Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

JAC US History Semester 2 > WWII > Flashcards

WWII Flashcards

(85 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Who was the president of the US when it entered WWII?

A

Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR died in April 1945, before the war was over.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What was the plan that Hitler had for exterminating the Jews of Europe?

A

The Final Solution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How was the US able to get supplies and weapons safely across the Atlantic to help the Allies?

A

convoy system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What women’s military group flew planes in the US so men could fly in combat?

A

WASPS

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Douglas MacArthur was important to the war years because….

A

He was the commander of the US troops in the Pacific.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Why were Japanese citizens in the US put into internment camps?

A

Because the US government feared they would work as spies for Japan.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

On what date was Operation Overlord carried out?

A

June 6, 1944

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What was another name given to June 6, 1944?

A

D-Day

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What was the objective of Doolittle’s Raid?

A

Bombing Tokyo and boosting American morale

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Who was General George Patton?

A

He was an American tank commander in North Africa and Europe.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What was the purpose of the Yalta Conference?

A

To decide what would be done with Germany when the war ended.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What groups serving in the US military were segregated?

A

Japanese Americans, African Americans, and women.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What was the strategy for winning the war in the Pacific?

A

island hopping

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What was Hitler’s main goal in trying to control Northern Africa?

A

access to the oil in the Middle East

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Who was the famous frontline reporter showing the viewpoint of the US soldier?

A

Ernie Pyle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What was the Manhattan Project?

A

A secret government program to create an atomic weapon. It was a military and scientific program led by General Leslie Groves and Robert Oppenheimer.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What nickname was given to the character that represented the working women in WWII?

A

Rosie the Riveter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Which battle in the Pacific is considered the turning point of the fighting in that theater (region)?

A

Midway, June 1942.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What system did the US government use to distribute resources like food and gas fairly to the citizens?

A

rationing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What event was the beginning of sending large numbers of Jews to concentration camps?

A

Kristallnacht

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What advantage did the US have over the Japanese at the Battle of Midway?

A

We knew where they were going to attack from decoded messages.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What was the purpose of the Nuremberg Trials?

A

To try Nazi officials for killing Jews and other war crimes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Who made the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan?

A

President Harry S. Truman. He became president when FDR died in April 1945.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What were the code names of the D-Day beaches the US forces attacked?

A

Utah and Omaha

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What treaty ended WWI and is considered a cause of WWII?
the Treaty of Versailles
26
What term describes giving into the demands of a country or person in order to keep the peace?
appeasement
27
The Selective Service Act of 1940 started what?
the first peacetime military draft in US history
28
What country did Hitler invade and begin WWII in Europe?
Poland
29
What country did Japan invade in the region of Manchuria, hoping to control natural resources?
China
30
What was the purpose of the America First Committee?
to promote the idea of American isolationism
31
What term means to stop trade of some or all products with a country?
embargo
32
Who was the dictator that came to power in Italy after WWI, promising to build the economy?
Benito Mussolini
33
Where did the US feel Japan was most likely to attack our country as an act of war in 1941?
The Philippines
34
What laws were passed from 1935-1937 to keep the US from interacting with countries at war?
the Neutrality Acts
35
American pilots who volunteered to help the British squadrons served in...
Eagle Squadron
36
What was the date of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?
December 7, 1941.
37
What was the overall purpose of both the Cash and Carry Law and the Lend-Lease Act?
to keep the US neutral and help nations under attack by supplying weapons.
38
What term was used to describe the fast, hard attack method used by Hitler against other nations?
blitzkrieg
39
What was Hitler's purpose in invading and taking control of Denmark and Norway?
to gain control of the North and the Baltic Sea areas.
40
Why did the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor bring the US into the war when previous events had not?
It was a direct attack on US territory and citizens
41
Why did the Japanese plan and launch an attack on Pearl Harbor?
to try to destroy the US Pacific fleet and continue expansion in Asia
42
Who was the Prime Minister of Great Britain as the German Luftwaffe begins the "Blitz"?
Winston Churchill
43
What product did the Japanese need to purchase from the US more than other countries?
oil
44
What country did Hitler attack that most historians agree was a huge mistake?
The Soviet Union
45
Who was Jeanette Rankin?
She was the first woman to serve in the US Congress and the only person to vote against both WWI and WWII.
46
Who was the US general driven out of the Philippines by Japanese forces but promised "I shall return!"?
Douglas MacArthur
47
After taking control of the Philippines, the Japanese capture over 70,000 Americans and force them to walk to a prison camp with little food, water, medical care or rest. What is this event?
the Bataan Death March
48
Why was Doolittle’s Raid on Tokyo significant to fighting the Japanese in the Pacific theater?
It was a boost to American morale that the US had bombed a Japanese city
49
What conditions did US forces encounter in trying to take the island of Guadalcanal?
Tropical heat and humidity, dense jungle areas, crocodiles, snakes and insects
50
How did American victories in Europe offer the US an advantage in fighting the war in the Pacific?
US military resources could be moved from the European to the Pacific theater
51
What strategy did the US military use in the Pacific theater to defeat the Japanese back to their home islands?
island hopping
52
Capturing the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa were important for the US strategy for defeating Japan because...
They would be used as bases for bombing attacks on the main islands of Japan
53
What group of Americans will create and use a secret communication code based on their native language that will be used in fighting the Japanese?
Navajo Indians, they will be known as the Code Talkers
54
Who were the Axis Powers?
Germany, Italy and Japan
55
Who were the Allied Powers?
Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union and later the US
56
What is the term for a systematic extermination of a racial, political, or cultural group?
genocide
57
Who is Neville Chamberlain?
He was Prime Minister of Great Britain from May 1937 to May 1940. He is associated with the policy of appeasement toward Nazi Germany and the Munich Pact of 1938.
58
Who is Adolf Hitler?
The leader of Nazi Germany. He rose to power during the German unrest after the end of WWI. His thirst for power and hatred of the Jewish race fueled WWII and the Holocaust.
59
Who is Winston Churchill?
The Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1940 to 1945. He led Britain to victory in WWII. One of the best known statesmen of the 20th century.
60
Who is Joseph Stalin?
The leader of the Soviet Union during WWII.
61
What was the Non-Aggression Pact?
An agreement between Hitler (Nazi Germany) and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union) signed in August 1939. It surprised the world, because the two countries were enemies. There were secret terms, allowing Germany to take western Poland, and Soviet Union to take eastern Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Hitler is hoping to avoid fighting on the Soviet front.
62
When was the German invasion of Poland?
September 1, 1939. It was a blitzkrieg, involving the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
63
What were the US responses to aggression in 1940 and 1941?
The Selective Service and Training Act (military draft) and Lend-Lease Act.
64
What did the Lend-Lease Act mean?
The US will lend or lease (rent) war materials or weapons to any country believed to be vital to the defense of the US.
65
What was the result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941?
The President of the US, FDR, asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
66
What losses were suffered during the attack on Pearl Harbor?
2403 killed, 1178 wounded. 151 planes on ground destroyed. 8 battleships sunk or damaged. The USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma are total losses.
67
Who is Dwight D. Eisenhower?
A US Army general and the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
68
Who is Omar Bradley?
A US Army general and commander of the D-Day invasion forces.
69
Who is Chester Nimitz?
A US Navy admiral who is given command of the Pacific Fleet after the Pearl Harbor attack.
70
Who was Erwin Rommel, also known as the Desert Fox?
The commander of Germany's troops in Africa. Later is in charge of coastline in Northern France.
71
What is Operation Torch?
An Allied invasion of the North African coastline in November 1942. The first use of US ground forces.
72
What is the Battle of Britain?
German attacks on Great Britain and over the English Channel by the Luftwaffe, which bombed civilian and military targets. A months-long campaign against London itself was known as the "blitz."
73
What is Operation Overlord?
The Allied invasion of Northern Europe, also know as D-Day. Occurred on June 6, 1944. The movement of General George Patton around Europe kept the invasion location a secret. The invasion was along the coast of Normandy, France.
74
What is the Battle of the Bulge?
The last major German offensive against the Allies, taking place in Dec, 1944 and Jan. 1945. The Germans were trying to regain control of the port city of Antwerp, Belgium.
75
Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
The first African Americans trained as pilots and other aviation positions in the US military. Trained at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Overcame prejudice and the 332nd Fighter group had better record than "white" groups.
76
What was the Battle of Coral Sea?
May 1942. Japan wants to take island of New Guinea for airbases to launch attacks on Australia. Battle considered a "tie"-- a strategic victory for the US. Even though it loses more ships, the US Navy stops the Japanese advance.
77
When was the battle for Guadalcanal?
August 1942-Febuary 1943.
78
What is significant about Iwo Jima?
it was a February 1945 battle to capture Japanese territory that the US wanted for an airbase. US Marines carry out the invasion and take the island after several weeks. Japanese soldiers fight to the death. A flag raising on February 23, 1945 is documented by a photographer and becomes a symbol of this war.
79
What is the Holocaust?
The term applied to Hitler's murderous plan to exterminate Jews and other people he considered inferior. By the end of WWII, the Nazi had murdered 6 million Jews and 6 million other people such as Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, mentally and physically handicapped persons, Nazi political opponents, prisoners of war.
80
What was the importance of the use of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
New technologies developed by the US allowed for wide scale destruction and brought the world into the nuclear age.
81
Why did Truman choose to use the atomic bombs?
The decision was controversial-some argued that the Japanese were willing to surrender but that the US insisted on an unconditional surrender. Others wanted to use every means to end the war quickly and protect the lives of American soldiers.
82
What was Executive Order 9066?
An order issued by FDR in Feb, 1942, allowing the US military to remove persons from certain areas of the country if they were considered potential spies. Japanese citizens on the West Coast were sent to internment camps away from the coast.
83
What is VE Day?
Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945, when the Allies announced Germany's surrender in Europe.
84
What is VJ Day?
Victory in Japan Day, August 15, 1945, when the Allies announced Japan's surrender to end WWII.
85
What is the Potsdam Conference?
July 17-August 2, 1945. attended by Truman, Stalin, Churchill and his replacement, Attlee. They agreed upon a policy for the occupation of Germany and Japan, decided German reparations, and demanded that Japan surrender or be destroyed.

JAC US History Semester 2 (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions