World war 2

Battle of the Bulge

Hitler's final offensive in winter 1944/45, German forces counter-attacked in Ardennes Forest, creating a bulge in Allied lines, Allies pushed Germans back, final German offensive of WWII.

Big Three

Leaders of major Allied powers in WWII - Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, pivotal roles in defeating Axis powers, coordinated war efforts and postwar plans.

Yalta Conference

Feb 1945 meeting of Big Three in Yalta, Churchill aimed to save British empire, Stalin to protect borders, FDR for democracy spread and Soviet help against Japan, territorial agreements, Germany's postwar division.

Manhattan Project

Secret US project for atomic bomb, led by J. Robert Oppenheimer, successful test in New Mexico in July 1945, Truman's concern over human cost of invasion.

Rosie the Riveter

Cultural icon representing women who worked in factories during WWII, took new jobs, produced war supplies, replaced male workers.

America First Campaign

American isolationist group against US entry into WWII, 800,000+ members, 450 chapters by 1940.

Allied Strategy

Post-1941 strategy focused on Italy, Germany, then Japan, agreed by Churchill and Roosevelt at the White House.

D-Day

June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord led by Eisenhower, largest land-sea-air attack, 175,000 soldiers landed in Normandy, Allies established beachhead, casualties suffered, launched invasion into Europe.