WWII European Theatre Flashcards

Flashcards about World War II in Europe

Nuremberg Laws

Laws passed in 1935 in Germany, which led to Jewish people losing their basic rights.

Lebensraum

The space & land Hitler wanted to increase for Germany, leading to attacks on Slavic nations such as Poland.

Euthanasia Programme

A program where mentally and physically disabled and those with incurable diseases were exterminated.

Axis Powers (WWII)

Germany, Italy, and Japan

Allied Powers (WWII)

Great Britain, France, Soviet Union (joined June 1941), and United States (joined Dec. 1941)

Anschluss

The German invasion of Austria in 1938, uniting the two countries.

Munich Agreement

Meeting in 1938 between Britain, France, Italy, and Germany regarding the Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia).

Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

Agreement between Germany and the USSR, which included a secret division of Poland.

Phoney War

The eerily quiet period in Western Europe after the declaration of war in 1939, with few signs of conflict.

Blitzkrieg

'Lightning war' - German military tactic involving a combination of fast armored tanks and air superiority.

Evacuation of Dunkirk

The evacuation of 338,226 British, Belgian, and French troops cut off and surrounded by the Germans from 26th May to 4th June 1940.

Battle of Britain

Air battle in 1940 where the British Royal Air Force (RAF) defended the United Kingdom against the German Air Force (Luftwaffe).

The Blitz

German bombing of Britain's cities lasting throughout the war (1940-1945).

Operation Barbarossa

Hitler's invasion of Russia, beginning in June 1941.

El Alamein

Location in North Africa where British forces under Montgomery gained the initiative against German forces in 1942.

Stalingrad

City where Russian forces counterattacked, marking Germany's first major defeat in February 1943.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of France in 1944.