WWII Flashcards
(33 cards)
What is Blitzkrieg?
German WWII tactic (Lightning War) using surprise, speed, and heavy firepower. Bombers and artillery disrupt enemy communications, paratroopers drop behind lines, tanks break through the weakest point, followed by troops encircling the enemy.
What is the Luftwaffe?
Nazi Germany’s air force in WWII. Key to Blitzkrieg, used bombers and fighters to weaken enemy defences and support ground attacks.
What is the Phoney War?
Period between the Fall of Poland and the Invasion of Norway. Little to no fighting; no Allied casualties. Many people believed the war might not escalate.
What is Dunkirk?
Massive Allied evacuation from Dunkirk as German forces surrounded them. Over 300,000 rescued by military and civilian boats. (Mid-1940)
What is the Fall of France?
Major German victory, invading France in six weeks. Bypassed the Maginot Line by attacking through Belgium and the Ardennes Forest (an area considered impossible for large-scale attacks). France signed an armistice; the north was occupied, while the south became Vichy France. (Mid-1940)
What is the War in the Pacific?
(1941-1945) Conflict, mainly between Japan and the US over control of territories and resources in the Pacific and Asia during WWII.
What is Pearl Harbour?
U.S. naval base in Hawaii, attacked by Japan in a surprise strike due to U.S. oil sanctions. American aircraft carriers were out at sea, so air superiority had not yet been lost. (Late 1941)
What is Midway?
Pacific island and site of a key 1942 battle. The US sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers, losing only 1, gaining air superiority. This victory turned the tide against Japan, weakening their defence and limiting access to oil. Allowed Allies to plan reclaiming Japanese-held colonies.
What is Island Hopping?
U.S. strategy to capture key Japanese-held islands while bypassing heavily defended ones. Aimed to cut off Japan from resources and move closer to the mainland.
What is the Atomic Bomb?
Powerful new weapon developed by the U.S. during WWII. Dropped on Japan, forcing surrender and also signalling U.S. power to the Soviet Union amid rising tensions.
What is Hiroshima/Nagasaki?
Japanese cities where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in August 1945. It led to Japan’s surrender and demonstrated U.S. power during rising tensions with the Soviet Union.
What is Operation Sea Lion?
Germany’s planned invasion of Britain in 1940. Cancelled after failure to win air superiority in the Battle of Britain.
What is the Battle of Britain?
Air battle between Germany’s Luftwaffe and Britain’s RAF in 1940. Britain won thanks to radar, quick refuelling, and home advantage. Victory stopped Operation Sea Lion and marked the Allies’ first major win.
What is Operation Barbarossa?
Germany’s surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. Hitler aimed to gain Lebensraum and resources. The Germans advanced quickly, but the harsh winter and endless Soviet reinforcements led to a war of attrition that favoured the USSR. Britain and the U.S. supported the Soviets with supplies.
What is Stalingrad?
Battle between Germany and the Soviets from 1942 to 1943. Hitler insisted on capturing Stalingrad, which had little military value, mainly for propaganda. Germans took the city, but Soviet forces surrounded them. Despite Hitler’s order to hold, the Germans eventually surrendered.
What is Scorched Earth Policy?
Stalin’s order for civilians to destroy crops, livestock, and buildings to deny resources to advancing German forces during the invasion of the USSR.
What is the North Africa Campaign?
Battle between Allies and Axis for control of North Africa (1940–1943). Crucial for securing the Suez Canal (key to British transport) and blocking German access to Middle Eastern oil. Allied victory drove Germans out and opened the path to invade Italy.
What is El Alamein?
1942 battle in Egypt, where the Allies stopped the Axis from capturing the Suez Canal and Middle Eastern oil. It marked a turning point in the war, as German access to vital oil for its war machine was blocked.
Who is General Erwin Rommel?
German commander (Africa Korps) in North Africa, known as the “Desert Fox.” Led Axis forces in driving the British out of Libya but was defeated by the Allies at the Battle of El Alamein.
Who is Field Marshal Montgomery?
British commander in WWII, best known for defeating Rommel at the Battle of El Alamein in 1942. His leadership was crucial in driving the Axis out of North Africa.
What is The Road to Berlin?
Final Allied push into Nazi Germany. Soviets advanced from the east, Western Allies from the west. It ended with the capture of Berlin and Germany’s surrender in May 1945.
What is D-Day/Normandy?
Mid-1944, first day of the Allied invasion in Normandy, France, opening a second front. Allies crossed the English Channel to attack heavily defended German beaches. Around 2.2 million soldiers took part. Crucial in liberating Europe from German control.
What is Operation Overlord?
Codename for the entire Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe, starting with the D-Day landings in Normandy. Aimed to liberate Europe from Nazi control.
What is the Holocaust?
Systematic persecution and murder of six million Jews and millions of other innocent people by the Nazi regime during WWII.
