WORLD WAR II STUDY NOTES

PEOPLE

Winston Churchill
Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1940-45, again from 1951-55
Led Britain through period of lonely resistance to Hitler's expansion before U.S. and U.S.S.R. entered
war in 1941
Frequently met with U.S. President Roosevelt and Soviet Premier Stalin to plan Allied war strategy

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican elected President of the U.S. in 1952 and again in 1956
Served as Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Europe during WWII
Oversaw successful D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, 1944

Adolf Hitler
Nazi Party leader who became German dictator in 1933
Unchecked militarism pushed Europe into war
Authorized the Holocaust, mass murder of 6 million Jews
Committed suicide in 1945, one day before Germany surrendered to Allies

Benito Mussolini
Fascist Prime Minister of Italy from 1922 until 1943
Adopted the title Il Duce," which meant the noble leader
Promised to fight alongside Hitler in war against Allies, but his armies were poorly led and ill-prepared
and were easily defeated
Overthrown in 1943 by Italian insurgents and assassinated two years later

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Democratic President of the U.S., first elected in 1932 during Great Depression; reelected in 1936,
1940, and 1944
Served as President for all but 4 months of World War II
Died of a stroke in office, April 1945; succeeded by his vice president, Harry S. Truman
Josef Stalin
Powerful Soviet Communist dictator who rose to power in the 1920s
During WWII, was an uneasy ally of U.S. and Britain in fight against Nazis
Felt (not without cause) that his nation bore the brunt of the war against Nazi Germany
Quickly became Cold War enemy of U.S. after WWII's end

Harry S. Truman
Democratic Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Became President upon Roosevelts death in April 1945, during last months of war
Under his command, U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan


EVENTS

1938 Kristallnacht Pogrom
"Night of Broken Glass"
Two-day outbreak of anti-Semitic violence and persecution throughout Germany
Encouraged by the Nazi government
Many historians now view Kristallnacht as the beginning of the Holocaust

1939 German Invasion of Poland
Act that led France and Great Britain to declare war against Germany
In 1938, Hitler had made a deal with France and Great Britain, promising no further territorial
expansion if they allowed him to annex part of Czechoslovakia
Hitler broke his promise by invading Poland

1940 Selective Training and Service Act
Made all American men between ages of 18 and 45 eligible for military draft
Signed by President Franklin Roosevelt 1.5 years before the U.S. joined in World War II

1941 German Invasion of USSR
In June, Hitlers armies invaded Soviet Union, opening Eastern Front in war
Most WWII deaths occurred on Eastern Front; 30 million Soviets would die in war
Marked beginning of uneasy anti-Nazi alliance between Communist Russia, U.S. and Britain

1941 Pearl Harbor
Japanese bombers attacked U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 7 December
Attack killed thousands and destroyed much of U.S. Pacific fleet
One day after attack, U.S. declared war on Japan, then Germany and Italy (allied with Japan)
declared war on U.S.

1944 D-Day
On 6 June, some 3 million Allied troops with thousands of planes and ships attacked Nazi positions
on Normandy beaches in northern France
Largest amphibious invasion in history
After fierce fighting, Allied forces succeeded in establishing beachhead, began pushing toward
Germany
Major turning point in the war, marked beginning of end for Nazi Germany

1945 German Surrender
Hitler committed suicide as Allied troops approached Berlin, 1 May
Germany officially surrendered one day later
Officially ended European war, but did not end World War II, as Japan kept fighting

1945 Hiroshima
U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped atomic bomb on city of Hiroshima, Japan, 6 August
Atomic bombing authorized by President Harry S. Truman
Resulted in destruction of the city and the instant death of estimated 100,000 people
First of two nuclear attacks that effectively ended World War II

1945 Nagasaki
U.S. bomber Bockscar dropped atomic bomb on Nagasaki in southern Japan, 9 August
Unlike Hiroshima, Nagasaki was old city with wooden buildings packed closely together
Total destruction more far-reaching than in Hiroshima; instantly killed one-third of total population in
Nagasaki
Post-attack landscape described by Japanese report as a graveyard with not a tombstone standing
Second of two nuclear attacks that effectively ended World War II
GROUPS
National Socialist German Workers Party
Better known as Nazi Party; led by Adolf Hitler from 1920s until his suicide in 1945
Controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945
Its government is referred to as the Third Reich


CONCEPTS

Allied Powers
During World War II, the alliance of nations that fought against the Axis powers
Included Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the U.S., China
Also included France before it was defeated and occupied by Germany

Axis Powers
During World War II, the alliance of fascist nations that fought against the Allied powers
Included Germany, Italy, and Japan

Blitzkrieg
German word that means Lightning Warfare
Military strategy used by Hitlers armies to overwhelm enemies; bombardment by air, followed
immediately by rapid ground attacks

The Good War
Romanticized phrase used to refer to World War II
Calls to mind the meaning of Allied victory: defeat of fascism, new inclusion of blacks and women in
American economy, new powerful role for U.S. in world
Tainted by extreme destruction, particularly in Nagasaki and Hiroshima

The Holocaust
Nazi genocide of European Jews
Built machine-like bureaucratic system to murder 6 million innocent people
Only ended with German defeat in war
Allies took little special action to stop it during war

Jap
Derogatory term for Japanese
Commonly used by Americans during World War II
Came to be associated with animalistic, savage features and behavior
Helped justify racist government policies such as Japanese internment and extreme violence on the
Pacific front

Kamikaze Fliers
Japanese military pilots who were given suicide missions during WWII
These pilots few bomb-filled planes into American ships, terrorizing American crews
Responsible for many of the American military deaths in Okinawa and Iwo Jima

Lend-Lease
Government program that supplied weapons, military vessels, and other supplies to other Allied
powers in the early years of World War II
Authorized by President Roosevelt in the years before the U.S. entered the war
Seemed to contradict FDRs promise of American neutrality and hinted at future U.S. military
involvement

Little Boy
Nickname for atomic bomb dropped by Americans on Hiroshima, Japan, 6 August 1945
First nuclear weapon ever used in war

PLACES

Auschwitz, Poland
Site of largest Nazi concentration camp in Holocaust
More than 1 million Jewish prisoners killed at Auschwitz, many in gas chambers

Hiroshima, Japan
Large city in western Honshu, Japan
Headquarters of Japanese Second Army during WWII
First city in world to suffer atomic bomb attack, August 1945

Normandy, France
Northwestern region of France, borders English Channel
Site of largest amphibious invasion in history, 6 June 1944
3 million Allied troops landed on Normandy beaches, overwhelming German defenders

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Location of primary naval base of U.S. Pacific fleet
Suffered surprise attack by Japanese aircraft, 7 December 1941