World War II Coach Land's Test Study Guide

all information needed for the WWII test

Franklin D Roosevelt

US president during WWII who helped prepare and plan for the war. He served 4 consecutive terms.

Dwight D Eisenhower

Supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe. He planned and led D-Day and led successful invasions of North Africa and Italy.

George S Patton

General who led Operation Torch and the invasion of North Africa. He commanded the US Third Army, and led troops to France, Germany, and the Seine River in Paris.

Douglas MacArthur

Supreme Commander of US forces in the Pacific. He left the Philippines, but returned and led US forces through New Guinea and the Philippines. He accepted and signed Japan’s surrender in 1945.

Winston Churchill

He warned about Germany prior to WWII, and refused any armistice with Germany. He became England’s Prime minister who inspired the British people.

Bernard Montgomery

Commanded the British Eighth Army, He led the Allies through North Africa, El Alamein, Sicily, Italy, and D-Day.

Charles De Gaulle

Commanded French division against Nazi Germany, refused to accept France’s surrender. He led the Free French government in exile and commanded the French resistance movement.

Francisco Franco

Came to power in the Spanish Civil War with the help of Germany and Italy. He brought fascism to Spain.

Benito Mussolini

He overthrew the Italian government, it became totalitarian. He promised to revive the economy and restore the glory of the Roman Empire.

Adolf Hitler

He led Nazi Germany, caused the Holocaust, and took the Rhineland, Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia. He betrayed the Munich Agreement and the Nonaggression pact. He committed suicide when Germany began to collapse.

Joseph Stalin

Once he became ruler, he eliminated all competition. He signed the non-aggression pact with Germany and invaded Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. He switched from Axis to Allied powers.

Hideki Tojo

Controlled Japan, invaded Manchuria and China for iron and coal. He ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor.

George Marshall

Army chief of staff general who pushed for the formation of the WAAC, which allowed women to help in wars. After WWII, he created the Marshall Plan.

A Phillip Randolph

Protested discrimination against African American workers by organizing a march on Washington. He was the president of Brotherhood of sleeping car porters.

Manhattan Project

The code name for research in producing atomic weapons accross the US.

War Production Board

Decided which companies would convert from peacetime to wartime production, and divided raw materials between key industries.

Rationing

Setting limits on the purchase of certain high demand, essential items. The Office of Price Administration required ration coupons for meat, sugar, coffee, canned goods, fuel, nylons, and shoes.

D-Day

A massive surprise invasion of Normandy, France led by Eisenhower on June 6, 1944. It led to the eventual liberation of Belgium, France, and Luxembourg.

Battle of the Bulge

A month long battle in WWII where tanks drove into Allied territory creating a bulge in the lines.

V-E Day

“Victory in Europe Day”, Nazi Germany surrendered, and WWII ended in Europe.

Harry S Truman

President after FDR died, ordered the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Battle of Midway

June 4, 1942. A turning point in the Pacific War where Allies began to take back island territory in the Pacific.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide bombers who flew their bomb-filled planes straight into Allied ships and targets.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

August 6 and 9, 1945, dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan. 140,000+ Japanese citizens died from the bombs, and more from radiation.

Nuremberg Trials

24 Nazi leaders were tried for crimes against humanity, crimes against the peace, and war crimes. Many claimed to be “just following orders”.

GI Bill of Rights

Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, provided education and training for veterans to help them transition back to normal life.

Internment

Placed Japanese Americans into internment camps due to concerns about national security and racism in the US.

Japanese American Citizens League

Pushed the government to compensate those sent to internment camps for their lost property.

Charles Lindbergh

Delivered a speech where he stated that the US should stay out of World War II.

According to Charles Lindbergh, how can the US stay out of WWII?

By ignoring foreign propaganda and having a strong Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Under what circumstances should the US enter a war according to Lindbergh?

The US should only enter a war if it is attacked on its own soil. If the US enters forign affairs, it should stay in those affairs even after the war is over.

According to Lindbergh, why did most Europeans emigrate to America?

Most Europeans moved to America to escape persecution and hate. they looked for freedom and a better life.

What advice did Washington give us? What declaration follows this advice?

He said to not become entangled in foreign affairs. The Monroe Doctrine follows this.

How does Lindbergh view Europe?

Chaotic, disorganized, squabbling

What is Totalitarianism?

When the government has total control over its citizens’ lives.

When did Hitler become chancellor? What did he demand for Germany?

1933, demanded living space for German people, or Lebensraum

Lebensraum

Austria was annexed in 1938, followed by Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia to expand the German Empire.

What was the Nazi-Soviet pact?

The Nonaggression Pact in 1939, meant to keep Britain from entering a war, and Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to split Poland.

German Invasion of Poland

September 1939, German blitzkrieg created a quick German victory. Britain and Fance declared war on Germany due to this.

What was France’s Maginot Line?

Massive defenses built along France’s German border after WW1

The Fall of France

In May 1940, Germany moved around the Maginot line. They reached France’s Northern Coast in 10 days, and France surrendered.

The Miracle at Dunkirk

Spring 1940, Allied forces were rescued by 850 British ships.

The Battle of Britain

Battle between Germany and Britain with nightly bombing of London. New technology like the radar allowed Britain to hold off Germany.

What did the Battle of Britain prove?

It proved that Germany was not impossible to beat and that Hitler could be stopped.

Operation Barbosa

June 1941, Germany breaks the nonaggression pact and invaded the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union used the Scorched Earth Policy and held back Germany at Leningrad. Germany moved to Moscow and Stalingrad.

What was the Scorched Earth Policy?

A strategy used by the Soviet Union to burn all resources from the land so the enemy can’t use anything.

Stalingrad

August 1942 - February 1943. Germany wanted to seize oil fields and capture Stalingrad. They faced a harsh winter and surrendered to the Soviet Union due to starvation and extreme cold.

Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941, Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in retaliation for cutting off their oil supply. 19 American ships were sunk or damaged, and more than 2300 Americans were killed.

What happened as a result of Pearl Harbor?

The US declared war on Japan and entered WWII.

The Atlantic Wall

1942-1945, Hitler built massive defenses along Europe’s western coast.

The Liberation of Europe

Allied soldiers push into Paris and free France, Soviet army closes in on Germany from the east, US and Britain move in from the west. The Battle of Berlin begins in April 1945, and Germany surrendered in May.

The Battle of Guadalcanal

August 1942 - February 1943, the Allies attacked Japan in the Solomon Islands. The battle ended with over 24,000 dead.

Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa

February - June 1945, Fighting over small islands next to Japan, high casualties on both sides.

Why were atomic bombs dropped on Japan?

The two bombs were dropped to bring the quickest possible end to the war.

What did Rosie the Riviter symbolize?

Female workers in WWII.

Propaganda

Promotes conservation, buying of war bonds, and focusing on the war effort.

African Americans

They served in segregated units, faced discrimination, and began the Double V Campaign.

Executive Order 9066

1942 issued by FDR, all Japanese Americans on the West Coast were relocated into camps, like Manzanar. 120,000 were imprisoned until 1945.

The Zoot Suit Riots

Clashes between stationed servicement and Latino men in Los Angeles 1942 after the banning of Zoot Suits.

Why were the Zoot Suits banned?

Zoot Suits were banned by the War Production Board because wool was rationed during war time. The Suits were popular among Latino men.

Why did Japan invade China and Manchuria?

Iron and coal

What did Hitler think of the Treaty of Versailles?

He hated it; he gained support by attacking the Treaty.

What did Hitler blame Germany’s problems on?

Jews and foreign powers.

What was prejudice against Jews called?

Anti-Semitism

Germany under Nazi Rule

Hitler transformed the Weimar Republic into the Third Reich, a total dictatorship.

What was the “master race”?

Aryans, considered a pure race superior to others, without any Jewish blood.

Dr. Joseph Goebbles

He was the head of the Nazi Propaganda Ministry who controlled communications. He encouraged book burning.

Heinrich Himmler

Led the SS - Nazi secret police, formed death squads known as the Einsatzgruppen, architect of the Holocaust and death camps

Adolf Eichmann

Helped organize the Holocaust, was in charge of transporting Jews from ghettos to concentration camps.

What were the Nuremberg Laws?

Passed in 1935, they declared that anyone with Jewsih blood would be considered a Jew. These laws increased Jewish persecution.

Kristallnacht

“Night of Broken Glass” in November 1938. Jewish stores, homes, and synagogues were destroyed. This marked the beginning of government-led violence against Jews.

What was life like for Jews in Germany?

They had to register with the government through Jewish Registry, they had to were the Star of David badge everywhere they went, and they were forced to live in ghettos.

The Final Solution

Developed in 1942, the name for Hitler’s plan to eliminate all Jews from Europe. Jewish people were taken to concentration camps.

Concentration Camps

Prisoners were used for hard labor and starved.

Extermination Camps

Set up to kill a mass number of Jewish People.

Dr. Josef Mengele

Carrie out experiments on Jewish people at Auschwitz

What were some concentration or extermination camps?

Dachau, Chelmno, Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen, Auschwitz

What were underground resistance movements for?

They were formed to assist Jews in escaping.

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon

A village in the south of France which helped thousands of Jews escape

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

April 19, 1943. 750 Jews held off German soldiers to avoid being taken to concentration camps. They lost the battle, and 7,000 were killed and 56,000 were deported.

The White Rose Resistance Group

Led by students Sophie and Hans School, they distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets. They were caught by German authorities and killed in 1942.

How were some camps liberated?

Starting in 1944, Allied forces reached the camps. Soviet forces liberated Auschwits and camps in Poland and Eastern Germany. Allied forces liberated Buchenwald and camps in the west.

What happened to some Nazi leaders after the war?

Many committed suicide or escaped to South America.

What was the Marshall Plan? Why was it created?

The Marshall Plan was created by George Marshall to provide aid to all European countries that needed it. It was to aid any country, no matter what side of the war they were on. IT was to fight poverty and starvation.

What is the Iron Curtain?

The Iron Curtain is the name for the division of Capitalist and Communist Europe. It was in the middle of Europe, dividing it to eastern and western halves.

How did the Iron Curtain get its name?

Winston Churchill delivered his Iron Curtain speech, giving the division its name.

What was the Munich Agreement?

It handed the Sudetenland over to Germany without any fighting. Germany claimed that this would be its final territorial demand, so the Munich Agreement was signed to prevent a war.

What was the Final Solution? Who came up with the term?

The Nazis came up with this term, it was referring to the mass murder of Jews in Europe.

United Nations

Formed in 1945, was a peacekeeping organization with most countries in the world. It came about when 50 nations met intending to promote peace after the war.

Warsaw Pact

An alliance between the Soviet Union and 7 Eastern European countries, indended to oppose NATO.

Atlantic Charter

The US and Britain, or Roosevelt and Churchill, met and declared their goals for WWII. They expressed the common purpose of the Allies.

How were the Navajo Indians useful during WWII?

The Navajo Indians used their Native language to send messages across radios. They did this because Japan would often intercept their messages, so they needed a language that they could not translate.

What was the Yalta Conference?

It was to divide territory, demilitarize Germany, and decided on reparations. Territory was split into four zones between the Soviet Union, Britain, the US, and France.

The Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad was between Germany and the Soviet Union. It was a harsh, cold battle won by the Soviets. This battle severely weakened Germany and was a major defeat.

How many Japanese aircraft carriers were destroyed at the Battle of Midway?

Four Japanese aircraft carriers