World War II Study Guide
V-J Day
August 15, 1945 - the Victory in Japan Day when the Japanese surrendered
Enola Gay
B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima: Colonel Paul Tibbets, Jr.
Victory Gardens
Backyard gardens; Americans were encouraged to grow their own vegetables to support the war effort
Harry S Truman
Became president when FDR died; gave the order to drop the atomic bomb
Blue Star/Gold Star
Blue Star-Relative alive and fighting; Gold Star-Relative dead
Winston Churchill
British statesman and leader during World War II
Neville Chamberlain
British statesman who as Prime Minister pursued a policy of appeasement toward fascist Germany
Joseph Stalin
Communist dictator of the Soviet Union
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941; dragged the US into WWII
Japanese Internment Camps
Detention centers where more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were relocated during World War II by order of the President.
Luftwaffe
German Air Force
Adolf Hitler
German Nazi dictator during World War II (1889-1945)
Invasion of Poland
Germany invaded, breaking their agreement, so Britain and France declared war, STARTING WWII
Axis Powers
Germany, Japan, Italy
Tojo (Japan)
He was directly responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the war between Japan and the United States
Benito Mussolini
Italian fascist dictator (1883-1945)
D-Day
June 6, 1944 - Led by Eisenhower, over a million troops (the largest invasion force in history) stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. The turning point of World War II.
V-E Day
May 8, 1945; victory in Europe Day when the Germans surrendered
Kristallnacht
Night of Broken Glass, Nov 9 1938 night when the Nazis killed or injured many jews & destroyed many jewish propertys
R.A.F.
Royal Air Fore; the airforce of Great Britain
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces.
The Homefront
The push and efforts to win the war from the United States citizens that were still at home.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs to end World War II; orders of Harry S Truman
Battle of Midway
U.S. naval victory over the Japanese fleet in June 1942, in which the Japanese lost four of their best aircraft carriers. It marked a turning point in World War II.
Lend-Lease Act
U.S. policy before the U.S. enters WWII in December, 1941 in which the U.S. provided war materials to the Allies fighting the Axis powers.
Allied Powers
USA, Britain, Soviet Union
Robert Oppenheimer
United States physicist who directed the project at Los Alamos that developed the first atomic bomb (1904-1967); MANHATTAN PROJECT LEADER
European Theater
WWII fighting in Europe beginning with the invasion of Normandy
Island Hopping
WWII strategy of conquering only certain Pacific islands that were important to the Allied advance toward Japan
Battle of the Bulge
World War II battle in December 1944 between Germany and Allied troops that was the last German offensive in the West.
concentration camp
a camp where people, prisoners of war or political opponents, are held captive; commonly associated with the imprisonment of European Jews during World War II
Rationing
a limited portion or allowance of food or goods; limitation of use
Isolationism
a national policy of avoiding involvement in world affairs
Fascism
a political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and no tolerance of opposition
beachhead
an area on hostile territory that is occupied in order to secure further landing of troops and supplies
Yalta
city of the Ukraine in Crimea on the Black Sea; A Meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin to plan the post-war world took place here
Manhattan Project
code name for the secret United States project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II
Communism
creates classes for the citizens, etc.
Genocide
deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group
collaborative
done jointly or in cooperation with others
Propaganda
ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause
Kamikazes
japanese suicide bombers
Dwight Eisenhower
leader of the Allied forces in Europe then was elected to be President of the USA; leader of the D-Day Invasion
Blitzkrieg
lightning war: fight a quick and surprising war
The Code Talkers
navajo that sent secret messeges to The allies in there own language
Appeasement
practice of giving in to aggression in order to avoid war
amphibious
related or adapted to both water and land
Treaty of Versailles
root cause of WWII
Rosie the Riveter
symbol of American women who went to work in factories during the war
Final Solution
the Nazi program of exterminating Jews under Hitler
Holocaust
the Nazi program of exterminating Jews under Hitler; gypsies, handicapped, and Slavs were also targeted. This word means "complete destruction by fire" in Greek.
Sicily
the largest island in the Mediterranean off the southern tip of Italy
Totalitarianism
the principle of complete and unrestricted power in government
Battle of Britain
the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it
draft
the selection of individuals for required military service
Battle of Stalingrad
turning point in the war. In 1943, After German troops had been devastated trying to fight Russia's Army in the cold winter
Fat Man and Little Boy
two atomic bombs used against Japan; Fat Man: Nagasaki; Little Boy: Hiroshima
oppression
unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power
cession
yielding to another; withdrawal
Battle of Leyte Gulf
1944 World War II naval battle betweeen the United States and Japan. Largest naval engagement in history. Japanese navy was defeated.
Douglas MacArthur
American general, who commanded allied troops in the Pacific during World War II.
Cash & Carry (Neutrality Act of 1939)
Policy adopted by the United States to preserve neutrality while aiding the Allies, favoring Britain and France,
Franklin D. Roosevelt
President of the US World War II
