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Quiz about Blitzkrieg
Quiz about Blitzkrieg

10 Question History Quiz: Blitzkrieg | World War II


The history of World War II has been explored thoroughly but even aspects of the war in Europe are not well known. How well do you know these less documented battles and events?

A multiple-choice quiz by rnddude. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
rnddude
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
356,453
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
424
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. On 30 November 1939 the Soviet Union entered a conflict with Finland because the Finns refused the Soviet Union's request for military access. The first battles were fought along the Mannerheim line and though these battles were hard fought the Soviets were eventually able to overpower the Finns. Soon after the Finns proclaimed defeat after the Red Army captured which city? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In July 1941 the Germans and the Finns began Operation Arctic Fox, they were attempting to capture the port of Murmansk and the railway at Kandalaksha. If successful the key supply route from the West to the Soviet Union would be have been cut off. However, despite initial success the operation was declared a failure. Which of these did NOT contribute to its failure? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The Norwegian campaign was a campaign fought between the Allies and Axis in Norway and in Norwegian territorial waters. This campaign would be a decisive victory for the Germans and both Denmark and Norway would become Nazi occupied. Following which event did the Nazis begin the campaign? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The First Vienna Award involved, among other things, the formal annexation of part of Czechoslovakia by Germany on November 2nd 1938, but two other countries also gained territory, too. Which of these countries did NOT receive any territory from the award? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The Bismarck-Class battleship Tirpitz was the only ship of its class, apart from Bismarck itself, to be completed. Following which operation was the RAF finally successful in wrecking the ship? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The Bismarck is famous for sinking the Hood. However, the ship's intended purpose was to participate in a wider operation to force Britain to surrender through starvation. The British were heavily dependent upon merchant ships to bring in food and raw materials and would have starved if these essentials had not been able to enter the country. What Operation was Bismarck involved in? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The Battle of Crete was the first battle in recorded history where what type of troops was mainly used? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. For a period of time the Germans also planned to invade the neutral state of Switzerland. However after several revisions the invasion of Switzerland still had not happened. The final revision was codenamed what? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which of the following sieges was the most destructive and costly (in terms of lives) in WWII? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Following the surrender of Italy in September of 1943 the British attempted to capture which islands in an attempt to invade the Nazi controlled Balkans? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. On 30 November 1939 the Soviet Union entered a conflict with Finland because the Finns refused the Soviet Union's request for military access. The first battles were fought along the Mannerheim line and though these battles were hard fought the Soviets were eventually able to overpower the Finns. Soon after the Finns proclaimed defeat after the Red Army captured which city?

Answer: Viipuri

While it took time for the Red Army to win these battles the following ones were more easily won and the Finnish were forced to surrender to the Soviet Union. Their first admission of defeat came on March 5th after the Red Army had captured Viipuri but it was not until a week later that a formal peace treaty was signed by the Finnish in Moscow.

Interestingly, the Finnish had once before been in conflict with the Soviet Union - during the Finnish Civil War of 1918 - and since the Finns and Soviet Union had never signed a peace treaty the Finns were still technically at war with the Soviets. At the same time the White Finns and Red Finns, the two opposing Finnish sides that led to civil war, were also technically at war.
2. In July 1941 the Germans and the Finns began Operation Arctic Fox, they were attempting to capture the port of Murmansk and the railway at Kandalaksha. If successful the key supply route from the West to the Soviet Union would be have been cut off. However, despite initial success the operation was declared a failure. Which of these did NOT contribute to its failure?

Answer: The Finns sustained heavy casualties

The Finnish troops were very successful in their campaign in the East. Despite their earlier losses in the Winter War they were much more adept at fighting in Arctic conditions than the Germans and were able to inflict heavy damage to the Soviet troops.

However, due to an overstretched frontline the Finnish commander Hjalmar Siilasuo decided not to pursue the campaign any further and neither the port of Murmansk nor the railway at Kandalaksha were ever taken.
3. The Norwegian campaign was a campaign fought between the Allies and Axis in Norway and in Norwegian territorial waters. This campaign would be a decisive victory for the Germans and both Denmark and Norway would become Nazi occupied. Following which event did the Nazis begin the campaign?

Answer: The Altmark Incident

Both the Nazis and Allies were interested in Norway as it would provide a place from which to send assaults into Britain for the Nazis and into Germany for the Allies. The Altmark incident began when the Nazi ship the Altmark was discovered by the British.

The Nazis fled into Jossingfjord and were initially escorted by the Norwegian ships. However, once the British Navy arrived the Norwegians offered no support. This action would be the spark for the subsequent invasion of Norway.
4. The First Vienna Award involved, among other things, the formal annexation of part of Czechoslovakia by Germany on November 2nd 1938, but two other countries also gained territory, too. Which of these countries did NOT receive any territory from the award?

Answer: Romania

The First Vienna Award followed the Munich Agreement. Germany 'received' the Sudetenland (which it had already occupied), Hungary received southern Slovakia and southern Carpathian (Rus) and Poland received the Teschen region. However, Romania received no part of Czechoslovakia from either of the Vienna Awards, the only country bordering Czechoslovakia not to.
5. The Bismarck-Class battleship Tirpitz was the only ship of its class, apart from Bismarck itself, to be completed. Following which operation was the RAF finally successful in wrecking the ship?

Answer: Operation Catechism

While the ship never actually sunk the RAF was able to get it to capsize. The first attack had a direct hit on the ships bow completely penetrating the ship and causing tonnes of water to go aboard, the second however scored no hit and the third caused the ship to capsize.
6. The Bismarck is famous for sinking the Hood. However, the ship's intended purpose was to participate in a wider operation to force Britain to surrender through starvation. The British were heavily dependent upon merchant ships to bring in food and raw materials and would have starved if these essentials had not been able to enter the country. What Operation was Bismarck involved in?

Answer: Operation Rheinübung

Bismarck was not originally to be the only ship involved in this mission. However, due to the Scharnhort being in dry-dock, Gneisenau in Brest and under raid from the British, Tirpitz not yet ready for action and Hitler's impatience, only two ships were ever sent out, Bismark and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.
7. The Battle of Crete was the first battle in recorded history where what type of troops was mainly used?

Answer: Paratroopers

The Battle of Crete lasted approximately ten days, despite heavy casualties at the hands of civilians and Allied troops the Nazi's were able to capture Crete and thus occupy all of Greece.
8. For a period of time the Germans also planned to invade the neutral state of Switzerland. However after several revisions the invasion of Switzerland still had not happened. The final revision was codenamed what?

Answer: Operation Tannenbaum

Hitler openly hated the Swiss he is believed to have denounced them while in a conversation with Benito Mussolini and Galeazzo Ciano stating that the swiss were "a disgusting and miserable people" but despite this recognized them as Germans and in his hopes for creating Greater Germany had concluded that the German speaking Swiss would be accepted into the nation along with Bohemia-Moravia, The Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. Of the nations and regions that he wished to annex into a greater Germany only Austria and Bohemia-Moravia were ever successfully annexed.

However the operation was put on hold and eventually cancelled after the Allied invasion of Normandy.
9. Which of the following sieges was the most destructive and costly (in terms of lives) in WWII?

Answer: Siege of Leningrad (St Petersburg)

It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million Soviet citizens (soldiers and civilians) lost their lives during the 872 day siege of Leningrad.
10. Following the surrender of Italy in September of 1943 the British attempted to capture which islands in an attempt to invade the Nazi controlled Balkans?

Answer: Dodecanese

The Allies wanted to capture the Dodecanese and use them as bases for invading Nazi occupied Balkans. However after a month and a half of fighting the Allies lost and the Nazis captured the Dodecanese Islands. This was to be one of the last major Axis victories of WWII.
Source: Author rnddude

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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