World War II Vocabulary

Non Agression Pact

An agreement in which two nations promise not to go to war with each other; Germany and the Soviet Union sign one at the start of WWII.

Blitzkrieg

From the German word meaning “lightning war”; a sudden, massive attack with combined air and ground forces, intended to achieve a quick victory.

Charles de Gaulle

A French general who committed all his energy to liberating France from Nazi German control.

Winston Churchill

A member of British parliament, who became Prime Minister after Neville Chamberlain, and opposed appeasement policy.

Battle of Britain

An air battle over London, where Winston Churchill’s leadership was crucial.

Erwin Rommel

Known as the Desert Fox, a German general during World War II.

Atlantic Charter

A 1941 declaration of principles in which the United States and Great Britain set forth their goals in opposing the Axis powers.

Isoroku Yamamoto

Japan’s greatest naval strategist during World War II.

Pearl Harbor

Site of a Japanese surprise attack on a United States military base in Hawaii.

Battle of Midway

A World War II battle that took place in early June 1942. The Allies decimated the Japanese fleet at Midway, an island lying northwest of Hawaii. The Allies then took the offensive in the Pacific and began to move closer to Japan.

Douglas MacArthur

A five-star general who is known for his leadership in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Battle of Guadalcanal

An Allied offensive against Japan in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Holocaust

The systematic murder - or genocide - of Jews and other groups in Europe by the Nazis before and during WWII.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

A US military general, who served as the Supreme Commander of the D-Day operation (Battle of Normandy).

Battle of Stalingrad

A major engagement during WWII, where Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad.

D-Day

A name given to June 6, 1944 - the day on which the Allies launched an invasion of the European mainland during World War II.

Battle of the Bulge

A month-long battle of World War II, in which the Allies succeeded in turning back the last major German offensive of the war.

Kamikaze

Involving or engaging in the deliberate crashing or a bomb-filled airplane into a military target.

Demilitarization

An area having all military forces removed.

Democratization

The introduction of a democratic system or democratic principles.