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Pearl Harbor Attack
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii—killing 2,500 U.S. soldiers and sailors, destroying 150 airplanes, and sinking 5 battleships; FDR famously called it “a day which will live in infamy.”
Phony War
The winter of 1939–1940 during WWII when Germany invaded Poland and little actual fighting occurred in Europe.
Blitzkrieg on Western Europe
In April–June 1940, Hitler used rapid “lightning war” tactics to invade Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and ultimately forced France’s surrender by June 22, 1940.
Dunkirk Evacuation
The evacuation of British and French troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940, where nearly all military equipment was abandoned as Allied forces were rescued by the Royal Navy.
Battle of Britain
A 1940 aerial campaign where the small British Royal Air Force defended the UK from German bombers attacking coastal fortifications and London (“the Blitz”), ultimately forcing Germany to postpone further invasion plans.
American Response to WWII in Europe
Initially marked by isolationist debates, FDR overcame congressional opposition, replacing key officials (e.g., Woodring with Stimson, adding Knox), ramped up military preparation, and ended the Great Depression through increased defense spending and drafting young men.
America First Committee
A group formed primarily by Yale students and Midwestern business leaders that opposed U.S. intervention in WWII, arguing for neutrality and sometimes harboring pro-Nazi or anti-Semitic sentiments.
“Destroyers for Bases” Deal
An agreement in which FDR traded obsolete U.S. destroyers to Britain in exchange for 99-year leases on British naval bases, a maneuver to bolster U.S. defenses despite constitutional concerns.
WWII Draft (Selective Service)
Initiated by FDR in 1940 to build a prepared army, the draft was controversial, with figures like Willkie opposing it even if it risked electoral consequences.
Lend-Lease Act
Legislation enacted during WWII that allowed the U.S. to loan or lease war materials to Britain (and later to Russia) under the premise that if these nations fell, the Americas would be in danger; it significantly boosted U.S. military production and economic recovery.
Four Freedoms
A set of ideals articulated by FDR that served as a rallying point for American action in WWII, promising freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
Atlantic Charter
A 1941 agreement between FDR and Churchill in Newfoundland outlining common principles for postwar peace, including commitments to self-determination, nonaggression, and a system of general security—seeding ideas for the United Nations.
Flying Tigers
Volunteer U.S. airmen organized by Colonel Claire Chennault who fought for China against Japanese forces before the U.S. officially entered WWII.
Hideki Tojo
A young Japanese military leader and war minister who later became prime minister, known for his aggressive policies, signing the formal alliance with Germany and Italy, and promoting the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Bataan Death March
The forced 66-mile march of American and Filipino prisoners after the surrender in Bataan in 1942, marked by starvation, brutality, and mass killings by Japanese captors.
Axis and Allied Powers
The Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) sought territorial expansion and were opposed by the Allies (U.S., Great Britain, Soviet Union, Free French, China, etc.) in WWII.
Battle of the Coral Sea
A 1942 naval battle where Allied forces, primarily British, halted Japanese expansion toward Port Moresby, marking the first significant check on Japanese advances in the Pacific.
Battle of Midway
A decisive 1942 naval battle in which U.S. forces, having broken Japanese codes, inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese fleet by sinking 4 aircraft carriers, shifting the balance of power in the Pacific.
Guadalcanal Campaign
A prolonged 1942–1943 battle in the Solomon Islands where U.S. forces secured Henderson Field, marking a turning point in the Pacific War as Japanese forces were repelled after a counter-invasion.
German U-Boat Campaign
The strategic use of German submarines in the Atlantic during WWII to target Allied shipping, particularly against convoys heading for Russia, causing significant losses and contributing to supply challenges.
Selective Service Deferments
Draft deferments during WWII were granted to certain groups, including married men, those with children, and individuals in crucial war work, as coordinated by the Selective Service System.
Tuskegee Airmen
An elite group of African American pilots who served with distinction in the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII, proving their skill and challenging racial prejudice.
Conscientious Objectors (CO) & Civilian Public Service (CPS)
Individuals who opposed military service on religious or moral grounds; some served in noncombat roles in the military, while others worked in CPS projects like forestry or building roads, often without pay or veteran benefits.
Women’s Military Units in WWII
Several noncombat units were established to free men for combat, including the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAACs/WACs), WAVES in the Navy, WASPs in the Army Air Corps, and the Coast Guard Reserve (SPARS).
Rosie the Riveter
The iconic symbol of female industrial labor during WWII, representing women who took on high-skill, high-pay jobs in defense industries, symbolizing national mobilization and breaking gender barriers.
Zoot Suit
Exaggerated, oversized suits worn by some Mexican American youths (pachucos) as a form of cultural defiance; they became a target during the Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles, symbolizing resistance to mainstream norms.
Japanese Internment & Executive Order 9066
A policy enacted during WWII that forced Japanese Americans on the West Coast to relocate to internment camps under armed guard; upheld in Korematsu v. U.S. as constitutional at the time.
Liberty Ships
Standardized, mass-produced cargo ships built during WWII to supply Allied forces; the first was the Patrick Henry, and they became known as the “Model T of the seas.”
Office of Price Administration (OPA) & “General Maximum Price Regulation”
The OPA set price controls during WWII (the “General Max”) to curb inflation and ensure affordable goods during wartime scarcity.
Organized Labor Response to WWII
Labor unions, coordinated by the National War Labor Board, took a no-strike pledge and negotiated agreements like the “Little Steel” agreement to maintain production during the war.
Wartime Rationing
The government rationed key goods such as meat, coffee, tires, and gasoline during WWII to ensure equitable distribution and support the war effort.
Revenue Act of 1942 & Payroll Tax Withholding
Legislation that raised $7 billion in new taxes in 1942 and introduced payroll tax withholding in 1943 to fund the war effort.
Teheran Conference
A 1943 meeting in Iran where FDR, Churchill, Stalin, and Chiang Kai-shek planned Allied strategy, including Operation Overlord, and discussed postwar arrangements, with Stalin pressing for an invasion of Germany.
D-Day (Invasion of Normandy)
June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of Normandy led by Eisenhower, marked by airborne drops and beach landings on Omaha Beach, which eventually led to the liberation of Paris.
Battle of the Bulge
A last-ditch German offensive in the Ardennes in December 1944 that created a “bulge” in the Allied line, ultimately repelled by Allied forces, paving the way for the invasion of Germany.
Island Hopping
A strategic U.S. military campaign in the Pacific during WWII that bypassed heavily fortified Japanese islands to capture strategically important ones, accelerating the approach toward Japan.
Saipan
An island in the Pacific where U.S. troops landed and fought in a brutal battle; over 1,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians committed suicide rather than surrender, demonstrating Japan’s code of honor.
Seabees
U.S. Naval Construction Battalions that built airfields, shelters, and bases rapidly on captured islands during WWII, essential for advancing island-hopping operations.
Navajo Code Talkers
Native American Marines who used the Navajo language to create an unbreakable code for secure military communications in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
Manhattan Project
A top-secret U.S. project led by Robert J. Oppenheimer that developed the atomic bomb during WWII; it culminated in the first atomic test on July 16, 1945, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
Atomic Bomb (Little Boy and Fat Man)
Nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima (Little Boy, August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (Fat Man, August 9, 1945), causing massive casualties and forcing Japan’s surrender, which ended WWII; their use sparked debates about the ethics and future of nuclear warfare.
