World War II Key Events Quiz

Operation Barbarossa

• Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, with 3,000,000 German soldiers and 3,400 tanks.

Pearl Harbor

• Pearl Harbor attack occurred on December 7, 1941.
• USS Arizona was heavily damaged on this date

US Mobilization

• The Selective Service Training and Service Act was passed by the US.
• The US sold war bonds and rationed goods.
• Women entered traditionally male jobs.

Japanese Internment

• Executive Order 9066 led to the internment of all Japanese and Japanese-Americans.
• Internment camps were located inland.
• Millions were affected regardless of citizenship, loyalty, gender, or age.

The "Big Three"

• The "Big Three" leaders were Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin.

Axis Powers (1942)

• This is a period in WWII in which the Axis powers were actively engaged in the global conflict.

Battle of Stalingrad

• The Battle of Stalingrad took place during the winter of 1942-1943.

North Africa Campaign (Battle of El Alamein)

• Occurred in 1942.
• General Irwin Rommel ("Desert Fox") commanded Axis forces.
• General Bernard Montgomery ("Monty") led the Allied forces.

Italian Campaign ("Operation Torch")

• Codenamed "Operation Torch."
• "Soft Underbelly" of Europe.
• George S. Patton led American troops.

D-Day ("Operation Overlord")

• General Eisenhower ordered D-Day, a large-scale Allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944.
• The purpose was to liberate Europe, starting with France.

Battle of the Bulge

• Hitler's last major offensive, December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945.

Yalta Conference

• FDR and Churchill conceded Stalin's demands for a buffer in Poland.
• FDR and Stalin sought spheres of influence and weaker Germany.
• Churchill felt a strong Germany was essential to oppose Stalin.
• FDR advocated for a United Nations organization

Hitler's Suicide

• Hitler died on April 30, 1945, in his bunker.

V-E Day

• Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945, marked the end of World War II in Europe.

Code Breakers

• The Japanese "Purple" code machine and the German "Enigma" machine were targets of Allied code-breaking efforts.
• Bletchley Park was a key British codebreaking center.

U.S. Surrender of the Philippines:

• Japan captured the Philippine Islands in March 1942.

Bataan Death March

• The Bataan Death March involved Allied prisoners of war being marched to prison camps in the Philippines starting in April 1942.

Battle of Midway Island

• The Battle of Midway Island, June 4-6, 1942, proved a major U.S. victory in the Pacific.
• It prevented further Japanese expansion toward the U.S. mainland

Japanese Kamikaze Planes

• Kamikaze pilots were Japanese suicide bombers.
• This was a significant tactic in the Pacific War.

Guadalcanal

• The Guadalcanal Campaign, August 1942, was a crucial turning point in the Pacific War.
• The U.S. successfully defended the island against repeated Japanese offensives over 6 months.

Iwo Jima

• The U.S. Marines raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945.

Battle of Okinawa

• Okinawa was the final and bloodiest battle in the Pacific, proving that an invasion of mainland Japan would be incredibly costly.

Zoot Suit Riots

• Racial tensions led to violence against Mexican-Americans by U.S. servicemen during the war.

Potsdam Conference

• FDR was deceased; Churchill and Roosevelt were out of office during the conference.
• Only Stalin among the "Big Three" remained.
• The conference resulted in agreement on dividing Germany into occupation zones.
• Poland's borders were rearranged.

Hiroshima

• The atomic bombing of Hiroshima, August 6, 1945, resulted in an immediate death toll of about 70,000.
• There were extensive building destructions.
• Hundreds of thousands died from radiation exposure in the long-term.

Nagasaki

• The subsequent bombing of Nagasaki, August 9, 1945, resulted in an initial death toll of about 40,000 people, with additional significant injuries, and long-term deaths from radiation illnesses.

V-J Day

• Victory over Japan Day, September 2, 1945, marked the end of World War II.

Superpowers

• The US and the USSR became major superpowers after WWII.

Division of Germany

• Germany was divided into occupation zones, a result of the War.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

• The Universal Declaration of the Human Rights was formed, as a product of the war.

Nuremberg War Trials

• Nuremberg War Crimes Trials prosecuted German war criminals.

Japanese War Crimes Trials

• Hideki Tojo was among those tried for war crimes.

Future American Presidents

• 7 (or 8) future US Presidents were involved in WWII.

WWII's Lasting Impact

• World War II had a profound impact on the modern world, altering the political and social landscape forever.