Battles Flashcards
(11 cards)
Dunkirk
Evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, France (May 26 - June 4, 1940)
Operation Dynamo
Evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force and other Allied troops from French seaport of Dunkirk to England
Many British, French, and Belgian troops saved
Midway
Retaliating battle following the Attack on Pearl Harbour, where the US won against Japan (June 4-7, 1942)
Japan had planned a surprise attack on Midway island, but the US knew about it through their incredible codebreaking, so they prepared an ambush
Japan was caught off guard, and the US ultimately won this battle
Pacific War
Japan’s Impact on WW2
Japan invades Asia
Bombing of Pearl Harbour
Sedan
German forces attacking France through the Maginot line, in Sedan, France (May 12-15, 1940)
Germany’s Goal: Trap Allied forces that were advancing East into Belgium
Luftwaffe prevented Allies air forces from destroying the bridgeheads
Sedan was captured with little resistance
Fought along the Maginot line, the border between France and Germany
Maginot line was created as a fortification and defense system if the Germans were to ever attack France
Paris
German invasion of France using the Blitzkrieg strategy
Germany invades Paris, and faces little to no resistance while doing so as the French army was evacuated to England (June 14, 1940)
French Command aimed at sparing it the devastation which defence would have involved
Stalingrad
Soviet city where German army was forced to surrender after a battle that lasted for months (1942-1943)
Germans were overconfident in their abilities; were surprised to see how strong the Soviet Union army was
Soviet victory allowed Soviets to focus their attention and resources elsewhere
Many deaths
City destruction
End of German advance into Soviet Union
Shattered belief that Axis was invincible
Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, effectively causing Japan to surrender, and marking the start of the end of the war
Made possible through the Manhattan Project, a research program designed to produce the first nuclear weapons in WW2
The Bombing of Hiroshima (August 9, 1945)
City was important for communications, shipping port, assembly area for troops, and manufacturing war materials
Primary target
Bomb named “little boy”, released from “Enola Gay” plane
Majorly affected the city, and civilians overlooked the multiple warnings from the US
The Bombing of Nagasaki (August 9, 1945)
City was important for being a seaport, producing war materials, and having a wide-range of industrial activity
Secondary target, clouds made it difficult to bomb primary target (Kokura)
Bomb named “fat man”, released from “Bockscar” plane
Bomb was dropped into Urakami valley, so the effects were more contained, even though this was more powerful than the first atomic bomb
Belgium & Netherlands
Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands (May 10-28, 1940).
Bypassed the French defence line and prevented England from setting up a base of operations on the European mainland
Hitler justified the attack with a lie to influence public opinion, claiming that England and France were planning to attack the German Ruhr Area via the Netherlands and Belgium, so “he attacked before they could”
Pearl Harbour
Japan attacks the US, causing the US to join the war
Japan had been invading Asia, with the goal of stopping all imports into China, and the US tried to negotiate with them to stop
Japan was convinced their further expansion into Asia would lead to the US’s involvement
They felt a preventive strike against the US would be the best military strategy
Japan bombed the seaport of Pearl Harbour, flying overhead with their planes (December 8, 1941)
Damaged / sunk many battleships, cruisers, destroyers, aircraft, military bases, and airfields
Killed and wounded many
Led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Successful attack because it took the US by surprise
US declared war on Japan the next day
D-Day
Significant turning point in WW2, Allies won
Strategic Importance of opening a Western Front
Goals: weaken German forces, liberate France, and start to defeat the Nazi forces
Operation Overlord (Land) and Neptune (Naval)
Plan was for the divisions to invade Normandy, pushing forwards until they reached Paris, which was when they could reclaim France
Used Operation Bodyguard to mislead Germans about time and place of attack
Turning point in the war: Opened a new front and forced Germany to fight a two-front war.
Liberation of France: Paris was liberated by August 1944.
Accelerated the end of the war in Europe: Germany surrendered in May 1945.
Allies faced some challenges:
Weather: Poor conditions delayed the invasion by one day.
Defenses: German fortifications (Atlantic Wall), mines, and obstacles.
Coordination: Difficulties in synchronizing air, naval, and land operations.
Beaches they invaded (NEED TO MEMORIZE)
Gold Beach: British landing zone, 50th division
Omaha Beach: America’s landing zone, fourth division
Juno Beach: Canada’s landing zone, third division
Utah Beach: America’s landing zone, first division
Sword Beach: British landing zone, third division
Britain
Aerial battle between Britain and Germany, with the Royal Air Force winning
Test of strength between two air forces, devastating for both sides
Luftwaffe aimed to destroy Royal Air Force and follow through with Operation Sea Lion (invasion of Britain)
Expensive battle, caused disease outbreaks, many deaths
