A. Philip Randolph He was the founder of the first black labor union and a prominent Civil
Rights leader
Aircraft Carrier This type of naval ship became popular during World War II, allowing for
large, orchestrated military strikes against opponents located far from one's land bases.
Allied Powers These were the nations united against the Axis during World War II.
Atomic Bomb This was the nuclear weapon used by the U.S. to force Japan to surrender during
WWII.
Axis This was the alliance of nations that opposed the Allies in World War II.
Bataan Death March This Japanese war crime resulted in the deaths of over 11,000 American
prisoners as part of the Battle of the Philippines in 1942.
Battle Of Britain This is the name given to the sustained, and ultimately unsuccessful, air attack
by the Nazis on England in 1940.
Battle Of Midway This was a WWII naval battle in the Pacific Theater in June of 1942. It was a
clear defensive victory for the US against the attacking Japanese and permanently weakened the
Japanese Navy.
Battle Of The Bulge This is the name given to the World War II battle between US and German
forces in Belgium in late 1944 and early 1945. It was the last attempt by Hitler to break through
Allied lines.
Blitzkrieg This was a rapid new attack method used by Nazi Germany in WWII.
Cash And Carry Prior to World War II, this was President Roosevelt's revision of the Neutrality
Acts: participants in the war in Europe could purchase war materiel from the U.S. but only if
they paid for them full up front and arranged for the transport of the goods themselves.
Code Talkers This term refers to Native Americans who served in the United States Marine
Corps during World War II whose job was to encode, transmit, and decode radio messages in the
NavaJo language.
Demobilization This is the process of reducing a nation's armed forces after wartime.
Double V This term refers to the World War II civil rights campaign begun by African American
newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier that called for a victory over the Axis powers and a victory
over racial oppression at home.
Dresden This city was subjected to a fire-bombing campaign by allied forces late in World War
II, resulting in the deaths of approximately 25,000 civilians.
East Berlin Between 1949 and 1990, this portion of Germany's largest city was occupied and
run by Communist forces.
Executive Order 9066 This is the name given to the order that was issued by Franklin Roosevelt
in 1942 and it resulted in the internment of over 120,000 citizens of Japanese ancestry for the
duration of World War II.
Franklin Roosevelt He was the longest-serving president of the United States and the only
president elected more than twice.
GI This is the nickname for a member of the United States armed forces, most notably in World
War II, but also for other 20th Century conflicts.
Hiroshima This is the Japanese city that was the first to be subjected to nuclear warfare to bring
about the end of WWII.
Internment This is a term referring to the imprisonment or confinement of people, generally in
prison camps or prisons, without due process of law and a trial.
Iwo Jima This was a fierce battle on a small Pacific Island in February-March of 1945 that took
place against Japanese forces. The US gained a key military airstrip as a result.
Lend Lease This was a program of the U.S. government during WWII which provided allies
with war material while keeping the U.S. from actively engaging in combat.
Los Alamos This is the national laboratory in New Mexico founded during WWII to develop the
atomic bomb.
Manhattan Project This was the effort during WWII to develop the first nuclear weapons of the
United States in collaboration with the U.K. and Canada.
Mobilization This is an organization of a nation's armed forces for active military service in time
of war or other national emergency.
Nagasaki This is the name of the second city to be attacked with an atomic weapon during
World War II.
Neutrality This is the policy of a nation to take no side in a war between other countries in the
hopes of avoiding attack themselves.
Nisei This is the name for the combat group made up entirely of Japanese American soldiers who
fought in Europe during World War II.
Normandy Invasion This is another name for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of
western Europe that began on June 6, 1944.
Okinawa In World War II, fighting on this Japanese island resulted in a 3-month battle in which
over 90,000, Japanese and 12,000, US soldiers were killed.
Pacific Theater This refers to the SPECIFIC area of fighting between Japanese and Allied
forces during World War II.
Patton General known for his rigid and successful command the Seventh United States Army
and the Third United States Army in World War II.
Pearl Harbor This is the U.S. Naval base attacked by the Japanese in 1941 that brought the U.S.
into WW II.
Rationing This is the controlled distribution and consumption of scarce resources and goods.
Rosie The Riveter This was a fictional woman that represented all the women that took
manufacturing jobs during WWII to support the war effort.
VE Day This is the name given to the end of World War II in Europe in May of 1945. It stands
for "Victory in Europe" Day.
VJ Day This is the name given to the surrender of Japan and the end of fighting in the Pacific
Theatre of World War II in August of 1945.
WASP This was the group of female pilots who flew for the United States Army Air Force
during World War II.
West Berlin Between 1949 and 1990, this portion of Germany's largest city was allied with U.S.
and pro-democratic forces, resisting the threat posed by its Communist neighbors to the east.
World War II This was a worldwide military conflict from 1939 to 1945 in which the Axis and
Allies were pitted against each other.