WWII Flashcards

Question

1937

Answer 1

Japan goes to war with China 2nd Sino Japanese war

Answer 2

The forgotten Holocaust of WWII

Answer 3

To restore the Roman Empire and create an African Empire -Ethiopia (1st target) is invaded and conquered in 1933 -League of Nations does nothing to stop them

Answer 4

was to create a European empire

Answer 5

(occupies) - demilitarized zone/Buffer between France & Germany

Answer 6

-Spanish Civil War used as a dress rehearsal for WWII -Germany invades Austria - “Anschluss” (unification with Germany) -Germany invades the Sudetenland/Czechoslovakia)

Answer 7

Neville Chamberlain - Prime minister of Great Britain - Appeasement policy: gives into Hitler demand to avoid war

Answer 8

“You were given the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor and you will have war

Answer 9

Hitler takes over all Czech

Answer 10

did nothing to stop the aggression of Japan, Italy, and Germany WHY? for fear of another World War

Answer 11

Poland. Most thought he was bluffing because then Germany would have another 2 front war - France and Soviet Union) - not make that mistake again

Answer 12

German-Soviet Non-Agression pact alliance between them

Answer 13

Germany invades the country of Poland in Sept. 3, 1939

Answer 14

Blitzkrieg lightening fast (fast and furious) to conquer France/Northern Europe

Answer 15

After Poland fell - no fighting took place for 6 months “Phony war” - Both armies of the Germans & French faced each other along the Maginot line (Fortification between the 2 countries)

Answer 16

Germany invaded N. Europe Blitzkrieg Fell in 6 weeks *British/French armies trapped. English Channel

Answer 17

Amphibious operation that miraculously rescued the British & French armies

Answer 18

had conquered all of W. Europe except Great Britain (island) -French government in exile led by Charles de Gaulle -Free France (underground)

Answer 19

1940: Battle of Britain - August 1940 Hitler’s plan to invade and conquer Britain -Must control the sky first (Luftwaffe - German air force) bombers to attack Britain day and night -Targets were communication centers and airfields/destroy the RAF (British Royal Air Force) *But Britain would not give in Led by a new prime minister- Winston Churchill - “We shall never surrender”

Answer 20

Civilian populations (cities) - Huge mistake because it gave the British RAF time to recover

Answer 21

London attacked for 57 consecutive days/nights Purpose was to destroy the peoples will to fight *Children sent to the countryside -Motivational posters -It backfired and made them more determined to fight

Answer 22

Radar Results: Early turning point of the war. Britain wins -First time Hitler lost -People of Europe realize that Hitler is not unbeatable- Boosted morale

Answer 23

“lifeline of the Great Britain” between USA and Great Britain -Longest continuous battle of WWII/Most important -The Atlantic Ocean was particularly vital for Great Britain’s survival (supplies/equipment) -German U-boats (Wolf packs)-very successful- first 2 years -Allies fight back with “convoys,” “sonars,” and depth charges

Answer 24

1. Allied Powers: Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, (later the USA) 2. Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan

Answer 25

USA was neutral at first- stay out of European affairs

Answer 26

Purpose was to limit US involvement in future wars 1. placed an embargo on arms sales to belligerents 2. forbade American ships from entering war zones and prohibited them from being armed 3. barred Americans from traveling on belligerent ships

Answer 27

Cash & Carry Program - 1939-1940 assisted Great Britain- supplies

Answer 28

The USA could lend or lease arms, or other supplies to any country vital to the defense of the USA -Great Britain, China and the Soviet Union all got aid USA became the “Arsenal of democracy” -USA provided 3/4 of all allied war materials *By 1941 the USA was fighting an “undeclared war” on the Axis powers

Answer 29

Invasion of the Soviet Union - June 1941 - Eastern Front Why did Hitler want the Soviet Union? 1. Lebensraum (living space) for German people 2. Largest population of Jews 3. Natural resources - Oil, etc

Answer 30

Russian Army Russians did not mobilize their army soon enough -Surprised by the scale of the invasion

Answer 31

Knock out all the cities - why? That is where the factories were

Answer 32

Germans came within 20 miles of success - Russian brutal winter stopped them -Hitler’s first defeat on land

Answer 33

-900 day/siege - Of the 2.5 million residents - over 1 million died

Answer 34

fought for control over Russian oil fields -Ordered to fight to the death, no surrender -Lasted 5 months -Bloodiest battle of the Eastern front Over 2 million casualties Germans forced to surrender over 90,000 troops Turning point in the war on the Eastern front

Answer 35

No Russian city ever surrendered- But Russia paid a heavy prince in casualties *The Soviet lost the most people in the war. 20 million - 8 million in the Nazi POW camp

Answer 36

Russian campaign because it drained much of his manpower. Lost 1/3 of army & military resources Germany never recovered

Answer 37

revolutionizes modern warfare: Strategic Bombing of Military targets at first (airfields, railways, etc.) Later targeted cities (Berlin, Tokyo, etc.) Why? -Crippled the Axis industrial centers - Axis powers would eventually run out of war materials -Civilians caught in the cross fire Over 10 million civilians died

Answer 38

first American bombing crew to complete 25 missions -Air Force had the highest causality rates in WWII (51% killed)

Answer 39

-By 1941 the war in China had exhausted Japan’s resources -In 1941 after Japan attacked French Indo-china -The USA froze all Japanese assets in the USA and stopped all of trade including oil with Japan. Embargo

Answer 40

Japan realizes the USA is the only country that can stop them from taking over Asia (Pacific) Must knock them out -Largest American naval base -Believed the attack would destroy American will to fight

Answer 41

had spies planned for over a year

Answer 42

USA naval base in the Pacific (Hawaii) Isoroku Yamamoto - Admiral of the Japanese navy plans the attack Sunday December 7, 1941- Surprise attack

Answer 43

1. US Intelligence warned of an imminent attack 2. Midget submarine discovered at 4am 3. radar sighting - 7:05am

Answer 44

7:48 183 planes “Tora, Tora, Tora” - Japanese code word - surprise had been achieved -bombers/torpedo planes attack 3 targets: aircraft carriers (Flat tops), Battle ships and airfields

Answer 45

8:54am - 170 planes USS Arizona Memorial - 1,110 men died -Destroyed 18 ships, Including 8 battleships -188 airplanes, and killed 2,403 men -Japan lost 29 planes/64 men

Answer 46

Japanese failed to: 1. Destroy the repair facilities 2. Destroy the fuel depots 3. Did not destroy submarines 4. Destroy the US Aircraft carriers *Within 6 months every ship was raised except 2

Answer 47

Japan attacks the American installations of the Philippines/Guam and Wake Island and the British colonies of Malaysia/Singapore & Hong Kong

Answer 48

FDR/USA declares war on Japan he calls Pearl Harbor… “A date which will live in infamy” - The American people would never forget

Answer 49

1. USA enters World War II 2. Unites the people of the USA - Americans wanted revenge 3. Internment camps: (10) - 120,000 Japanese Americans (Nisei) were forced into prison camps by the American government in the USA - Lost everything they had -Reason given - National security -Real reason - fear & prejudice

Answer 50

Japan wins battle after battle -Philippine Islands (American territory) - falls

Answer 51

Philippines - 70,000 American (Filipino prisoners forced to march 66 miles in 10 days from Corregidor Island to POW camp - 27,000 died *30% of American POWs died in Japanese camps (1% in German camps) *US Commander of the Pacific theater Gen. Douglas MacArthur promises his men “I shall return”

Answer 52

Doolittle Raid over Tokyo - April 1942 -Col James Doolittle - “Suicide missions” -80 volunteers -16 B-25 bombers strike Tokyo -All but 1 crashed in China - only 6 killed -No military significance but the raid boosted American morale Note: Japanese killed over 250,000 Chinese who helped men escape -Doolittle received the Medal of Honor 2 major Naval/Air battles - Turn the tide 1942

Answer 53

American fleet commander 1. Battle of Coral Sea: (May 1942) -The US fleet stops the invasion of Australia 2. Battle of Midway: (June 1942) -U.s. defeats the Japanese and stops their planned invasion of Hawaii/West Coast of USA -Most important naval battle in American history (Turning point in the Pacific)

Answer 54

“Island hopping” - purpose: get close enough to launch bombing attack on Japan

Answer 55

-6 month bloody battle to control the airfield *It was the first major island taken from the Japanese. Starting point to attack Japan

Answer 56

the activities of the civilians in a nation at war. USA

Answer 57

everything/everybody involved in war effort in some way. Raise an army - soldiers were called GI’s (Government issue) 15 million drafted *Over 1 million blacks served in war - segregated units “Tuskegee Airmen” *300,000 women served in the military - non combatant roles

Answer 58

Recruitment/Rationing Rationing books - Food and supplies such as gas, tires, clothing, etc. Victory gardens - people grew food for the war

Answer 59

mobilized for war effort (war materials) - War Productions board

Answer 60

-Women in the workplace: “Rosie the Riveter” - symbol of American women 1/3 of the workplace -Black - first time - workforce in large numbers -Bracero program - permitted millions of Mexican men to work legally in the United States on short term labor contracts Virtually no unemployment. Less than 1%

Answer 61

1. War bonds (loans given to the government) to finance the war (sold by movie starts/entertainers) 2. Income tax

Answer 62

Propaganda & News Reels

Answer 63

The systematic mass slaughter of the Jews and other undesirables -Heinrich Himmler - head of the SS black shirts were in charge of the Holocaust

Answer 64

code word to the question of what to do with Europe’s 12 million Jews (4 programs) 1. Immigration: make so bad in Germany that they flee the country. Why it failed? The Great Depression- Countries did not let them in 2. Mobile Death Squads: (Soviet/Poland) (Einsatzgruppen)- Dug trenches and were machined gunned to death. Why it failed? Destroyed the German soldier’s morale. Soldiers became depressed 3. Ghettos: (Warsaw)- Jews rounded up in cities (Poland) closed and sealed off behind barbed wire and forced to work with little food. Starve to death. Why it failed? too slow. Holding tanks shipped to death camps 4. Death camps/gas chambers: Jew gassed in showers and cremated in ovens

Answer 65

6 million Jews and 5 million other undesirables were killed mostly through this method. (11 million in total) 1.5 were children Peak- 1942 Up to 5,000 per day killed

Answer 66

1. Corrie ten Boom - Dutch Christian who hid Jews - “Hiding place” 2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer - German protestant pastor who gave his life - “The cost of discipleship” 3. Oskar Schindler - businessman who gave his life saving Jews. “Schindler’s list” 4. Anne Frank - Jewish girl who wrote a diary - “Diary of Anne Frank”

Answer 67

1. POW camps: (Stalags) - held prisoners of war Mostly in Germany. Most prisoners survived 1-4% death rate 2. Work camps - used slave labor to help the German war effort - (factories, mines, etc.) many worked to death. Mostly in Germany. -Dachau was the most infamous one 3. Death Camps: used to exterminate people. All six were located in Poland. Auschwitz was the most infamous (1.1 million died) *Geneva Convention: Est. the rules of war

Answer 68

Joint operations with Great Britain Allies opened up new fronts (take pressure off Soviet Union) 1. Operation Torch 2. Operation underbelly 3. Operation overlord

Answer 69

Operation Torch - North African campaign - 1942 - Allies take N. Africa from the Germans -Allies led by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower (commander of the European theater) -Bernard Montgomery - British general -Erwin Rommel - (German) “Desert Fox” *Battle of El Alamein - Key Allied victory in Africa

Answer 70

Italian campaign - 1943 - Italy the weak link Allies liberate Italy/Rome *Battle of Anzio - key Italian battle -Mussolini is excited -Italy is out the war by 1944

Answer 71

Fortress Europe campaign (conquer Germany) - 1944

Answer 72

elaborate system of defenses set up by the Germans to protect Europe/Germany from invasion

Answer 73

Allied commander Dwight Eisenhower D-Day - Deliverance Day - June 6 - Battle of Normandy (5 French beaches) - (Americans/British/Canadians) -Largest amphibious attack in history - 156,000 troops - 6,000 ships - 12,000 planes -Allied attack - 10,000 casualties on the first day 3 month battle 0 June - August 1944 -Over 3 million allied liberation of W. Europe from the Nazis *Looked like the war would be over by Christmas

Answer 74

December 1944 - Great Surprise (Hitler’s last offensive of the war) -A small American unit (101st Airborne) at Bastogne, heroically held their ground until Gen. George Patton (Tank division) rescued them after 7 days)

Answer 75

brought an end to the war in Europe sooner - Germanys resources exhausted - Also the bloodiest battle in European theater. -Germans in full retreat

Answer 76

Russians pushing from the east and Americans/British from the West Battle of Berlin - April 1945 - Soviets vs the Germans -April 30, Hitler and his mistress Eva Braun commit suicide

Answer 77

The Soviet Union and the American/British forces meet in Berlin in May 1945 Germany surrenders V-E Dy May 8 (Victory in Europe)

Answer 78

-Battle of Leyte Gulf - Japanese navy is destroyed and the Philippine Islands are liberated. MacArthur returns -Kamikazes: Japanese warriors fight to the death or commit suicide - never surrender Navaho “code talkers” - secret US code

Answer 79

US takes the 1st of the Japanese home islands -Iwo Jima - men raise the US flag on Mt. Suribachi. One is an SDA Harlon Block Okinawa - Longest/bloodiest battle in the Pacific and the Last major battle of the war (82 days) -Japanese fight to the death. Over 100,000 soldiers died and 100,000 civilians/suicides US losses - 12,000 dead **These two islands became the staging area for the anticipated invasion of Japan “Operation downfall”

Answer 80

SDA medic saves over 75 men from certain death - Wins the Congressional Medal of Honor - Most decorated SDA in history (Also won 2 bronze stars and 3 purple hearts)

Answer 81

USA’s secret Atomic bomb program -Albert Einstein: warns FDR -Led by Gen. Leslie Grooves: Project coordinator And chief scientists Robert Oppenheimer (130,000 - workers) -Developed 2 types of bombs First 1 was used in a test: Los Alamos, New Mexico - Gadget *Invade Japan or use the Atomic bomb -Decided to use the bomb because it would save lives -Estimated over 1 million deaths/several million casualties in an invasion

Answer 82

President Harry Truman warns Japan about a new weapon “reign prompt and utter destruction”

Answer 83

(B-29 bomber) piloted by Col. Paul Tibbets Jr. - dropped the 1st atomic bomb (Little Boy) on the Japanese city of Hiroshima (70,000 died instantly) -Japan warned again

Answer 84

another atomic bomb (Fat man) was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki (40,000 died instantly)

Answer 85

Japan surrenders on September 2, 1945 - VJ Day (Victory over Japan) WWII is over

Answer 86

-The nuremberg trial and the tokyo war crimes Trials (1945-1948) -Violated the Geneva convention: Est. “rules of war”

Answer 87

1. Approximately 70 million people died *40 million were civilians 2. Europe was in ruins *30 million refugees 3. Cold war - 2 competing superpowers (USA & Soviet Union) 4. Great Britain lost its empire 5. Nuclear Age 6. Creation of Israel (Jewish Homeland)

WWII Flashcards

(113 cards)