World War II Key Terms Quiz

Key Terms

• Anti-Semitism: Hatred or prejudice against Jews.
• Appeasement: Giving in to an aggressor to avoid conflict.
• Axis Powers: Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII.
• Battle of Britain: Air battle between German Luftwaffe and British RAF in 1940.
• Battle of Hong Kong: Japan's attack on British-controlled Hong Kong in 1941.
• Battle of Ortona: Bloody battle in Italy fought by Canadian forces in 1943.
• Battle of the Atlantic: Struggle to control supply routes across the Atlantic Ocean.
• Battle of the Scheldt: Canadian-led battle to clear German forces from the Scheldt River in Belgium.
• BCATP: British Commonwealth Air Training Plan that trained Allied pilots in Canada.
• Black Christmas: Refers to the day Hong Kong fell to Japan (December 25, 1941).
• Blackshirts: Mussolini's paramilitary group in Fascist Italy.
• Blitzkrieg: "Lightning war" tactics used by Germany for quick victories.
• Concentration Camps: Places where Nazis imprisoned and killed millions, especially Jews.
• D-Day: June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of Normandy to liberate France.
• Dictator: Absolute ruler like Hitler or Mussolini.
• Dieppe: Failed 1942 Allied raid on the French port.
• Dunkirk: Massive evacuation of Allied troops from France in 1940.
• Enemy Aliens: People from enemy countries living in Canada during the war.
• Enigma: German code machine cracked by Allied cryptographers.
• Fascism: Far-right political system with dictatorship and extreme nationalism.
• Genocide: Mass killing of a group based on race, religion, or ethnicity.
• Gestapo: Nazi Germany's secret police.
• Hiroshima: Japanese city destroyed by an atomic bomb in August 1945.
• Holocaust: Nazi-led genocide of six million Jews during WWII.
• Internment Camps: Places where "enemy aliens" were detained in Canada.
• Isolationism: Policy of staying out of international conflicts.
• Italian Campaign: Allied efforts to capture Italy from the Axis Powers.
• Juno Beach: Canadian landing site on D-Day.
• Kristallnacht: "Night of Broken Glass", Nazi attack on Jewish businesses in 1938.
• Lebensraum: Nazi policy of expanding territory for German living space.
• Luftwaffe: German Air Force during WWII.
• Manhattan Project: Secret U.S. project to develop the atomic bomb.
• Munich Agreement: 1938 deal allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland.
• Nagasaki: Japanese city hit by the second atomic bomb in August 1945.
• Non-Aggression Pact: Agreement between Germany and USSR (later broken).

Short Answer Review

• Airplanes in WWII: Used for bombing, troop transport, and advanced air combat, unlike WWI's limited reconnaissance roles.
• Churchill's Quote: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Refers to British defense against Nazis, emphasizing the British population and the small number of RAF pilots.
• Causes of WWII: Treaty of Versailles, economic depression, rise of fascism, appeasement failure.
• Immediate Trigger of WWII: Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939.
• Hitler's Revenge on France: Invasion and occupation in 1940, similar railcar signing of WWI armistice.
• Importance of Battle of the Atlantic: Ensuring Allied supply and troop transport across the Atlantic.
• Operation Barbarossa: Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, failed due to poor planning and harsh winter.
• Dec 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor: Japan bombed the U.S. naval base, bringing the U.S. into WWII, strategic success initially but long-term failure.

Test your knowledge of important terms related to World War II with this quiz. Explore definitions and significance of terms like Anti-Semitism, Blitzkrieg, and key battles. Perfect for students and history enthusiasts looking to deepen their understanding of this turbulent period.