Flash Cards for Unit 3 - WWII and the Rise of the Cold War

The Holocaust

A genocide during World War II in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany, aided by its collaborators, systematically murdered some six million European Jews, around two-thirds of the Jewish population of Europe, between 1941 and 1945. Jews were targeted for extermination as part of a larger event involving the persecution and murder of other groups, including in particular the Roma and "incurably sick", as well as political opponents, gay men, Jehovah's Witnesses, ethnic Poles and Soviet prisoners of war.

Iwo Jima

A major battle in which the US Marine Corps landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The American invasion, designated Operation Detachment, had the goal of capturing the entire island, including the three Japanese-controlled airfields, to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands. This 5-week battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the Pacific War of World War II (the defending Japanese soldiers would leverage numerous miles of caves, blockhouses, and pillboxes and entrenched fortifications to effectively use surprise and extract a heavy toll on the attacking Marines.). It was a hard fought victory for US against Japan.

blitzkrieg

A military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery. German term for "lightning war."

Lt. Colonel James Doolittle

A pioneering pilot, aeronautical engineer, combat leader and military strategist whose career stretched from World War I to the height of the Cold War. He is most famous for leading a daring bombing raid over Tokyo in 1942, the first American attack on the Japanese mainland. Doolittle's 16 planes dropped their bombs and then, lacking fuel to return to their carrier, flew on to crash-land in China and the Soviet Union.

kamikaze

A term referring to military aviators (pilots) of the Japanese Special Attack Units. These pilots initiated suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II. The attacks were designed to destroy warships and were more effective than conventional air attacks. About 3,862 kamikaze pilots died during the war, and more than 7,000 naval personnel were killed by kamikaze attacks. The pilots knew they were suicide missions.

Sudentenland

An area in the northwestern part of the Czech Republic, on the border with Germany. Allocated to Czechoslovakia after World War I, it became an object of Nazi expansionist policies. Until Adolf Hitler came to power, most Sudenten Germans were content to remain in Czechoslovakia but in 1935 a Sudten-German Party, financed from within Nazi Germany, began to complain that the Czech-dominated government discriminated against them. German's who had lost their jobs in the depression began to argue that they might be better off under Hitler. In 1938, after diplomatic negotiations the leaders of France, Great Britain, Italy, and Germany signed the Munich Agreement which ceded the area to Germany. This is an example of appeasement.

Winston Churchill

British statesman, orator, and author who as prime minister rallied the British people during World War II and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory. Churchill inspired the country to keep fighting despite the discouraging circumstances--Nazi Germany swiftly defeated Europe, the British navy narrowly escaped capture at Dunkirk, and the harrowing days of the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. He also helped to forge an alliance of Allied Powers with the Soviet Union and the United States which was a key component in order to achieve Allied victory. Churchill was famous for his rousing speeches and quotes, he wrote a number of historical books and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, and he was named an honorary citizen of the United States.

Joseph Stalin

Communist dictator of Soviet Union. One of the most brutal leaders in world history. He had anyone that didn't agree with him killed. He also caused famines in areas of the country so people he wanted dead would starve. Throughout his rule he would order purges where millions of people he thought were against him would be killed or put into slave labor camps. Historians aren't sure how many people he had killed, but they estimate between 20 to 40 million. Immediately prior to the start of World War II, enemies Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, in which the two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years. However, Hitler hated Stalin and less than 2 years later the Germans made a surprise attack on the Soviet Union in 1941. In order to fight off the Germans, Stalin joined the Allies of Britain and the United States. It was an alliance of necessity.

Battle of the Atlantic

During World War II both the Allies and the Axis Powers fought for control of the Atlantic Ocean. The Allies wanted to use the Atlantic to resupply Great Britain and the Soviet Union in their fight against Germany and Italy. The Axis Powers wanted to stop them. The Battle of the Atlantic took place throughout the northern region of the Atlantic Ocean. Once the United States entered the war the battle spread all the way to the coast the United States and the Caribbean Sea. The battle lasted over 5 years and 8 months from September 3, 1939 to May 8, 1945. The early engagements in the Atlantic heavily favored the Germans. They used their submarines (U-boats) to sneak up on British ships and sink them with torpedoes. The Allies didn't know how to respond to these attacks and lost a large number of ships over the first few years of the war. The Allies countered the U-boat attacks by travelling in large groups called convoys. They often had destroyer warships that would help to escort them and defend them from attacks. For a period of time in 1941 this method was fairly effective in helping get many ships through safely to Britain. However, as the Germans built more and more submarines the convoys became less successful. In 1943 the battle reached its peak. The Germans had a large number of submarines in the Atlantic, but the Allies had broken the German secret codes and had developed new technologies for fighting submarines. The Allies used radar to tell where the ships were and special new underwater bombs called Hedgehogs that helped to destroy the submarines. The control of the Atlantic had a major impact on the outcome of the war. Keeping Britain supplied helped to keep the Germans from taking over all of Western Europe. The losses in the battle were staggering. Over 30,000 sailors were killed on each side. The Allies lost around 3,500 supply ships and 175 warships. The Germans lost 783 submarines.

General Dwight Eisenhower

Dwight D. Eisenhower is best known for being the supreme commander of the Allied forces during World War II. As the top commander he planned the Invasion of Normandy, also called D-Day. The invasion was a success and helped to push the Germans out of France. This was one of the deciding victories of the war. When the war in Europe ended, Eisenhower accepted the formal surrender of the German troops.

General Erwin Rommel

Famous German leader known as the "Desert Fox." Commanded military campaigns in North Africa and in Western Europe. He was a brilliant strategist and was obsessed with mobility and insists on leading his troops at the front. The speed with which Rommel's force spearheads the 1940 German invasion of France causes it to be nicknamed the Ghost Division and himself as the knight of the Apocalypse. At one point, Rommel's army covers 150 miles in one day setting a world record. Over time, he loses faith in Hitler's sanity and becomes convinced that Hitler harbors a death wish and intends to drag Germany down with him.

Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal is an island in the Solomon islands northeast of Australia. On Guadalcanal a major WWII battle took place between the US and Japan. The battle marked the first time since entering the war that the United States had gone on the offensive and attacked the Japanese. It lasted six months (August 7, 1942 to February 9, 1943). This was the first time that the Japanese lost ground in the war and had a major impact on the morale of both sides. The island was important for its air base and for communication and supply routes for Australia and New Zealand.

General Douglas MacArthur

In 1941, MacArthur was named commander of the US forces in the Pacific and was in the Philippines when the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. The battle did not go well in the Philippines and FDR ordered MacArthur to evacuate. Once MacArthur could gather his forces, he went on the attack. He was an excellent leader and began to win back islands from the Japanese. After several years of fierce fighting, MacArthur and his troops won back the Philippines. After the war, MacArthur was not only in charge of the Allied occupation of Japan but also took on the monumental task of rebuilding the nation. The country was defeated and in ruins. At first, he helped to provide food for the starving people of Japan out of the armies supplies. He then worked to rebuild the infrastructure and government. Japan had a new democratic constitution and would eventually grow to become one of the largest economies in the world.

Yalta

In February 1945, the "Big 3" - Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin - met in the city of Yalta, Ukraine (part of the Soviet Union). The goal of the conference was to agree on how to win the war and create lasting peace. It was agreed that after Germany's defeat, it would be divided into 4 "occupation zones" (1 for each of them and the 4th for France) in order to share the burden of transitioning Germany into a healthy, stable nation again. FDR asked Stalin to consider declaring war against Japan once the war in Europe was finished because the United States wanted help in the invasion of the Japanese mainland. Tension arose over the future of Poland: Stalin demanded to retain control over Poland to serve as a reward for Soviet sacrifices during the war and to use it as a buffer zone between the Soviet Union and Europe in case of future invasions. FDR and Churchill pressed Stalin to allow free democratic elections in Poland, which he only agreed to consider.

Potsdam

In July 1945, new U.S. President Harry Truman represented America at the newest meeting of "The Big 3" in Potsdam, Germany. Stalin appeared to have little respect for Truman at first, but nevertheless 3 important agreements were reached. First, the Allies agreed to demand an "unconditional surrender" from Japan. Second, Nazi leaders would be placed on trial for their crimes related to the Holocaust. Third, Stalin agreed to declare war against Japan and help invade the Japanese mainland in August. Unfortunately, there were also setbacks. Stalin refused to agree to democratic elections in Poland. During the conference, Truman received word that the Manhattan Project had been successful, and an atomic bomb had been successfully tested in the New Mexico desert. He decided to secretly inform Churchill and Stalin that the United States had created a new weapon of unprecedented (never-before-seen) power. Stalin did not acknowledge that he already knew about the Manhattan Project through Soviet spies in America. He feared America's new power and was convinced they would use it against him in the future.

Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold, Sword

Landing points that kicked off the Allied invasion of Western Europe (D-Day) during World War II. Early in the morning on June 6, 1944, about 156,000 Allied soldiers stormed a handful of beaches along the coast of Normandy, France. Although choppy seas and heavy German resistance prevented them from fully meeting their objectives that day, they were able to gain a crucial foothold. By late August, Paris had been liberated, and Germany's surrender came not long afterward. American beaches--Utah and Omaha, Canadian--Juno, British--Gold and Sword.

Battle of the Bulge

Last major German offensive (Dec 1944 to Jan 1945). It was a surprise German offensive and it took place in the thick, wooded area of the Ardennes Forest region stretching from southern Belgium, Luxembourg, and into Germany. Although intended to split the Allied forces into two to help negotiate a peace on the Western Front, it resulted in vital losses of personnel and equipment for the Germans that would ultimately result in the culmination of World War 2 later in 1945. Named for the shape of the thinly held Allied line. The number of troops required to secure 25 miles was thinly stretched to 75 miles. The most vicious bombardments of the war to place at Bastogne. The 101st Airborne division managed to hold on despite the cold, the punishing attacks, and being surrounded, until Patton's tank divisions could reinforce them.

Anschluss

Means "union." Refers to annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938. Hitler forced the resignation of the Austrian chancellor by demanding that he admit Nazis into his Cabinet. The new chancellor, a pro-Nazi, invited German troops to enter the country on the pretext of restoring law and order.

Operation Overlord

Military code name for the Allied invasion of France (see D-Day).

Manhattan Project

Name for the research and development program for the atomic bomb. It started small, but as the bomb became more real, the United States added scientists and funding to be sure they were the first to have the bomb. Ironically, many of the scientists involved in making the bomb had defected from Germany. By the end of the project, funding had reached $2 billion and there were around 200,000 people working on the project.

Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb named Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. The explosion was huge, the city was destroyed, and tens of thousands of people were killed. The bomb was dropped by a plane named the Enola Gay which was piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbetts. The bomb itself was over 10 feet long and weighed around 10,000 pounds. A small parachute was on the bomb in order to slow its drop and allow the plane time to fly away from the blast zone.

Stalingrad

One of the largest and deadliest battles in World War II. It was a turning point on the Eastern Front in Europe. The city was a major industrial and communications center for the Soviet Union in the south. Also, it was named after the Soviet leader Josef Stalin. This made the city important to Stalin and important to Hitler, who hated Stalin. The battle began with the German air force, the Luftwaffe, bombing the Volga River and the then the city of Stalingrad. They reduced much of the city to rubble. Soon the German army moved in and was able to take a large portion of the city. However, the Soviet troops were not ready to give up. Fighting in the city of Stalingrad was fierce. Soviets hid all over the city, in buildings and even the sewers, attacking the German soldiers. This brutal battle began to take its toll on the Germans. In November, the Soviets gathered and made a counter attack. They trapped the German army inside of Stalingrad. Soon the Germans began to run out of food. Finally, weak from lack of food and freezing from the cold winter, the majority of the German army surrendered.

General George Patton

Patton's first action was to take control of North Africa and Morocco. After successfully gaining control of Morocco, he then led the invasion into Sicily, Italy. The invasion was a success as Patton took control of the island and took more than 100,000 enemy troops captive. After D-Day, Patton led his army across France pushing back the Germans. One of his greatest achievements as a commander occurred when the Germans counterattacked at the Battle of the Bulge. Patton was able to quickly disengage his army from their current battle and move to reinforce the Allied lines with incredible speed. His speed and decisiveness led to the rescue of the troops at Bastogne and helped to crush the Germans in this final major battle.

Mein Kampf

The 1925 autobiographical book by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The work describes the process by which Hitler became anti-Semitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany.

island hopping

The Allied military strategy in the Pacific Theater of Operations against the Empire of Japan during WWII. It is the method of conquering islands in a steady sequence, usually with a defined endpoint. The attacks were lead by General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the Allied forces in the South west Pacific, and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet. The US troops targeted the islands that were not as strongly defended by the Japanese. They took control of those islands, and quickly constructed landing strips and small military bases. Then they proceeded to attack other islands from the bases they had established. Slowly the US army moved closer to Japan, taking control of many of the surrounding islands.

Pearl Harbor

The Attack on Pearl Harbor happened on December 7th, 1941. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes and bombers made a surprise attack on the US Navy in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. All 7 battleships in port were put out of commission; eventually 5 returned to service. The bombers dropped bombs and torpedoes on the war ships, while the fighter planes attacked the US fighter planes on the ground so they could not take off and fight back. Many soldiers and sailors were killed. The Japanese had hoped to break the Americans by attacking Pearl Harbor (cripple our military and keep us out of the war), instead they united Americans. The next day, December 8th, 1941, the US declared war on Japan. Three days later Japan's allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States. The United States was now a major part of World War II.

Red Ball Express

The Red Ball Express was the codename for one of World War II's most massive logistics operations. It was a famed truck convoy system that supplied Allied forces moving quickly through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches in Normandy in 1944. In order to expedite cargo to the front, trucks emblazoned with red balls followed a similarly marked route that had been closed to civilian traffic. These trucks were also given priority on regular roads. The system originated in an urgent 36-hour meeting and began operating on August 25, 1944, staffed primarily with African-American soldiers. At its peak, the Express operated 5,958 vehicles, and carried about 12,500 tons of supplies a day. It ran for 83 days until November 16, when the port facilities at Antwerp, Belgium were opened, when enough French rail lines were repaired, and when portable gasoline pipelines were deployed.

North Africa Campaign

The battles in the North African desert was the making of three famous wartime generals: General Bernard Montgomery (Britain), General George Patton (US), and General Erwin Rommel (aka "the desert fox," Germany). It is in these battles they were tested and made famous. The entire campaign was comprised of several battles stretching over 3 years in the hostile terrain of north Africa. Control of North Africa was important for two key reasons: it was a key strategic "back door" into Europe for the Western Allies (it was later used as a launching point for the invasion of Sicily and then, Italy) and it was an access point to the Suez Canal (Egypt) and the middle eastern oil fields. Oil was important because WWII was the first fully mechanized war--100% combustion engine war. Tanks, jeeps, planes--all forms of movement required the use of oil. Remember, gas comes from oil, plastics are made from oil, engines required oil. If the Germans could control North Africa they could: starve the rest of the world of oil (unless it could be found elsewhere), cut Britain off from its empire in Asia and Africa (important for natural resources and manpower), and threaten Russia's southern flank. The North African campaign offered the Allies the opportunity to open up a new front against the Axis (1940), and, after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, to ease German pressure on the Eastern Front. The campaign had three phases: the Western Desert campaign (western Egypt and eastern Libya); Operation Torch (Algeria and Morocco); and the Tunisia campaign.

Trinity

The code name of the first detonation (test) of a nuclear weapon. It was conducted by the US Army on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project. The White Sands Proving Ground, where the test was conducted, was in the Jornada del Muerto desert about 35 miles (56 km) southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, on the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range. The world's first nuclear device, the "Gadget," was successfully detonated. This inaugural test ushered in the nuclear era.

D-Day

The day (June 6, 1944) in World War II on which Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy. By dawn thousands of paratroopers and glider troops were already on the ground behind enemy lines, securing bridges and exit roads. The amphibious invasions began at 6:30 a.m. It was the biggest seaborne invasion in history and a critical battle for the Allies and their achievement of victory.

Bataan Death March

The forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war in April 1942. On the march approx. 10,000 died (600 U.S. soldiers and between 5000-10,000 Filipino soldiers).

Battle of Midway

The island of Midway is about halfway between Asia and North America (hence the name "Midway"). Because of its location, Midway was considered an important strategic island for Japan in the war. American code breakers intercepted and decoded a number of Japanese transmissions. Hence, the US knew the Japanese plans and prepared a trap. The Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers. This US Naval victory (June 1942) marked the turning point in the Pacific theater.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day, generally known as V-E Day, VE Day or simply V Day, was the public holiday celebrated on 8 May 1945 to mark the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces. It thus marked the end of World War II in Europe.

V-J Day

Victory over Japan Day is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect ending the war. The term has been applied to both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made - to the afternoon of August 15, 1945, in Japan, and, because of time zone differences, to August 14, 1945 - as well as to September 2, 1945, when the signing of the surrender document occurred, officially ending World War II.

appeasement

a diplomatic policy of making political or material concessions to an enemy power in order to avoid conflict.