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VUS.11&12 Questions
VUS.11-12 Essential Information on World War II
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When did World War II begin? What event? | 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland |
| What happened shortly after Hitler invaded Poland? | The Soviet Union invaded Poland on the East and the Baltic countries |
| What happened during the first two years of the war? | The U.S. remained neutral while Germany overran France, most of Europe and pounded Britain from the air |
| What was the Battle of Britain? | Air attack of Great Britain by the Germans |
| Which country did Hitler attack in mid-1941? | The Soviet Union which had been a former partner |
| What is Lend-Lease? | U.S., while remaining neutral, gave Britain war supplies and old naval warships in return for military bases in Bermuda and the Caribbean. |
| Who compared it to “lending a garden hose to a next-door neighbor whose house is on fire.”? | Franklin Roosevelt |
| What two countries did Japan invade during the 1930s? Why? | Manchuria and China because it sought military and economic domination over Asia |
| How did the U.S. respond to this Japanese aggression? | The U.S. refused to recognize Japanese conquests in Asia and imposed an embargo on exports of oil and steel to Japan |
| How did Japan and the U.S. avoid war? | They negotiated until the Japanese attacked the U.S. without warning |
| When and where did the Japanese attack the U.S.? | December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
| What was the damage of this attack? | The attack destroyed much of the American Pacific fleet and killed several thousand Americans. |
| Which President called this attack “a date that will live in infamy” when he asked Congress to declare war? | Franklin Roosevelt |
| Why did Germany declare war on the United States? | Hitler honored a pact he made with Japan |
| What were the Allied countries? | Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States |
| What was the Allied Strategy? | Defeat Hitler first |
| What was the U.S. strategy in the Pacific? | island hopping |
| What is island hopping? | Seizing islands closer and closer to Japan and using them as bases for air attacks on Japan, and cutting off Japanese supplies through submarine warfare against Japanese shipping |
| What was the Axis strategy? | Germany hoped to defeat the Soviet Union quickly, gain control of Soviet oil fields, and force Britain out of the war through a bombing campaign and submarine warfare before America’s industrial and military strength could turn the tide |
| What countries did Japan invade and then which ones did they plan to invade following Pearl Harbor? | the Philippines and Indonesia and planned to invade Australia and Hawaii |
| Why did the Japanese invade these countries in the Pacific? | Its leaders hoped that America would then accept Japanese predominance in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, rather than conduct a bloody and costly war to reverse Japanese gains. |
| What happened at El Alamein in North Africa? | German forces threatened to seize Egypt and the Suez Canal but they were defeated by the British. |
| What is significant about the German defeat at El Alamein? | This defeat prevented Hitler from gaining access to Middle Eastern oil supplies and potentially attacking the Soviet Union from the south. It was the turning point of the war in Africa. |
| What happened at Stalingrad? | Hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were killed or captured in a months-long siege of the Russian city of Stalingrad. |
| Why is the battle at Stalingrad important? | The German defeat prevented Germany from seizing the Soviet oil fields and turned the tide against Germany in the east. It was the turning point of the war in Europe. |
| When was the D-Day invasion and where did it take place? | June 6, 1944 on the beaches in the Normandy region of France |
| Who planned the D-Day invasion? | Dwight Eisenhower |
| What was the purpose of this attack? | To liberate France from German occupation |
| Was it successful? | Yes despite intense German opposition and heavy American casualties |
| Why is the Battle of Midway known as the “Miracle of Midway”? | American naval forces defeated a much larger Japanese force as it prepared to seize Midway Island. American victory ended Japanese threat to Hawaii began a series American victories in island hopping campaign. Battle of Midway is turning point of Pacific |
| Why were the battles at Iwo Jima and Okinawa important? | The American invasions of these islands brought American forces closer than ever to Japan, but both invasions cost thousands of American lives and even more Japanese. |
| What contributed to the heavy loss of Japanese life in Iwo Jima and Okinawa? | Japanese soldiers and civilians committed suicide rather than surrender. |
| Why did the President of the U.S. order the use of the atomic bomb in Japan? | to prevent the horrendous casualties among both American and Japanese forces if the Americans had to invade Japan. |
| Who was the President who ordered the bombs? | Harry Truman |
| What two cities were leveled by the atomic bombs? | Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
| Did the bombing of Japan meet the President’s goal? | Yes, Japanese leaders surrendered avoiding the need for American forces to invade Japan |
| How did African Americans serve in the war? | Generally they served in segregated military units and were assigned to non-combat roles |
| Who were the Tuskegee Airmen? | African American troops who served in Europe with distinction |
| Who were the Nisei regiments? | Asian Americans who served in the war and earned a high number of decorations |
| What communication codes were used which proved to be impossible for the Japanese to break? | The Navajo oral, not written, language |
| Did Mexican Americans serve in WWII? | Yes, in segregated units |
| What was the purpose of the Geneva Convention? | to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners of war by establishing rules to be followed by all nations |
| Did the Japanese follow the guidelines of the Geneva Convention? | No, the treatment of prisoners in the Pacific often reflected the savagery of the fighting there. |
| What was the Bataan Death March? | American POWs suffered brutal treatment by Japanese after surrender of the Philippines |
| What is genocide? | the systematic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group |
| What was the final solution? | Germany’s decision to exterminate all Jews |
| What groups of people were affected by Hitler’s final solution? | Jews, Poles, Slavs, Gypsies, Undesirables |
| Who were the Undesirables? | Homosexuals, mentally ill, and political dissidents |
| What was the significance of the Nuremberg trials? | •Nazi leaders and others were convicted of war crimes •the trials emphasized individual responsibility for actions during a war regardless of orders received •the trials led to increased demand for a Jewish homeland |
| How did the government and industry allocate resources effectively? | •Rationing was used to maintain supply of essential products to the war effort •War bonds and income taxes were used for financing the war •business retooled from peacetime to wartime production ( auto manufacturing to tank manufacturing) |
| How did the U.S. organize its human resources on the home front? | •More women and minorities entered the labor force as men entered the armed forces. •Citizens volunteered in support of the war effort. |
| How did the U.S. organize its military resources? | The draft/selective service was used to provide personnel for the military. |
| How did women contribute to America’s efforts during WWII? | Women participated in the workforce to replace men serving in the military (Rosie the Riviter). They typically participated in non-combat military roles. |
| How did African Americans contribute to America’s efforts during WWII? | African Americans migrated to cities in search of jobs in war plants. They campaigned for victory in war and equality at home. |
| Why were the Americans of Japanese descent placed in internment camps? | There was a strong anti-Japanese prejudice on the West Coast and there was a false belief that they were aiding the enemy. |
| What was the Supreme Court ruling on the internment of the Japanese Americans? | It upheld the government’s right to act against Japanese Americans living on the West Coast of the U.S. |
| In what ways did the government try to resolve this treatment at the end of the century? | The government made a public apology and financial payment was made to survivors |
| How did the media and communications assist the Allied efforts during WWII? | •U.S. gov't maintained strict censorship of war reports •public morale ad campaigns kept Americans focus on war effort •entertainment industry produced movies boosted morale and patriotic support for war effort and portrayed enemy in stereotypical war |
Created by:
jfleming
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