WWII War Lit and its Authors Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jack Higgins

"The Eagle Has Landed," was made into a movie starring Robert Duvall, Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland. Jack Higgins was an early pseudonym for British author Harry Patterson. He has written under his true name, as well as pen names Martin Fallon, James Graham and Hugh Marlowe.

He spent much of his youth in Ireland, in which he has set a series of novels based upon protagonist Sean Dillon.

Answer: James Bassett

Bassett titled his 1962 novel "Harms Way" from a quote of John Paul Jones, "I wish to have no connection with a ship that doesn't sail fast, for I intend to go into harm's way." Naval officers Eddington and Powell were central characters. The novel's title was later revised into "In Harms's Way" for an Otto Preminger film starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Patricia Neal. Bassett served as a naval officer during WWII under Adm. William F. Halsey, and was a reporter for "The Los Angeles Times." He served on campaign committees for former U.S. VP and Presidential candidate Richard Nixon in 1952, 1956, and 1960.

He also wrote the 1971 novel "Commander Prince, USN."

Answer: Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir is considered one of the foremost philosophers of the existentialist school, as is her close friend and colleague Jean-Paul Sartre. Her fictional "The Blood of Others" is at once a story of the struggle of the French during the German occupation, and a philosophical study of a man's desperation, guilt, emptiness and wish to die.

It contains as an epigram the Dostoevsky quote "Each of us are responsible for everything and to every human being."

Answer: James Michener

Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" was a collection of short stories based upon his observations and imagination while serving as a naval historian, and won him a Pulitzer. It was adapted into the musical "South Pacific." Michener's short story "Until They Sail" was adapted by Robert Wise into a 1957 movie starring Paul Newman, with Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine, Piper Laurie, and a winsome Sandra Dee as the sisters.

Answer: Alistair MacLean

"Force 10 from Navarone" was Scottish novelist MacLean's, 1968 sequel to "The Guns of Navarone" (1957). He is an author known for developing many subplots, and creating a mystery around the mission. The central characters in both novels are Captain Keith Mallory and Corporal Dusty Miller. Among MacLean's many works are "Ice Station Zebra," "HMS Ulysses," "Where Eagles Dare," "Partisans," and "Lawrence of Arabia."

Answer: Ken Follett

The protagonist in "Eye of the Needle," is a German spy waiting to be extracted and returned to Germany with details of the D-Day invasion. A romance ensues between himself and a British woman with a crippled husband before she discovers his mission. Follett is a prolific writer and has written many thrillers, such as: "Hornet Flight," "On Wings of Eagles," "The Man from St. Petersburg," "Lie Down the Lions," "Jackdaws," "Pillars of the Earth," and "The Third Twin."

Answer: James Jones

Jones served in the Pacific, stationed at Scofield Barracks, Hawaii and Guadalcanal. His many books include "From Here to Eternity" (the book mentioned in the question), "Some Came Running" and his last novel "Whistle", which was completed after his death by Willie Morris.

Answer: Sy Bartlett and Beirne Lay

The novel, "Twelve O'Clock High," depicts the pressures upon American pilots flying daylight missions over German-held territory which required precision bombardiar skills and resulted in high losses. Davenport, Pritchard, Gately and Stovall were central characters. Bartlett and Lay relied upon their own experiences in writing the book, and assisted in the making of the 1949 film directed by Henry King and in which Gregory Peck portrayed Savage. Dean Jagger won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Harvey Stovall.

In the 1960s, Robert Lansing and Paul Burke portrayed Savage in the American television series of the same name.

Answer: Alex Kershaw

"The Longest Winter" is about the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the platoon's survival as POWs. Kershaw has a penchant for researching and crafting the stories of little known heroes from wartime. Kershaw's "Escape From The Deep" details the events of the sinking of the U.S.S. Tang, and the nine American crew members who survived but spent torturous years in Japanese captivity. "The Few" tells of the courageous American pilots who violated neutrality laws and fought alongside their British counterparts prior to Pearl Harbor and the American entry into WWII. "The Bedford Boys" is about the 22 Americans from small-town Bedford, Va. who lost their lives with the June 1944 invasion of Normandy and the friends and families who remember them.

Answer: Corrie ten Boom

Ten Boom published "The Hiding Place" in 1971. Among her many books is the 1976 "In my Father's House." Her father, Casper, was a watch repairman, and she was a licensed watchmaker. The entire Ten Boom family was arrested at their home in February 1944. Casper died within weeks of imprisonment, but Corrie (50 years old at the time) was released in December, 1944.

She was knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands and awarded Israel's "Righteous Among the Nations" award for her work during the war.

The Ten Boom family home in Haarlem, Holland is maintained as a museum. She died in Orange, California in 1983 at the age of 91.