Battles
What Pacific strategy involved capturing key islands to get closer to Japan?
Operation Overlord (D-Day).
What U.S. strategy involved capturing islands across the Pacific?
Island hopping.
What symbol/propaganda represented women entering wartime factories?
Rosie the Riveter.
What government action in 1941 finally allowed African Americans to train as military pilots?
Tuskegee Army Air Field for Black pilot training.
What day marks the end of WWII in Europe?
V-E day.
What 1942 naval battle became a turning point by destroying four Japanese carriers?
The Battle of Midway.
What American project developed the first atomic bombs?
The Manhattan Project
how many American women entered the workforce during WWII?
5 million women.
What major social impact resulted from African Americans moving to northern and western cities for wartime factory jobs?
It increased demands for equal rights and led to rising pressure for civil rights reforms.
What was one major reason the U.S. was able to end the war in the Pacific without invading Japan?
The atomic bomb.
What massive invasion did Germany launch against the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941?
Operation Barbarossa.
What was the name of the first nuclear test in July 1945?
The Trinity Test.
What federal agency encouraged minority hiring in war industries?
The Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC).
How did the success of the Tuskegee Airmen affect public opinion about segregation?
Their performance proved segregation was unjust and based on false assumptions and narratives.
Why did the U.S finally decide to enter the war? How many people died in the attack?
The attack at pearl harbor and 2,403.
What battle in 1942–43 marked Japan’s first major land defeat?
The Guadalcanal Campaign.
Which two key German resources did Allied strategic bombing specifically target to weaken Germany’s ability to replace tanks, planes, and weapons, ultimately contributing to Germany’s inability to continue the war?
Oil supplies and industrial factories essential for producing weapons and vehicles.
Name 2 nontraditional job women worked during WWII.
Steel mills, docks, production lines, heavy manual labor.
Why did civil rights leaders pressure the government to allow African Americans into pilot training programs?
They argued Black Americans deserved equal opportunities to serve in military roles.
Why did Operation Barbarossa become a turning point despite early German successes?
Germany failed to capture Moscow, underestimated Soviet strength, and became trapped in a long, draining war which they lost.
What months-long battle in 1942–43 marked Japan’s first major land defeat?
Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword.
During Operation Barbarossa, Germany quickly captured vast Soviet territory but failed to take Moscow. What three major consequences did this failed objective have on the overall course of World War II?
The Soviets regrouped and counterattacked, stopping Germany’s advance.Germany became stuck fighting a long Eastern Front, draining resources. Germany suffered huge losses it couldn’t replace, leading toward defeat.
Other than the atomic bomb, name two other WWII technologies that helped the Allies win and explain briefly how each helped.
Radar & Penicillin
How did the work of Navajo Code Talkers demonstrate the importance of cultural knowledge in wartime communication?
Their language created an unbreakable code the U.S. military relied on for communication.
Why did Japan want to seize Midway Island in 1942?
To eliminate the U.S. as a Pacific power and force the U.S. into a defensive position.