Key Vocabulary of WWII European Theater

Nazi-Soviet Pact

A shocking diplomatic non-aggression treaty signed by Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union. It freed Hitler to attack Poland one week later, starting World War II.

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 - Raised the possibility of a League of Nations type organization in the post war years (United Nations).

Lend Lease Act

US would provide military aid to the allies in return for access to British military bases around the world.

Dunkirk

Location of the rescue of over 300,000 British soldiers from the beaches as the German army was closing in - Operation Dynamo called for civilian boats to assist in the miraculous rescue.

Blitzkrieg

From the German term meaning 'lightning war,' it refers to the German tactic of advancing rapidly and overwhelming an enemy. It was designed to prevent a repeat of stalemate that marked World War I.

Maginot Line

An elaborate series of fortifications, built by the French along the border with Germany. It was really a refined version of trenches.

Phony War

Nickname for the period between September 1939 and May 1940, from when the Allies declared war on Germany and the beginning of German offensives in the West.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

The most important Prime Minister in 20th century British history, he assumed power in 1940 and guided the nation through the war. He was noted for his powerful and inspiring speeches.

Charles De Gaulle

Leader of the Free French forces in German occupied France - Directed the effort from London where he relocated during the war years.

Vichy France

Following France's surrender to Germany in June 1940, a new collaborationist regime was established that worked with the Nazi occupiers until the liberation in 1944.

Battle for the Atlantic

Germans use submarines to disrupt allied shipping - Sonar, aerial spotters, depth charges and the convoy system allow shipping to continue.

Marshall Henri Petain

A hero during World War I, he emerged as the leader of the Vichy government in 1940. He believed that working with the occupation would improve life for the French people.

Battle of Britain

Term for the German campaign to force Britain's surrender during World War II. The battle was almost exclusively waged in the air.

Operation Sea Lion

Germany's plan for the invasion of England; does not come to fruition due to the German's inability to gain air superiority.

Luftwaffe

The formal name of the German air force.

Royal Air Force

The formal name of the British air force.

Afrika Korps

Famed German military unit that was sent to North Africa in 1942 to help the faltering Italian campaign against the British. The Afrika Korps was forced to surrender to the Allies in 1943.

Battle of El Alamein

British forces repel Italian and German forces in the North African desert and keep control of the Suez Canal - Allows for the invasion of Italy.

Eastern Front

Term for the fighting in Eastern Europe, mainly in the Soviet Union, following the German invasion in June 1941. It was the site of the greatest number of casualties.

Operation Barbarossa

German plan to invade the Soviet Union - ultimately a failure.

Allies

Term for the alliance of nations fighting against Nazi Germany. Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States, and China were the major powers.

Axis

Term for the nations battling the Allies during World War II. The major Axis powers were Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Japan.

Aryan

Racial term used by the Nazis to distinguish the Germanic peoples. The Nazis defined this as the master race.

Operation Torch

Allied invasion of Italy, the "soft underbelly" of Europe.

-American forces led by General Patton

Casablanca Conference

January 1943 wartime meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt in Morocco. The two leaders pledged to demand "unconditional surrender" of Germany and Italy.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

The longest-serving President in US history, he was first elected in 1932 during the worst years of the Depression. He went on to be elected four times and led the US through World War II.

Stalingrad

A large city in the southern Soviet Union, it became the site of the largest battle of the war in the Eastern Front and is considered a turning point in the war against the Nazis. The German defeat began the systematic destruction of the Nazis.

Teheran Conference

November 1943, historic first gathering of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin. The Big Three met in Iran to discuss the next steps in the war. They agreed to plan an invasion of France in 1944 to open a second front.

Big Three

The nickname for Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin Roosevelt, and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin.

D-Day

The codename for the June 6, 1944 Allied landings on the French coast in Normandy. It opened a second front against Nazi Germany and sped up the end of the war.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme allied Commander, in charge of the D-Day operation; US president 1952-1960.

amphibious

A military action that involves water landings on a target.

Battle of the Bulge

Hitler's last offensive push that caused a bulge in the allied lines; exhausts what is left of Nazi war materials, allies then push to Berlin.

Yalta Conference

Epic February 1943 final meeting of the Big Three, the gathering shaped the post-war world. The leaders agreed to divide defeated Germany, for the Soviets to join the war against Japan, and form a United Nations.

United Nations

A new international organization that was designed to replace the League of Nations, it was chartered in 1945 and is based in New York City.

Victory-in-Europe (V-E) Day

The nickname for May 7, 1945, the date of the German surrender.

Holocaust

From a Greek term meaning "destruction by fire," it refers to the systematic effort of the Nazis to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. Millions of people were murdered between 1939 - 1945.

Wannsee Conference

A notorious January 1942 meeting of Nazi officials where the Holocaust was planned and coordinated - The Final Solution.

Zyclon-B

The toxic poison gas used by the Nazis to murder millions of people during the Holocaust.

concentration camps

Term for the large detention camps built by the Nazis to house their victims. Some were labor camps where prisoners were forced to work; some were death camps where prisoners were murdered.

Roma

A unique and distinctive minority group found mainly in southern and eastern Europe. The Roma, formerly called Gypsies, were targeted for persecution by the Nazis.

Nuremberg Trials

A series of legal proceedings that were held to prosecute the Nazi leadership. Over one dozen Nazis were hanged and hundreds were sent to prison.

- prosecution of Nazi war criminals at the conclusion of the war in Europe

crimes against humanity

The most common charge against the Nazi leaders tried at Nuremberg.

Iron Curtain

Nickname for the border between the communist and non-communist parts of Europe. Much of the boundary was heavily guarded.

Manhattan Project

Codename for the massive American military and scientific effort to produce an atomic bomb. It was inspired by the research of Albert Einstein.