WW2

Key Events and Battles

1. 1st Battle of El Alamein - An Allied victory stopping German forces from advancing in North Africa.

2. 2nd Battle of El Alamein - A major Allied victory that pushed Axis forces out of Egypt.

3. Auschwitz-Birkenau - The largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp.

4. Battle of Anzio (Bloody Anzio) - A battle in Italy marked by intense fighting and high casualties.

5. Battle of Britain (The Blitz) - Germany’s air campaign against Britain, aimed at gaining air superiority.

6. Battle of Coral Sea - A naval battle that stopped Japan’s advance toward Australia.

7. Battle of Midway - A pivotal battle in the Pacific where the U.S. defeated Japan’s navy.

8. Battle of Okinawa - A key battle where Allied forces captured a strategic island near Japan.

9. Battle of the Bulge - Germany’s final major offensive in Europe.

10. Bombing of Hiroshima - The U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb on a Japanese city.

11. Bombing of Nagasaki - The U.S. dropped a second atomic bomb, leading to Japan’s surrender.

12. D-Day - The Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France.

13. Doolittle’s Raids - A U.S. air raid on Tokyo designed to boost American morale.

14. Executive Order 9066 - An order that forced Japanese Americans into internment camps.

15. Ghost Army - A U.S. unit that used deception to mislead German forces.

16. Guadalcanal - The first major Allied offensive in the Pacific.

17. Iwo Jima - A critical battle where U.S. forces captured an island from Japan.

18. Japanese Internment Camp - Facilities where Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated.

19. Kamikazes - Japanese pilots who carried out suicide attacks against Allied ships.

20. Malmedy Massacre - A war crime where German troops executed American POWs.

21. Manhattan Project - The secret U.S. project to develop the atomic bomb.

22. Nuremberg Trials - Trials prosecuting Nazi leaders for war crimes.

23. Operation Mincemeat - A deceptive Allied operation to mislead Germany about invasion plans.

24. Operation Overlord - The codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy.

25. Operation Torch - The Allied invasion of North Africa.

26. Potsdam Conference - A meeting of Allied leaders to decide post-war terms.

27. “The Pinch” - A secret operation to steal German radar technology.

28. Yalta Conference - A meeting of Allied leaders to plan post-war Europe.

Key People and Groups

1. 6888th (Six Triple Eight) - An all-Black, all-female battalion that managed mail for U.S. troops.

2. Admiral Chester Nimitz - A U.S. Navy commander in the Pacific theater.

3. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto - The Japanese naval leader who planned Pearl Harbor.

4. Adolf Hitler - Dictator of Nazi Germany.

5. Benito Mussolini - Fascist leader of Italy.

6. Benjamin Davis Jr. - First Black general in the U.S. Air Force and leader of the Tuskegee Airmen.

7. Code Talkers - Native Americans who used their languages to create unbreakable military codes.

8. Desmond Doss - A conscientious objector who served as a medic and saved lives without using a weapon.

9. Emperor Hirohito - Emperor of Japan during WWII.

10. Ernie Pyle - A journalist who wrote about soldiers’ experiences during the war.

11. Eva Braun - Adolf Hitler’s wife.

12. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel - A skilled German general known as the “Desert Fox.”

13. Franklin D. Roosevelt - U.S. President during most of WWII.

14. General Douglas MacArthur - U.S. general in charge of the Pacific theater.

15. General Dwight D. Eisenhower - Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

16. General George S. Patton - A U.S. general known for bold and effective strategies in Europe.

17. General Omar Bradley - A U.S. general who played a key role in the European campaign.

18. Harry S Truman - U.S. President who authorized the use of atomic bombs.

19. Hideki Tojo - Japan’s Prime Minister during the war.

20. J. Robert Oppenheimer - Lead scientist of the Manhattan Project.

21. Joseph Rosenthal - Photographer of the iconic Iwo Jima flag-raising image.

22. Joseph Stalin - Leader of the Soviet Union and an Allied power.

23. Rosie the Riveter - Symbol of women working in wartime industries.

24. Tuskegee Airmen - The first Black military pilots in the U.S. armed forces.

25. Vichy French - The government in German-occupied France that collaborated with the Nazis.

26. WAC (Women’s Army Corps) - Women serving in non-combat roles in the U.S. Army.

27. WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) - Women who flew military planes for the U.S. Army.

28. WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) - Women who served in the U.S. Navy.

29. Winston Churchill - Prime Minister of Britain and key leader of the Allies.