Second World War

Front 1

"If you want peace, prepare for war"

Back 1

-victor nations responded to the first world war by preparing for a rematch
-knew the treaty of versailles was strict so they expected revisionism and retaliation

Front 2

How did France seek security after WWl?

Back 2

-demilitarizing the rhineland so they could quickly invade through there, into the heart of germany
-security through superiority
-demanded a long standing army
-broke down Germany in the treaty of Versailles
-occupied the Ruhr after Germany failed to meet a reparation payment of telephone poles, which was the German industrial heartland
-asked the US and Britain to sign a treaty ensuring they wouldn't let Germany invade again, but the US senate never signed so the treaty lapsed
-built the Maginot line in 1939
-trained french aircrews in the US in 1930 and bought planes from the British in 1937

Front 3

What was the Dawes plan of 1924 and why was it enacted?

Back 3

-September 1924
-American plan intervening to save the Weimar Republic from almost certain economic collapse thanks to hyperinflation
-Impossibly high reparation payments, loss of their industrial heartland and deliberate government non-intervention meant Germany was in an economic crisis
-feared if Germany collapsed, it would turn to communism (and the Soviets were public enemy #1)
-ulterior motive by the allies that if they rescued the Germans now, they could start paying back reparations sooner

Front 4

What was the Maginot Line? Was it offensive or defensive?

Back 4

-built by Petain and War Minister Magineau
-only effective in defence of a frontal attack
-a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapons installations that France constructed along its borders with Germany during the 1930s
-shows the French emphasis on fortification and defence, not offensive mobile militarization like tanks

Front 5

Treaty of Versailles

Back 5

-

Front 6

How did the British strengthen themselves after WWl?

Back 6

-the light bombing of southern english towns by the German airforce in 1917-1918 made the British afraid of the possibility of a decisive airborne attack at home
-started building up their airforce in the form of fighters, anti-aircraft guns and bombers
-main idea was defensive - bombers were seen as a way to bomb the enemy into submission
-were preparing to go after Russia or Germany

Front 7

What was the "Defence Requirements Sub-Committee" and what were their recommendations?

Back 7

-was formed in 1933 in Britain
-February 28,1934 ruled Germany as a potential threat in the future and recommended rearmament of Britain
-examined the problems with the armed forces and suggested plans for effective rearmament
-said it would take 5 years to build up provisions to take down Germany

Front 8

What were the Geneva Disarmament talks?

Back 8

-was an effort by member states of the League of Nations, together with the U.S. and the United Kingdom, to actualize the ideology of disarmament
-debated in Britain as to whether they should go along with disarmament, or build up their defences
-British government and the house of commons were still working for worldwide disarmament, and in order to do that credibly they had to lead by example
-without a military, were not in a place to object
-was decided that Germany, in theory, could re-arm because they legally had equal military rights

Front 9

Why did Britain postpone it's strengthening of the Royal Air Force?

Back 9

-knew full well that air warfare was going to be hugely important in the future
-defence requirements sub committee had made it clear that Britain's airforce was insufficient to be effective against any enemy
-kept postponing the plans to remilitarize because they wanted to lead by example on demilitarization
-in order to do that credibly, one couldn’t arm themselves and tell others not to
-possible this was just a guise for the fact that Britain didn’t have the money to spend on military because they were coming out of a great depression and time of high unemployment

Front 10

What state was Russia in after the WWl? What did they think of a potential second world war?

Back 10

-russia was weakened thanks to the ongoing revolution
-mass starvation killed 14 million
-drive towards industrialization in 1930
-Joseph Stalin's 1917 Purges of Officers from the Red Army (as well as political purges)
-wanted the capitalist western powers to go to war against each other and then Russia would jump in and start the revolution in the now weakened countries

Front 11

What was the German fulfilment policy and what were the effects it had on the German economy?

Back 11

-German governments deliberate attempt to follow the treaty of Versailles word for word, knowing that the reparation payments would ruin the german economy and make them unable to continue to pay
-forcing the treaty of Versailles to be amended to a more manageable level of reparations
-despite German hyperinflation, France wouldn't revise the treaty
-ended by introduction of a new currency called the reitenmark in 1923 and the American backing in the form of the Dawes plan 1924

Front 12

What was the strategic state of Germany (in terms of threats, allies, and opportunities) at the start of the interwar period?

Back 12

-was politically isolated, because its traditional ally, the Austro-Hungarian empire, was dissolved
-was disarmed, while other countries were not
-no encirclement from other great nations (they were not surrounded) because Russia and France were not allies
-Russia and Germany were both isolated and threatened by the west, so they made an agreement in which the germans could arm themselves by making weapons in russia, and germany would in exchange build chemical warfare sites for the russians in russia

Front 13

What were the points of the "revision agenda" proposed by the German Foreign Minister in 1926?

Back 13

-wanted to start the steps to germany regaining its freedom and greatness
-end to reparations
-elimination of the military clauses of Versailles
-regaining lost territory
-anschlus

Front 14

What were the 3 phases of the Weimar Republic?

Back 14

1) defence
-June 1919 (treaty of versailles) to summer 1924 (implementation of the Dawes plan)
-rapallo treaty of 1922 between Germany and the Soviet union
-fulfilment policy of reparations and hyperinflation

2) consolidation of position
-1924-1929
-Locarno Pact 1925
-Germany entered the league of nations September 1926 (not allowed in the war council)
-still pushing for revisionism
-Young Plan of 1929 enacted, but was put on hold due to the Great depression

3) political offence
-began 1930
-rejected the proposal by france to freeze territorial status quo of all of europe until Germany had been able to secure enough "living space"
-japan attacked manchuria without any western intervention
-told at the geneva disarmament convention that in principle, they could re-arm (had to work out specific terms before they could in practice)
-hitler didn't want just revision, he wanted total annihilation and revolution

Front 15

What was the Locarno Pact of 1925?

Back 15

-

Front 16

What was the "Young Plan" of 1929?

Back 16

-

Front 17

What effect did the stock market crash and subsequent great depression have on Europe?

Back 17

-

Front 18

What was the relevance of the Spanish Civil War? What caused it?

Back 18

-(1936–39), military revolt against the Republican government of Spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides. The Nationalists, as the rebels were called, received aid from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union, as well as from International Brigades, composed of volunteers from Europe and the United States
-was a trial run for WW2 in training military forces

Front 19

Describe the British policy of appeasement from 1933-1939

Back 19

-British secretary visited Hitler in his country retreat in 1937 and told him that the British government would approve a revision of the treaty of Versailles provided such revisions were agreed to in a friendly way

Front 20

Who was responsible for WWll?

Back 20

-Japan and Germany were undoubtably the aggressors
-appeasement can be seen as partially responsible for the war (failure of countries to step in earlier)

Front 21

What happened with the Japanese invaded Manchuria in September 1931, and what were the Global repercussions?

Back 21

-British, French, Americans thought their trade and colonial interests were not threatened so they reacted with restraint
-no actions were taken against the Japanese, which showed the Germans a western unwillingness to go to war
-February 1933 league of nations accused japan of aggression, which led to japan resigning from the league of nations

Front 22

Describe Hitler's foreign policy from 1933-1939

Back 22

-Nazi government was immediately recognized as legitimate when it came into power, despite being a dictatorship
-withdrew from the League of Nations
-non-agression treaty with Poland January 1934
-violated the treaty of versailles disarmament policies in 1935 (luftwaffe and the universal draft)

Front 23

In what ways did Hitler capitalize on the political climate of Europe to get away with violating the Treaty of Versailles?

Back 23

-march 9 1935 hitler unveiled the Luftwaffe
-march 16 1935 he introduced the re-introduction of the universal draft
-march 1936 saw that italy had ignored the league of nations sanction against them for attacking ethiopia and nothing had happened, so Hitler capitalized on this time to remilitarize the rhineland

Front 24

What was the Rome-Berlin axis?

Back 24

-October 1936
-germany and italy signed protocols which aligned the two powers against britain
-end of Italy's traditional policy of not ******* off Britain

Front 25

Describe the relationship between Japan and Germany.

Back 25

-anti-comintern pact November 1936 signed by germany and japan against russia (later joined by italy in 1937)
-were not being open with each other or sharing plans
-1941 Germans never told the Japanese they were going to attack the soviet union
-japan and Germany were allies, but Germany and Russia were allies, and japan and Russia were enemies

Front 26

Why did Japan attack China in July 1937 and what was the result?

Back 26

-needed control of chinese resources (oil, rubber, agricultural production etc) and for economic domination
-rape of Nanking December 1937

Front 27

Describe the "National Self-Determination" argument

Back 27

-

Front 28

Describe the German Anschluss and why it was important. What effects did it have on other countries relations towards Germany?

Back 28

-the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938
-was seen as a legitimate German attempt to unify all the German speaking people under one country
-was well received within Austria

Front 29

What was the Munich conference? Who did it involve and what were the consequences?

Back 29

-

Front 30

How did the world respond to Hitler's annexation of Czechoslovakia in March 1939?

Back 30

-march 20, 1939 – if Germany shows signs that she continues her march for world domination, we must take steps to stop by attacking her on 2 fronts
-march 31, chamberlain announced in the house of commons that they would lend Poland all support in their power in the event that the polish government was attacked (august 22, 1939 Polish-British mutual agreement pact)
-april 13 announced the same commitments to Romania and Greece

Front 31

What was the Evian Conference of July 1938? What was the outcome?

Back 31

-initiative of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to respond to the plight of the increasing numbers of Jewish refugees fleeing murderous persecution in Europe by the Nazis
-attended by 32 states, who declared their feeling for the plight of the refuges
-nobody offered to receive the refugees unless they could pay
-no practical results resulted from the conference

Front 32

Why and what was the change in Polish immigration laws in 1937? What was the German reaction to this change?

Back 32

-law was made in Poland that poles who had not had contact with poles in over 5 years, would lose their polish citizenship, and a few other stipulations, to prevent about 30,000 jews entering Poland
-Germans responded by telling police to expel about 20,000 jews and put them over any border they could (mostly polish) before October 1938, when the law came into effect
-nobody contested Germany's right to kick out whoever they want on racial or religious basis

Front 33

What was the battle of Khalkhin Gol? How does it relate to the Hitler-Stalin Act of 1939?

Back 33

-battle between the Japanese and Russians on the unclear border between Mongolia and manjuria in may-july 1939
-the soviet union won in August 1939 by defeating the Japanese sixth army
-hitler-stalin act of October 1939 resulted because Hitler has previously been hoping its ally, Japan, could suppress the Soviets, but now they they had been defeated, hitler needed to ensure defence against a 2 front war

Front 34

Describe the details of the Hitler-Stalin act of August 3, 1939.

Back 34

-

Front 35

How did the Soviets treat Polish POW's after March 5th, 1939?

Back 35

-between 15,000-20,000 were murdered by the soviets
-mass graves were discovered by German forces in 1943 accidentally
-soviets claimed the German’s had done it, and that they were only now just trying to pass blame to the soviets
-no indication the people had been alive after the 5th of march (letters and communication all caught off)

Front 36

Describe the German invasion of Poland. What repercussions did it have for the other countries?

Back 36

-march 21, 1939 hitler offered poland recognition of their western front and corridore and polish territorial plains in the ukrain in exchange for handing over the city of Dansik, and the construction of a road connecting Germany and Russia through poland
-march 26, 1939 poland refused germany's offer, encouraged to do so by the allies
-invasion was ordered on August 25, 1939, but after Hitler heard about the British-Polish act, he postponed until September 1, 1939
-Hitler faked a Polish invasion by dressing up concentration camp prisoners in polish uniforms
-September 3, all the allied countries declared war
-September 6, south African union joined them
-September 10, Canada joined them
-October 6 Hitler spoke in parliament and offered peace, saying Poland was the end of it, and if Britain and France wanted to continue the war, they were war-mongerers
-Chamberlain would not back down

Front 37

What guarantees did Chamberlain demand from Hitler after the German invasion of Poland in order for Britain to call off their declaration of war?

Back 37

-October 6 Hitler spoke in parliament and offered peace, saying Poland was the end of it, and if Britain and France wanted to continue the war, they were war-mongerers
-October 12, 1939 chamberlain said hitlers peace constrains were not acceptable because it would be like condoning aggression, and there was no mention of writing their wrongs to Poland and Czechoslovakia.
-"effective guarantees"
-unconditional German surrender, military occupation, disarmament (sounds like treaty of versailles)
-was rejected by the Germans, and they were at war

Front 38

What was the Phoney War?

Back 38

-

Front 39

Why was Finland a strategic target for both Britain and Germany?

Back 39

-German attack on finland started November 30, 1940
-germans needed to secure swedish iron ore to support their industry, which the british wanted to prevent
-Germany needed to control Norway to get into Sweden
-Britain needed to control Norway in order to secure Finland

Front 40

What was the first German strategic plan for attack on France and why was it not used?

Back 40

-chief of the general staff, munchstein (more traditional man, not a brilliant leader), and general guderian (panzer ethusiast) came up with the plan to have a mass of forces all together, so they can breakthrough the enemy line
-German airplane landed in enemy territory on January 10, 1940 and a major was on that plane carrying documents regarding the plan for an attack on France
-had to be revised because the old one was compromised

Front 41

Describe the German invasion of Norway

Back 41

-

Front 42

What was the Schleiffen Plan? What was it's outcome?

Back 42

-

Front 43

Why did Hitler change the main thrust of the invasion force from the South to the North of France? What were the repercussions for the British Expeditionary Force?

Back 43

-so that they wouldn’t destroy so much Germanic farming territory, and said that they would use the airforce to destroy the British expeditionary force
-was a terrible miscalculation, because it have the BEF time to be evacuated at Dunkirk
-

Front 44

What was the result of the French-German armistice signed on June 25?

Back 44

-signed at the same spot as the German armistace was signed in ww1

Front 45

What is "Operation Sea-Lion"? Why was Hitler hesitant about this plan?

Back 45

-hitler's planned invasion of the british isles
-started plans July 2, actual attack couldn't happen until operation eagle was successful
-was eventually called off
-german navy was 15% the size of britains, and had no naval defences
-landing conditions needed to be between May-June with at least a half moon and clear skies, so their options were highly limited

Front 46

What was the general German plan against Russia?

Back 46

-needed to do it all in one go
-don't get caught in the Russian winter
-secure living space
-dishearten britain into surrendering
-do a 2 front war to avoid a 2 front war

Front 47

How was the Battle of the Atlantic won?

Back 47

-convoys
-ship building (and 50 destroyers gifted from the US)
-aerial supremacy (long range plans, bases in iceland, aircraft carriers in blind spots)
-decoding (Bletchley park and enigma)
-radar + sonar

Front 48

What were the stages of the "Battle of Britain"?

Back 48

1) channel battle july 10- august (attack costal towns)
2) operation eagle august 13-august 18 (aerial combat between the luftwaffe and RAF, as well as the plane's ground supply lines such as anti-aircraft guns)
3) airfields august 24-september 6 (would have been successful)
4)battle of london september 7-september 30 (attack on london in daylight to dishearten churchill)
5) minor raids until october 30
6) the Blitz (terror bombing on london at night for 68 consecutive nights)

Front 49

Why was the German bombing of Rotterdam on May 14, 1940 significant?

Back 49

-a defended fortress could be bombarded by rule of law
-was a legitimate attack
-during this time, the dutch was negotiating for an armistace, so therefore the bombing shouldn’t have taken place. so Germany told the bombers to turn around and abandon their mission (only ½ received the message)
-was an excellent propaganda opportunity for British propaganda
-may 15 – 17 Britain bombed German targets in retaliation

Front 50

How was the Battle of Britain fought and won?

Back 50

-fought primarily by fighter command and radar warning stations
-inner warning line of radar detected low flying planes
-outer warning line of radar to detect high flying planes
-gave the fighters time to take off and get away from the air fields, where they were sitting ducks as targets
-British could recover their pilots who had to abandon their planes, the German pilots drowned or were captured
-German air staff had badly miscalculated and underestimated the damages done to the British, which led them to make poor strategic decisions to abandon their attack on the airfields

Front 51

What was the "Atlantic Charter" of August 1941? What effect did it have on German propaganda?

Back 51

-The Atlantic Charter was a pivotal policy statement issued in August 1941 that, early in World War II, defined the Allied goals for the post-war world. It was drafted by the leaders of Britain and the United States, and later agreed to by all the Allies. The Charter stated the ideal goals of the war: no territorial aggrandizement; no territorial changes made against the wishes of the people; restoration of self-government to those deprived of it; free access to raw materials; reduction of trade restrictions; global cooperation to secure better economic and social conditions for all; freedom from fear and want; freedom of the seas; and abandonment of the use of force, as well as disarmament of aggressor nations
-Made the Germans more resolved to keep fighting on, because the idea of only being allowed an unconditional surrender was intolerable

Front 52

Describe the problems/hardships that faced the German army on their invasion of the soviet union.

Back 52

-bad roads (few, far between and muddy)
-breakdown of vehicles, no new ones coming in
-dust and sand in mooing parts
-russian tank far superior to the german
-armament production fell 60% short by august 1941
-army strung out on a front 2000km wide
-huge gaps in the german line
-not prepared for winter (only enough for 1/3 of the army, and it was all stored in poland)
-army outran it's supply lines
-tanks advancing far in front of infantry
-large, unoccupied pockets where resistance could hide out and engage in guerrilla warfare
-hitler's unwillingness to surrender or abandon plans even if it meant huge casualties

Front 53

What was "Operation Typhoon"?

Back 53

-hitler's ordered last powerful surge against moscow on october 2, 1941
-bad weather set in at the end of october, which hated all movement towards moscow until the frost hardened the roads at the beginning of november
-army was simply not supplied with enough arms
-2nd December 1941 – von Bock’s armies reached the outskirts of Moscow having annihilated 9 Soviet armies and taking a total of 673,000 prisoners of war
BUT the Soviets had the will and resources to resist – 14 million soldiers were available to them whilst they had tanks and armaments coming to them whilst the Germans had no such reserves
-6h December Zhukov attacked with 10 armies N and S of Moscow
-German Chief of the Army attempted to resign, Hitler took over on the 19th of December

Front 54

How did the German high command combat defeatist attitudes on the Soviet campaign?

Back 54

-Hitler dismissed generals who fell back without his permission, replaced them and then had to authorise the retreat that had occurred
-By keeping his nerve and being brutal towards his own soldiers, he managed to stabilise the Front

Front 55

When was the strategic turning point of the war for Hitler?

Back 55

-december 1941
-none of the aims of Barbarossa had been achieved whilst the German war machine never fully recovered whilst the Soviet war machine grew stronger and stronger
-1942 – Russian armaments outnumbered Germany’s and the Americans had entered the war

Front 56

What was the American "Orange Plan"? How did the Japanese complicate this plan?

Back 56

-withholding of supplies from the Philippines and other US outposts in the Western Pacific (they were expected to hold out on their own for the 3-4 months until the navy could come reenforce them), while the Pacific Fleet marshaled its strength at bases in California, and guarded against attacks on the Panama Canal
-the japanese bases on all the islands made it impossible for the American fleet to get there in 304 months, now it would take closer to 9

Front 57

What was the "Washington Naval Conference" of 1921-1922?

Back 57

-military conference called by President Warren G. Harding and held in Washington from 12 November 1921 to 6 February 1922
-UK, france, italy, japan, USA, china, Britain, belgium, netherlands, portugal
-set tonnage and armaments limits
-the US agreed not to strengthen her bases in Guam and the Phillipines, which violated her obligation to defend them as colonies

Front 58

What problems was Japan facing coming into the war?

Back 58

-reliant on import goods for their survival
-needed to secure natural resources in the undo-china area (oil, rubber, grains)
-prohibitive tariffs imposed on trade
-right wing extremists and military radicals becoming more powerful internally
-invasion of Manchuria took up resources

Front 59

What was the "Naval Expansion Bill" of June 15, 1940?

Back 59

-issed by Roosevelt
-new destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers
-first naval building in the US in years
-congress granted 2 billlion $ to start building a new 2 ocean navy
-would be vulnerable for 2 years until they could build that fleet

Front 60

What was the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere"?

Back 60

-japan's imperialist dream
-promoted the cultural and economic unity of the East Asian race
- intention to create a self-sufficient bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers

Front 61

What was the "Short of War" Policy?

Back 61

-to help Britain keep fighting in Europe through lend lease among other things to gain time for American rearmament and to restrain Japan diplomatically and by the fleets deterrence
-coined by Roosevelt (although he wanted to go to war)

Front 62

What was the "Selective Training and Service Act"? Why was it controversial?

Back 62

-September 1940
-first time the US had adopted compulsory military training in times of peace
-Roosevelt initiated high level strategy

Front 63

Who was Earnest J. King?

Back 63

-Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II.
-abrasive personality
-insisted on action

Front 64

What was the "Lend Lease Act" of March 1941?

Back 64

-passed by congress in March 1941
-first for Britain but later that year for the USSR
-US Navy was instructed to help escort trans Atlantic convoys
-US as the "arsenal of democracy"

Front 65

What was the "Washington Pact" of 1942?

Back 65

-Europe first, in spite of pearl harbor
-smash German militarism
-make no separate peace with Germany or Japan
-aim is total victory
-unconditional surrender
-confirmed the democratic principles of the Atlantic charter
-attended by Britain and the US

Front 66

Describe the condition of the Japanese naval fleet at the start of 1941?

Back 66

-well balanced, thouroughly trained and wanted to fight
-numerically was far greater than the Americans
-had enough transports and oilers etc
-navigation was excellent
-torpedos were more accurate, fast, and destructive
-planes were superior to other naval air fleets

Front 67

What was the Japanese plan for the attack on Pearl Harbour?

Back 67

-attack the american navy at their base on Owahu in pearl harbour
-feared that the japanese might become overextended in their expansions in asia, and then the US navy would be a serious threat (so it was a pre-emptive attack)
-26 November the Japanse striking force also left towards Pearl Harbor
-plan was to destroy most of the pacific fleet in pearl harbor and all military airforce in owaha
-the fleet included the 6 newest, largest carriers of the imperial navy
-orders were to march without any radio contact (which they did for 11 days)
-sink at sight any allied ships they saw in order to maintain secrecy
-6-7 December midget submarine transporters were released with the mission of penetrating the harbor of pearl harbor, and the rest were positioned outside owahu to torpedo any escaping ships

Front 68

In what ways could Roosevelt have been seen as goading Japan into war?

Back 68

-US embargoes on iron, steel and oil in 1940 in response to Japanese attacks on china
-embargo warnings intensified in july 1941, which led to a japanese ultimatum demanding they provide oil and a free hand in the east or else they would declare war
-japanese financial assets in the US were frozen
-refused a summit council to work out a deal with Prince Konoya of Japan
-the US was essentially already preparing for war

Front 69

Who was Tojo?

Back 69

-general of the Imperial Japanese Army, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from October 17, 1941 to July 22, 1944

Front 70

What were the multiple ways in which the Americans were warned about possible attack on Pearl Harbour?

Back 70

-back in Washington at high command (naval and army command) the American commanders on outposts were warned in one of many warnings on the 27th of November that war was possible, and than an attack was likely on the 29th
-Japanese agents had new info to report on any ships movements (suspicious) so Admiral Kimmel (commander of the naval commander at pearl harbour) was warned to expect a japanese aggressive move against the phillipines
-no reconnaissance flights sent
-2-5 December training flights took place around Owahu but none on the 6-7 because it was a weekend
-army chief of staff, and Admiral Stark were not informed that Japan had essentially declared war in their telegraph, because the officer who's duty it was to tell them forgot to do so
-the time at which the message said to cut all relations (7:30am pearl harbour time) indicated it was likely there would be an attack there
-when the army tried to message Kimmel to warn him, their radio was broken, so they sent the message through western union, which didn't get there till hours after the attack
-patrolling boats and aircraft spotted mini-submarine periscopes on 2 occasions, and sunk one, but no red flags were raised
-radar found a huge fleet of airplanes coming in, but the general on duty told them to dismiss it

Front 71

What was the Battle of the Atlantic?

Back 71

-battle to secure the strategic oceans and waters around Europe
-the lynchpin was the north atlantic ocean, but it spills over into the other ones
-longest battle of WW2
-69 months
-September 1939-may 1943
-130,000 lives lost on both sides

Front 72

What was the Anglo-German Naval Agreement 1935?

Back 72

-Germany allowed to have up to 35% of navals British navy strength, and 45% of submarines
-violated the treaty (British thought it was too harsh)
-approved of Germany’s secret actions before
-British navy overconfidence
-British wasn’t worried about submarines, and was planning on a naval blockade of Germany

Front 73

Describe the role of surface ships in the Battle of the Atlantic?

Back 73

-in terms of actual damage done, it didn’t make a huge impact
-the German fleet was potentially a huge threat, so britain had to divert a lot of resources to take them out (but in reality much of that potential was unrealized)
-after the sinking of the Bismark, the Germans were afraid to use their big ships

Front 74

Describe the role of U-Boats in the Battle of the Atlantic?

Back 74

-after the 1930 London Submarine Agreement unrestricted submarine warfare was allowed
-posed the largest threat to the british supply line

Front 75

What were the 3 Phases of the Battle of Atlantic (as described by the TA)?

Back 75

1) phase 1 saw the u-boat become the chief threat, swept away outdated international policy, and made Britain’s false security removed and aid to Britain increased in supplies and military

2) technological advances on both sides, such as HF/DF, hunter-killer groups, and very long range aircraft. the allies pulled ahead during this phase

3) young, inexperienced german submariners were sent to far away, obscure targets. allied air superiority made this a massacre for germany. although there were technological advancements like the schnorkel and electric submarine, it was too little too late

Front 76

What was SIGINT? And what was it's role in the Battle of the Atlantic?

Back 76

-signals intelligence
o radio was primary means of maritime communication
-allies used a code book
-Germans used a code machine (enigma)
-Germans had cracked pre-war German naval sipher 3, which dictated naval convoy routes
-ultra – deciphered German codes
-was able to capture an intact enigma machine which let them crack the code
-code was cracked on both sides, so it flip flopped back and forth for the edge the whole battle

Front 77

What was HF/DF?

Back 77

-"huff duff"
-used radio signals like enigma and used them to triangulate the sending point
-could either use that location to avoid, or target the u-boats
-1942 the allies started putting radar on the smaller, more effective ships and airplaces
-therefore escort ships could “see” uboats even in poor visibility, which forced the u-boats to go underwater

Front 78

When were the greatest Allied losses in the Battle of the Atlantic? The greatest Axis losses?

Back 78

-British losses peaked in 1942
-German losses peaked May 1943

Front 79

What are two technological advances made by the Germans during the Battle of the Atlantic?

Back 79

-schnorkel (allowed u-boats to take in oxygen through a periscope so they didn't have to surface)
-electric submarines (could stay underwater almost indefinitely)

Front 80

What were the deciding factors in the allied victory of the Battle of the Atlantic?

Back 80

-American entry into the war
-had already underestimated allied production capacity
-impossible for Germany to win the tonnage war
-could build a huge ship in 3 days
-quicker and more diverse advancements in technology
-radar
-hf/df
-long range aircraft
-aircraft carriers

Front 81

What was the international situation around February 1933, when Hitler revealed his plan for race and space expansion to his army chiefs?

Back 81

-tension between the soviet union and capitalist nations
-world economic crisis led the established great powers to a partial retreat from international obligations in order to focus on domestic success
-league of nations was losing its influence
-france was concerned about establishing the maginot line
-england was concerned with safeguarding her own power (didn't want to get involved in europe)
-rupture of america's perviously sting financial and economic ties to europe (had cashed out during the depression)
-japan was becoming powerful (policy of expansion in Manchuria since 1931 and withdrew from the league of nations in march 1933)

Front 82

Why did Britain unconditionally support the sovereignty of Poland?

Back 82

-thought it would discourage a German attack on Russia through poland
-if germany annexed russia then they would have become a superpower so large that they could threaten not only britain, but also the US
-wasn't concerned really about poland, more about the power balance of europe

Front 83

What was Hitler's "Four Year Plan" of 1936-1940

Back 83

-By 1940 Germany had to be ready for war
-The Four Year Plan was a series of economic reforms created by the Nazi Party. The main aim of the Four Year Plan was to prepare Germany for self-sufficiency in four years (1936-1940). The Four Year Plan sought to reduce unemployment; increase synthetic fibre production; undertake public works projects under the direction of Fritz Todt; increase automobile production; initiate numerous building and architectural projects; and further develop the Autobahn system. The plan also emphasized building up the nation's military defenses, disregarding the restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles after the German defeat in World War I.

Front 84

What was the "Pact of Steel" of May 22, 1939?

Back 84

-germany and italy signed (wanted japan to join but they declined because the germans wanted to target britain, nor their sworn enemy russia)
-The Pact consisted of two parts: the first section was an open declaration of continuing trust and cooperation between Germany and Italy while the second, a "Secret Supplementary Protocol"[2] encouraged a union of policies concerning the military and economy

Front 85

What was the Anglo-French Agreement of April 4, 1939?

Back 85

-france and britain agreeing to work together
-realized there was probably going to be a long war coming up, and thought their chances would be better united
-main goal in confronting germany was to secure the european balance
-ensured they would help poland

Front 86

What were the benefits for Russia if the Allies went to war?

Back 86

-acquisition of a broad buffer zone in eastern-europe which would secure russia
-relieved from the fear of a 2 front war (east-asia and europe) so they could focus all their attention on defeating the japanese
-if the capitalist powers fought and weakened one another, then russia could jump in at crunch time and convert their crippled countries into capitalism

Front 87

How was Hitler surprised/caught off guard by the British and French declaration of war on September 3, 1939? (Hillgruber)

Back 87

-he didn't expect France and Britain would really follow poland
-japan declared strict neutrality, due to its surprise at the german-russian pact
-hitler's forces were not ready for a long war (maybe 9-12 months)
-couldn't give the allies time to prepare, so he had to act as quickly as possible

Front 88

What was the thematic difference between the eastern and western offensives planned by Hitler?

Back 88

-eastern campaign driven by ideological fervour (race and space)
-western campaign driven by a more strategic calculations (compromise with Britain, neutralize france)

Front 89

How long did the Germany think it would take to defeat the Red Army?

Back 89

-9-17 weeks
-must be done before winter

Front 90

Contrast the German plans for attacks on Russia vs. France.

Back 90

-germany was careless and superfluous (grossly underestimated their opponent in numbers and resilience), objectives were constantly changing
-the schleiffen plan in france was meticulously thought out and only had one major objective change

Front 91

Why did Germany underestimate the Red Army?

Back 91

-overconfident after their easy triumph over France
-cultural arrogance towards the inferior russians
-anti-communist wishful thinking (thought their whole system was much more unstable than it was)
-generalizations of experiences with the weak russian army during WW1
-thought the purges weakened the military
-misconception drawn from the soviet-finnish winter conflict (right after the purges)

Front 92

What made Hitler change his original plan (attack russia and compromise with england) to instead marching east to thwart england's support on the european continent?

Back 92

-by july 31 1940 it was clear britain wouldn't give up
-thought that russia was britains ally, and that destroying russia would mean england was politically isolated in europe (america busy with japan)
-in reality had more to do with race and space
-evidence in 1940 that the US was going to support Britain's war effort, which made it uncertain that Britain would fall in 1941 (even if they did invade), and waiting until 1942 to attack the Russians would just give them more time to prepare, so he decided to move quickly to give neither side time to prepare arms

Front 93

What misconceptions did Stalin have in July 1940?

Back 93

-believed the German-Soviet pact would hold because it was militarily key to Hitler's program in the east
-didn't realize how strong Hitler's ideological views on race and space were
-believed the war was between imperialists (blinded by ideology like Hitler)
-thought Hitler would try to attack them much later, and in the meantime the russians could just remain aloof and pick up territory

Front 94

Over-archingly, what were the German and Soviet misconceptions of 1940-1941 grounded in?

Back 94

-their respective ideologies!
-they both bought into their own propaganda, underestimating the other power
-hitler thought the slavs were subhuman and idiotic
-stalin thought hitler only wanted more territory

Front 95

Who's side was the soviet union on in 1940?

Back 95

-neither!
-both germany and britain had plans to attack russia until germany finally did on june 22, 1941
-the invasion changed the game because it forced the soviet union into a fight for survival (in which its alliance with the allies was purely reactionary)

Front 96

Why was the war against the bolsheviks so much more brutal than the war against the west?

Back 96

-soviets hadn't signed the Hague (geneva) convention so they didn't have to uphold rules as to how to treat POW's
-ideologically they wanted to annihilate the slavs, because they thought Judaism created bolshevism to destroy the world
-needed to wipe out the population so the ethnic germans could move onto the land

Front 97

How did Hitler invasion operation Barbarossa?

Back 97

-soviet defeat in 3-4 months
-russian forced were to be destroyed by a series of encirclements as far east as possible
-final aim was to form a barrier against asiatic russia along a line from the archangel to the volga
-hoped japan would drive south and attack india from the east
-hoped japan would postpone attacking the phillipines and antagonizing the US as long as possible
-wanted to establish control in north africa

Front 98

Why did British warships bombard the French navy at Mers-el-Kebir on July 3, 1940?

Back 98

-didn't want the french ships to fall intact into enemy hands
-send the message britain was preparing for war, not peace
-destroyed 3 french warships and killed over 1,000 french soldiers
-was the act that convinced roosevelt that britain would fight to the end

Front 99

Why was Operation Eagle the necessary pre-cursor for Operation Sealion?

Back 99

-the luftwaffe must beat the royal air force so they could control the english channel
-otherwise british bombers could take out their invasion fleet as it came over
-so german planes could take out the british warships
-Hitler maintained the hope that operation eagle would be enough to convince the british to surrender, and then they wouldn't have to do the full invasion

Front 100

What was the bigger threat to Britain during operation eagle, lack of planes or lack of pilots?

Back 100

-lack of pilots!
-aircraft production in britain was exceeding german losses thanks to the priority given to the airforce by Baldwin and Chamberlain's governments

Front 101

What was the German's biggest tactical error in the Battle of Britain?

Back 101

-germany's shift of its air attack from british airfields to further inland
-if they had continued to attack the airfields, they would have irrecoverably damaged the Royal Air Force
-if they took out the British sector-stations at the air fields in the south-east of england, british fighter squadrons wouldn't have been able to be directed to their targets
-german mistake was one of overconfidence (overestimated british casualties)

Front 102

Why did Italy invade Greece in October 1940?

Back 102

-were jealous of all the imperial conquest of germany, russia and japan
-poorly organized, and un-motivated italian troops
-needed to call in Germany to save them from certain defeat

Front 103

Who did Germany unsuccessfully try to unite in an anti-british alliance in 1941?

Back 103

-spain, france, italy, germany, russia

Front 104

Why was Moltov's visit to Berlin on November 12, 1940 a turning point for Germany?

Back 104

-Moltov demanded huge territorial gains for Russia
-viewed by Hitler as a test as to whether they were truly allies or enemies
-if Hitler accepted Stalin's terms, Stalin would accept a four-power agreement with germany, italy and japan
-made Hitler decide to stop compromising with them, and planned to attack Russia in May 1941

Front 105

When did it become clear operation Barbarossa had failed and why?

Back 105

-July 26, 1941
-objectives could not be secured before the autumn rain
-had intended to start pulling troops out of russia by august 1941

Front 106

When it became clear in July 1941 that operation barbarossa couldn't be completed as planned, what did Hitler establish as the new principle target and why?

Back 106

-concentrated forces against Moscow
-thought that would compel stalin to commit every available resource to defend the capital, so it offered more chance for a decisive defeat

Front 107

What 2 problems were facing Japan at the start of the 20th century?

Back 107

-demographic explosion (55 million to 71 million between 1920-1940)
-shortage of resources needed to foster industrial development and sustain the population boom
-almost completely dependant on foreign trade for rubber, aluminum and lead

Front 108

What were the 2 paths Japan could take to secure the import resources it needed?

Back 108

-promote free trade and international cooperation (which involved partnering with major western powers, which the japanese resented as a lack of independence)
-introducing by force the political and economic conditions necessary through conquest and occupation (maintained "asian" autonomy)

Front 109

Why was the Mukden Incident of September 1931 relevant?

Back 109

-after a bomb exploded in a japanese railroad in Manchuria, the japanese army in the area conquered the whole of Manchuria in retaliation/"defence"
-japan was condemned by the league of nations and alienated such powers as great britain and the US

Front 110

Why did Japan join the Anti-Comintern Pact with Italy and Germany in?

Back 110

-conquest of the netherlands and france meant an opportunity for japan to seize french indo-china and the dutch east indies (key strategic targets due to their resources)

Front 111

Why did Japan join the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in 1940?

Back 111

-because it guaranteed them a share of the british empire's territory in exchange for keeping the US out of the war in europe
-japanese imperialist aspirations

Front 112

What choice did the German invasion of Russia give to the Japanese? What factor made that decision for them?

Back 112

-do they go north to help fight their traditional enemy, the soviet union
-or do they capitalize on russia being distracted so they can continue its campaign in the south
-the US oil embargo on Japan (in response to aggressive militaristic action in French-Indochina) pushed the Japanese into war

Front 113

What was the Japanese plan of for their southern campaign?

Back 113

-seize as large amount of economically-viable territory as possible and defend it until the west accepts the "Japanese new order in east asia"

Front 114

Describe the Japanese military campaign/successes in the time following Pearl harbour.

Back 114

-secure temporary naval superiority through the pearl harbour attack
-defeat the poorly organized british in singapore
-conquer the dutch east indies, burma and the phillipines
-conquer outlying small islands to act as a defence perimeter (guam, iwo jima, wake island, carolinas, marshals, gilbert islands, solomons)

Front 115

Describe the German forces in the Egypt campaign.

Back 115

-run by General Rommel (who was a celebrity in his own right)
-very strong infantry, military and superior tanks
-worked well in unison
-difficulties with supply lines

Front 116

Describe the role supply lines had in the North African campaign for both sides.

Back 116

-british had a safe line of supply from the UK, US and India
-italio-german side could only be supplied across the mediterranean
-made them vulnerable to submarines, surface ships and aircraft
-diversion of the Luftwaffe to Russia in the summer of 1941 made ships even more vulnerable
-british intercepted italian radio signals in 1941 and knew when/where all enemy supply convoys were so they could target them
-whichever side was retreating got closer to their supply lines, so the upper hand was constantly switching

Front 117

Why was Malta a strategic target for the Axis powers in 1942?

Back 117

-was where the allies were based for their attacks on axis supply ships going through the mediterranean to north africa
-when they took over control from the british, almost all of their supplies started making it to the axis forces
-turned the tide in the north-african war in the axis' favour, and rommel was able to push the british back to the Gazala line
-in august, september and october of 1942, the axis lost 1/3 of its supplies due to the british's ability to identify critical ships and target them (code broken)

Front 118

Did Rommel want to conquer Malta or Egypt in June 1942?

Back 118

-after capturing 30,000 british and south african soldiers, rommel wanted to take all of egypt while the british forces were still weak
-hitler approved (although he had originally wanted malta more than egypt)
-the US rushed supplies to the Brits in egypt and shifted the power back to their side

Front 119

How did the allies regain Malta from axis control in Fall 1942?

Back 119

-luftwaffe was called away from Malta and so the royal air force came in and took control of that air space
-convoy ships started to return to re-supply the allies on the island
-huge convoy arrives in August 1942
-when they regained power, it once again threatened axis supply lines in Egypt

Front 120

What stopped Rommel from executing his intended attack on British forces in Egypt on August 26, 1942?

Back 120

-british could decipher italian codes and knew about the attack in advance
-attack was dependant on germany receiving supplies
-allies sank 2 axis cargo ships on the 15th and 17th, and a tanker on the 21 which led to the attack being postponed until another tanker was sank on the 29th, after which rommel called on the plan
-attempted a small local attack instead (only had supplies for 6 days)

Front 121

Describe the defensive/retreat of Rommel's german forces in Egypt after the british gained the upper hand in fall 1942.

Back 121

-split the german forces up into small groups to defend against any penetration instead of staying together in battle formation
-lack of fuel meant a static land battle
-had to retreat for over 1500 miles from November 3-7 1942

Front 122

Why was the Russo-German land battle the deciding feature of the war?

Back 122

-all the best german forces were in russia (making the west highly vulnerable)
-had to pull forces from the already under-supplied russian front to fight the west
-in the winter of 42/43 the best german forces were fighting in the west, when they were most needed in the east
-allied control of the mediterranean supply lines was effecting the german front in russia

Front 123

What were the original objectives of each of the 2 german armies (Army Group A and Group B)? Did they succeed in their goals?

Back 123

-Group A - capture the caucuses (oil fields)
-Group B - capture stalingrad
-Group B tried to capture stalingrad in a long and gruesome battle, but in the end they had to abandon it in November 1942 in favour of helping Group A secure the oil fields

Front 124

What was Hitler's last attempted offensive attack in the Soviet union?

Back 124

-Hitler ordered the encirclement of the Kursk salient
-attack originally planned for May 1943 but had been delayed until July 4th to wait for new tanks
-Russians heard about the planned attack and had fortified the area
-german encirclement failed because they were not able to close the circle
-hitler tried to bring in reinforcements from the west, but the american and british troops had landed in sicily on July 10, so the german troops had to stay there and defend
-clear russian victory

Front 125

What factors led to the trend towards militarization of Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries?

Back 125

-population increase due to increase standards of living and access to health care
-enhanced systems of head-counting and tax collection meant that recruits could be found, fed, paid, housed, equipped and transported to war
-railways supplied and transported armies
-spread of steam power (manufacture weapons by industrial process)
-interchangeable parts on machinery
-improved steel smelting techniques
-developments of propellants and bursting-charges made projectiles go farther and be more explosive

Front 126

What is the Freikorps Phenomenon?

Back 126

-belief that a political being was a citizen armed with a rifle which he was trained to use in defence of the nationality to which he belonged and the ideology that nation practiced
-militant enforcement of ideology
-idea of the army as a social model (principle of military leadership)

Front 127

In what year did hitler move from rearmament to political offensive? What was his first move?

Back 127

-1938
-Anschluss of Austria March 13, 1938

Front 128

Why did Russia side with Germany and not the Allies in 1938, prior to the invasion of Poland?

Back 128

-said they would come and protect poland by moving their military into their country, which the polish vehemently rejected out of (justified) fear the soviet's wouldn't leave
-germany secretly offered russia a share of poland and other eastern european countries, so they sides with them
-no ideological connection one way or the other, all business

Front 129

Which event "marked the end of appeasement"?

Back 129

-Munich Conference/Crisis
-Germany demanding czechoslovakian territory
-convinced Deladier and Chamberlain that rearmament was necessary to check German expansionism

Front 130

What did the Moltov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 22, 1939 state?

Back 130

-secret clause permitted the soviet union, in the event of a german-polish war, to annex eastern poland up to the line of the Vistula and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia

Front 131

Describe the French military on the eve of WWll.

Back 131

-101 divisions almost the same as they had been in WWl
-magineau line protecting the franco-german border
-military budget all went to the magineau and even that didn't cover 250 miles of the belgium/france border
-best trained troops were on the magineau, not mobilized where they were really needed
-tanks were few and spaced far apart ineffieiently
-a marching army, not mobilized (slow)
-used horses and foot soldiers not trucks etc

Front 132

What were the 3 types of divisions in the German army?

Back 132

-armoured (panzer)
-motorized
-infantry

Front 133

Describe the chain of command systems in the German vs. Allied forces. Is simplicity better or worse?

Back 133

-French chain of command had tons of steps, all with different jurisdictions, and was confused between French and British commanders
-british and french bases were located far apart from one another, which meant break downs in communication
-confusing operational orders/unclear/misunderstood
-german command was totalitarian and dictator, which made it efficient

Front 134

Why was Belgium distrusting of France during preparations for war?

Back 134

-belief that Britain and France would allow the Belgian army to sacrifice itself in its forward position on the Albert Canal while they consolidate behind it on the Dyle line
-Magineau line didn't protect Belgium
-Belgium was worried about being trapped on the wrong side of French fortifications
-if Germany invaded Belgium, France and Britain would send in forces without consulting the Belgian general staff beforehand

Front 135

Describe the German invasion of France.

Back 135

-The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes to cut off and surround the Allied units that had advanced into Belgium. When British and adjacent French forces were pushed back to the sea by the highly mobile and well organised German operation, the British government decided to evacuate the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) as well as several French divisions at Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo.
-After the withdrawal of the BEF, Germany launched a second operation, Fall Rot (Case Red), which was commenced on 5 June. While the depleted French forces put up stiff initial resistance, German air superiority and armoured mobility overwhelmed the remaining French forces. German armour outflanked the Maginot Line and pushed deep into France with German forces arriving in an undefended Paris on 14 June. This caused a chaotic period of flight for the French government and effectively ended organized French military resistance
-Armistace signed June 22

Front 136

What big tactical mistake did Hitler make during the invasion of France?

Back 136

-gave a "stop order" to slow the german tank advance on May 23 so the infantry and supply lines could catch up
-flawed, because it gave the british expeditionary force time to escape at dunkirk (had been hitler's prime target)

Front 137

What was the "Weygand Line"?

Back 137

-French General Weygand's strategy of filling the villages and woods running between the Channel Coast to the Maginot line with soldiers and anti-tank weapons to continue resistance.
-french lacked tanks, effective anti-tank weapons and air cover
-no allied troops were positioned behind the weygand line so when they broke through, there was no stopping the Germans
-fought bravely to the end

Front 138

Why was Charles De Gaulle condemned as a traitor by the Petain regime?

Back 138

-refused an armistice with Germany and flew to London
-in a broadcast on June 18, 1939 he called for on the French population for resistance
- proposed a Declaration of Union between Britain and France, which was rejected on June 16 by Reynaud and his ministers, disdaining the idea that France become a dominion of the British Empire (enjoy being ruled by Hitler)

Front 139

What were the conditions of the French Armistice signed June 22, 1939?

Back 139

-Petain's government could remain sovereign
-northern France, its borders with Belgium, Switzerland and the Atlantic were to become German occupied zones
-italy was to occupy south-eastern france
-french army was reduced to 100,000 men
-exorbitant "occupation costs" to be paid
-french colonies would be under vichy france's control
-all french soldiers made prisoners would remain in German custody

Front 140

What was the reason for the British success in fending off Operation Eagle (Battle of Britain)?

Back 140

-pragmatism of Dowding and Fighter Command
-self-sacrafice of the pilots
-innovation of radar

Front 141

Why was the Battle of Britain such an important success in the grand scheme of the war?

Back 141

-survival of independent Britain which allowed the allied forces to keep fighting and keeping resistance alive against Germany until the US could arm themselves and step in

Front 142

Which eastern countries did Hitler make sign mutual defence pacts with one another, in preparation for his eastern offensive?

Back 142

-Slovakia, Romania and Hungary

Front 143

How did Mussolini and Franco feel about Hitler's plan to cut British supply goods from the colonies by using Gibraltar as a blockade?

Back 143

-Mussolini was enthusiastic because Hitler promised Italy territories such as Corsica and Niece from France
-Franco didn't comply because he didn't want Germany to use Spanish territory

Front 144

Where is the "crossroads of Europe"? And why are they called that?

Back 144

-The Balkans
-Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)
-controlled the entry ways to europe
-extremely difficult to conquer because of its mountainous geography
-italy wanted it to control the maritime regions
-germany wanted it to control the inland regions

Front 145

Why did Germany go to war in Greece?

Back 145

-Mussolini wanted imperial expansion and invaded Greece, where they very quickly started losing
-Germany stepped in to save it's ally from humiliating defeat
-also wanted to deny Britain a base in Greece, from which they could attack Hitler's balkan scheme
(fresh wounds of losing the battle of britain)

Front 146

Describe the Yugoslavian resistance to Germany, and the Mircovic Coup of March 17, 1941.

Back 146

-coup seized belgrade after Yugoslavia was pressured into joining the Axis by signing the Tripartite agreement (coup didn't want yugoslavia to give into the nazis)
-Yugoslavian army was large but antiquated
-coup was technically illegitimate, so it gave germany justification to invade (no an ally, now an enemy to be destroyed)
-germany gained total control of the transport routes (particularly railway) it needed to invade the surrounding balkans, and gave them a direct route through which to invade Greece
-Yugoslavia tried to defend one of the longest coast-lines in europe with few, outdated weapons vs. the polished, overwhelming "operation marita" invasion fleet
-after the breakthrough on the frontier, the yugoslavs were quickly outmaneuvered and surrounded, without means to contact one another or receive supplies

Front 147

What was Operation Marita?

Back 147

-german plan for the occupation of the balkans

Front 148

How did Stalin respond to the massing of 4 million Axis troops on the Russian border leading up to June 22, 1941?

Back 148

-wanted to appease hitler through concessions and delivered trains of what and other goods even up until the german invasion on June 22, 1941
-forbade any preparations for war which might distress Hitler
-army was completely unprepared when they were attacked

Front 149

What were the intended routes of the German invasion into Russia in June 1941?

Back 149

-Army Group North (Leeb) - was to advance along the baltic
-Army Group Centre (Bock) - was to advance through poland towards minsk and smolnsk
-Army Group South (Runstedt) - was to advance through the ukraine and the proper marshes

Front 150

What was the Stalin Line vs. the Moltov Line?

Back 150

-non-continuous line of fortifications along the western front of the soviet union, constructed in 1920's in fear of western attack
-In the aftermath of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, with the westward expansion of the USSR in 1939 and 1940 into Poland, the Baltic, and Bessarabia, the decision was made to abandon the Stalin line in favour of constructing the Molotov Line further west, along the new border of the USSR.
-Stalin feared that eventually Hitler would come after Russia's new territory due to imperial desires

Front 151

What were the 3 major encirclements of Russians by the German's between June 22 and June 25, 1941?

Back 151

-Bret-Litovsk (defenders of the fortress heroically held for a week)
-Bialystok (useless location Stalin wanted to hold and diverted 12 divisions there)
-Volkovysk

Front 152

What happened to the 5.7 million Russian prisoners captured by the German's over the course of the war?

Back 152

-3.3 million died usually due to lack of facilities, food, water etc to keep them alive
-Soviet's not protected by the Hague or Geneva conventions, so there were no standards about keeping them alive
-German Propaganda called on soldiers to anhialate the judo-bolshevik menace
-sent to concentration/death camps in poland
-exected by the einsatzgruppen
-made the soviet's fight harder when they knew surrender/defeat meant near certain death

Front 153

What was the "carrot and the stick" implemented by Stalin in 1941?

Back 153

-restored old ranks in the army such as the "Guards" which were reminiscent of imperial russian glory
-created new distinctions for heroes (named after russian generals from the napoleonic wars)
-sent the NKVD (communist secret police) "special sections" to execute soviet traitors, dissenters and deserters

Front 154

Organizationally how did Stalin respond to the 3 armies of the Germans?

Back 154

-created 3 russian armies to directly oppose each of the german ones

Front 155

Describe the path of German Army Group North.

Back 155

-commanded by Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb and staged in East Prussia. Its strategic goal was Leningrad, with operational objectives being the territories of the Baltic republics and securing the northern flank of Army Group Centre in Northern Russia between Western Dvina River and Daugavpils-Kholm Army Group boundary.

Front 156

Describe the path of German Army Group Centre.

Back 156

-Commanded by Field Marshal Fedor von Bock
-strongest of the 3 armies
-initial strategic goal was to defeat the Soviet armies in Belarus, including occupation of Smolensk. To accomplish this, the Army Group planned for a rapid advance using Blitzkrieg operational methods for which purpose it commanded two Panzer Groups rather than one
-The Army Group's other operational missions were to support the Army Groups to its northern and southern flanks, the Army Group boundary for the later being the Pripyat River
-huge encirclement battles: Battle of Białystok-Minsk and Battle of Smolensk
-offensive against Moscow was resumed on 30 September 1941
-stopped the German advance in late November 1941
-driven back out of reach of Moscow by April 1942
-gave up troops to the south for "operation blue" in June 1942
-German assault on stalingrad, where they lost
-constant soviet attacks on them from stalingrad onwards

Front 157

Describe the path of German Army Group South.

Back 157

-principal objective was to capture Ukraine and its capital Kiev. Ukraine was a major center of Soviet industry and mining and had the good farmland required for Hitler's plans for Lebensraum ('living space').
-was then to advance up to the Volga River, subsequently draining a portion of the Red Army and thus clearing the way for the Army Group North and the Army Group Center on their approach to Leningrad and Moscow respectively.
-The German Sixth Army, which fought in the destructive Battle of Stalingrad, was re-constituted and later made part of Army Group South
-In preparation for Operation Blue, the 1942 campaign in southern Russia and the Caucasus, Army Group South was split into two armies: Army Group A and Army Group B.
-last major german military group to surrender at the end of the war

Front 158

What was "Operation Blue" from 1942?

Back 158

-German offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942
-two-pronged attack against the rich oilfields of Baku as well as an advance in the direction of Stalingrad along the Volga River, to cover the flanks of the advance towards Baku

Front 159

Describe Hitler and the German High Command (OKH, Particularly Halder)'s opinions about the strategic importance of Moscow? What was the result?

Back 159

-Halder thought moscow should be priority #1 because the Soviets would divert a ton of troops to the capital to defend it (thought it was the hub of all governance, industry etc) and then they had the opportunity for a more decisive knock-out blow
-Hitler was more concerned economic gains through territorial acquisition (space, oil, wheat) and strategic airfields so he wanted to push south
-Fuhrer directive No.33 (July 19, 1942) stopped the advance on Moscow and diverted troops to go help the attacks on Leningrad and Kiev.
-Guderain resisted sneakily, and his troops were made unavailable to pull out, and stuck around for their eventual march on Moscow

Front 160

Describe the Battle of Leningrad.

Back 160

-siege from 8 September, 1941 to 27 January, 1944, 872 days after it began
-over 1 million city inhabitants dead
-lage lagoda made encirclement from the north impossible (supply line)
-mobilized city inhabitants to erect defences (trenches, anti-tank ditches, pillboxes, barbed wire etc)
-Finnish commander (axis) didn't secure north of lake lagoda
-zhukov sent to command leningrad efficiently (constant bombardment of german attackers)

Front 161

How did Russia respond to the increasingly rapid German advance on Moscow in early winter 1941?

Back 161

-planned sabotage such as blowing bridges to halt their advance
-brought Zhukov in from lenningrad
-called on civilians to build defences for the city
-powerful propaganda used to speed the belief russia would come out on top

Front 162

How did Hitler respond at Christmas 1941 to the Russians regaining almost almost all of the territory lost during the German push to Moscow?

Back 162

-accused generals and commanders of cowardice and had many dismissed
-appointed himself commander and chief of the army
-forbade retreat
-assumed a more defensive posture
-led to the stabilization of the German front my mid-January 1942

Front 163

Describe the collapse of Greece in 1941.

Back 163

-Germany invaded through Yugoslavia on April 6 1941
-Greek army refused to surrender to the Italians and fought to the bitter end, and were more willing to cave to the Germans
-British had been retreating since April 16, 1941
-lacked the numbers and equipment to resist the Germans but they had the motorized vehicles necessary to withdraw
-British sent in some reinforcements to Greece from their Egyptian army, but when they got there it was ineffective because the Greek commanders refused to listen to them
-tried to defend too much space, concentrated in the wrong places
-whole german campaign lasted only three weeks

Front 164

Which battle was a "gentleman's war" in which there was especially prominent mutual respect between the warring parties.

Back 164

-Germany and Greece
-Greeks fought bravely to defend their homeland from conquest
-Germany respected the Greek bravery
-Hitler respected the Greeks as descendants of Alexander
-Greek officers allowed to keep their swords after defeat as a gesture of chivalry

Front 165

Why was Malta chosen instead of Crete as the target for German attack in the Mediterranean in April 1941? Who pushed the plan forward?

Back 165

-Malta was seen as the only way to secure the Axis shipping lanes to North Africa
-Malta was too strongly garrisoned and defended by the British to yield to an airborne assault
-Crete "with its sausage like form and single main road" was an easier target for parachutists
-argued they could reach other mediterranean islands by securing a foothold first in Crete then branching out
-Goering supported the plan as a way to redeem the Luftwaffe after their defeat at the Battle of Britain
-Student was in charge of the plan

Front 166

Describe was Operation Mercury?

Back 166

-capture of crete
-controlled by Major-General Student
-intended to use each of his 3 parachute regiments against the three towns on the north coast of the island where airstrips were located. once captured, the airstrips would be used for the landing of heavy equipment
-gliders would crash land and bring in more troops
-defenders of crete lacked weapons, planes, and effective means of communication
-allied code breaking meant they knew the invasion was happening May 20, 1942 (massacre of the incoming paratroopers)
-civilian populations joined in killing germans who survived the drop
-defenders messed up because they didn't know how close to success they were and the axis regrouped

Front 167

What were the four great parachute endeavours of WWll and which were successful?

Back 167

-sicily and normandy were successful
-crete and arnhem were not

Front 168

What was Hitler vs. British opinion about the role of Paratroops in the war after the Battle of Crete?

Back 168

-Hitler viewed Crete as an embarrassment because he knew how close to defeat he had been; thought that parachuting was too risky to be used effectively
-Britain learned to drop their paratroopers a distance away from an enemy objective instead of on top of them like they had in crete.
-US and Britain expanded their paratrooper programs

Front 169

The Nazi ideological insistence on the need for self-sacrificing co-operation for the general good appealed to who specifically within Germany?

Back 169

-sounded reformist and high-minded
-opposed capitalist focus on the petty class system
-middle class germans thought the depression was a result of socialist ideas, particularly embodied by the supposedly selfish trade unions (rejecting lower wages which slowed the economic recovery)

Front 170

Why did the Allied forced think delaying the war with Germany as long as possible (through appeasement) was advantageous?

Back 170

-give Britain and France time to re-arm so they could be more effectively defended
-economic blockade would weaken germany over time
-a later aerial bombardment would weaken the german people's resolve
-eventually hitler would be overthrown by discontented civilians

Front 171

After the German-Russian Axis Agreement of 1936, what were the four ways France proposed to weaken Germany from a possible attack on them? Which were put into action?

Back 171

1) stir up fighting in south-east europe so the allies could build up troops in the area
2+3) schemes to reduce Soviet help of the Germans (too risky to piss off the Russians)
4) interrupt the supply of high-grade iron ore from northern Sweden to Germany - DID THIS ONE

Front 172

Where did the French think Germany was going to invade them through? Why?

Back 172

-Belgium and Luxemburg
-an attack across the Franco-German border into the Alsace-Lorraine was unlikely because it offered less opportunities for encircling maneuvers and because of the Magineau line

Front 173

How did Belgian neutrality effect the French plans for war against Germany?

Back 173

-declared neutrality so there would no pre-emptive german attack on them
-couldn't be seen to be working on defence with the french or risk provoking the Germans
-french troops were not allowed allowed into belgium until germany invaded
-secret franco-belgian and anglo-belgian military contracts set up plans approving them to enter in the face of a german invasion
-if the germans took belgium, the french would have to defend a much longer border which ran dangerously close to major french cities
-german control of belgian ports would threaten british naval control
-"Plan D" said the allies would advance into the western half of belgium

Front 174

Describe the original, then revised plans for Army Groups A and B in the German invasion of France.

Back 174

-originally Group B was to be more powerful, and it was to be used on the northern flank to sweep west and south (plan was compromised, and likely wouldn't have been successful)
-new plan gave almost all the mobile and armoured divisions to Group A, who would come through the Ardennes forest, behind the Magineau line, and drive to the coast where they would cut off all the allied forces in belgium from those in france, and cut the supply lines to the northern armies

Front 175

Why was the "stop order" given to advancing German panzer divisions on May 23, 1940? What was the repercussions?

Back 175

-thought the BEF was trapped and were not in a position to escape/evacuate
-needed to allow infantry divisions to catch up in order to guard against allied counter attacks
-wanted to avoid further weakening of the German armoured divisions which were dearly needed for the 2nd half of the campaign
-some argue it was a deliberate gesture to conciliate the British (wanted to work with them)
-338,000 men were evacuated in 765 ships at Dunkirk from May 27 to June 4, 1940
-had they not stopped, the British force would be wiped out at Dunkirk
-most of the British equipment was left at Dunkirk, so it would take them time to re-arm

Front 176

Faced with the overwhelming German invasion, what did Petain/Reynaud/Weygand think the French should do?

Back 176

-Marshall Petain - enthusiastically embraced surrender, wanted to construct a new france based on self-sacrifice. argued against the french government moving overseas on the grounds it was considered desertion of the country
-Prime Minister Reynaud - wanted to surrender the armies in france and continue the war from outside france, but his idea wasn't popular and he resigned
-Commander Weygand - insisted on an armistice with Germany and no more resistance (thought the sooner they started negotiating with Germany, the better terms they could secure)

Front 177

Why did Mussolini join the war on June 10, 1940?

Back 177

-thought it would only be "a war of a few months"
-ease of the German invasion of France made them feel safe with them as an ally
-war-time made imperial expansion easier
-italy was to go on the offensive to create a satellite state at the expense of Yugoslavia, extend Albania at the expense of Greece, and above all drive the british out of Egypt and secure control of the Mediterranean and a safe route to Egypt through the Suez Canal

Front 178

How did the French armistice of June 22, 1940 effect the German naval operations?

Back 178

-outbreak of war until the June 22 1940 (french defeat) u-boats confined in specific geographic areas; had to sail around northern scotland to get at trade routes
-june 20 1940 onwards, had control of french atlantic ports so they could operate in the eastern atlantic, and after December 1941, moved into the central and western atlantic and the arctic circle. then onto the east cost of america for "happy time"

Front 179

When did the Battle of the Atlantic turn decisively in the Allies favour? Why?

Back 179

-1943
-October 1943 allied shipping production was exceeding what was being sunk/had been previously lost
-u-boats were being sunk faster then being made
-beltchley recovered its edge over the B-Dienst in May 1943
-creation of "support groups" to fight u-boats
-escort aircraft carriers added to convoys
-improved radar and depth charges
-long range aircraft shortened the "blind gap"

Front 180

In what ways did the western powers attempt to appease the Japanese?

Back 180

-in July 1941 the British shut down the Burma Road through which Chiang Kai-shek's armies was receiving aid in southern china
-dutch were bullied into agreeing to provide japan with oil, rubber, tin and other supplies from their east indies colonies
-in 1940 the french granted the japanese basing and transit rights in northern indo-china

Front 181

What circumstances led to Konoye resigning as Prime Minister and Tojo taking his place on October 17, 1939?

Back 181

-american embargo on japanese oil meant japan had to choose between preparing for war, continue negotiations, or acquiesce to american restrictions on strategic activity, including withdrawal from indo-china
-Tojo was militant about wanting war, and pressured Konyo to resign (making it an issue of whether the japanese military could trust his premiership)

Front 182

What were Tojo's vision for Japan?

Back 182

-not ideologically pro-axis or pro-nazi
-strongly anti-communist (feared Mao in China)
-alliance with Germany was purely strategic
-wanted to establish Japanese primacy in its chosen sphere of influence, to defeat the western nations (eventually and if necessary Russia as well) which would not accept it, to subdue and incorporate China within the japanese empire, but to offer other asian states a place within Japan's "Co-Prospriety Sphere" from which they would be liberated from western imperial presence

Front 183

What were the intended 3 stages of the Japan's war?

Back 183

1) combined fleet would attack the US fleet in pearl harbour and simultaneously would be securing the "southern area" of malaya, the dutch east indies, and the phillipines. set up a defensive perimeter via outlying islands . this eastern outside edge of japanese controlled islands could act as launching points for planes and ships against allied attempts to go to australia or new zealand
2) construct fortifications along along that outside edge of islands
3) concerned with consolidation; interception and destruction of allied forces which violated or approached the defensive perimeter. wearning down the american will to fight through attrition. extension of the war, if necessary, to the british areas of dominance in burma, the indian ocean and perhaps india itself

Front 184

What damage was done in the Pearl Harbour attack of December 7, 1941?

Back 184

-All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk
-sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and one minelayer.
-188 aircraft destroyed
-aircraft carriers were away from the harbour miraculously (principle target for bombing)

Front 185

Why was the British defence of Mayala so pathetic?

Back 185

-japanese were outnumbered 2-1 but still won
-british had no air support or tanks
-un-united allied forces (indian troops gave in easily)
-poor morale
-un-trained in jungle warfare
-130,000 british, indian, australian and local troops forced to surrender to the japanese force 1/2 their size

Front 186

What was the Doolittle raid? Why did it lead to the attack on midway?

Back 186

-revenge for pearl harbour, wanted to strike tokyo
-had to send carrier ships close enough to japan to launch the bomber planes
-planes would land in china after they dropped bombs on china
-terrified the japanese who saw it as a threat to their god-emperor
-had previously been trying to decide between focusing on southward territorial expansion or knocking out the US at midway, and this made them decide the american threat was more important

Front 187

What was the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 8, 1942? What effect did it have on the Americans?

Back 187

-magic (decoded japanese intelligence) revealed to the US the japanese plans to attack Port Moresby
-responded by sending Lexington and Yorktown aircraft carriers
-ships never saw one another (separated by 175 miles), all fought by air
-checked japanese advance off the coast of Australia and confined it thereafter to northern New Guinea
-reassured the US that their aircraft carriers/planes were equal to the japanese (not unbeatable)

Front 188

What advantage's did the American's have at Midway?

Back 188

-thanks to magic, they knew the japanese plans for an attack on midway June 4
-land based aircraft didn't have to worry about getting lost finding their landing spot/having it sunk
-catalina flying boats

Front 189

How was the Battle of Midway won in the "Fatal Five Minutes"

Back 189

-japanese fighters were drawn down to low altitudes to combat the US torpedo-bombers, leaving the skies open for US dive bombers
-37 dive bombers attacked the Japanese carriers
-ships were cluttered with aircraft and rearming/refueling supplies (flammable)
-between 10:25-10:30 = fatal 5 minutes
-3 Japanese aircraft carriers destroyed/abandoned
-first air fleet, its magnificent ships, modern aircraft and superb pilots had been devastated
-balance of the Pacific between fleet carriers now stands equal
-japan could never gain supremacy again; couldn't compete with american production