9 WWII

A Day That Will Live in Infamy

Phrase from FDR's speech after Pearl Harbor, declaring December 7, 1941, as a turning point in U.S. history.

Admiral Chester Nimitz

Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet (Navy) who led American naval forces during key WWII battles.

Adolf Hitler

Dictator of Nazi Germany who led the nation into WWII and orchestrated the Holocaust as part of his Final Solution.

Allied Powers

Alliance of the U.S., Britain, Soviet Union, France, and others against the Axis Powers.

Anti-Semitic

Hostile or prejudiced beliefs or actions against Jewish people.

Antibiotics

Medicines like penicillin that became widely used in WWII to treat infections and save lives.

Atomic Bomb

A powerful weapon developed during WWII and used by the U.S. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was dropped instead of a land invasion because Truman was told it would save more lives. It was developed under the Manhattan Project and first successfully tested in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

Japanese surprise attack on December 7, 1941 on the U.S. Pacific Fleet's headquarters in Hawaii. It was in response to U.S. trade sanctions placed on Japan and the likelihood the U.S. would eventually join WWII. The attack led the U.S. declaring war on Japan and entering into WWII.

Axis Powers

Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII.

Bataan Death March

Forced march of U.S. and Filipino prisoners by the Japanese in 1942 after they took control of the Philippine Islands; thousands died from murder, abuse, and starvation.

Battle of Midway

A 1942 turning point battle in the Pacific where the U.S. navy defeated Japan's fleet. The Allies began winning the war in the Pacific after Japan was unable to rebuild their fleet fast enough.

Battle of the Atlantic

Long WWII naval campaign to control Atlantic shipping lanes between the Allies and German U-boats. The U.S. was shipping food, supplies, and troops across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Whoever controlled the Atlantic, controlled the outcome of the war.

Battle of the Bulge

Final major German offensive in Europe (1944-1945) where the Allied and Axis lines bulged back and forth until the Allies crossed into Germany. It was a turning point that signaled the end of the war in Europe was near.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist leader of Italy and ally of Hitler during WWII.

Blitzkrieg

German military tactic of 'lightning war' involving fast, coordinated attacks by air and land forces. It was used to quickly take over large parts of Europe fast by overwhelming the enemy with everything they had.

Cash and Carry

U.S. policy before entering WWII allowing Allies to buy arms if they paid upfront and transported them themselves. It was part of an attempt to remain neutral while still aiding the Allies.

Code Talkers

Navajo soldiers who used their language to create unbreakable codes in the Pacific Theater. They helped to provide military communications faster as they did not need to encode their messages.

Concentration and Extermination Camps

Nazi-run facilities where Jews and other groups were imprisoned, tortured, and murdered during the Holocaust. They were part of Hitler's Final Solution and discovered by Allied troops as they liberated Europe.

D-Day / D-Day Invasion

June 6, 1944: Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France at Normandy, it opened up a second front in Europe. It became a turning point in the war in Europe as it began to be liberated from Nazi control. U.S. General Dwight Eisenhower organized the campaign code named Operation Overlord.

Division of Germany

Postwar Germany was divided into four zones controlled by the U.S., Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Each sector was to be rebuilt by the Allied nation assigned to it.

Doolittle Raid

A surprise U.S. bombing raid on Tokyo in 1942 that boosted American morale.

General Douglas MacArthur

U.S. general who led forces in the Pacific and oversaw Japan's postwar occupation.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Supreme Allied Commander in Europe; led D-Day and later became U.S. president.

Executive Order 9066

FDR's order that authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII in the Japanese Internment Camps, violating their 4th and 14th Amendment Constitutional Rights. The Supreme Court said it was constitutional in Korematsu v. U.S.

Factory Conversion

Process of transforming civilian factories making consumer products to produce war materials like tanks and weapons.

Fascism

A political ideology that promotes dictatorship, nationalism, and often racism; seen in Nazi Germany and Mussolini's Italy.

Final Solution

Nazi plan to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe during WWII.

Flying Tigers

American volunteer pilots who fought for China against Japan before the U.S. officially entered the war.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

U.S. President during the Great Depression and most of WWII. He declared war after Pearl Harbor and led the U.S. through much of the conflict.

General George S. Patton

U.S. Army general known for leading tank divisions in Europe and playing a key role in the Battle of the Bulge.

George C. Marshall

U.S. Army Chief of Staff during WWII and creator of the postwar Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe.

GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)

Legislation providing WWII veterans with education, housing, and job benefits. It helped to fuel the prosperity of the 1950s.

Harry S. Truman

U.S. Vice President and then President after FDR died. He made the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

Hiroshima

Japanese city where the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on August 6, 1945.

Holocaust

Systematic genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of others by Nazi Germany. It was part of Hitler's Final Solution.

Home Front

Civilian efforts and contributions back inside the U.S. during wartime, such as rationing, war bonds, and factory work.

Invasion of Poland

German attack on Poland in 1939 that started WWII in Europe.

Island Hopping

U.S. military strategy of capturing strategic Pacific islands while bypassing others to reach Japan.

Isolationist Foreign Policy

U.S. stance before WWII of avoiding involvement in international conflicts.

Italy

Axis power under Mussolini; later surrendered and joined the Allies in 1943.

Iwo Jima

Brutal Pacific battle in 1945 where U.S. Marines raised the flag on Mount Suribachi.

Japanese Internment Camps

See Executive Order 9066

Joseph Stalin

Communist leader of the Soviet Union; ally of the U.S. and Britain during WWII.

Kamikaze

Japanese suicide pilots who crashed planes into Allied ships.

Korematsu v. U.S.

1944 Supreme Court case that upheld Japanese American internment as a wartime necessity.

Lend-Lease Act

Allowed the U.S. to send weapons and supplies to Allies before officially entering the war. The U.S. was given navy bases in exchange.

Liberty Ships

Mass-produced cargo ships built quickly in the U.S. to support the war effort. They were built offsite and assembled in the shipyards like an assembly line.

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. program to develop the atomic bomb.

Marshall Plan

U.S. plan to aid European economic recovery after WWII to prevent the spread of communism.

Munich Conference

1938 meeting where Britain, France, Germany, Italy and other European nations. They gave in to Hitler's demands for the Sudetenland in hopes of peace (appeasement).

Nagasaki

Japanese city hit with the second atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, leading to Japan's surrender.

Nazi Party

German political party led by Hitler; promoted fascism, nationalism, and anti-Semitism.

Nazism

The ideology of the Nazi Party, combining fascism, racism, and totalitarianism.

Neutrality Acts

Series of U.S. laws in the 1930s aimed at avoiding involvement in future foreign wars. They said that Americans could not travel on ships at war or sell materials to countries at war.

Non-Aggression Pact

1939 agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union to not attack each other and divide Poland between them. It was broken by Hitler in 1941.

Nuremberg Trials

Post-WWII trials where Nazi leaders were prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Occupation of Japan

U.S.-led effort to rebuild and democratize Japan after WWII.

Office of War Information (OWI)

U.S. government agency that promoted war support and coordinated propaganda.

Okinawa

One of the bloodiest Pacific battles; a key stepping stone for a potential invasion of Japan.

Omar Bradley

U.S. general who led ground forces in Europe and helped liberate France.

Operation Overlord

Code name for the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France.

Pacific Fleet

U.S. Navy fleet in the Pacific, targeted during the Pearl Harbor attack.

Pearl Harbor

U.S. naval base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, bringing the U.S. into WWII.

Potsdam Conference

July 1945 meeting between the U.S., Britain, and USSR to plan postwar Europe and demand Japan's surrender.

Propaganda

Information used to influence public opinion, often used by governments during war.

Proximity Fuse

Advanced WWII fuse technology that allowed shells to explode near targets, increasing effectiveness.

Quarantine Speech

FDR's 1937 speech suggesting peaceful nations should isolate aggressor nations like Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Radar

Technology that detects distant objects in the air using radio waves; vital for defense during WWII.

Ration Book

Booklets of coupons used by civilians to buy limited goods during wartime rationing.

Rationing

Government-controlled distribution of scarce goods or goods needed for the war effort.

Rosie the Riveter

Symbol of women working in factories to support the war effort.

Selective Service Act

Law requiring men to register for military service (the draft), reactivated during WWII.

Servicemen's Readjustment Act

See GI Bill.

Sonar

Technology using sound waves to detect underwater objects; used against submarines.

Sudetenland

Region of Czechoslovakia given to Hitler in 1938 as part of appeasement.

Totalitarianism

A form of government with total control over all aspects of life.

Trade Sanctions

Economic penalties placed on countries to influence their behavior.

Tuskegee Airmen

All-African American fighter pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII.

Two Front War

Fighting a war in two geographically separate areas; Europe and the Pacific.

United Nations (UN)

International peacekeeping organization founded after WWII to prevent future global conflicts.

V-E Day

May 8, 1945 — Victory in Europe Day, when Germany officially surrendered.

V-J Day

August 15, 1945 — Victory over Japan Day, marking the end of WWII.

Vernon Baker

African American WWII soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor decades later for heroism in combat.

Victory Gardens

Homegrown gardens encouraged to boost food supply due to a shortage of farm hands.

War Bonds

Government-issued bonds sold to raise money for the war effort.

War Production Board

U.S. agency that directed production of war materials and supplies during WWII.

WAVES

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service — women who served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.

Women's Army Corps (WAC)

Women's branch of the U.S. Army that provided non-combat support during WWII.