WWII Vocab

442nd Regimental Combat Team

All Japanese-American combat team. It was the first time Japanese Americans were allowed to fight in the war after Pearl Harbor. They are the most decorated combat team in the U.S.

Adolf Hitler and the Nazis

The \___ were a "Socialist" party that was known for starting the holocaust after \___ came to power. They were also known for their thousands of propaganda programs and art.

Alan Turing and Enigma

This genius was a superior cryptographer and code breaker during World War II who cracked the German \____ code, only to pass away without the respect, credit, or honor he was due in his lifetime. \___ had more than one secret, he was also gay causing him to be thrown in jail and later taking his own life.

America First committee

A group opposed to American involvement in foreign conflicts called the \___ \___ \___ was established in 1940. With 800,000 members at its peak, the organization was one of the biggest revolutionary groups in the nation.

Appeasement

In a worldwide context, \___ is a diplomatic tactic that involves giving an aggressive power legal, financial, or territorial compromises in order to prevent conflict.

Axis and Allies

When Britain and France declared war on Germany only two days after the invasion in Poland two alliances were formed. The \___ were "Britain, France, the USSR, the US, China, and 45 other countries" The USSR was not an ally at first because of the Nazi-Soviet non aggression pact. The US did not want to enter the war but slightly sided with the \___. The opposite of the allies was the \___ which was "Italy, Japan, Germany, and 6 other nations' '.

Battle of Britain

Britain was alone, yet Winston Churchill still was determined, Germany bombed multiple towns including London during the blitz. Britain fought back. German Air Force ("Luftwaffe") and the Royal Air Force ("RAF"). Edward R. Murrow reported all attacks on the radio for the United States.

Battle of the Bulge

\___ was a freezing cold battle after Adolf Hitler launched a failing surprise blitzkrieg against Allied Forces. (Tried to take Britian and France) Winston Churchill called it: "the greatest American battle of the war". Hitler wanted to turn the war around but it did not work.

Benito Mussolini

He was an Italian nationalist and the founder of Italian Fascism. He ruled Italy from 1922-1925 as Prime Minister, and from 1925-1943 as "il Duce", the Fascist dictator. His Fascist takeover of Italy was an inspiration and example for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany.

Blitzkrieg

Hilter's \___ was a strategy during WWII, German forces would quickly strike an enemy aggressively.

Blue & Gold Star flags

A \___ is a family with a loved one serving time in the military, and a \___ is a family who has lost a loved one in combat.

Code Talkers

The \___ were a group of 29 Navajo men that created unbreakable codes for the U.S. during the war against the Pacific. They made codes in 1.30 minutes that the Japanese could never crack. Their code was based on their native language, they could create code faster than machines and soldiers before. In order to send messages they had to carry around huge radios that weighed up to 80 pounds everywhere, desert, beach, jungle, etc. Their record was 800 messages with no errors. The Navajo men were not given credit for their work till 2001 they were awarded Congressional Gold Medals. The U.S. claimed that they didn't want to tell the public "in case they need it for later wars.".

D-Day

The allied armies' land, air, and sea forces came together on June 6, 1944, during the \___ operation, to form the biggest invasion force in history. Five naval assault units were deployed to the beaches of Normandy, France, as part of the operation known as OVERLORD. \___ was on June 6, 1944.

Dunkirk

German took over parts of France attacking troops on the beachs during May of 1940. More than 338,000 British and French soldiers were saved during the \___ evacuation from the French port.

Dwight Eisenhower

\___ was the president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During the time of WWII, he led Allies forces as Supreme Commander of the troops invading France.

Hirohito and Hideki Tojo

Emperor \___ was emperor of Japan during WWII and took over at a time of rising democratic sentiment, but his country soon turned toward ultranationalism and militarism. The government was run by Prime Minister gen.\___, who was an Imperial Japanese Army general, most famous for ordering the attack on Pearl Harbor. Conflict in Asia began well before the official start of World War II. Seeking raw materials to fuel its growing industries, Japan invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. By 1937 Japan controlled large sections of China, and war crimes against the people became commonplace.

Four Freedoms

As Americans entered the war FDR announced the _ essential \___. Freedom from free, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom of speech.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

\___ grew up in a household where complaining was a sin. Franklin grew up rich but never was a brat. \___ attended Groton boarding school for high school and later went to Harvard. As an adult he got Polio, he never gave up trying to walk. In 1933 he became president and led the U.S. through 4 terms, the Great Depression and WWII.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The atomic bomb was dropped on these two places in Japan. It killed thousands of people.

Internment camp

After the terrible attack on Pearl Harbor FDR forced Japanese Americans into \___under Executive Order 9066. They were given 1 week to leave only allowing them to bring what they could carry. They had to leave farms, family-owned businesses, and more behind. When they arrived at the camp they were asked about their loyalty to the United States, if they said they were with the Japanese they were sent to highsecurity camps. "Caught in the Middle" The internment camp's houses were small and had no air conditioning, small cots, shared bathrooms, and coalburning stoves.

Island hopping

\___ was a strategy created by the U.S. during the war against the Pacific. America picked certain islands to attack and then hopped on to others depending on their defense. While there they could collect more resources quickly.

Isolationism

A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries. An example is Scotland.

Iwo Jima

\___ served as an emergency landing site for thousands (U.S.) The famous statue of 4 men holding up a U.S. flag represents it there now.

Joseph Stalin

\___ was the former leader of the Soviet Union starting in 1924 until his death in 1953. He was a dictator.

kamikaze

The \___ was a Japanese suicide bombing tactic. The planes would dive into warships taking them down.

Lend-Lease

Britain needed help during the 40s. Roosevelt created the \___Act allowing the United States to provide other countries with supplies in order to defend the Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. He stated that Britain was defending democracy against totalitarian forces.

Manhattan Project

The project was an idea from Albert Einstein to create the atom bomb, the atom bomb was so secret that President Truman didn't knwo about till he was in office. Truman announced the atomic bomb to Stalin and Winston during there meeting when the war ended.

Midway

The majority of Japan's best trained naval pilots as well as its first-line carrier strength were destroyed by the United States.

Neville Chamberlain

He was prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940. He is best known for his role in the Munich agreement of 1938 which gave parts of Czechoslovakia to Hitler and is now the most infamous example of foreign policy known as "appeasement".

Non-aggression pact

This was a patch between Germany and the Soviet Union, they agreed to not attack each other and divided their invasion in Germany.

Omaha Beach

The beach of which D-Day was set on.

Operation Barbarossa

\___, the German invasion of the Soviet Union that began on June 22, 1941, was code-named \___ during World War II. A significant turning point in the conflict was marked by German forces' inability to defeat Soviet forces throughout the battle.

Pearl Harbor

\___ was a surprise bomb attack from Japan on the U.S. The naval base at \___ in Honolulu was destroyed killing 2,403 people. This led the United States into World War II and caused the U.S. to force Japanese Americans into terrible internment camps.

RAF and Luftwaffe

The German Air Force, also known as the \___, was Europe's biggest and most powerful air force in 1940.\___, which was organized into "Commands" based on function, was not organized like the \___.

Rationing

World War II put a heavy burden on US supplies of basic materials like food, shoes, metal, paper, and rubber. The Army and Navy were growing, as was the nation's effort to aid its allies overseas. Civilians still needed these materials for consumer goods as well. To meet this surging demand, the federal government took steps to conserve crucial supplies, including establishing a Rationing system that impacted virtually every family in the United States. It worked just like coupons

Rosie the Riveter

The U.S. needed more people to help during WWII starting \___ who represented the women who worked in factories creating airplanes and warships. The women working did so much more than just make a couple of planes and ships, they could build ships and planes faster than enemies could shoot them down. They were determined, 20,000,000 women worked during four years of war.

Stalingrad

The battle of \___ was a battle in Russia. It was a unsuccessful attempt of taking over Stalingrad, it caused people to realize that there was hope in defeating Germany.

The Blitz

German bombers attacked London for 57 consecutive nights.

Tuskegee Airmen

This was an all-African American squadron that escorted bombers in the air war over Europe during World War II. They famously struck a blow for the "Double victory" concept.

Uboat

During the First and Second World Wars, Germany primarily used \___ as naval submarines. They were rarely effective fleet weapons against opposing naval warships, but they were more useful for establishing a naval blockade against enemy trade and conducting economic warfare.

VE and VJ Days

\___ day is the day Hilter killed himself, and \___ is the day Japan surrendered.

Winston Churchill

During the majority of World War II, while serving as prime minister (1940-45), \___ rallied the British people and guided them to victory. In the war's later phases, he warned the West of the Soviet Union's expansionist menace and helped determine Allied strategy.

Paul von Hindenburg

He is most relevant to Holocaust history through his dealings with Adolf Hitler. Although he did not approve of Hitler or his politics, \___ became the man who made him Chancellor of Germany, enabling the Nazis' takeover of power.

Munich Conference

\___ held in \___ on September 28--29, 1938, during which the leaders of Great Britain, France, and Italy agreed to allow Germany to annex certain areas of Czechoslovakia. \___ came as a result of a long series of negotiations.

The Bataan Death March

\___ was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of between 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war from Saysain Point, Bagac, Bataan and Mariveles to Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, via San Fernando, Pampanga, the prisoners being forced to march despite many dying on the journey.

Chinese Leaders in ww2

Lin Sen, as Chairman (or President) of the National Government, was China's titular head of state but had no real power. Lin died in 1943, after which Chiang Kai-Shek assumed the role himself. He Yingqin was the Chief of the General Staff of the National Military Council.

Lebensraum

Idea that Germany should keep taking land

The Reichstag fire

\___ was an arson attack on the Reichstag building, home of the German parliament in Berlin, on Monday 27 February 1933, precisely four weeks after Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.

Neutrality Acts

Between 1935 and 1937 Congress passed three "\___" that tried to keep the United States out of war, by making it illegal for Americans to sell or transport arms, or other war materials to belligerent nations.

What day was D-Day?

June 6, 1944

What day was VE day?

May 8, 1945

What day was VJ day?

September 2, 1945