WWII Vocabulary Notes

Lecture by Ciara Lacey on 4/24/25

Key Terms and Concepts

1. Nonaggression Pact

• Signed in 1939 between Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin) and Germany (Hitler).
• Stalin's motivations: excluded from Munich conference, distrust of the West, territorial promises by Hitler.
• Secretly agreed to divide Poland.

2. Blitzkrieg

• Means "Lightning War."
• Military tactic used by Germany during the invasion of Poland.
• Combination of airstrikes, fast tanks, artillery, and soldiers to surprise and overwhelm the enemy.

3. Maginot Line

• A system of fortifications along France's border with Germany.
• French and British soldiers were stationed here.
• Germans bypassed it through dense forests.

4. Dunkirk

• French port city near Belgium.
• Site where Germans trapped Allied forces.
• Great Britain rescued forces using 850 ships.

5. Charles de Gaulle

• French General who led a government-in-exile in London after Germany captured Paris.
• Focused on reconquering France.

6. Winston Churchill

• British Prime Minister after France fell.
• Famous for his resolve: "We shall fight on the beaches... we shall never surrender."

7. Battle of Britain

• British use of radar and code-breaking machine, Enigma, to decode German messages.
• RAF launched attacks against Germany.
• Battle lasted until May 10, 1941, when Hitler called off attacks.

8. Allied Powers

• Main countries: Soviet Union, United States, Great Britain.

9. Axis Powers

• Main countries: Germany, Japan, Italy.

10. Erwin Rommel

• German commander of the "Afrika Korps."
• Known for mobile warfare.
• Pushed British back across the desert for Axis powers.

11. Adolf Hitler

• Nazi Germany's dictator from 1933 to 1945.
• Led Germany into WWII and orchestrated the Holocaust.
• Aggressive expansionist policies.
• Died by suicide.

12. Benito Mussolini

• Italian dictator, removed from power but reinstated by Germans.
• Later executed by Italian resistance.

13. Atlantic Charter

• Secret meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill.
• Declared no territorial gain from the war.
• Supported free trade and self-governance.

14. Isoroku Yamamoto

• Japan's naval strategist.
• Planned the attack on Pearl Harbor and other Pacific targets.

15. Franklin D Roosevelt

• President of the United States during WWII.

16. Pearl Harbor

• December 7, 1941: Japan attacked US Fleet in Hawaii.
• Significant US casualties and ship damage.
• Prompted US declaration of war on Japan.

17. Pacific Theater

• Region of WWII battles involving the Allies and Japan.

18. Battle of Midway

• 1942: pivotal sea and air battle in the Pacific.
• American forces defeated Japanese forces with prior code-breaking intelligence.

19. Douglas MacArthur

• Allied commander of land forces in the Pacific.
• Advocated "island hopping" strategy to cut Japanese supply lines.

20. Battle of Guadalcanal

• 1942-1943: Allied victory over Japanese forces on Solomon Islands.
• Resulted in heavy Japanese losses.

21. Aryans

• Nazi ideology: Germanic peoples as the "master race."
• Non-Aryans, especially Jews, considered inferior.

22. Holocaust

• Systematic mass slaughter of Jews and other "inferior" groups by Nazis.

23. Kristallnacht

• November 9, "Night of Broken Glass."
• Attacks on Jewish properties and synagogues.

24. Ghettos

• Segregated areas where Jews were forced to live under Nazi rule.

25. Final Solution

• Nazi program of genocide to "purify" the Aryan race.

26. Genocide

• Systematic extermination of a particular group of people.

27. Auschwitz

• Largest Nazi extermination camp.
• Site of mass killings, primarily of Jews.

28. Dwight D. Eisenhower

• US General, led Allied Forces in Europe.
• Oversaw Operation Torch and popular among troops.

29. Battle of Stalingrad

• 1942-1943: Turning point battle between German and Soviet forces.
• Soviet victory after harsh winter.

30. D-Day

• June 6, 1944: Allied invasion of mainland Europe.

31. Battle of the Bulge

• 1944-1945: Last major German offensive turned back by Allies.

32. Kamikazes

• Japanese suicide pilots targeting Allied ships.

33. Nuremberg Trials

• Post-war trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

34. Demilitarization

• Process of reducing a country's military capabilities.

35. Democratization

• Establishment of a government elected by the people.