WWII All Notes Flashcards
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57 Terms
When did WWII officially begin?
September 1, 1939, with Germany's invasion of Poland.
When did Britain and France declare war on Germany?
September 3, 1939.
What tactic did Germany use to overrun continental Europe quickly?
Blitzkrieg
When did Germany take Poland?
By September 27, 1939
What agreement allowed the USSR to take part of Poland?
The Non-Aggression Pact between the USSR and Germany
What country did the Soviets attack in late 1939?
Finland
Q: Which countries did Germany invade after Poland?
A: The Low Countries: Netherlands and Belgium, then France.
Q: By July 1940, what was the only Western European country not under German control or allied with them?
A: Britain.
Q: What was Germany's strategy in the Battle of the Atlantic?
A: Use U-Boats to blockade Britain and strangle its supplies.
Q: How many Allied ships were sunk from Sept. 1939–March 1941?
A: 1,553 ships.
Q: What happened to Allied shipping losses from April 1941–March 1943?
A: 1,727 ships were sunk.
Q: How did the British combat U-Boat attacks?
A: By breaking the Enigma code and intercepting German messages.
Q: What turned the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic?
A: The U.S. producing more ships than were being sunk by late 1943.
Q: What was the Battle of Britain?
A: A German air assault on Britain in 1940.
Q: What were the initial German targets in the Battle of Britain?
A: Industrial and military targets in Southern Britain.
Q: What city became the focus of German bombing raids?
A: London (London Blitz).
Q: What helped Britain defend against the Luftwaffe?
A: Radar, breaking the Enigma code, and the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Q: How many German planes were lost?
A: 1,700 Luftwaffe planes.
Q: Why did Hitler call off the attack?
A: To prepare for Operation Barbarossa (attack on USSR).
Q: What did Britain become after the Battle of Britain?
A: An "unsinkable aircraft carrier" for Allied bombing runs.
Q: What was Operation Barbarossa?
A: Germany's invasion of the USSR on June 22, 1941.
Q: What were the three prongs of the German attack?
A: North to Leningrad, Center to Moscow, South to the Caucasus.
Q: What was the result of the siege of Leningrad?
A: It lasted over 2½ years; over a million civilians died; city never surrendered.
Q: What halted the German advance near Moscow?
A: Soviet defenses, winter, and a surprise counterattack.
Q: What was the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad?
A: It was a turning point; the Germans lost 700,000 men and the myth of German invincibility was shattered.
Q: What campaigns did Italy launch in 1940?
A: Into Greece and North Africa.
Q: Who did Hitler send to help Italy?
A: General Rommel.
Q: When did the U.S. and Britain invade Northern Africa?
A: November 1942.
Q: Why did the Allies attack Africa?
A: To relieve pressure on the USSR by forcing Germany to fight on multiple fronts.
Q: What happened in 1943 after Africa?
A: Allies began the invasion of Italy.
Q: When did Japan invade Manchuria?
A: 1931.
What embargo did the U.S. impose on Japan in 1940?
An oil and iron embargo.
Q: What were Japan's choices after the embargo?
A: Withdraw from China or attack the U.S. and seize resources.
Q: What did Japan choose to do?
A: Attack the U.S., including Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941.
Q: What was the result of Pearl Harbor?
A: 18 U.S. ships sunk, 188 aircraft destroyed, 2,403 service members killed.
Q: What major mistake did Japan make at Pearl Harbor?
A: Failed to destroy oil tanks and missed U.S. aircraft carriers.
Q: What other territories did Japan attack on Dec. 7, 1941?
A: The Philippines, Guam, and Wake Island.
Q: What was the Battle of Coral Sea (May 1942)?
A: The first naval battle fought entirely by aircraft; U.S. stopped Japanese advancement.
Q: What happened to the USS Lexington at Coral Sea?
A: It was sunk.
Q: What was the Battle of Midway (June 4, 1942)?
A: A turning point in the Pacific; U.S. ambushed and defeated Japan’s fleet.
Q: What was the impact of Midway?
A: Japan went on the defensive and began to lose naval dominance.
Q: What was "island hopping"?
A: U.S. strategy to capture key islands and move closer to Japan’s mainland.
Q: What happened at the Battle of Kursk (July 1943)?
A: The largest tank battle in history; Soviets defeated Germany and took the offensive.
Q: When did the Allies invade Sicily?
A: July 9, 1943.
Q: What happened to Mussolini in 1943?
A: He was deposed; Italy signed an armistice with the Allies.
Q: When did the Allies take Rome?
A: June 4, 1944.
Q: What was D-Day?
A: June 6, 1944: the largest amphibious invasion in history, in Normandy.
Q: When was Paris liberated?
A: August 25, 1944.
Q: What was the Battle of the Bulge?
A: Germany’s last offensive, December 1944–January 1945; ultimately failed.
Q: When did Hitler die and Germany surrender?
A: Hitler died April 30, 1945; Germany surrendered May 7, 1945.
Q: What islands did the U.S. capture by late 1944?
A: Mariana Islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines.
Q: What was the bloodiest battle in the Pacific for the U.S.?
A: Okinawa (early 1945).
Q: Who became President in April 1945?
A: Harry S. Truman, after FDR died on April 12.
Q: What was Japan’s response to the U.S. demand for unconditional surrender?
A: They rejected it.
Q: When was the first atomic bomb dropped?
A: August 6, 1945 on Hiroshima.
Q: When was the second atomic bomb dropped?
A: August 9, 1945 on Nagasaki.
Q: When did Japan surrender?
A: August 14/15, 1945 (formal surrender September 2, 1945).