ENGLISH LANGUAGE

WORLD WAR II
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VOCABULARY

to attack a place or building by entering suddenly in (militar) marchar

To storm
great numbers sobre...

venirse abajo,
To crumble to become weaker in strength or influence
desmoronarse

crecer,
To mount to gradually increase, rise, or get bigger
aumentar

de manera
Eerily strange in a frightening and mysterious way extraña e
inquietante

a period during a war when there is no fighting and falsa guerra o

Phoney war
the situation appears calm farsa de guerra

To carve up to divide something into smaller parts dividir, repartir

to go away from a place or person in order to escape

To retreat replegar, retirar
from fighting or danger

ser menos fuerte

o eficaz que algo
to be less powerful or effective than someone or
No match for o alguien, no
something else
estar a la altura
de...

to escape by running away, especially because of refugiarse,

To flee
danger or fear ponerse a salvo

to only just succeed in something such as a test or ganar por muy

To squeak
competition poco

to cause serious damage to someone or something, inutilizar,

To cripple
making them weak and not effective paralizar

To stagnate to stay the same and not grow or develop estancarse

Unassailable in such a strong position that you cannot be defeated inexpugnable

to make a serious or formal promise to give or do prometer, dar la

To pledge
something palabra

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to do harm to or punish the person responsible for

To avenge something bad done to you or your family or friends in vengar
order to achieve a fair situation

to defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with

To overcame vencer
something

To get
to begin comenzar
underway

Drone a low continuous noise which does not change its note zumbido

when something produces a continuous light and/or

Glow resplandor
heat

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READING SKILL
Exercise 1. Read the following article and answer the questions.

EVENTS OF 1939.

Three years of mounting international tension - encompassing the Spanish Civil War, the
Anschluss (union) of Germany and Austria, Hitler's occupation of the Sudetenland and
the invasion of Czechoslovakia - culminated in the German invasion of Poland on 1
September. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. While the USA
proclaimed neutrality, it continued to supply Britain with essential materials, and the
critical Battle of the Atlantic between German U-Boats and British naval convoys
commenced.

Western Europe was eerily quiet during this 'phoney war'. Preparations for war
continued in earnest, but there were few signs of conflict, and civilians who had been
evacuated from London in the first months drifted back into the city. Gas masks were
distributed, and everybody waited for the proper war to begin.

In eastern Europe and Scandinavia, however, there was nothing phoney about the war.
With the Ribbentrop Pact signed between the Soviet Union and Germany in late August,
Russia followed Germany into Poland in September. That country was carved up
between the two invaders before the end of the year, and Russia continued this
aggression by going on to invade Finland.

EVENTS OF 1940.

Rationing was introduced in Britain early in the New Year, but little happened in western
Europe until the spring. The 'winter war' between Russia and Finland concluded in
March, and in the following month Germany invaded Denmark and Norway.

Denmark surrendered immediately, but the Norwegians fought on - with British and
French assistance - surrendering in June only once events in France meant that they
were fighting alone.

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On 10 May - the same day that Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime
Minister of the UK - Germany invaded France, Belgium and Holland, and western Europe
encountered the Blitzkrieg - or 'lightning war'.

Germany's combination of fast armored tanks on land, and superiority in the air, made
a unified attacking force that was both innovative and effective. Despite greater
numbers of air and army personnel - and the presence of the British Expeditionary Force
- the Low Countries and France proved no match for the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe.
Holland and Belgium fell by the end of May; Paris was taken two weeks later.

British troops retreated from the invaders in haste, and some 226,000 British and
110,000 French troops were rescued from the channel port of Dunkirk only by a ragged
fleet, using craft that ranged from pleasure boats to Navy destroyers.

In France an armistice was signed with Germany, with the puppet French Vichy
government - under a hero of World War One, Marshall Pétain - in control in the
'unoccupied' part of southern and eastern France, and Germany in control in the rest of
the country.

Charles de Gaulle, as the leader of the Free French, fled to England (much to Churchill's
chagrin) to continue the fight against Hitler. But it looked as if that fight might not last
too long. Having conquered France, Hitler turned his attention to Britain, and began
preparations for an invasion. For this to be successful, however, he needed air
superiority, and he charged the Luftwaffe with destroying British air power and coastal
defenses.

The Battle of Britain, lasting from July to September, was the first to be fought solely in
the air. Germany lacked planes but had many pilots. In Britain, the situation was
reversed, but - crucially - it also had radar. This, combined with the German decision to
switch the attacks from airfields and factories to the major cities, enabled the RAF to
squeak a narrow victory, maintain air superiority and ensure the - ultimately indefinite -
postponement of the German invasion plans.

The 'Blitz' of Britain's cities lasted throughout the war, saw the bombing of Buckingham
Palace and the near-destruction of Coventry, and claimed some 40,000 civilian lives.

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EVENTS OF 1941.

With continental Europe under Nazi control, and Britain safe - for the time being - the
war took on a more global dimension. Following the defeat of Mussolini's armies in
Greece and Tobruk, German forces arrived in North Africa in February, and invaded
Greece and Yugoslavia in April.

While the bombing of British and German cities continued, and the gas chambers at
Auschwitz were put to use, Hitler invaded Russia. Operation Barbarossa, as the invasion
was called, began on 22 June. The initial advance was swift, with the fall of Sebastopol
at the end of October, and Moscow coming under attack at the end of the year.

The bitter Russian winter, however, like the one that Napoleon had experienced a
century and a half earlier, crippled the Germans. The Soviets counterattacked in
December and the Eastern Front stagnated until the spring.

Winter in the Pacific, of course, presented no such problems. The Japanese, tired of
American trade embargoes, mounted a surprise attack on the US Navy base of Pearl
Harbor, in Hawaii, on 7 December.

This ensured that global conflict commenced, with Germany declaring war on the US, a
few days later. Within a week of Pearl Harbor, Japan had invaded the Philippines, Burma
and Hong Kong. The Pacific war was on.

EVENTS OF 1942.

The first Americans arrived in England in January - 'Over paid, over sexed and over here'
as the gripe went - and in North Africa Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps began
their counter-offensive, capturing Tobruk in June.

The Blitz intensified in both England and Germany, with the first thousand-bomber air
raid on Cologne, and German bombing of British cathedral cities.

In the Pacific, the Japanese continued their expansion into Borneo, Java and Sumatra.
The 'unassailable' British fortress of Singapore fell rapidly in February, with around
25,000 prisoners taken, many of whom would die in Japanese camps in the years to
follow.

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But June saw the peak of Japanese expansion. The Battle of Midway, in which US sea-
based aircraft destroyed four Japanese carriers and a cruiser, marked the turning point
in the Pacific War.

The second half of the year also saw a reversal of German fortunes. British forces under
Montgomery gained the initiative in North Africa at El Alamein, and Russian forces
counterattacked at Stalingrad. The news of mass murders of Jewish people by the Nazis
reached the Allies, and the US pledged to avenge these crimes.

EVENTS OF 1943.

February saw German surrender at Stalingrad: the first major defeat of Hitler's armies.
Battle continued to rage in the Atlantic, and one four-day period in March saw 27
merchant vessels sunk by German U-boats.

A combination of long-range aircraft and the codebreakers at Bletchley, however, were

inflicting enormous losses on the U-boats. Towards the end of May Admiral Dönitz
withdrew the German fleet from the contended areas - the Battle of the Atlantic was
effectively over.

In mid-May German and Italian forces in North Africa surrendered to the Allies, who
used Tunisia as a springboard to invade Sicily in July. By the end of the month Mussolini
had fallen, and in September the Italians surrendered to the Allies, prompting a German
invasion into northern Italy.

Mussolini was audaciously rescued by a German task force, led by Otto Skorzeny, and
established a fascist republic in the north. German troops also engaged the Allies in the
south - the fight through Italy was to prove slow and costly.

In the Pacific, US forces overcame the Japanese at Guadalcanal, and British and Indian
troops began their guerrilla campaign in Burma. American progress continued in the
Aleutian Islands, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

As the Russian advance on the Eastern Front gathered pace, recapturing Kharkov and
Kiev from Germany, Allied bombers began to attack German cities in enormous daylight
air raids. The opening of the Second Front in Europe, long discussed and always
postponed, was being prepared for the following year.

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EVENTS OF 1944.

With advances in Burma, New Guinea and Guam, Japan began its last offensive in China,
capturing further territory in the south to add to the acquisitions made in central and
northern areas following the invasion of 1938. However, their control was limited to the
major cities and lines of communication, and resistance - often led by the Communists -
was widespread.

The Allied advance in Italy continued with landings at Anzio, in central Italy, in January.
It was a static campaign. The Germans counter-attacked in February and the fighting
saw the destruction of the medieval monastery at Monte Cassino after Allied bombing.
Only at the end of May did the Germans retreat from Anzio. Rome was liberated in June,
the day before the Allies' 'Operation Overlord', now known as the D-Day landings.

On 6 June - as Operation Overlord got underway - some 6,500 vessels landed over
130,000 Allied forces on five Normandy beaches: codenamed Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno
and Sword.

Some 12,000 aircraft ensured air superiority for the Allies - bombing German defenses,
and providing cover. The pessimistic predictions that had been made of massive Allied
casualties were not borne out. On Utah beach 23,000 troops were landed, with 197
casualties, and most of the 4,649 American casualties that day occurred at Omaha
beach, where the landing was significantly more difficult to achieve, meeting with fierce
German resistance.

Overall, however, the landings caught the Germans by surprise, and they were unable
to counter-attack with the necessary speed and strength. Anything that was moving and
German was liable to be attacked from the air.

Despite this, in the weeks following the landings Allied progress was slowed
considerably, by the narrow lanes and thick hedgerows of the French countryside.
Nevertheless, Cherbourg was liberated by the end of June. Paris followed two months
later.

Hitler's troubles were compounded by a Russian counterattack in June. This drove 300
miles west to Warsaw, and killed, wounded or captured 350,000 German soldiers. By

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the end of August, the Russians had taken Bucharest. Estonia was taken within months,
and Budapest was under siege by the end of the year.

One glimmer of light for Germany came in the Ardennes, in France, where in December
a German counteroffensive - the Battle of the Bulge - killed 19,000 Americans and
delayed the Allies' march into Germany.

EVENTS OF 1945.

The New Year saw the Soviet liberation of Auschwitz, and the revelation of the sickening
obscenity of the Holocaust, its scale becoming clearer as more camps were liberated in
the following months.

The Soviet army continued its offensive from the east, while from the west the Allies
established a bridge across the Rhine at Remagen, in March.

While the bombing campaigns of the Blitz were over, German V1 and V2 rockets
continued to drop on London. The return bombing raids on Dresden, which devastated
the city in a huge firestorm, have often been considered misguided.

Meantime, the Western Allies raced the Russians to be the first into Berlin. The Russians
won, reaching the capital on 21 April. Hitler killed himself on the 30th, two days after
Mussolini had been captured and hanged by Italian partisans. Germany surrendered
unconditionally on 7 May, and the following day was celebrated as VE (Victory in Europe)
day. The war in Europe was over.

In the Pacific, however, it had continued to rage throughout this time. The British
advanced further in Burma, and in February the Americans had invaded Iwo Jima. The
Philippines and Okinawa followed and Japanese forces began to withdraw from China.

Plans were being prepared for an Allied invasion of Japan, but fears of fierce resistance
and massive casualties prompted Harry Truman - the new American president following
Roosevelt's death in April - to sanction the use of an atomic bomb against Japan.

Such bombs had been in development since 1942, and on 6 August one of them was
dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later another was dropped on

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Nagasaki. No country could withstand such attacks, and the Japanese surrendered on
14 August.

The biggest conflict in history had lasted almost six years. Some 100 million people had
been militarized, and 50 million had been killed. Of those who had died, 15 million were
soldiers, 20 million were Russian civilians, six million were Jews and over four million
were Poles.

1 Britain and France declared war on Germany because …

a) they did not like Germany’s partnership with Austria.
b) of the unrest in Spain.
c) of Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia.
d) Germany’s invasion of Poland was the last straw in a series of hostile actions.

2 The USA adopted a position of …

a) complete neutrality.
b) anti-German.
c) superficial neutrality.
d) anti-British.

3 This period was called the ‘phoney’ war because …

a) gas masks were distributed.
b) people were evacuated from the city.
c) preparations for war were stepped up.
d) there were few signs of conflict.

4 Scandinavia …
a) was also undergoing a phoney war.
b) was being over-run by Germany and Russia.
c) declared war on Britain.
d) arranged a banquet with its neighbors.

5 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway …

a) in spring.
b) in summer.
c) in autumn.
d) in winter.

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6 German success was due to

a) greater numbers of personnel.
b) greater numbers of vehicles.
c) the British expeditionary Force.
d) technology and skill.

7 Dunkirk is remembered because …

a) the French won an important battle.
b) the Germans won an important battle.
c) many lives were lost.
d) many lives were saved.

8 Which is the correct answer?

a) France was defeated by Germany.
b) France surrendered to Germany.
c) France agreed a peace treaty with Germany.
d) France agreed to fight against Britain.

9 The Battle of Britain …

a) was Hitler’s attempt to gain air superiority.
b) was fought in the seas around the British Isles.
c) was Britain’s attempt to sink the German navy.
d) was fought in the factories of major cities.

10 Operation Barbarossa dragged on because …

a) there were not enough aircraft.
b) the soldiers went on strike.
c) weather conditions were extremely harsh.
d) the soldiers suffered from their wounds.

11 The Japanese attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor

a) because pearls were becoming scarce on their shores.
b) because they wanted to test their military machine.
c) in retaliation for sniper attacks on their fishing vessels.
d) in retaliation for blockage of their trade routes.

12 British opinion of the American GI was …

a) respectful.
b) disdainful.

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c) scornful.
d) irritable.

13 The Japanese force seemed unstoppable until when …

a) the use of aircraft carriers.
b) the development of cruise missiles.
c) the code breaking app was adopted by their commander.
d) torpedoes were invented.

14 By 1943 which of the following gains had the allies not made …
a) defeat of Hitler’s army.
b) defeat of Hitler’s U-boats.
c) defeat of Hitler’s allies.
d) defeat of Hitler’s cavalry.

15 By 1944 which of the following were not Britain’s allies …

a) Russia.
b) US.
c) India.
d) Spain.

16 The Chinese communists …

a) fought for Hitler.
b) fought with the Japanese.
c) fought against the US.
d) fought against the Japanese.

17 Which of the following did not contribute to the success of the D Day landings?
a) The cover provided by the airforce.
b) The multi-pronged strategy of attack.
c) The element of surprise.
d) Their superior equipment.

18 The Battle of the Bulge was …

a) an American victory.
b) an American massacre.
c) a German defeat.
d) the putting to death of all overweight soldiers.

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19 The war in Europe ended …

a) before the end of the war in the Pacific.
b) at the same time as the war in the Pacific.
c) after the Pacific war.
d) because of the war in the Pacific.

20 Of the 50 million killed in the second world war, the largest proportion were …
a) Jewish.
b) American.
c) Russian.
d) Polish.

Exercise 2. Read the text and answer the questions below.

I was just over ten years old when the Second World War broke out, old enough to
realize that something very serious was about to happen. We listened to Mr.
Chamberlain over the radio but things were uncannily quiet and it was sometime before
we were affected by rationing, the wearing of gas masks, air raid precautions, black out
and so on. We lived in a small town in north Gloucestershire and fortunately were not a
likely target for German bombers but some of the neighbors made air raid shelters in
the garden - one I remember as being a very elaborate affair with solid concrete walls
and six feet of earth over - an ideal playhouse for growing boys! Of course, we got used
to going under the stairs when the characteristic drone of German bombers on their way
to Liverpool or Glasgow was heard. As far as I know no bombs fell on the town but the
A38, which at that time was a vital link between the Midlands military depots and the
south coast, and which at the time of the 1944 assault on Normandy became a never
ending river of tank transporters, armored cars and lorry loads of American troops, was
targeted around 1943 - the bomb missed the road and we all cycled out to see the hole
in the ground in an adjoining field. The War was really very exciting for us, although for
my father who had to work very long hours delivering flour to places like Bristol,
Coventry and Birmingham, all of which were heavily bombed, it was probably very
different.

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My grandmother died on the night Coventry was devastated - it would be fanciful to say
that we could see a glow in the sky as Coventry burned as the city was a good 60 miles
away but there were a lot of planes around that night. One evening a Blenheim bomber
was forced down to land on the 'Ham', a large flood plain bounded by the rivers Severn
and Avon and we all wondered how on earth they would move it again - in the end it
was taken apart on the muddy field and carted away in bits.

From time to time a 'War Savings Week' was held in the town to persuade people to
help buy a tank or Spitfire; they actually brought some war weapons and parked them
in an open space in the town which was quite exciting. The RAF had an important Motor
Torpedo Boat depot near the town on the River Severn with tight security, armed guards
and alarms - they had taken over the Cheltenham College Boathouse for the duration
and practiced on the river in preparation for the invasion of 1944. Rationing was
introduced of course but as we were not very well off anyway it probably made very
little difference. I remember an aunt who was not very well and staying with us for a few
weeks being told off by my mother when she wouldn't eat a banana which had been
"brought by our brave merchant seamen" across perilous seas. Probably our diet was
one of the healthiest of the 20th century in the event with low fat intake, plenty of
vegetables mainly grown by my father, hardly any sweets and no junk food.
Entertainment was the local cinema where there were long queues every night because
of the thousands of servicemen in the area, the radio with frequent war bulletins and
games at home.

The Americans had a huge depot about three miles from town and at Christmas they
were invited into British homes and came bearing gifts of candy and other luxuries we
had never seen before. They set up a laundry depot just down the road from us with
dozens of steamy noisy laundry lorries.

Towards 1943 and 1944 prisoners of war began to arrive in Britain and camps were set
up in the area to contain them - the German POW's were guarded much more closely
than the Italians who were glad to get out of the war and towards the end of the
hostilities were even allowed to go into town and try their charms on the local girls.
There were occasionally fights between black and white American troops over girls and
some pretty colorful stories circulated about what was going on. Some of the girls went
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back to America at the end of the war, others were looked on with considerable
disapproval - the Americans were very seductive with their packets of nylons, beefy
appearance and accents but on reflection it was sad to think that many of those were
never to return from the battlefields of Italy, North Africa and Germany.

VE Day in 1945 and VJ Day in August of the same year were memorable occasions; it was
amazing how people could suddenly produce fireworks and material for bonfires to
celebrate the end of the war. However, I was not to know that my cousin who now lives
in Victoria, Australia, and whom I haven't seen for 60 years was soon to be involved in
the savage Korean War in 1951 with the Gloucestershire Regiment, which went through
terrible experiences, and that the atomic bomb which so suddenly brought the Japanese
to their knees at Hiroshima was to cast a long shadow over international relations for
many years.

1) Who announced the war over the radio?

a) Churchill.
b) Hitler.
c) The Americans.
d) Chamberlain.
e) The King.

2) What did the writer's father do during the war?

a) He fought in Germany.
b) He was an air-raid warden.
c) He delivered flour to major cities.
d) He was a merchant seaman.
e) He was a farmer.

3) Why was the A38 road a target for the German bombers?

a) It was a main link between the military depots and the south coast.
b) It was near the town.
c) The Germans did not need to use the road.
d) It was clearly seen from the sky.
e) It was used by the Americans.

4) What is a Blenheim Bomber?

a) An army vehicle.
b) A type of aircraft.

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c) A tank.
d) A type of bomb.
e) A terrorist.

5) What was the main type of entertainment in the town?

a) A theatre.
b) Football matches.
c) A bowling alley.
d) An ice-rink.
e) A cinema.

6) Why does the writer think his diet during the war was very healthy?

a) Because they ate bananas.

b) There was no chocolate.
c) It was low-fat with plenty of vegetables and no junk food.
d) They did not eat chips.
e) Because food was rationed.

7) What does POW stand for?

a) Prisoner of the World.

b) Plenty of Wardens.
c) Prisoner of the Week.
d) Prisoner of War.
e) Person of War.

8) When did Prisoners of War start to arrive in Britain?

a) At the beginning of the war.

b) 1943 to 1944.
c) Right at the end of the war.
d) 1939.
e) 1945.

9) Why were German prisoners guarded more closely than Italian prisoners?

a) The Italians were on the same side as the British.

b) The Italians did not like the Germans.
c) The Germans did not like the Italians.
d) The Italians were glad to get out of the war (and were less likely to try to
escape).
e) The Germans were on the same side as the Italians.

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10) Which group of people came to Britain in large numbers during the war and helped
defeat the enemy?

a) Americans.
b) Italians.
c) Germans.
d) Japanese.
e) French.

11) Where was an atomic bomb dropped during the war?

a) Korea.
b) Australia.
c) Gloucestershire.
d) Hiroshima.
e) Germany.

12) When was VJ (Victory in Japan) Day?

a) 1951.
b) May 1945.
c) 1939 - 1945.
d) September 1939.
e) August 1945.

Exercise 3. Read the text and answer the questions below.

We (mother, father and I, aged 7) were living in Coventry when war broke out. I was
evacuated to my grandparents in New Bradwell (nr todays Milton Keynes) for the first
six weeks of the war but that first year was very quiet and I was soon home.

We were all issued with gasmasks - I understand that in fact they would have been pretty
ineffective in the event of a gas attack, and were awfully smelly. We had gas mask drills
at school to get used to them. They had to be taken everywhere and came in a brown
cardboard box with string on to wear over your shoulder. Going out at night became
quite a business as you also had to have a torch (partially blacked out) to see where you
were going. Windows had to have dark curtains so no light appeared on the outside, and
were also criss-crossed with tape in case of bomb blast. Another thing we all had were
Identification cards and we all had to memorize the number - I can still quote mine
though often have trouble remembering our phone number.

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My school was at the top of our road and probably not very far though it seemed a long
way in those days. My mother was always reminding me that if the air raid siren went
then I had to knock on a door and ask for shelter until it was all over - can you imagine
telling a child that today? We had air raid drill at school when we all went into the
shelter, read comics and ate our Horlicks tablets - it beat lessons any day - and the
shelter smelt very musty and damp. As so many schools were bombed we had to share
our school with others which meant half day schooling - not that we minded that. Also,
if there had been an air raid and it started before a certain time, then we didn't have to
go in so early.

One occasion I still remember well was when my mother took me to the cinema one
afternoon to see a Deanna Durbin film - half way through the siren went - and no-one
moved. Then there was a couple of loud thumps and the audience rose as a man and
quietly made their way out. We were just in time to see the German bombers dropping
their bombs on the Standard car factory - which was very exciting (I thought). Another
time we were having a picnic and several German planes flew overhead. All wartime
children could recognize our planes and theirs. At no time can I ever remember feeling
frightened - in fact we all thought it was pretty exciting. For boys, carving planes from
balsa wood was a favorite pastime.

During November Coventry had three very big air raids. Each night when the siren
sounded we went into the Anderson shelter which was shared with the family next door
- grandma, two wives, two girls and a rather smelly terrier - the budgerigar was left
inside! Being the smallest, I slept in a hammock - great fun. I had a special "siren suit"
(like Winston Churchill's) in bottle green and there was always a packet of Marmite
sandwiches. During a lull in the bombing we would go outside to see the sky lit up like a
gigantic firework display, but mostly I slept through it all - good training as it still takes a
lot to wake me up once asleep. I never gave a thought to how worried the grown-ups
must have been - not knowing if their husbands were safe - they were both air raid
wardens - and never knowing where the next bomb would drop. And the amazing thing
is their fear never transferred itself to me - either they were very good at hiding it or
else I was totally insensitive! After one raid my mother insisted we walk into the city

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centre as she had taken a pair of shoes to the repairers and wanted to make sure the
shop was still standing. As no buses were running it was quite a long walk - but the shop
was still there and the sight of the cathedral burning will stay with me forever.

Then my mother decided that her family in Rugby would be worried about us so we
cycled the 10 or 12 miles over to Rugby though I think my Dad must have pushed me
most of the way.

Food was rationed of course and when I see the small amounts we had in those days I
can hardly believe it. Everyone dug up their flower beds and planted vegetables instead
to eke out the rations. My mother made sponge cakes with dried eggs - they rose about
half an inch and were like lead to eat. But we were never hungry though now I wonder
how little my parents ate so that I shouldn't go hungry. It does make you wonder how
they kept going - never getting a decent night's sleep, constant worrying, days without
gas, water or electricity. I'm not sure we would cope as well as they did.

1) Where was the writer living when war broke out?

a) New Bradwell.
b) Coventry.
c) Milton Keynes.
d) Rugby.
e) Germany.

2) What does the writer mean when she says that the "first year was very quiet"?

a) She was away so could not hear the bombs.

b) The heavy bombing did not start until later in the war.
c) She was too young to notice at that time.
d) There wasn't any fighting.
e) The war hadn't really started.

3) Why were the windows criss-crossed with tape?

a) To stop the gas getting in.

b) To make it dark.
c) To stop the glass coming in if there was a bomb blast.
d) To stop the gas getting out.
e) To make them stand out.

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4) Why did the author have to go to school for only half a day?

a) She was very young.

b) It was closed for half a day.
c) They had to share the buildings with children from another school.
d) The school had been bombed.
e) There had been an air-raid.

5) In what tense is the recount mostly written?

a) Present tense.
b) Future tense.
c) Third person.
d) Past tense.
e) Second person.

6) Read through to the end of the text. How would you describe how the writer felt
during the war?

a) Scared.
b) Extremely frightened.
c) Worried.
d) Not particularly frightened.
e) Very scared.

7) What sort of building was bombed by the Germans? (Read paragraph four).

a) A cinema.
b) A shop.
c) A car factory.
d) An “Anderson” shelter.
e) A shoe factory.

8) What is the main topic of the fifth paragraph?

a) Anderson shelters.
b) Sirens.
c) Sleeping through the air-raid.
d) The bombing of Coventry.
e) Walking into Coventry.

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9) What sight does the author particularly remember from the Coventry air-raids?

a) The bombs dropping.

b) The cathedral burning.
c) The family and pets next door.
d) The “Anderson” shelter.
e) The city centre shops.

10) Why did so many people dig up their flower beds?

a) They did not like them anymore.

b) They did not have time to grow flowers.
c) To make room for shelters.
d) Flowers were not allowed.
e) To grow vegetables to eat.

Exercise 4. Read the following statements and answer the questions

below.

KEY EVENTS
1939
 Hitler invades Poland on 1 September. Britain and France declare war on
Germany two days later.
Question 1 - France declared war on Germany…

a) on 3 September.
b) two days after Hitler invaded Poland.
c) on the second on September.
d) many years ago.

1940

 Rationing starts in the UK.

 German 'Blitzkrieg' (lightning war) overwhelms Belgium, Holland and
France.
 Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain.
 British Expeditionary Force evacuated from Dunkirk.
 British victory in Battle of Britain forces Hitler to postpone invasion plans.

Question 2 - Which country did Germany not invade?

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a) Belgium.
b) Britain.
c) France.
d) Holland.
1941

 Hitler begins Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of Russia.

 The Blitz continues against Britain's major cities.
 Allies take Tobruk in North Africa, and resist German attacks.
 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, and the US enters the war.

Question 3 - Hitler’s forces are now fighting …

a) on one front.
b) on two fronts.
c) on three fronts.
d) at Pearl Harbor.
1942

 Germany suffers setbacks at Stalingrad and El Alamein.

 Singapore falls to the Japanese in February - around 25,000 prisoners taken.
 American naval victory at Battle of Midway, in June, marks turning point in
Pacific War.
 Mass murder of Jewish people at Auschwitz begins.

Question 4 - 1942 was …

a) a successful year for the German army.

b) a year when much clemency was shown to prisoners.
c) the beginning of a change in the fortunes of the war.
d) the year when submarines were invented.
1943

 Surrender at Stalingrad marks Germany's first major defeat.

 Allied victory in North Africa enables invasion of Italy to be launched.
 Italy surrenders, but Germany takes over the battle.
 British and Indian forces fight Japanese in Burma.

Question 5 - Which sentence is correct.

a) Burmese and Indians fight British forces in Japan.

b) Japan forces Burmese to fight Indians in Britain.
c) Japanese forces are fought by Indian and British armies in Burma.

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d) Indians help British forces to fight Burmese in Japan.

1944

 Allies land at Anzio and bomb monastery at Monte Cassino.

 Soviet offensive gathers pace in Eastern Europe.
 D Day: The Allied invasion of France. Paris is liberated in August.
 Guam liberated by the US Okinawa, and Iwo Jima bombed.

Question 6 - The war in Europe is …

a) all but over.

b) Over.
c) still raging.
d) just commencing.
1945

 Auschwitz liberated by Soviet troops.

 Russians reach Berlin: Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders on 7
May.
 Truman becomes President of the US on Roosevelt's death, and Attlee
replaces Churchill.
 After atomic bombs are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
surrenders on 14 August.

Question 7 - How much longer does the war in the Pacific last?

a) A couple of months.
b) 3 weeks.
c) Just over three months.
d) A few days.

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LISTENING SKILL
Audio 1. Exercise 1. For questions 1 - 8, choose the answer (a, b or c)
which fits best according to what you hear.
1) When did United States enter World War Two?
a) In November of 1941.
b) When Japanese forces attacked the American naval base in Pearl Harbor.
c) When Hitler declared war against the US.

2) What position did Franklin Roosevelt hold in the Navy during World War One?
a) Assistant secretary.
b) The General Counsel.
c) Naval Legal Officer.

3) What steps did Roosevelt take to increase arms production?

a) He set up new administrative units.
b) He established new government agencies.
c) He established new executive agencies.

4) What types of measures did Roosevelt take after the Japanese attack?
a) He decreased his demands on weapons.
b) He increased his requirements on vessels.
c) He increased his demands on American industry.

5) When did Roosevelt organize a special committee?

a) A month after the Pearl Harbor raid.
b) A week after the Pearl Harbor raid.
c) Two months after the pearl Harbor raid.

6) According to the text, federal spending increased …

a) fourteen times in five years.
b) fifteen times in four years.
c) fifteen times in five years.

7) What steps did Roosevelt take to get the money for the spending?
a) He obliged the American people to lend money to the government.
b) He increased income taxes.
c) He decreased the salaries.

8) What were the consequences of the great increase in public spending?

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a) The treat of high inflation raised.

b) American didn´t agree with the idea of price control.
c) Federal officials denied to comply with the price control regulation.

Audio 2. Exercise 2. For questions 1 - 9, choose the answer (a, b or c)

which fits best according to what you hear.

1) Who was the first person recorded to use written codes to keep his communications
secret?

a) Julius Caesar.
b) King Harold.
c) Tutankhamun.

2) In what part of England did the story start?

a) North.
b) West.
c) South.

3) What did the man find in the rubbish from the chimney?
a) Pigeon´s leg.
b) Pigeon´s carcass.
c) Pigeon´s wing.

4) What kind of message was found inside the container?

A. Publicity message.
B. Military message.
C. Private message.

5) Why were birds used to carry messages during the Second World War?
a) Because the army units couldn´t put up an aerial for a wireless transmission.
b) Because the German forces were constantly surveilling traditional
communication methods.
c) Because it was slow and dangerous for soldiers to deliver messages.

6) What word is used to describe the process of understanding a code?

a) Break.
b) Crack.
c) Snap.

7) What kind of code are they talking about?

a) Heimdall.

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b) Wotan.
c) One-time pad.

8) According to the text, the meaning of random is …

a) predictable.
b) with no pattern.
c) foreseeable.

9) What type of information will help to locate the key?

a) The identity of the person to whom the pigeon was sent.
b) The method used to send the message.
c) The route followed by a pigeon.

Audio 3. Exercise 3. For questions 1 - 9, choose the answer (a, b or c)

which fits best according to what you hear.
1. What event led to the end of World War Two in Europe?
a) British troops assault.
b) D-Day invasion.
c) The Soviet Army invasion.

2. What date was the invasion planned for?

a) 5 June, 1944.
b) 5 July, 1944.
c) 4 June, 1944.

3. The delay was forced because of …

a) A storm.
b) An enemy attack.
c) Fears of political backlash.

4. What kind of strategy did Eisenhower use?

a) To attack at Calais.
b) To make an assault upon Dunkerque.
c) To strike along the French coast of Normandy.

5. When did Allied soldiers parachute behind German lines?

a) In the morning of 6 June.
b) On the night of 5 June.
c) On the night of 5 July.

6. Hitler ordered his troops to …

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a) join the fight.

b) retreat.
c) move towards Calais.

7. German forces defeated British “Red Devil” troops at …

a) Eindhoven.
b) Arnhem.
c) Nijmegen.

8. What was one of the most terrible events of the war?

a) German attack at Stalingrad.
b) The siege of Warsaw.
c) Stalin´s betrayal of Poland.

9. Why did Stalin hold his forces outside Warsaw?

a) To prevent a massacre.
b) Because he feared for Soviet troops safety.
c) To ensure a government allied to Moscow.

Audio 4. Exercise 4. Listen to the excerpt from Sankei Shimbun newspaper

and fill in the blanks.
Two Japanese men (1) ________ to be World War II soldiers have (2) __________ from
a Philippine jungle. Yoshio Yamakawa, 87, and Tsuzuki Nakauchi, 83, claim they have
been on the southern island of Mindanao since being (3) __________ there in the early
1940s, perhaps as early as 1941, the year Japan invaded the Philippines. It is believed
they may not know of Japan’s (4) __________ in August 1945 to Allied forces. They had
apparently been living in an area on Mindanao held by separatist (5) ________ who have
long been engaged in a conflict with the Philippine army. The two octogenarians still had
their WWII army (6) ________, in verification of their claims to have been left behind
after the war ended.

The veterans’ existence (7) _________ after they were discovered by a Japanese (8)
________ who was collecting the remains of war dead. Japan’s Sankei Shimbun daily
newspaper said the elderly (9) ________ want to be repatriated, but fear facing a court
martial and execution for (10) ________the front lines. Officials from the Japanese
Embassy met the men Friday, May 27, to try to confirm their identities. Reports indicate
another 40 former Japanese soldiers may (11) __________ in the same mountains.

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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said: “It is a surprise if it’s true. We are checking it
now.” The last WWII-era soldier to (12) ___________ from the Philippine jungles was
Hiroo Oona in 1974. He refused to believe the war had ended.

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TRANSCRIPTS

Audio 1. Exercise 1.

The United States entered the Second World War in December of forty-one. Europe had
already been at war since nineteen thirty-nine. But the United States did not enter
World War Two until Japanese forces attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii.

The attack was a surprise. But American military and political leaders had believed that
the United States, sooner or later, would be pulled into the fighting. And they began to
prepare for war.

President Franklin Roosevelt had been assistant secretary of the Navy under President
Woodrow Wilson during World War One. He remembered how American troops were
not ready for that war. Now that he was president, Roosevelt wanted to be sure that
the United States would be ready when it had to fight.

Throughout nineteen forty-one, Roosevelt urged American industries to produce more

weapons and other military supplies. He established new government agencies to work
with industry to increase arms production.

Some business leaders resisted Roosevelt's efforts. They felt there was no need to
produce more arms while the United States was still at peace. But many others
cooperated. And by the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the American economy was
producing millions of guns and other weapons.

Still, this was not enough to fight a war. After the Japanese attack, Roosevelt increased
his demands on American industry. He called for sixty thousand warplanes, forty-five
thousand tanks and twenty-thousand anti-aircraft guns. And he wanted all these within
one year.

A month after the Pearl Harbor raid, Roosevelt organized a special committee to direct
military production. He created another group to help companies find men and women
for defense work. And he established a new office where the nation's best scientists and
engineers could work together to design new weapons.

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These new government organizations faced several problems. Sometimes factories

produced too much of one product and not enough of another. Sometimes tools broke.
And some business owners refused to accept government orders.

But the weapons were produced, and American troops soon had the guns and supplies
they needed.

The federal government had to quickly expand its own workforce to meet war needs.
Federal spending increased from six billion dollars in nineteen forty to eighty-nine billion
in nineteen forty-four. That was fifteen times as much spending in just five years.

Roosevelt had to take strong steps to get the money for all this spending. He put limits
on wages. He increased income taxes to as much as ninety-four percent on portions of
incomes over two hundred thousand dollars. And he asked the American people to lend
money to the federal government. The people answered by purchasing almost one
hundred billion dollars in war bonds.

The great increase in public spending raised the threat of high inflation. Roosevelt
created a special office with the power to control prices. Many Americans agreed with
the idea of price controls. But every business wanted somebody else's prices controlled,
not their own.

Federal officials had to work hard to keep prices and supplies under control. They
restricted how much meat, fuel and other goods people could buy.

The price control program generally worked. It´s success kept the American economy
strong to support the troops fighting in Europe and Asia.

One reason these strong economic steps worked was because most of the American
people fully supported the war effort.

Audio 2. Exercise 2.

Callum: Hello I’m Callum and this is 6 Minute English. With me today is Neil, hello Neil.

Neil: Hi Callum .

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 WORLD WAR II

Callum: In today’s program we’re going to be looking at an interesting story of war,

secret messages, codes and …

Neil: And, and what?

Callum: Pigeons.

Neil: Pigeons?

Callum: Yes, pigeons.

Neil: Those birds that are everywhere in London?

Callum: That’s it.

Neil: Well, what do they have to do with war, secret messages and codes?

Callum: Well, we’ll find out after today’s question. A question about codes. Who is the
first person recorded using written codes to keep his or her communications secret?
Was its Roman emperor, Julius Caesar, English king, Harold or Egyptian pharaoh,
Tutankhamun?

Neil: I have no idea whatsoever. So, I’m going to go for the English king, Harold. For no
reason at all.

Callum: OK. We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the program. Now, back to the
pigeons.

Neil: Yes, I am intrigued.

Callum: It all started when a man was cleaning out the chimney of his house in the south
of England. In the rubbish from the chimney he found a pigeon’s leg. Attached to the leg
was a small container and inside the container was a message written in code. From
details on the paper it was clear this was a military message from the Second World War.

Neil: Were birds really used to carry messages during the Second World War?

Callum: Well here’s BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera answering that question
and also explaining why. What reason does he give?

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Gordon Corera: There were important messages carried by pigeon. Particularly, the
theory is, that this might have been an army unit, in Europe, on the move, and it was on
the move and basically it was moving so fast it couldn’t put up an aerial for a wireless
transmission to be sent so they would quickly release a pigeon with a quick message.

Callum: So why would they use a pigeon, rather than the radio?

Neil: He says that when an army unit was moving fast they might not have had time to
put up an aerial and it would have been quicker just to release a pigeon with a message.
Of course, pigeons can be trained to fly back to a particular place.

Callum: That’s right and in fact the military used over 250,000 pigeons to send messages
during the Second World War.

Neil: So, what was the message that the pigeon was carrying?

Callum: Ah, well, the truth is, they don’t know, they have no idea.

Neil: What, even with all the power of modern computers and the best minds.

Callum: Yes, here’s Gordon Corera again talking about the message. What word does he
use to describe the process of understanding a code?

Gordon Corera: They’ve been looking for a few weeks, the truth is that it was designed
not to be cracked easily.

Callum: What word does he use, Neil?

Neil: He says the code was designed not to be ‘cracked’ easily. We use the verb ‘to crack’
when talking about codes.

Callum: So, the code is designed not be cracked easily. Let’s hear a little bit more about
what kind of code it might be. Here’s more from the BBC’s Gordon Corera who mentions
one of the ways this code might have been created.

Gordon Corera: One is using something called a one-time pad which is a technique
where you apply a random key to a code and if you keep that secure and it’s truly
random, it is basically unbreakable.

Callum: What kind of code is he talking about here?

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Neil: A code created with what’s called a ‘one-time pad’. As I understand it, if you think
of a code like a lock, what do you need to open a lock?

Callum: Well you need a key to open a lock.

Neil: That’s right, and if you don’t have the key and there is no record of what the key
was like or who made it or where it was kept, you’re going to have a problem.

Callum: You won’t be able to open the lock.

Neil: Exactly. With a code created with a one-time pad there is only one key and it’s only
used once. After that, it’s destroyed. Without the key you can’t crack the code – it’s an
uncrackable or unbreakable code.

Callum: Gordon said that key should be random.

Neil: That’s right. If something is ‘random’, it means there is no pattern to it. It’s not
predictable or repeatable. And, if the key is truly random they’ll never be able to crack
the code.

Callum: Unless they find the key! And that’s what they are hoping. Gordon Corera again.
What information are they hoping to find to help them?

Gordon Corera: What they are saying is without more contextual information, basically
who the sender was who the recipient was, when it was sent and exactly the identity of
the pigeon it may be impossible to crack it.

Callum: So, what extra information are they looking for?

Neil: They really need to find out who sent the pigeon, to whom it was sent and even
the identity of the pigeon itself. That information might help them locate the key.

So, I guess for the time being, the pigeon message will remain a mystery.

Callum: Well, perhaps not.

Neil: What do you mean?

Callum: Well a man in Canada heard this story and he thinks he’s got the code book to
crack the message and he says it a much simpler code than has been thought.

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Neil: Really?

Callum: But unfortunately, we don’t have time to go into that now, but there is a link to
the story on our webpage.

Time now for the answer to the question. Who is the first person recorded using written
codes to keep his or her communications secret? Neil, you said:

Neil: I said King Harold in England.

Callum: And the correct answer is actually Emperor Julius Caesar. And there’s in fact a
Caesar Cipher, which is a kind of code which is attributed to Julius Caesar. It’s a very
simple one actually, that each letter is just moved three places along. So, instead of
writing ‘A’, he wrote ‘D’. And instead of writing ‘B’ it would have been ‘E’. So, perhaps
not a particularly difficult code to crack. These days, anyway. Well, that’s all from us
today. Thank you very much Neil, goodbye.

Neil: Goodbye.

Audio 3. Exercise 3.

This week marks the anniversary of the D-Day invasion of June sixth, nineteen forty-four.

It was largest amphibious assault in history, and it led to the end of World War Two in

Europe. Allied forces stormed the beaches at Normandy, France. The invasion marked a

turning point in the war in Europe, as Hitler’s hold on the continent began to crumble.

On today’s MAKING OF A NATION we take you back to that event, beginning with a

decision by the Allied Commander General Dwight David Eisenhower.

(On June fifth, nineteen forty-four, a huge Allied force waited for the order to invade

German-occupied France. The invasion had been planned for the day before. But a

storm forced a delay.

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At three-thirty in the morning, the Allied commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, was

meeting with his aides. The storm still blew outside the building.

General Eisenhower and the other generals were discussing whether they should attack

the next day.

A weatherman entered the room. He reported that the weather would soon improve.

All eyes turned toward Eisenhower. The decision was his. His face was serious. And for

a long time, he was silent. Finally, he spoke. "Okay," he said. "We will go." And so, the

largest military invasion ever known, D-Day, took place on June sixth, nineteen-forty-

four.

The German leader, Adolph Hitler, had known the invasion was coming. But he did not

know where the Allied force would strike. Most Germans expected the Allies would

attack at Calais. But they were wrong. Eisenhower planned to strike along the French

coast of Normandy, across the English Channel.

The Second World War was then almost five years old. The Germans had won the early

battles and gained control of most of Europe. But in nineteen forty-two and forty-three,

the Allies slowly began to gain back land from the Germans in North Africa, Italy and

Russia. And now, finally, the British, American, Canadian and other Allied forces felt

strong enough to attack across the English Channel.

Eisenhower had one hundred fifty thousand men and twelve thousand planes for the

attack. But most importantly, he had surprise on his side. Even after the invasion began,

General Erwin Rommel and other German military leaders could not believe that the

Allies had really attacked at Normandy. But attack they did. On the night of June fifth,

thousands of Allied soldiers parachuted behind German lines.

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Then Allied planes began dropping bombs on German defenses. And in the morning,

thousands of ships approached the beaches, carrying men and supplies. The battle

quickly became fierce and bloody. The Germans had strong defenses. They were better

protected than the Allied troops on the beaches. But the Allied soldiers had greater

numbers. Slowly they moved forward on one part of the coast, then another The Allies

continued to build up their forces in France. Within one week they brought nearly ninety

thousand vehicles and six hundred-thousand men into France. And they pushed ahead.

Hitler was furious. He screamed at his generals for not blocking the invasion. And he

ordered his troops from nearby areas to join the fight and stop the Allied force. But the

Allies would not be stopped.

In late August, the Allied forces liberated Paris from the Germans. People cheered wildly

as General Charles de Gaulle and Free French troops marched into the center of the city.

The Allies then moved east into Belgium. They captured the port of Antwerp. This made

it easier for them to send supplies and fuel to their troops.

Only when Allied troops tried to move into the Netherlands did the Germans succeed in

stopping them. American forces won battles at Eindhoven and Nijmegen. But German

forces defeated British "Red Devil" troops in a terrible fight at Arnhem. Germany's brief

victory stopped the Allied invasion for the moment. But in less than four months,

General Eisenhower and the Allied forces had regained almost all of France.

At the same time, in nineteen forty-four, the Soviets were attacking Germany from the

east. Earlier, Soviet forces had succeeded in breaking German attacks at Stalingrad,

Moscow and Leningrad. Soviet forces recaptured Russian cities and farms one by one.

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They entered Finland, Poland, and Romania. By the end of July, Soviet soldiers were just

fifteen kilometers from the Polish capital, Warsaw.

What happened next was one of the most terrible events of the war. Moscow radio

called on the people of Poland to rise up against the German occupation forces. Nearly

forty thousand men in the Polish underground army listened to the call. And they

attacked the Germans. The citizens of Warsaw probably could have defeated the

German occupation forces if the Soviet army had helped them.

But Soviet leader Josef Stalin betrayed the Poles. He knew that many members of the

Polish underground forces opposed Communism as much as they opposed the Germans.

He feared they would block his efforts to establish a new Polish government that was

friendly to Moscow.

For this reason, Stalin held his forces outside Warsaw. He waited while the Germans and

Poles killed each other in great numbers. The Germans finally forced the citizens of

Warsaw to surrender.

The real winner of the battle, however, was the Soviet Union. Both the Germans and the

Poles suffered heavy losses during the fighting. The Soviet Army had little trouble taking

over the city with the help of Polish Communists. And after the war, the free Polish

forces were too weak to oppose a Communist government loyal to Moscow.

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SPEAKING SKILL

Exercise 1. WELCOME TO THE 21st CENTURY.

 You are head of the repatriation committee for the returning soldiers. They have
had no contact with the outside world for 60 years. Your job is to bring them up
to date on the important events of the past six decades.

 In pairs / groups, decide on the two most essential things they need to know
about the following five areas (you must decide the fifth category):

World history.

International relations.

Sports.

Technology.

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Your choice.

Change partners / groups and compare your choices. Discuss which of your
choices are best and combine them so that you both / all agree.

Exercise 2. Role play the “updating” session between the

repatriation committee member and "the totally in-the-dark war
veteran" (who will have many questions!!).

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WRITING SKILL

Choose one of the following topics and develop it into a first-person

narrative or a letter.

 Pretend you are a European living during World War II. Write a first-
person account of the events you witnessed during the war.

 Write a letter to a survivor explaining how you will honour the

"Never forget" motto.
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