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72 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Who were the "Allies" in WWII? |
countries fighting against Germany during WWII: -Britain -France -Canada -Australia -New Zealand -the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. after 1941 |
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What was the "Axis" in WWII? |
alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan |
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Describe the German's "blitzkrieg" tactic. |
tactic of speedy surprise attacks by tanks and fighter planes |
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Where was it first used? |
during the attack on Denmark and Norway in April 1940 |
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What happened at Dunkirk? |
-German panzers surrounded Allied forces at the French port of Dunkirk -British navy gathered every boat capable of navigating the English Channel and headed across for Dunkirk -nearly 340000 Allied soldiers were brought to safety in Britain -after the evacuation, the German army continued to sweep through France & defeated the French army on June 22, 1940 |
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What was the "Luftwaffe"? |
the German air force |
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What was "Operation Sea Lion"? |
-Hitler's plan to invade Britain by defeating the RAF so German forces could cross the English Channel and land in Britain -started massive bombing campaign in July 1940 -unable to defeat the RAF and Hitler finally gave up on his plans to invade Britain in September |
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What was "the Blitz"? |
the heavy, frequent bombing attacks on London and other British cities by Nazi Germany |
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What was the "Battle of Britain"? |
and air campaign launched in 1940 by the Royal Air Force to stop the Germans from achieving air superiority |
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What was the Desert War? |
-the three year campaign of the Axis forces in the deserts of North Africa -a struggle for the control of valuable resources & strategic positions -ended with the Allied victory in May 1943 |
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Why was control of the Mediterranean of strategic importance? |
if the Axis dominated the Mediterranean by controlling its two access points: the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, these waterways would give their armies access to the oil-rich Middle East |
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What was "Operation Barbarossa"? |
Germany's unsuccessful invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941-1942, which broke the non-aggression pact and ultimately led to the Soviet Union joining the Allies |
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Why did Hitler launch this attack? |
-saw the Soviet Union as a source of raw materials, agricultural land, and labour for the German army -conquering Soviet Union was part of his long-term plans for a new German Empire |
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Why did attack stall in December 1941? |
the Germans were ill-equipped for the long and bitterly cold Soviet winter and lost their advantage |
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Why did Germany attack southern Russia in 1942? |
to focus on the rich oil fields in the south |
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What happened at Stalingrad? |
-they were stopped again by the severe winter -the German troops could not turn back nor could they hope for reinforcements -after suffering 300000 casualties, Germany surrendered early 1943 |
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What is "Pearl Harbour"? |
-the Japanese bombing of the U.S. naval base in Hawaii -more than 2400 people killed and much of the American fleet was destroyed |
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What was the "Battle of Hong Kong"? |
Japan's attack on the British colony of Hong Kong in which there were heavy Canadian losses |
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What was "Black Christmas"? |
-December 25, 1941, the date Hong Kong fell to the Japanese after 18 days of fighting -every Canadian was killed/taken prisoner |
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What was the "Battle of the Atlantic"? |
the struggle between the Allies and the Axis powers to control the Allies' shipping route across the Atlantic Ocean - the Germans were trying to starve Britain by cutting off vital shipping routes |
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How did the Germans attack Allied shipping? |
attacked in "wolf packs" - their U- boats patrolled the Atlantic and pounded convoys, sinking hundreds of ships |
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How were the Allies able to defeat the German u-boats? |
-the British cracked the German naval code, allowed Allies to track German submarine movements -built more ships than were being destroyed -the RCN provided escorts across the Atlantic |
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What were "corvettes"? |
small, fast warships built in Canada to help protect convoys in the Atlantic Ocean |
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What were "WRENS"? |
the Women's Royal Canadian Navy Service -created in 1942 -limited to shore-based jobs -the women worked as wireless operators, drivers, and operational plotters |
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How did the RCAF expand during the war? |
-more than 215000 people enlisted -35 Canadian squadrons were posted overseas -Canadian aircrew participated in bombing raids in North Africa, Italy, Northwest Europe, and Southeast Asia |
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What was the "Bomber Command"? |
the section of the RAF that directed the strategic bombing of Germany |
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What was the result of repeated Bomber Command attacks on the German city of Hamburg in July 1943? |
-created a firestorm & the city was engulfed in flames -practically destroyed the city and more than 40000 civilians were killed |
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Why was the Bomber Command directed to attack German cities? |
-to retaliate for the German air raids on English cities -to diminish German morale -destabilize German industrial centres |
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What were RCAF casualty rates as part of Bomber Command? |
-seven out of ten -nearly 10000 Canadian Bomber Group members died during the war |
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List several technological developments during WWII and their effects on the war and/or the future. |
German V-2 rocket - range of 350km, used with deadly effect against London near the end of the war Radar - radio detection and ranging: uses radio waves to detect objects beyond the range of vision - a deciding factor in the Battle of Britain Atomic bomb - developed by the U.S., a sphere of concentrated radioactive material could easily destroy a city - permanently changed warfare |
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What was the "Dieppe Raid"? |
-the 1942 trial raid by Canadian troops against Germany's occupation of Dieppe -Canada suffered heavy losses |
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Why was the attack made? |
would allow them to test new techniques & equipment, and serve as a scouting mission for a future invasion |
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What was its outcome? |
-a terrible failure -high casualties (907 out of 5000 Canadians were killed, 600 wounded, and 1946 taken prisoner) |
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What was the "Italian Campaign"? |
1943 Allied battles to recapture Europe from the south, through Sicily and Italy |
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What was the Battle of Ortona? |
-Canadians were ordered to capture the medieval town of Ortona on the Adriatic Sea -captured the town on December 28, 1943, but lost 1327 soldiers before the Germans withdrew -after capturing Ortona, Canadian troops advanced through Italy until they were sent to join the campaign in France |
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What was "D-Day"? |
June 6, 1944, they day Allied armies invaded France; biggest Allied invasion of WWII |
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describe "D-Day" |
-Allies landed troops on five beaches in northern France -soldiers on the beaches had massive air & naval support -disrupted transportation & communication lines -brought in more than a million troops and military vehicles & supplies -poorly coordinated German defence: storm delayed initial attack and the Germans believed the allies would not attempt a landing in bad weather |
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What are "paratroopers"? |
soldiers trained to parachute from airplanes onto combat areas |
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What is "Juno Beach"? |
the nine-kilometre stretch of beach in France where Canadian troops landed on D-Day |
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What was significant about the Battle of the Scheldt? |
-the Scheldt River was important because it connected Antwerp to the North Sea -Canadians achieved victory & allowed Allies to bring in supplies for their final advance into Germany |
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What role did Canadian troops take on in the winter of 1944-1945? |
-liberating the Netherlands -earlier Allied attempt to free Holland failed -Good & fuel supplies to the Dutch had been cut off and many were starving by the end of 1944 |
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What was the significance of the Yalta Conference? |
February 1945: -Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin discussed the reorganization of post-war Europe, including occupation zones and new borders |
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What is "VE Day"? |
Victory in Europe Day (May 8th): -Germany surrendered to the Allies May 7th, 1945 -Hitler committed suicide in a bunker before he could be captured -war was over |
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What tactic was the US using against Japan after March 1945 to force the Japanese to surrender? What effect did it have? |
-fire-bombed Japanese cities -killed thousands of people -the Japanese declared that they would "fight to the last person" and not surrender |
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What was the "Manhattan Project"? |
the code name during WWII for the American plan to develop the first atomic bomb |
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What was Canada's role in this project? |
-contributed uranium, an important component of the bomb -secretly bought the Eldorado mine at Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, to produce the uranium |
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What were the effects of the use of the atomic bomb against Japan? |
-two bombings killed approximately 100000 people and wounded another 100000 -long-term effects (such as cancer) affected many more Japanese citizens -surrendered on august 14, 1945 |
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What was the Nazi government's "Final Solution"? |
the Nazi's plan to systematically kill all European Jews |
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What is "genocide"? |
the systematic extermination of a religious/ethnic group |
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describe how people were treated at concentration camps such as Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz |
-stripped of their clothes & valuables -shaved heads -families separated -weak, old and young were killed in gas chambers -healthy people worked as slave labourers -also murdered when overwork, starvation and disease weakened them |
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What were the Nuremberg Trials? |
-the Allies created an International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany in 1945 to prosecute prominent Nazi leaders for atrocities committed during war -12 defendants sentenced to death, others imprisoned |
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What is a "tribunal"? |
a court of justice |
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What are "war crimes"? |
the killing, torture, and hostage-taking of civilian populations, or the deliberate and extensive destruction of their property |
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What are "crimes against humanity"? |
widespread attacks against civilians, including murder, enslavement, deportation, and torture |
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What were the "Tokyo Trials"? |
-many of Japan's wartime acts violated international law -alleged crimes subject to trial in international courts of justice -the Tokyo Trials heard these cases & passed sentence on military personnel found guilty of war crimes & crimes against humanity |
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What effect did the war have on the Home Front in Canada? |
-Canada produced 14000 tanks and personnel carriers, more than 4000 aircraft, and 16000 artillery pieces -factories operated non-stop, and Canadians worked long hours |
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How did the War change Canadian attitudes to women in the work force? |
-women joined war industries in roles that were unusual for them at the time -women were in high demand as factory workers & many moved from rural areas to industrial centres |
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How did the war foster social change in Canada? |
the wartime government had been involved in every aspect of Canadians' lives -the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Party became popular -unemployment insurance program and Family Allowance program created -allowed workers the right to join a union & forced employers to recognize their workers' unions |
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What is meant by "cradle to grave social security"? |
social assistance provided by the government, from birth to death |
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What was the "NRMA"? |
the National Resources Mobilization Act: -passed in 1940 -enabling the government to do whatever was necessary for the war effort -amended in 1942 to allow conscription |
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What is a "plebiscite"? |
a vote on a particular issue |
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Why was one held in 1942? |
-as the war progressed, the Conservative opposition pressured King to bring in conscription -King decided to hold a plebiscite to get Canadians' views on conscription |
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What was the outcome? |
-majority voted "yes" to conscription except for in Québec -issue of conscription once again divided the nation |
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Why was PM King finally forced to send conscripts overseas in 1944? |
Heavy Canadian casualties during the campaigns in Italy & northwest Europe, severe shortage of trained infantry, so King was forced to send conscripts overseas |
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What is meant by the term "enemy aliens"? |
nationals living in a country that is at war with their homeland |
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How were Japanese Canadians treated in Canada during WWII? |
-anti-Japanese semitism -all Japanese Canadians living near the BC coast were force to move to the Okanagan Valley -families separated, members sent to different internment camps - held until end of the war -confiscated and sold Japanese Canadians' property -3964 Japanese Canadians deported and thousands of others relocated in 1945 |
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How were they compensated in 1988? |
paid the people still living who were affected $21000 each and restored Canadian citizenship to any person who had been deported to Japan |
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What was the meaning behind Franklin Roosevelt's 1940 slogan "arsenal of democracy"? |
promising to help the Allies fight the Germans by providing military supplies while staying out of the actual fighting |
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In what way did Canada's economy change during WWII? |
-every sector of the Canadian economy boomed -rapid increase in the production of aluminum -wood and paper, mining and smelting production rose -many jobs created in production, transportation, precessing, and providing services -agriculture was overtaken by manufacturing -transformed from a rural economy to a modern industrial nation |
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What were "war brides"? |
foreign women who married Canadian troops serving overseas and then immigrated to Canada after the war |
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Why did Canada allow displaced persons from some European countries come to Canada after the war? |
to meet the growing demand for labour and for them to start a new life |
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Was the Second World war good for Canada? Explain. |
yes because: -became a defining event in the development of Canada's identity -emerged as a major player in global conflict -Canadian troops proved themselves once again, and were recognized for their contribution to the Allied victory -contribution of minority groups helped further civil rights for all Canadians |
