WW2 European Theater Vocabulary

Nazi-Soviet Pact

A shocking diplomatic non-aggression treaty signed by Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union that enabled Hitler to attack Poland.

Non-aggression treaty

A diplomatic agreement that pledges to maintain peace.

Mechanized divisions

Military units that utilize motorized vehicles, such as tanks, trucks, and jeeps.

Atlantic Charter

Meeting between FDR and Churchill in 1941 to reaffirm their alliance and discuss post-war organization.

Lend Lease Act

US policy to provide military aid to allies in exchange for access to British military bases.

Dunkirk

Location where over 300,000 British soldiers were rescued from the beaches during World War II.

Blitzkrieg

German military strategy meaning 'lightning war,' involving rapid advance to overwhelm the enemy.

Maginot Line

A series of French fortifications along the border with Germany.

Phony War

Period between September 1939 and May 1940, during which little military action occurred.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Key British leader during World War II, known for inspiring speeches.

Charles De Gaulle

Leader of the Free French forces during German occupation.

Vichy France

Collaborationist regime established in France after surrender to Germany.

Battle for the Atlantic

Conflict where German submarines attempted to disrupt Allied shipping.

Marshall Henri Petain

Leader of the Vichy government during World War II.

Battle of Britain

German campaign to force Britain into surrender, primarily conducted through air warfare.

Operation Sea Lion

German plan for the invasion of England that failed due to lack of air superiority.

Luftwaffe

The name of the German air force.

Royal Air Force

The name of the British air force.

Afrika Korps

German military unit sent to North Africa to support Italy during World War II.

Battle of El Alamein

British victory that repelled Axis forces in North Africa.

Eastern Front

The front in Eastern Europe, particularly the Soviet Union, noted for high casualties.

Operation Barbarossa

German invasion plan of the Soviet Union that ultimately failed.

Allies

The alliance of nations fighting against Nazi Germany, including Britain, the Soviet Union, and the US.

Axis

Nations fighting against the Allies during World War II, primarily Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Aryan

Term used by Nazis to define what they considered the master race.

Operation Torch

Allied invasion of Italy, led by American forces.

Casablanca Conference

Meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt pledging unconditional surrender of Germany and Italy.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

Longest-serving US president who led the country through World War II.

Stalingrad

Site of a significant and turning battle in the Eastern Front.

Teheran Conference

First meeting of the Big Three to plan the next stages of the war.

Big Three

Nickname for Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin.

D-Day

Codename for the Allied landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander during D-Day and future US president.

Amphibious

A military operation involving landings from the sea.

Battle of the Bulge

Hitler's last major offensive that depleted German forces.

Yalta Conference

Final meeting of the Big Three that shaped the post-war world.

United Nations

International organization formed to replace the League of Nations.

Victory-in-Europe (V-E) Day

May 7, 1945, the date of Germany's surrender.

Holocaust

The systematic extermination of Jewish people and others by the Nazis.

Wannsee Conference

Meeting where Nazi officials coordinated the Holocaust.

Zyclon-B

Toxic gas used by the Nazis in extermination camps.

Concentration camps

Detention camps where victims were imprisoned, worked, or murdered by Nazis.

Roma

Unique minority group in Europe targeted by the Nazis for persecution.

Nuremberg Trials

Legal proceedings to prosecute Nazi leaders for war crimes.

Crimes against humanity

Common charge against Nazi leaders during the Nuremberg Trials.

Iron Curtain

The ideological barrier separating communist and non-communist Europe.

Manhattan Project

Secret project to develop the atomic bomb during World War II.