WWII Unit Concept Guide

Franklin D. Roosevelt

USA president during WWII, part of the Allied powers.

V-E Day

Victory in Europe Day, celebrated on May 8, 1945.

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of Great Britain, a key Allied leader.

V-J Day

Victory over Japan Day, marked on September 2, 1945.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during WWII.

WWII Start Date

World War II began on September 1, 1939.

George Patton

U.S. Army General known for his leadership in the European theater.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack on U.S. naval base on December 7, 1941.

Douglas MacArthur

Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific.

D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Robert Oppenheimer

Scientist known as the 'Father of the Atomic Bomb'.

Werner Heisenberg

Nazi scientist involved in atomic bomb research.

Harry S. Truman

President of the USA after FDR, made the decision to use atomic bombs.

Joseph Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union and a key Allied figure.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany and key figure of the Axis powers.

Heinrich Himmler

Nazi official who created the Final Solution, leading to the Holocaust.

Benito Mussolini

Leader of Italy, part of the Axis powers during WWII.

Totalitarianism

A political system where the state holds total authority over society.

Nazism

The ideology associated with the Nazi Party, including racism and totalitarianism.

Fascism

A far-right authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power.

Communism

A political theory advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned.

Soviet/Germany Neutrality Pact

Agreement in which the two nations agreed not to fight or invade each other.

Racial Purification

A term describing the Nazi goal of removing Jews from Europe and establishing a 'pure' Aryan race.

The Holocaust

The genocide of six million Jews during World War II.

The Final Solution

The Nazi plan for the systematic genocide of the Jews.

Cash-and-Carry Policy

U.S. policy allowing nations at war to buy goods from the U.S. provided they paid cash and transported the goods themselves.

Lend-Lease Act

A program under which the U.S. supplied Allied nations with war material.

GI Bill

Legislation providing education, training, and housing for WWII veterans.

The Japanese Internment Camps

Camps where Japanese-Americans were forcibly relocated during WWII due to suspicions of espionage.

Allied War Plan

The strategy of defeating Nazi Germany first before addressing Japan.

Stalingrad

The Battle where the Soviet Union halted the German advance into their territory.

Battle of Torch

The North African campaign led by General Patton.

Invasion of Italy

The Allied campaign that led to Mussolini's capture and the switching of Italy to the Allied side.

Market Garden

An unsuccessful Allied military operation aimed at capturing bridges in the Netherlands.

The Bulge

The last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during WWII.

Mussolini’s Fate

He was captured and hung by Italian partisans.

The 5 Beaches of Normandy

Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword are the beaches where Allied forces landed on D-Day.

Hitler’s Fate

He committed suicide in his bunker as Soviet forces invaded Berlin.

The Bataan Death March

The forcible transfer of Allied prisoners of war by the Japanese army, marked by extreme violence.

Island Hopping

The military strategy of capturing key islands in the Pacific to reach Japan.

Battle of Midway

A critical naval battle where the U.S. sunk four Japanese aircraft carriers.

Battle of Iwo Jima

A significant battle noted for iconic imagery of U.S. Marines.

Battle of Okinawa

The bloodiest battle in the Pacific aiming to capture the island near Japan.

The Manhattan Project

A secret research project aimed at developing the atomic bomb, led by Robert Oppenheimer.

Codenames for the Bombs

The atomic bombs were codenamed Fat Man and Little Boy.

Test Bomb - Gadget / Trinity Test

The first detonation of a nuclear weapon.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Japanese cities where atomic bombs were dropped.

V-J Day on the USS Missouri

The day marking Japan's surrender, celebrated on September 2, 1945.