wwII

Invasion of Poland

The German invasion of Poland in 1939, which marked the beginning of World War II.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic used by Germany, meaning 'lightning war,' involving rapid and concentrated attacks.

Panzers

German battle tanks that played an essential role in the army's armored divisions.

Luftwaffe

The air force component of the German Wehrmacht.

Hermann Goering

A leading Nazi politician and convicted war criminal, significant in orchestrating the Holocaust.

Wehrmacht

The unified armed forces of Nazi Germany, including the army (Heer), air force (Luftwaffe), and navy (Kriegsmarine).

Non-Aggression Pact ‘39

An agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union to avoid military conflict.

Phoney War

A period of little military action on the Western Front early in World War II.

Russo-Finnish War ‘39-40

A conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland that ended with the Moscow Peace Treaty.

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of the UK who led Britain to victory in World War II.

Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)

The evacuation of over 300,000 Allied soldiers from Dunkirk, France.

Vichy France

The government of France under German control during World War II.

Charles De Gaulle

Leader of the Free French forces who fought against Nazi Germany.

Battle of Britain

An air campaign fought between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force for control of British airspace.

Radar

A technology used to detect and locate objects, especially aircraft.

The Blitz

The German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom during World War II.

Erwin Rommel (Desert Fox)

A German Field Marshal known for his leadership in the North African campaign.

Afrika Korps

The German military unit that fought in North Africa during World War II.

Enigma

A cipher device used to protect military communication; famously broken by Allied codebreakers.

Battle of El Alamein

A significant battle where the Axis forces suffered a defeat against the British army.

Bernard Montgomery

A British military leader known for his role in the African campaign and D-Day.

Battle of the Atlantic

Military conflict between Allied and German forces for control of the Atlantic Ocean.

Convoys

Groups of ships or vehicles that travel together for protection.

U-boats

German submarines used during World War II.

Sonar

Technology used for detecting objects underwater.

Operation Barbarossa

The Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Scorched Earth Policy

A military strategy that destroys all resources that could be useful to an invading enemy.

Siege of Leningrad

A lengthy military blockade by German forces against Leningrad during Operation Barbarossa.

Battle of Stalingrad

A pivotal battle where the Soviet Union defeated Germany, marking a turning point in the war.

Battle of Attrition

A strategy aimed at exhausting the enemy's resources to force a surrender.

Battle of Kursk

The largest tank battle in history, resulting in a decisive Soviet victory.

Italian Campaign

An Allied operation that resulted in the liberation of Italy from Axis powers.

Wartime Conferences

Meetings held by Allied leaders to plan military strategy.

Tehran ‘43

The first meeting of Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill to discuss operations against Axis powers.

Yalta ‘45

A conference where Allied leaders discussed the post-war reorganization of Europe.

Potsdam ‘45

A conference where Allied leaders discussed the administration of post-war Germany.

Sphere of Influence

An area where a country exerts cultural, economic, or military influence.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

President of the United States known for his leadership during the Great Depression and World War II.

Josef Stalin

The leader of the Soviet Union during World War II.

Dwight Eisenhower

U.S. military leader during World War II and later president.

Operation Overlord (D-Day)

The Allied operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe.

Normandy

The coastal region of France where the D-Day landings occurred.

Mulberry Harbours

Temporary portable harbors devised for the rapid offloading of cargo during the Normandy invasion.

Operation Market Garden

An Allied operation aimed at capturing strategic bridges in the Netherlands.

V1 and V2 rockets

German jet-propelled missiles used during World War II.

Battle of the Bulge

A major German offensive campaign through the Ardennes region, ultimately unsuccessful.

Warsaw Uprising

An operation by the Polish resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation.

Berlin ‘45

The final offensive by the Soviet army to capture Berlin, leading to Hitler's death and Germany's surrender.

VE Day (Victory in Europe)

The day marking the formal acceptance of Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender.

Final Solution

The Nazi plan aimed at the systematic extermination of Jews.

Heinrich Himmler

A leading figure in the Nazi regime, heavily involved in the Holocaust.

Genocide

The deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

Einsatzgruppen (SS)

Mobile SS death squads responsible for mass shootings during the Holocaust.

Warsaw Ghetto

A section of Warsaw designated for Jewish residents during the Holocaust, symbolizing Nazi oppression.

Auschwitz (Concentration/Death Camps)

Nazi concentration and extermination camps where millions were murdered during the Holocaust.

Holocaust

The systematic genocide orchestrated by Nazi Germany, resulting in the deaths of millions.

Nuremberg Trials

Post-war trials held to prosecute prominent leaders of Nazi Germany for war crimes.