World War II: Order of Aggression and Major Conflicts

This flashcard set covers the vocabulary and key events of World War II from the early diplomatic failures and Nazi aggression to the major battles and the final Allied victory in Europe.

G.R.A.S.P Map

An acronym representing the order of Nazi aggression: Germany (Nazi takeover), Rhineland, Austria (Anschluss), Sudetenland, and Poland.

Treaty of Versailles

The post-WWI agreement that Hitler used to foster animosity and a "bunker mentality," serving as the "starting gun" for WWII.

Rhineland

A demilitarized zone that the Nazi regime reoccupied and annexed to the Third Reich in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles.

Anschluss

The concept of "connection" or "union" describing the annexation of Austria by Germany in March $1938$.

Sudetenland

A mountainous, fortified region of Czechoslovakia containing $3 \text{ million}$ Germans that Hitler annexed to gain resources like coal and iron.

Appeasement

The diplomatic policy of making concessions to an aggressor to avoid conflict, used by Britain and France regarding the Rhineland and Sudetenland.

The Munich Agreement

The $1938$ pact where Prime Minister Chamberlain allowed Hitler to take the Sudetenland in exchange for a promise to seek no more territory.

Lebensraum

A primary goal in Mein Kampf meaning "living space," which Hitler sought to obtain from Russia and the eastern portion of Europe.

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

The Non-Aggression Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that included a secret agreement to divide Poland into spheres of influence.

Blitzkrieg

A "lightning war" featuring three waves: aerial bombardment, armored vehicles to demolish resistance, and infantry to occupy the area.

Operation Canned Goods

A false flag operation, including the Gleiwitz Incident, conducted by the Nazis to justify the invasion of Poland.

Phony War

An $8 \text{ month}$ period from September $1939$ to May $1940$ with no major combat after the fall of Poland.

The Maginot Line

A series of state-of-the-art French defensive fortifications along the borders of Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Luxembourg costing $3 \text{ billion Francs}$.

Operation Dynamo

The evacuation at Dunkirk where $338,000$ British and French soldiers were rescued by the Royal Navy and "Little Ships."

Vichy France

The southern, unoccupied part of France that acted as a puppet government for the Nazi regime after the fall of Paris.

The Blitz

The final stage of the Battle of Britain characterized by nighttime air raids against civilian targets to break British morale.

Operation Barbarossa

The June $22, 1941$ invasion of the Soviet Union, marking the point where Hitler broke the Non-Aggression Pact.

Siege of Leningrad

An example of total war where the Nazi regime blockaded the city for hundreds of days, cutting off food and medicine.

Battle of Stalingrad

A key turning point battle fought for oil (logistic goal) and the symbolic defeat of Stalin; ended in a Nazi surrender.

Order 227

An order issued by Stalin to the Red Army to boost morale, stating it was time to "finish retreating."

Operation Overlord

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June $6, 1944$ (D-Day), crossing the English Channel to land on five code-named beaches.

Atlantic Wall

A sophisticated Nazi defense system spanning the coast of Europe, featuring bunkers, land mines, and iron "hedgehogs."

Battle of the Bulge

The Ardennes Offensive in Belgium, representing the last major German offensive on the Western Front.

Yalta Conference

A meeting of the "Big Three" (Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt) to plan the postwar division of Germany into zones of occupation.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day, celebrated on May $8, 1945$, marking the official end of World War II in the European theater.