WW2 European Theater Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to the European Theater of World War II.

Nazi-Soviet Pact

A shocking diplomatic non-aggression treaty signed by Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union.

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.

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.

Blitzkrieg

German term meaning 'lightning war,' referring to the German tactic of advancing rapidly and overwhelming an enemy.

Maginot Line

An elaborate series of fortifications built by the French along the border with Germany.

Phony War

Nickname for the period between September 1939 and May 1940, when the Allies declared war on Germany.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

The most important Prime Minister in 20th century British history, guided the nation through the war.

Charles De Gaulle

Leader of the Free French forces in German occupied France.

Vichy France

Collaborationist regime established in France after its surrender to Germany in June 1940.

Battle for the Atlantic

Germans use submarines to disrupt allied shipping.

Marshall Henri Petain

Leader of the Vichy government in 1940, he believed working with the occupation would improve life for the French people.

Battle of Britain

German campaign to force Britain’s surrender during World War II.

Operation Sea Lion

Germany’s plan for the invasion of England.

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 to help the faltering Italian campaign.

Battle of El Alamein

British forces repel Italian and German forces in the North African desert.

Eastern Front

Term for the fighting in Eastern Europe, mainly in the Soviet Union, following the German invasion in June 1941.

Operation Barbarossa

German plan to invade the Soviet Union.

Allies

Term for the alliance of nations fighting against Nazi Germany.

Axis

Term for the nations battling the Allies during World War II.

Aryan

Racial term used by the Nazis to distinguish the Germanic peoples.

Operation Torch

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

Casablanca Conference

January 1943 meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

The longest-serving President in US history, he led the US through World War II.

Stalingrad

Site of the largest battle of the war in the Eastern Front and a turning point against the Nazis.

Teheran Conference

Historic first gathering of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin in November 1943.

Big Three

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

D-Day

Codename for the June 6, 1944 Allied landings on the French coast.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander in charge of the D-Day operation.

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.

Yalta Conference

Final meeting of the Big Three in February 1943 that shaped the post-war world.

United Nations

New international organization chartered in 1945, designed to replace the League of Nations.

Victory-in-Europe (V-E) Day

Nickname for May 7, 1945, the date of the German surrender.

Holocaust

Systematic effort of the Nazis to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe.

Wannsee Conference

January 1942 meeting of Nazi officials where the Holocaust was planned.

Zyclon-B

Toxic poison gas used by the Nazis to murder millions during the Holocaust.

Concentration camps

Large detention camps built by the Nazis to house their victims.

Roma

Distinctive minority group targeted for persecution by the Nazis.

Nuremberg Trials

Legal proceedings that were held to prosecute Nazi leadership.

Crimes against humanity

Most common charge against Nazi leaders tried at Nuremberg.

Iron Curtain

Nickname for the border between communist and non-communist parts of Europe.

Manhattan Project

American military and scientific effort to produce an atomic bomb.