Axis leaders wanted to grab control of the Suez Canal, a crucial supply route in Egypt. Germany's Afrika Korps was led by General Erwin Rommel, nicknamed the Desert Fox for his bold, surprise attacks.

Hitler rebuilt his military after WWI in violation of what?

The Treaty of Versailles

Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were African American pilots who trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama.

August 9, 1945?

The United Sates dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

Selective Training and Service Act

The United States also needed millions of soldiers. Congress had begun to prepare for war by passing the Selective Training and Service Act in 1940. This was the first peacetime draft in the country's history.

Bataan Death March

The exhausted soldiers were forced to march 63miles up the Bataan Peninsula to prison camps. Many prisoners were starved and beaten by Japanese soldiers. More than 600 Americans and about 10,000 Filipinos died in the Bataan Death March.

Little Boy

The first bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Fat Man

The second bomb dropped on Nagasaki.

Internment Camps in the U.S.

This order allowed the government to begin the process of internment, or forced relocation and imprisonment, of Japanese Americans. About 115,000 Japanese Americans were evacuated from their homes and held in isolated internment camps. Half of those held in the camps were children. A smaller number of Americans of German and Italian ancestry were also held in internment camps during the war.

War Production Board

To organize the war effort, the government created the War Production Board (WPB) to oversee the conversion of factories to war production. In 1942, for example, the WPB banned the production of cars so that auto plants could produce military equipment.

A. Philip Randolph

To protest this unfair treatment, African American labor leader A. Philip Randolph began to organize a march to Washington, D.C., in 1941.

British Royal Air Force

To safely move troops and equipment across the English Channel, Germany first had to defeat the British Royal Air Force (RAF).

Allied Powers

US, Soviet Union, United Kingdom

paratroopers

Used to clear out germans and causeways, 175000 men, carrying guns+60 pounds of gear. landed on omaha beach, june 6 1944.

Blitzkrieg

Using a strategy called blitzkrieg, or "lightning war," German tanks and airplanes broke through Polish defenses. As German forces drove into Poland from the west, the Soviets attacked from the east. Within a month, the two powers had taken control of Poland.

Radar

Using the new technology of radar, the RAF was able to detect and destroy some 2,300 of the Luftwaffe's aircraft. Hitler canceled the invasion of Britain.

Chester Nimitz

Was a five-star admiral of the United States Navy. Nimitz shifted to the offensive and defeated the Japanese navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the pivotal Battle of Midway, and in the Solomon Islands Campaign.

Island-hopping

Where Allied forces took only the most strategically important islands, instead of each Japanese-held island. They could use each captured island as a base for the next attack, while isolating the Japanese forces on the bypassed islands.

Prime Minister of Great Britain?

Winston Churchill

Role of Women in WWII

Women also filled new roles in military service. About 300,000 women served in the armed forces through special divisions such as the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and Women's Air force Service Pilots (WASP). WASP pilots flew test flights and ferried planes between factories and air bases. Army and navy nurses served in combat areas.

Midway

World War II Pacific battle; decisive U.S. victory over powerful Japanese carrier force.