Study Guide World War II
Dec 7, 1941
Pearl Harbor
PEOPLE
June 6, 1944
D- Day, invasion of Normandy
IDENTIFY THEIR COUNTRY AND POSITION
(Include any other info you might think you need)
May 8, 1945
Victory over Europe Day,
official Nazi surrender
Aug 6, 1945
bombing of Hiroshima
Aug 9, 1945
bombing of Nagasaki
Aug 15, 1945
Victory over Japan day
Adolf Hitler (p 19) Germany, chancellor
Erwin Rommel (page 20) Germany, general in Europe
and North Africa
Chester Nimitz (page 18) US, naval general, won at
Midway
Douglas MacArthur (page 18, 27) US, general in Asia,
served in Philippines
BATTLES: Describe the significance of each battle
listed below. (Use battle chart p 17)
Franklin Roosevelt US Pres, died in 1945
Harry Truman (p 22) Pres after FDR, ordered atomic
bombing
Invasion of Poland first battle of WW2, Nazi’s
invade and easily take Poland
Winston Churchill (p 15) prime minister of Great Brit
Pearl Harbor surprise attack by Japan on US naval
base, US enters WWII next day
Neville Chamberlain (p 15) prime minister of GB b4
Churchill
Battle of Midway major US victory over Japan,
turning point in Pacific war
Admiral Yamamoto (p 16) naval admiral of Japan, led
attack on Pear Harbor
Battle of Iwo Jima US victory over Japan, lasted a
month, US gains major strategic airfields near Japan
George S Patton (p 25) US general in Europe, led in the
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of Britain US and British plains defend Britain
from Nazi air attack for 2 months. First time Nazis
have been stopped in war.
JR Oppenheimer (p 22) leader of the Manhattan
project
Dwight Eisenhower (p25) US, commander of all allied
forces in Europe
Joseph Stalin (p 14) harsh and cruel dictator of Soviet
Union
Benito Mussolini (p 14) dictator of Italy
James Doolittle (p 17) air commander who led
bombing of Tokyo
Klaus Fuchs (p 24) Soviet spy who worked on
Manhattan Project
Dates—list the event that occurred on the date
Invasion of Soviet Union Hitler breaks pact with
Stalin but his two year invasion is stopped by
winter weather and sick troops. Turning point in
Europe
Battle of Berlin Hitler is surrounded on three sides
by Americans and Soviets and commits suicide/Nazi
surrender
Vocabulary
Write a brief paraphrase or explanation of the word
Anti-Semitic (p 26) anti Jewish
Bataan Death March (p 27) Japanese troops force US
and Filipino troops to march across the Philippines
while being tortured and killed
What damage was done at Pearl Harbor? (equipment,
people) (p 16) 8 battleships sunk, over 2,400
Americans dead
Fat Man (p 22) atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki
List the actual event associated with these:
Little Boy (p 22) atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Operation Barbarossa (p 26) Nazi invasion of Soviet
Union
Operation Torch (p 20) US battle in Africa
Operation Overlord (p 21) D-Day invasion of
Normandy
USS Oklahoma (16) (include the word capsized)
US battleship that was capsized (turned over) at Pearl
Harbor by torpedo attack
USS Arizona (p16) battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor, is
now a museum
“the blitz” –Nazi attack on the city of London during
the Battle of Britain
What led to the end of the Great Depression? (p 25)
increased production in factories during WW2, mostly
by women
What was “Island Hopping?” (p 25) US strategy to
capture small islands leading up to Japan
Appeasement (p 14) policy of giving someone what
they want in hopes that their bad actions will stop
Munich Pact (p 14) pact signed where Hitler agreed to
keep the Sudetenland, but promised no further attacks
Manhattan Project (p 22) secret project that built the
atomic bomb
Kristallnacht (p26) night of Nazi attack on various
Jewish locations in Europe, literally means “night of
broken glass”
Nuremburg Laws (p26) German laws limiting the rights
of Jews
Why was Neville Chamberlain replaced by Winston
Churchill? (p15) he was not aggressive enough with
Hitler
Who started the UNITED NATIONS and what was its
original purpose? (p25) FDR, keep the Allies united
against the Nazi’s
For the following quotes: list who said them, and what
they are referring to: (all on page 24)
“…a date that will live in infamy…” FDR, speech after
the attack on Pearl Harbor, declaring war on Japan
Big 3 (p25) Allies: Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill
List two meetings that the “Big 3” held. (p25)
Yalta, Potsdam—where punishment was given to
Germany
War Relocation Camp (p 24 back) place US govt sent
Japanese Americans
Describe the events that led to the end of the war in
Europe. (p 17) Allied forces surrounded Berlin from 3
sides and forced Nazi’s to surrender
“…we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the
fields” Churchill trying to inspire the British people
before the Nazi air attacks in the Battle of Britain
“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”
JR Oppenheimer referring to his role in building atomic
weapons
"If they do not accept our terms, they may expect a rain
of ruin through the air."
Harry Truman threatening Japan with further atomic
attacks if they don’t surrender
“I shall return…”
Douglas MacArthur promising to return to the
Philippines after his defeat at the hands of the Japnese
Describe the reasoning given by Harry Truman for
dropping atomic bombs on Japan. (p 22)
it could be a quick end to the war and would save
thousands of American lives that might be lost in an
invasion
What were some reasons Truman might not have
ordered the bombs to be dropped? (p 22)
would be countless civilian deaths among Japanese, US
would be the first country to use atomic weapons
***STUDY MAP ON BACK OF PAGE 27***