World War II Review

1. World War II Review

2. What prompted Britain and France to declare war on Germany? • German invasion of Poland

3. On what date did Germany invade Poland which represents the beginning of WW II? • September 1, 1939

4. What was an advantage of German blitzkrieg or lightening war? • A surprise attack with overwhelming force

5. What was the name of the act passed by Congress that allowed the US to lend, sell or lease foreign aid to friendly nations in need during WW II? • Lend Lease Act

6. What event occurred in US History which was described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as “a date which will live in infamy”? Japanese bombing of the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

7. What is the name of the agreement signed between Hitler and Stalin prior to the invasion of Poland? • Non Aggression Pact

8. In 1940, because of the German advance, British troops are forced to evacuate from France at • Dunkirk- called the “miracle at Dunkirk”

9. In the Philippines, Allied soldiers died after capture by the Japanese as a result of the • Bataan Death March

10. Which Army General in the Pacific promised his troops “ I shall return” after he was forced to evacuate the Philippines? • General Douglas MacArthur

11. Which two events in the Pacific Theater turned the tide of war in favor of the US against Japan? • Battles of Coral Sea and Midway

12. Who was the Allied commander of Western forces in Europe? • General Dwight D. Eisenhower

13. What was the date of the Allied invasion of France, on the beaches of Normandy, known as Operation Overlord or D-Day? • June 6, 1944

14. Japanese suicide pilots during WW II that targeted US ships were called • kamikazes

15. Japan used Kamikaze pilots for the first time during the naval battle at • Leyte Gulf

16. The systematic extermination of over six million Jews and over five million others by the Nazis during WW II is called the • Holocaust

17. Which of the following was the location of one infamous Nazi concentration camp: Berlin, Tokyo, Auschwitz, or Leyte Gulf? • Auschwitz

18. On what two Japanese cities were the atomic bombs dropped? • Hiroshima and Nagasaki

19. As the Allies approached Germany from two fronts near the end of the war, what is the name of the last major German offensive of the war? • Battle of the Bulge

20. After the war, what is the name of the trials for those accused of war crimes? • Nuremberg Trials ( named because they were held in Nuremberg, Germany)

21. Dates: • September 1, 1939? • German invasion of Poland-WW II begins • December 7, 1941? • Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor-US enters WW II

22. The US strategy in the Pacific was to attack islands that were not heavily defended as we approached Japan was called • Island hopping

23. The genocide of people the Nazis considered inferior was the goal of what Hitler called the • “final solution”

24. Quotes from Whom? “We shall never surrender”? • Winston Churchill- PM of Britain • “ Peace in our time”? • Nevel Chamberlain – former PM of Britain • “ a date which will live in infamy”? • FDR – US President

25. What is the term that describes German annexation of Austria, the Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia? • anschluss

26. What was the name of the conference held near the Black Sea between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin toward the end of WW II to discuss post war plans for Europe? • Yalta Conference

27. The German bombing of England during WW II is called the • Battle for Britain

28. Dates: • May 8, 1945? • VE Day • September 2, 1945? • VJ Day ( actual surrender)

29. Who became the US President following the death of FDR in April of 1945? • Harry Truman

30. What three nations were placed under military control after WW II? • Japan, Germany, Italy

31. During most of WW II, minorities served in segregated units and the picture below represents what famous African American fighter pilot unit? • Tuskegee Airmen

32. On the home front during the war, Americans were provided with ____________ in order for them to purchase certain items like gas, sugar, meats and some personal items. • Ration books

33. What is one example of how women participated in the workplace to replace men that were serving in the military? • Rosie the Riveter

34. What is the name of the battle which represented the first Allied turning point in the war in Europe in North Africa? El Alamein

35. What is the name of the battle which represented a turning point for the Allies in Russia? • Stalingrad

36. The camps that many Japanese Americans were sent to in America during WW II, were called • Internment Camps

37. Japanese Americans that lived in America and also served in the military during WW II were called • Nisei

38. Special US communication codes which the Japanese could not decipher were created by the • Navajo Indians

39. By 1945, the US had captured what two islands in the Pacific which put the US within 1000 miles of Japan? • Iwo Jima and Okinawa

40. The origins of the Cold War can be traced to what peace conference between Stalin, Harry Truman ( new US President) and Clement Atlee ( new British PM) in July of 1945 in a suburb of Berlin? • Potsdam Conference

41. What was the name of the secret project to create the Atomic Bomb? • Manhattan Project

42. Why did President Truman finally decide to use the atomic bomb against Japan? • To save approximately 250,000 American lives and to end the war quickly.