European War Trivia

1. In 1943, following the defeat of the Afrika Korps in North Africa, the Allies turned their attention to Europe with a plan to invade Sicily. What name was given to this plan?

From Quiz The Man Who Never Was

Answer: Operation Husky

Following the successful conclusion of the North African campaign in late 1942, Allied planners began to consider the next planned target. With an invasion of France not considered feasible until 1944, Winston Churchill proposed to use the forces in North Africa to attack what he called 'Europe's soft underbelly', with the potential targets being either Sicily, from where control of the Mediterranean could be achieved, or Greece, sandwiching the German forces between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union's forces. In January 1943, Sicily was selected, a choice that was regarded as obvious, with Churchill supposedly commenting "Everyone but a bloody fool would know that it's Sicily". So, a major deception operation, codenamed Operation Barclay, was launched in an effort to fool the Germans into thinking that the target was elsewhere. Part of this deception operation was the plan that ultimately evolved into Operation Mincemeat.

From Quiz The Second World War at Home in Britain

Answer: Vera Lynn

Dame Vera Lynn was a singer, songwriter and actress who was extremely popular during the Second World War. The most famous songs she performed were 'We'll Meet Again' and 'The White Cliffs of Dover'. As part of the ENSA she travelled to India and Burma to entertain the troops. The full name of ENSA was the Entertainments National Service Association, often jokingly referred to as 'Every Night Something Awful'.

From Quiz Siege of Malta in WWII

Answer: Italy

Malta is situated only about 50 miles (80 kilometres) to the south of Italy. At the time of WWII, it was a British colony, becoming independent in 1964. Because of its location, Malta was a useful base for the British Mediterranean Fleet, but its proximity to Italy made it vulnerable once the war began.

From Quiz Battle of the Scheldt (Clearing Walcheren and Beve

Answer: 4th September 1944

On September 4, Antwerp was taken by British XXX Corp under the command of General Brian Horrocks with its harbour 90% intact.

From Quiz Allied Amphibious Operations 1939-1945

Answer: 18th August 1942

Primarily an operation pushed for political reasons rather than military necessity, the predominantly Canadian Force suffered cruelly in this rather one sided assault. Casualties were high with 907 killed, 586 wounded and 1,946 captured.

From Quiz You Think You Know About Éire (Ireland) in WWII? 2

Answer: 10

Until 1938 and the transfer of the treaty ports to Éire (Ireland), the UK was responsible for the defence of Irish waters. Therefore in May 1939 the Irish Government ordered 2 Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB's) from the UK. This order was increased to 6 and the Marine and Coast Watching Service was established in September 1939. Ireland finished the war with 10 vessels 6 MTB's and 4 assorted vessels and 300 personel.

From Quiz You Think You Know About Éire (Ireland) in WWII? 1

Answer: The British Commonwealth

The Irish Free State was established in 1922 as a Dominion of the British Commonwealth of Nations. The Irish Free State, and from 1937 Éire (Ireland), remained part of the Commonwealth until the Oireachtas Éireann, (the legislature of Ireland), passed the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 which came into force on 18 April 1949 declaring Éire a republic. Therefore during World War II Éire was a member of the British Commonwealth and the only member of that organisation not to declare war on Germany.

From Quiz The Greatest Raid of All

Answer: To destroy the dry dock

The St Nazaire Raid, was a British raid on a German held dock that was conducted on the 28th of March, 1942. The goal of this raid was to destroy a dry dock which would deny the Germans the ability to repair their larger ships, thus denying those ships operations in the Atlantic.

From Quiz Battle of France 1940 - First Phases

Answer: Vianden

Most of Guderian's panzers crossed in and left Luxembourg without any engagements. Their first encounter with serious road obstacles was at Martelange, a Belgian town right on the Luxembourg border.

From Quiz The Battle of Monte Cassino

Answer: In the Apennines

Monte Cassino occupies a rocky promontory in the Apennines, the mountain chain that runs North-South through central Italy.

From Quiz They Stop Nazi Art Thieves, Don't They?

Answer: homes, places of worship, museums, and universities

There were only 345 men and women from thirteen different countries in the Monuments Men who were searching for works stolen from homes, churches, synagogues, museums, and universities by the Nazis.

From Quiz The Siegfried Line

Answer: WWI

The Hindenburg Line ("Siegfriedstellung") was mainly built during the winter of 1916-1917 in WWI, in northern France, and is a completely different defence line from the WWII Siegfried Line. The Allies just borrowed the name.

From Quiz WWII British Airborne Forces

Answer: 1940

The British Airborne Programme was developed in 1940 by Winston Churchill who suggested the 'butcher and bolt' raiding forces. The paratroopers would eventually leave behind raiding to spearhead the liberation of occupied countries.

From Quiz Code Names of WWII Operations

Answer: Operation Himmler

"Operation Himmler" was not a regular military operation. It was an attempt by Germany to make Poland appear as the aggressor, to justify the invasion soon to come. Several German buildings were stormed and vandalized by Germans disguised as polish soldiers. The best known is the radio station "Sender Gleiwitz". This operation was mainly carried out 31 August 1939.

From Quiz Double Agent

Answer: Arthur Owens

He was spotted as a likely recruit while he was in Germany in 1936, trying to get orders for his company which produced batteries for ships. Being short of cash, he accepted the offer. On his trial run he brought back details on German ships. Hayward is the author of the book about his life. Robertson was his British 'handler'. Lily Bade was a lover he set up at a house in Surrey.

From Quiz The Dam Busters

Answer: Operation Chastise

The Allies during World War II were continuously finding new ways to disrupt and paralyse enemy targets and one of those was Operation Chastise. Targeting dams in the industrial area of Germany would greatly reduce hydro-electric power vital to their steel industry and also the canal transport system used for shipping coal and oil. It was hoped that destroying supplies to munitions factories would reduce the length of the war.

From Quiz Fall Gelb: The 1940 Blitzkrieg

Answer: Lightning War

The Lightning War was first put into practice during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. The main feature is the co-ordinated use of tanks (panzers) and planes.

From Quiz Bamse - The War Hero

Answer: Saint Bernard Dog

Bamse was a huge Saint Bernard dog weighing some 89 kilograms. As rations were low during World War II Bamse would appear at local butchers shops and usually be rewarded, possibly on the grounds of his size!

From Quiz The Ghost Army: America's Fighting Artists

Answer: the 'A' Force

The "A Force", initiated by British General Wavell, specialized in subterfuge and counter-intelligence. A smaller wing was led by Jasper Maskelyne, an English stage magician, that was known as the "Magic Gang." They are best known for their re-creation of the nightlights of Alexandria on the surface of a bay three miles offshore, and hiding the Suez Canal using mirrors and lights. Like the 'A' Force, the Ghost Army used deception to trick the Germans.

From Quiz The German Army in WWII

Answer: White

Branch of service colours are known as 'Waffenfarben' in German.

From Quiz Hitler's Generals

Answer: Heinz Guderian

General Heinz Guderian was the foremost theorist and pioneer of German armored tactics. Without his innovative ideas on armored warfare, Germany's success in the opening phases of their Blitzkrieg would not have occurred. He was also one of the few generals who had the personal courage to stand up to Hitler.

From Quiz Italy: The Forgotten Campaign

Answer: Operation Husky

Operation Husky was the Allied code name for the invasion of Sicily. It was the beginning of the end of a Fascist dictatorship in Italy.

From Quiz Ten Key Blunders by Hitler

Answer: a large surface fleet

Instead of more U-boats, Hitler wanted a large surface fleet to rival that of the Royal Navy. This was impractical because Germany lacked the resources to build this fleet.

From Quiz Steal This Quiz!

Answer: Lime wood

"The Altarpiece of Veit Stoss", also known St. Mary's Altar, is a multiple panel altarpiece carved by Bavarian sculptor Veit Stoss between 1477 and 1489. Different kinds of wood were used for different parts of this triptych. The background is constructed of larch wood, the 12ft. tall individual sculptures were each carved from a tree trunk of lime wood and oak wood was used for other decorative parts. This work of art was recovered in 1946 after being hidden by the Nazi's in the basement of the Nuremberg Castle. It was turned back over to the Polish people who consider it a national treasure. Hitler claimed because the artist was born in Nuremberg, that this piece of art belonged to Germany despite the fact it had been paid for by the private citizens of Krakow, Poland for their own church.

From Quiz The German Soldier in WWII

Answer: private

All of these titles denoted a private in the different arms of infantry in the German Army in WWII. A Waffen SS private was a Schuetze.

From Quiz The Normandy Campaign

Answer: hedgerows

The bocage area of Normandy contains hundreds of hedgerows which made a natural defensive barrier for a defender with automatic weapons and high velocity artillery. Why these formidable obstacles were never seriously considered by the Allies at the planning stage has never been adequately explained.

From Quiz The Siegfried Line Campaign, 1944

Answer: Market Garden

Although it came close, Market Garden was a complete failure, with 17,000 Allied soldiers lost. The loss is often blamed on lack of intelligence, and the arrogance of Allied commanders. The failure to see or take note of two SS Panzer Divisions was a crucial factor, subjecting the operation to its fate.

From Quiz Operation Valkyrie: July 20, 1944

Answer: Suppress any mass uprising by the German population

The conspirators were aware that assassinating Hitler would not, in itself, give them control of the machinery of government. Operation Valkyrie was a pre-existing contingency plan that involved the seizing of the government, mainly by the SS. The conspirators decided to use this plan initially and then abort it once control of the government had been wrested from the Nazi leadership. Later, the term 'Operation Valkyrie' was extended to include the actual assassination attempt.

From Quiz The Fall of France, 1940

Answer: Verdun

Verdun and its horrors were ingrained in the soul of France. Almost 500,000 battle casualties and the mutiny of its army, along with distrust of Germany, shaped defense policy after the Great War.

From Quiz Churchill and Hitler Before the War

Answer: Schicklgruber was Hitler's dad's original surname

Alois Schicklgruber (Hitler's father) changed his name to Hitler in 1876 (thirteen years before Adolf Hitler's birth). Years later, Hitler said that nothing his father had done had pleased him so much as to have changed the name. It's to be imagined that 'Heil Schicklgruber!' would have raised more titters than it would have raised support for the Nazi cause.

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Last Updated Nov 18 2024 2:10 PM

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