Allies The military and political alliance that fought the Axis powers in World War II, including the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union.
atom The smallest part into which an element can be divided and still retain its properties.
Axis The military and political alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan that fought the Allies in World War II.
concentration camp A prison camp used for confining political prisoners, foreign nationals or civilians during wartime.
crematorium A building containing a furnace where bodies are burned.
cyanide A very poisonous chemical that can kill in minutes.
D-day June 6, 1944, the day Allied forces landed in northern France to begin the liberation of occupied Europe in World War II.
Führer The title given to Adolf Hitler, meaning “leader” or “guide” in German.
George Cross The highest gallantry award in the United Kingdom for civilians or military personnel for actions not on the battlefield.
Gestapo The secret police of Nazi Germany. Gestapo is a contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei: Secret State Police.
ghetto An area of a city lived in by a minority group, whether by choice or because they are forced to.
Home Guard A defense organization of volunteers in the UK during World War II.
intelligence Information, often secret, about an enemy’s forces and plans.
internee A civilian who is confined in a prison or concentration camp during a war.
Kempeitai The military police of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945.
Nazi Party The extreme nationalist and racist party that ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945.
newsreels Short news and documentary films shown in movie theaters that were popular during the first half of the 20th century.
nucleus The central part of an atom, consisting of protons and neutrons.
nuclear fission The splitting of the nucleus of an atom.
OVRA The Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism was the secret police of Italy from 1927 until 1945.
propaganda Information and publicity put out by a government to promote a policy, idea, or cause.
radioactive Describes an element that emits energy in the form of streams of particles due to the decaying of its unstable atoms.
RAF Britain’s Royal Air Force.
Soviet Union A state encompassing Russia and other nearby countries, which existed from 1922 to 1991.
Special Operations Executive (SOE) A British organization of World War II responsible for organizing and encouraging espionage and sabotage in occupied Europe.
SS Schutzstaffel, or defense squadron, was a powerful armed force in Nazi Germany known for its brutality.
Third Reich The rule of the Nazi Party in Germany between 1933 and 1945.
treason The crime of attempting to overthrow or harm the government of one’s country.
typhus A severe disease and high fever, spread especially by body lice.
U-boat A German military submarine, especially one used during World Wars I and II.