Term
| What did Hitler demand on April 28, 1938? |
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Definition
| -Hitler demanded that the Polish Corridor, along with its port city of Danzig, be returned to Germany |
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Term
| Why did Russia sign a nonagression pact with Germany? The secrets they made along with it? |
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Definition
-hitler was promising Stalin territory
--secrets--
-agreed that they would divide Poland between them
-agreed that the USSR(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) could take over Finland and the Baltic countries |
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Term
| What was the importance of Germany's attack on Poland on September 1st, 1939? |
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Definition
| -no one yet realized that the Polish invasion had unleashed World War II |
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Term
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Definition
-a "lightning war"
-where fast-moving planes, tanks, & massive infantry forces were used to take the enemy by surprise |
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Term
| Who was the blitzkrieg first used on? |
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Definition
| -it was used on Poland in the German invasion of Poland |
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Term
| What was Stalin's mistake regarding the invasion of Finland? |
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Definition
-thought that his soldiers would win a quick victory
-didn't worry about the Finnish winter
-a crucial mistake
-Finns attacked on swift skis
-Soviets(russians) struggled through the deep snow
-Soviet union did end up with the victory |
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Term
| What ended the phony war? |
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Definition
-Hitler launched a surprise invasion of Denmark and Norway
-he planned to build bases along the Norwegian and Danish coasts to strike at GB(Great Britain)
-in just 4 hours, Denmark fell
-2 months later, Narway surrendered as well |
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Term
| Where did the Allies escape to when Germany invaded France and how did Great Britain(GB) respond? |
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Definition
-the allies escaped to the beaches of Dunkirk, a French port city on the English channel
-they were trapped with their backs to the sea
-GB set out to rescue the army
-it sent 850 ships across the English Channel |
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Term
| Charles de Guille.....What did he do? |
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Definition
-set up a government-in-exile committed to reconquering France
-went on to organize the ~*Free French military forces*~ that battled the nazis until France was liberated in 1944 |
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Term
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Definition
-th new British Prime Minister
-had already declared that his nation would never give in to the Nazis |
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Term
| What helped turn the tide of German invasion in Great Britain's(GB's) power? |
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Definition
-Winston Churchill declared that his nation would never give in to the Nazis
-his plan Operation sea lion--was first to knock out the Royal Air Force(RAF) and then land 250,000 soliers on England's shores
-the Luftwaffe=Germany's air force began bombing GB(Great Britain)
-outnumbered, the RAF had 2,900 planes to the Luftwaffe's 4,500
-at first, Germany targeted Britain airfields and aircraft factories
-then, they began focusing on the cities, esp. London--to break British morale
-despite the destruction and loss of life, the British fought on |
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Term
| What had the Allies learned from the Battle of Britain? |
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Definition
-stunned by British resistance, Hitler decided to call off his attacks
-instead, he focused his attention on Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean
~*the allies had learned a crucial lesson: Hitler's advances could be blocked*~ |
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Term
| Who became Germany's most important Axis ally? |
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Definition
-Italy
-remained neutral at the beginning of the war
-with Hitler's conquest of France, Mussolini knew that he had to take action
-otherwise, Italy would not share in Germany's victories
-after declaring war on France and GB(Great Britain), Italy became Germany's most important Axis ally
-Mussolini moved into France along with the Nazis |
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Term
| What happened in Dec. 1940 (from Dec. 1940-June 1941)? |
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Definition
-in Dec., the British decided to strike back
-the result was a disaster for the Italians
-within 2 months, the British had swept 500 miles across North Africa
-they had taken 130,000 Italian prisoners
-Hitler sent General Rommel, later known as the "Desert Fox," to Libya
-his mission was to command a newly formed tank corps, the Afrika korps
-determined to take control of Egypt and the Suez Canal, Rommel attacked the British at Agheila in March
-British forces retreated 500 miles east to Tobruk
-in Jan., the British drove Rommel back to where he had started
-by June, the tide of battle turned again
-Rommel regrouped, pushed the British back across the desert and seized Tobruk
-this was a shattering loss for the Allies |
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Term
| Why did Hitler want to take SE Europe? |
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Definition
-the Balkan countries of SE Europe were key to Hitler's invasion plan
-Hitler wanted to build bases in SE Euopr for the attack on the Soviet Union(Russia)
-he also wanted to make sure that the British did not interfere |
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Term
| Operation Barbarossa; Why was it unsuccessful? |
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Definition
-Hitler could move ahead with his plan to invade the Soviet Union(Russia)
-it was called this
-in June 1941, the roar of German tanks and aircraft announced the beginning of the Blitzkreig invasion
-the Soviet Union(Russia) was not prepared for this attack
-with 5 million men, the Red Army from the Soviet Union(Russia), was the largest in the world but it was neither well equiped nor well trained
-Soviet General Georgi Zhukov had fresh Siberian divisions and the harsh Soviet winter were on his side
-at temperatures fell, the Germans, in summer uniforms, retreated
-their fuel and oil froze
-tanks, trucks, and weapons became useless
-the Furher(Hitler) sent his generals a stunning order: "No retreat!"
-German troops dug in about 125 miles west of the capital
-they held the line against the Soviets until March 1943
-Mascow had been saved and had cost the Germans 500,000 lives |
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Term
| What did the U.S. do between 1935-1937? |
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Definition
-Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts
-the laws made it illegal to sell arms or lend money to nations at war
-but Pres. Roosevelt knew that if the Allies fell, the U.S. would be drawn into the war
-in Sep. 1939, he persuaded Congress to allow the Allies to buy American arms
-they would pay cash and then carry the goods on their own ships |
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Term
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Definition
-passed in March 1941
-the Pres. could lend or lease larms and other supplies to any country vital to the U.S. |
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Term
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Definition
-made between Roosevelt and Churchill
-it was a jiont declaration
-it upheld free trade among nations and the right of people to choose their own government
-later served as the Allies peace plan at the end of WWII |
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Term
| What happened on Sep. 4, 1941? |
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Definition
-a German U-boat suddenly fired on a US destroyer in the Atlantic
-Roosevelt ordered navy commanders to respond
-they were to shoot German submarines on sight
-the US was now invovled in an undeclared naval war with Hitler
-to almost everyone's surprise, the attack that actually drew the US into the war did not come from Germany, it came from Japan |
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Term
| Why was the US's info regarding Japanese invasion of SE Asia important? |
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Definition
~*Japan conquered European colonies there, it could also threaten the American-controlled Philippine Islands and Guam*~
-to stop the Japanese advance, the US government sent aid to stregthen Chinese resistance |
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Term
| Why did Japan get upset with the U.S.? |
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Definition
| -the US cut off oil shipments to Japan |
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Term
| Pearl Harbor; What happened? |
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Definition
-in the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, American sailors in Hawaii awoke to the roar of explosives
-the US had known from a coded message that an attack might come but they did not know when or where it would happen
-within 2 hours, the Japanese had sunk or damaged 18 ships, including 8 battleships--nearly the whole US Pacific fleet |
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Term
| What was the significance of the bomb attacks in Tokyo, 1942? |
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Definition
~*the Japanese could be attacked*~
-the US wanted revenge for Pearl Harbor |
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Term
| Battle of Midway; describe it. |
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Definition
-the US knew that a force of over 150 ships was heading toward Midway
-the Japan force was the largest fleet ever assembled
-the US was outnembered 4 to 1 in ships and planes
~*USA won*~ |
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Term
| What was General Douglas Macarthuer's strategy against Japanese troops? |
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Definition
-believed that storming each island would be a long, costly effort
-wanted to "Island hop" past Japanese strongpoints
-would then seize islands that were not well defended but were closer to Japan
-after taking the islands, he would use air power to cut supply lines and starve enemy troops |
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Term
| Describe the Battle of Guadalcanal |
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Definition
-the US learned that Japan was building a huge air base on this island in the Solomon Islands
-had to strike before the base was completed and became a Japan strongpoint
-marines and Austrialian support took it over in the night
-took it over easily
-fresh troops soon poured in...
-turned into a savage struggle as both sides poured in fresh troops
-the Japanese people called it "The Island of Death" |
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