World War II Vocab Term

Bernard Montgomery

Top British General of WWII

Atlantic Charter

Declaration of principles issued in August 1941 by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt which the Allied peace plan was based for the end of WWII

Douglas MacAuthur

American 5 Star general and field marshal of the Philippine Army; Chef of staff of the US army in 1930s; played significant role in the Pacific Theater

Erwin Rommel

Known as the “Desert Fox”; he was German field marshal

Blitzkrieg

German word for “lightning war” a form of warfare in which surprises attacks with fast-moving airplanes are followed by massive attacks with infantry forces

Non-Aggression Pact

Agreement in which nations promise to not attack one another, specifically relates to Germany and USSR agreement

Pearl Harbor

American Naval Base on Oahu Island, Hawaii. It was attacked by Imperial Japan navy on December 7, 1941. Over 3,000 Americans were killed

Final Solution

German dictator Adolf Hilter’s program to kill the entire Jewish people

Japanese internment

American President Franklin Roosevelt used executive order 9066 to intern thousands of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister during WWII, from 1940-1945 and 1951-55. He helped lead the Allies to victory

Allies

America, Britain, France, Russian forces in WWII

Axis Powers

Japan, Germany, Italian forces in WWII

Isoroku Yamamoto

Japanese field Admiral and commander-in-chief of the naval fleet

Battle of Britain

A series of battles between Germany and British air forces fought over Britain in 1940-41

Battle of the Bulge

Last major offensive from German forces in winter 1944-45. Fought in the city of Bastogne, Belgium

Nuremberg Trials

A series of court proceedings held in Germany after WWII which Nazi leaders were tried for aggression, violation of rules of war and crimes against humanity

Dwight Eisenhower

American 5 Star General during WWII of the European Theater. He planned the invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944

Kristallnacht

German word for “night of broken glass”; November 9, 1938; Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues in Germany

Charles de Gualle

French general and statesman and leader of free France during WWII

European Theater

Where fighting between the Allies and Axis powers occurred on European land and sea. Primarily between the Allies against Germany and Italy

Battle of Guadalcanal

A 1942-43 battle in the Pacific Ocean chain of the Soloman Islands between the Allies and Japan. The Allies eventually drove the Japanese from the island

Pacific Theater

Where fighting between the Allies and Axis powers occurred on Pacific land and sea. Primarily between America and Japanese allies

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots trained to sink Allied ships by crashing bomb-filled planes into them

Holocaust

Mass slaughter of at least 6 million Jews and other civilians, carried out by the Nazi government of Germany. Comprised of primarily 6 death camps and dozens of other concentration camps

Ghettos

German word for city neighborhoods in which European Jews were forced to live until they were sent to concentration camps via cattle cars

D-Day

Largest armada in world history. Began on June 6, 1944 on the coast of Normandy, France. This began the Allies invasion of mainland Europe, allowing them to re-take Europe. Planned by General Dwight Eisenhower

Battle of Stalingrad

1942-43 Battle in Russia in which German forces were defeated in their attempts to capture the city of Stalingrad. The brutal winter fighting helped to defeat the ill-equipped Germany army

Battle of Midway

1942 sea and air battle between America and Japan near the Midway Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. America defeated the Japanese and was the first major victory for the allies in the Pacific Theater

Adolf Hitler

Chancellor and then dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death at the end of World War II in 1945. Known for his antisemitism and attempt to dominate Europe and establish a new German “Third Reich”

Hideki Tojo

General of the Japanese Imperial Army and 40th Prime Minister of Japan

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Two Japanese cities that were attacked with the first atomic bombs, which ended the Pacific Theater in World War II. Over 100,000 civilians died from the blast

Benito Mussolini

Dictator of Italy during World War II. The principal founder of the “fascism” ideology. Was executed at the end of the war by civilians

Joseph Stalin

Communist dictator of the Soviet Union (Russia) during World War II

Neville Chamberlain

Prime Minister of Britain before Winston Churchill. He is known for appeasing Adolf Hitler at the Munich Conference in 1938

George Patton

General of the 3rd Army for the United States in the European Theater. Involved in the Allied invasion of Sicily, and the Battle of the Bulge

Franklin Roosevelt

32nd American president served from 1933 through his death in 1945. Helped lead America to victory in World War II

Battle of Iwo Jima

Major battle of the Pacific Theater. A Japanese island that was stormed mainly by US and Allied Marines. Battle was fought from February 1945-March 1945

Battle of Okinawa

Code-named “Operation iceberg”, it was a major battle in the Pacific Theater fought on the Japanese island of Okinawa in April 1945-June 1945

Potsdam Conference

Conference in Potsdam, Germany in July/August 1945 to negotiate the terms of surrender after Germany had given unconditional surrender to the Allies

Yalta Conference

Big three Allied nations agreed to divide Germany into four occupation zones, controlled by US/Britain/French and the USSR