(warmup friday 10/30/26) World War II (1939-1945) Lecture Notes and Study Guide

Vocabulary terms covering initial German conquests in Europe, the Battle of Britain, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the opposing powers of World War II.

Panzer

A German tank.

Fifth Columnist

A group in Norway that betrayed their country and helped Hitler.

Vidkin Quisling

The leader of the Fifth Columnist in Norway.

Maginot line

A fortified area bypassed by the Nazi army in 1940 by going through neutral Belgium and Holland.

Dunkirk

A port on the northwest corner of France where the Allies retreated and 338,000 French and British troops were evacuated across the English Channel between May 28 and June 4, 1940.

Vichy

The puppet government established in half of France, led by Henri Petain.

Henri Petain

The leader of the puppet government at Vichy in France.

Free French movement

A movement started in England by French tank commander Charles defaule.

Winston Churchill

The new British Prime Minister who was against appeasement.

Luftwaffe

The German Air force ordered by Hitler to attack Great Britain.

Blitz

German air attacks that bombed London almost every night from September 1940 until May 1941.

Royal Air Force (RAF)

The British air force that successfully drove away the German Luftwaffe.

Pearl Harbor

The naval base in Hawaii housing the U.S. Pacific fleet, which Japanese leaders planned to destroy.

December 7, 1941

The date the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, described by President Franklin Roosevelt as 'a day which will live in infamy.'

Franklin Roosevelt

The U.S. President who designated December 7, 1941 as 'a day which will live in infamy.'

Allied Powers

The major powers involved in the war after December 11, 1941, comprising the U.S., France, Great Britain, Soviet Union, and China.

Axis Powers

The major powers involved in the war after December 11, 1941, comprising Germany, Italy, and Japan.