Download 00 Key Terms - 6-4

United States History
Topic 6: World War II (1931-1945)
6-4 – A War on Two Fronts
Key Terms
Allied Strategy
Axis weakness – the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, & Japan) never
had a coordinated strategy to defeat the Allies; they focused on their own
independent political and military goals
Allied mistrust – the Allies (US, UK, & USSR) shared more unified
goals, although they did not completely trust one another; Roosevelt and
Churchill feared that Stalin wanted to dominate Europe; Stalin believed that
the West wanted to destroy communism
“Europe First” – strategy by the Allies that focused on finishing the
war in Europe before trying to end the war in Asia; the Big Three (Roosevelt,
Churchill, & Stalin) considered Germany the most dangerous enemy; none
felt Japan or Italy posed a serious long-term threat
Q: Why do you think Churchill and Stalin favored a Europe First strategy?
The European Front
Battle of Stalingrad – (Aug 1942-Feb 1943) Germany invaded the
Soviet Union in June 1941; the Nazis attacked Stalingrad to control the rich
Caucasus oil fields; incredibly ferocious fighting; the true turning point of the
war in Europe; the Nazis were now on the defensive and the Soviets on the
offensive
War in North Africa – (1940-1943) even though Stalin wanted a
second front opened in Western Europe, Roosevelt and Churchill felt they did
not have the resources to prepare for an invasion of mainland Europe; also,
forcing Germany out of North Africa would pave the way for an Allied
invasion of Italy
Dwight D. Eisenhower – (1890-1969) energetic American officer –
known as Ike; his success as the commander of the Allied invasion of North
Africa (1942) and Sicily (1943) led to him being named the Supreme
Commander of the Allied Forces
George S. Patton, Jr. – (1885-1945) innovative, aggressive tank
commander; known as “Blood and Guts”; in March 1943, Ike put him in
charge of the Allied troops in North Africa
Omar Bradley – (1893-1981) known as Brad; took command of
Patton’s group in March 1943 when Patton moved on; in May 1943, the
remaining German and Italian forces in North Africa - ~240,000 troops –
surrendered
Q: How did geographic factors affect the war on the North Atlantic, at
Stalingrad, and in North Africa?
Axis Powers on the Defensive
unconditional surrender – giving up completely without any
concessions; January, 1943 – FDR announced that the Allies would only
accept unconditional surrender; Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo could not hope to
stay in power through a peace agreement
Italy surrenders – July 1943, British and American armies invaded
Sicily; Italy surrendered on September 3, 1943; Hitler rescued Mussolini and
installed him as head of a puppet state in northern Italy; the fighting in Italy
continued until the end of the war in 1945
saturation bombing – tactic of dropping massive amounts of bombs
in order to inflict maximum damage; done mainly by the British; usually
done at night; included civilian targets
strategic bombing – tactic of dropping bombs on key political and
industrial targets; done mainly by the Americans; usually done during the
day; meant to destroy Germany’s capacity to make war
Tuskegee Airmen – African American squadron that escorted
bombers and conducted bombing raids over Europe during WWII; in more
than 1,500 missions over enemy territory, the Tuskegee Airmen did not lose
a single bomber
Q: What was the situation in Italy after September 1943?
Turning Points in the Pacific
Chester Nimitz – (1885-1966) took command of the US Pacific Fleet
shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; under his leadership, the
US forces won victories at Midway, Tarawa, Marianas, and Iwo Jima, among
other places
American code breakers – Admiral Nimitz knew the Japanese plans
because US Navy code breakers had intercepted Japanese messages; while
the Japanese navy was stretched out over more than 1,000 miles, American
forces were all concentrated near Midway
Battle of Midway – (June 4-7, 1942) most important naval battle of
WWII; Americans sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and all 250 aircraft on
board – America lost only one aircraft carrier; turning point of WWII in the
Pacific, halted the Japanese advance and put them on the defensive
Guadalcanal Campaign – (Aug 1942-Feb 1943) first American
offensive in the Pacific; part of the US strategy to create a two-front war and
capture bases from which to attack Japan; strategic American victory
Q: Why was the Battle of Midway the turning point in the Pacific?