Download WWII TERMS to know:

WWII EVENTS to know:
BATTLE OF BRITAIN: continuous bombing of Britain by Germany to try to take control of England
D-DAY: June 6 1944 – invasion of France by allies on the beaches of Normandy to push out the Germans who were occupying
France.
(Code name: Operation Overlord)
THE MUNICH PACT – an arrangement between Britain and France with Germany after Hitler had taken Austria. Hitler agreed
not to take other land and the allies allowed him to keep Austria to avoid another war (appeasement)
KRISTALNACHT- the night when Germans first openly killed Jewish citizens in their homes and on the streets of the major
cities of Germany. This escalated the anti-semitism against the Jewish citizens.
THE FINAL SOLUTION: Hitler’s program to destroy the Jewish population of Europe
THE GENEVA CONVENTION (1864) a treaty signed by most nations to guarantee humane treatment of civilians, prisoners, and
wounded during wars. Set up the ‘rules of warfare’.
THE NON-AGRESSION PACT: signed by Hitler and Stalin (Russia) in 1939. They agreed not to attack each other and to split
Poland between them. Germany violated this agreement in 1941 when he invaded Russia so Stalin switched sides and became
an Allie.
RESISTANCE MOVEMENTS: in Poland and then France. Secretly helped Allies in their fight against Germany.
BLITZKRIEG OF POLAND by Germany in a Blitzkrieg attack and could not defend itself (Sept. 1, 1939)
BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR – Dec. 7 1941
BATTLE for the PHILLIPINES (PART 1) – Dec 8, 1941 General McArthur and most of the American soldier escape the
American base on the Phillipines after the Japanese attackHowever, Japan successfully captured the island of the Phillipines
and held several thousand American and Phillipino soldiers as prisoners. . McArthur promises to return but knows many of
those left behind will not survive the captivity.
BATAAN DEATH MARCH – the captured soldiers on the Phillipine islands had to march 60 miles to a POW camp. Thousands
died and were murdered by the Japanese during this march. Others were tortured, starved, and died in the camp.
BATTLE for the PHILLIPINES (part 2 ) – Spring 1945 General McArthur returns to liberate the Phillipines and the soldiers he
left behind in 1942.
BATTLE OF CORAL SEA Major battle in the Pacific in May, 1942. This battle stopped the Japanese from invading Australia and
began a series of small battles, island by island, where Japan was eventually pushed back across the Pacific.
BATTLE OF MIDWAY- June 1942 Major battle in the Pacific 6 months after most of the American fleet was damaged or
destroyed at Pearl Harbor. Big victory for USA against larger Japanese navy forces. Kept Japan out of the Aleutian Islands.
Destroyed much of the Japanese fleet so that we were fighting on equal terms, therefore it was a turning point in the war.
VE DAY: May 8 1945 – Victory in Europe day, Germany surrenders
VJ DAY: Aug. 15, 1945 – Victory in Japan day,
Japan surrenders
MAJOR PACIFIC ‘ Island’ BATTLES: Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Okinawa, Wake Island, Saipan,
NUREMBERG TRIALS – when Nazi officers were tried after the war for crimes against humanity. NOT for battles during the
war.
WWII PLACES to know
EUROPEAN THEATER OF WAR Germany, France, England, Italy, Russia, all other European countries
were somehow involved in WWII, USA after 1941
PACIFIC THEATER OF WAR mainly Japan, US, and Australian forces involved
NORMANDY region of France on the English Channel where D-Day occurred.
ENGLISH CHANNEL water boundary between England and France
AUSCHWITZ-BERKENAU concentration camp where thousands of German prisoners were put to death
with poison gas.
NORTH AFRICA CAMPAIGN location of the first campaign that included US troops
ANZIO where the Americans first landed in Europe. The battle of Anzio allowed US troops to take Rome
away from the Axis powers and to later take Italy back from the Germans
PEARL HARBOR: US navel facility bombed by Japan on the morning of Dec. 7 1941.
HIROSHIMI/NAGASAKI Japanese cities where the atomic bombs were dropped in Aug. 1945
CONCENTRATION CAMPS: Nazi death camps where 10 million + people were ‘exterminated’
WWII PEOPLE to know:
Winston Churchill- Prime Minister of Britain during WWII
Charles de Gaulle- Exiled leader of France while France was occupied by German forces. He spent most of the war in Britain
planning to retake his country from Hitler’s forces.
Dwight Eisenhower – US General, supreme commander of the allied forces (Europe)
Douglas Macarthur- US General, commanded the forces in the Pacific theater.
Chester A. Nimitz – Admiral of the US fleet after Pearl Harbor
George S. Patton – American general who commanded forces in Europe including the Battle of the Bulge
Jimmy Doolittle - commanded 16 planes on the first attack on the Japanese mainland after Pearl Harbor. Doolittle’s ‘raid’
raised the morale of America while bringing the war home to the Japanese citizens.
Franklin D. Roosevelt- (FDR) President of the US during the depression and WWII. Kept US out of war until 1941 when
Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
Harry S. Truman: VP under Roosevelt became president when Roosevelt died suddenly. Made the decision to drop the atomic
bombs on Japan to end the war without an invasion of the Japanese islands.
Joseph Stalin: Leader of the USSR during WWII.
Signed non-aggression pact with Hitler but changed sides when Hitler invaded Russia in 1941.
Chiang Kai-shek – pro-democracy leader of China during WWII – fought Japan’s invasions of China – unofficial ally to USA
during the war
Adolph Hitler- Leader of Nazi Germany
Benito Mussolini- Leader of Italian forces and the fascist leader of Italy
Rommell- German commander in N. Africa. Nicknamed the ‘Desert Fox’_
Hideki Tojo- Prime Minister of Japan during WWII
Emperor Hirohito- Royal monarch of Japan during WWII and afterwards
Admiral Yamamoto- In charge of Japanese forces in the Pacific theater. Planned and carried out the Pearl Harbor attack.
Rosie the Riviter: propaganda figure used in America to convince women to join the workforce during WWII
Navaho Code Talkers – created a secret code from the Navaho language that was used successfully during WWII. It was never
broken by the enemy.
Tuskeegee Airmen – African American pilots who proved themselves as good aviators during WWII inspite of the racism they
had to deal with. Their heroic actions helped end segregation in the US armed forces and later in American society.
French Resistance: Group of French men and women living in France during the German occupation. These people worked
secretly to get information to the allies and fight the Germans who were controlling their country. They would cut
communication lines, blow up train tracks, steal weapons from the Germans and do other things to weaken the Germans
occupying France.