World War II Flashcards

Flashcards for World War II review, covering key events, terms, and figures from lecture notes.

Blitzkrieg

German method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift focused blow at an enemy

Evacuation of Dunkirk

Evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk in May 1940, orchestrated by Winston Churchill under Operation Dynamo.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill who created Operation Dynamo to evacuate troops from Dunkirk.

Operation Dynamo

Allied operation to evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk.

North Africa Strategic Importance

The Allies needed access to Middle Eastern oil supplies and strategic location of the Suez Canal in Egypt. Italians (Axis) also held empire in North Africa.

Operation Barbarossa

Code name for Hitler's invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the largest invasion in history.

Atlantic Wall

Defensive line built by Germany along the European coast to prevent Allied invasion.

Pearl Harbor

US naval base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to the US entry into World War II.

Einsatzgruppen

Einsatzgruppen death squads sent to the East with the sole purpose of murdering Jews, Gypsies and other undesirables.

Japanese American Internment

Japanese American Internment forced relocation of Japanese Americans into internment camps.

Little Boy

Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Fat Man

Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.