A Greenhorn's Guide to World War Two Quiz

Answer: The Treaty of Versailles

World War One was meant to be the "war to end all wars". The Treaty of Versailles aimed to prevent Germany from ever being an aggressor in Europe again. It placed the blame for the war completely on Germany and held her responsible for damage and losses suffered by all the Allied countries (except Russia). In addition, Germany lost large parts of her territory and population as well as some of her richer coal and iron producing areas. The harshness of the treaty and the fact that the German delegation had not even been allowed to negotiate caused widespread resentment amongst Germans, creating the perfect breeding ground for disaster.

Moreover, significant sections of the German population did not even believe that Germany had been defeated on the battlefield, and it is hard to imagine what kind of peace treaty, if any, these people would have found accceptable.

Answer: Adolf Hitler

Since Hitler accepted the Chancellorship from President von Hindenburg, the fate of Germany was from then bound to his own. It was his first appointment to any public office.

Answer: Germany and the USSR

The ten-year non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR ccame as a surprise, even a shock, since Communism and Nazism had previously expressed extreme mutual hostility. The pact removed the traditional German fear of having to wage war on two fronts.

It had a secret clause that divided Poland between Germany and Russia and gave the Soviets a free hand in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and certain areas of Romania. Soon afterwards Lithuania was added to the Soviet sphere in exchange for some additional territory in Poland.

Answer: Germany invaded Poland

On 1 September 1939, 41 German infantry division and 14 Panzer and motorized divisions as well as 2,300 aircraft attacked Poland. Around one million soldiers poured over the border, with very little standing in their way.

Answer: Neville Chamberlain

"...consequently this country is at war with Germany..." On that Sunday morning it was the voice of Neville Chamberlain sharing the dreaded news over the radio. Winston Churchill was reappointed First Lord of the Admiralty and became Prime Minister in May 1940. Clement Attlee was the Leader of the Opposition at the time and became Prime Minister in July 1945. Stanley Baldwin was Neville Chamberlain's immediate predeccsor.

Answer: The Netherlands, Belgium and France

As the German Army groups cut through the Ardennes into France, and through Netherlands and Belgium, the deadly effectiveness of the German war machine was displayed in all its might. Will it be possible to stop this lethal enemy?

(Germany had invaded Denmark and Norway in April 1940. In parts of Norway the fighting continued till June 1940).

Answer: Erich von Manstein

Erich von Manstein had a deep disgust for the futile, inconclusive and wasteful slogging of the World War One trench warfare. He proposed the lightning thrust through the Ardennes.

Answer: Seelöwe (Sealion)

Directive No.16 deals with Operation Sealion, the invasion of Britain. It proposed 260,000 men supported by 62,000 horses and 34,000 vehicles. A prerequisite for the invasion was total air superiority. Despite Goering's bold claims, it proved difficult to "wipe" the RAF from the skies.

Answer: German U-boats

Britain's merchant fleet was her lifeblood as the country had to import 70% of its food; it proved very vulnerable to U-boat attacks and huge amounts of much-needed shipping was sent to the bottom by this menace. With the invention of surface radar, combined with the cracking of the U-boat communications, the tables were slowly turned, and soon the much celebrated U-boat aces began to disappear.

Answer: Crete

Out of the clear blue sky came Kurt Student's hunters. In ten days 22,000 paras drove off more than 40,000 Allied soldiers, albeit at a high cost.

Answer: Bernard Montgomery

Bernard Law Montgomery's victory at El Alamein in 1942, made him the first British general to beat a German commander in a major land battle during World War Two. Monty employed every possible trick to enhance his chances for victory. He could be cautious and ruthless, patient and careful, a superb tactician who cared greatly about his subordinates. Montgomery was promoted to Field Marshal in 1944 and was created Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in 1946.

Answer: Barbarossa

For the assault on Russia, Germany mobilized the greatest war machine the world has ever seen. Three million men, 600,000 vehicles and 3,350 tanks stood poised to open Operation Barbarossa.

Answer: Attack on Pearl Harbor

In a carefully planned attack on the US fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor, Japan destroyed the US navy power in the Pacific in one bold stroke. In a few hours and without a official declaration of war, Japan destroyed more than 500 US and British aircraft in the Pacific and Far East as well as destroying or crippling all eight of the US Pacific Fleet's battleships in Pearl Harbor. However, the U.S. aircraft carriers were not at the base at the time.

Japan's "Blitzkrieg" in the Pacific would match that of Germany in Europe.

Answer: Midway

The battle of Midway signaled the end of Japanese supremacy in the Pacific. Three US carriers - USS Hornet, USS Enterprise and USS Yorktown engaged the Japanese and decisively defeated them, with a crippling loss of ships for the Japanese.

Answer: Kamikaze

Towards the end of the war Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi's kamikaze volunteers exceeded 1,460. These soldiers was both highly feared and respected. They came very close to crippling the Allied Pacific Fleet, sinking 11 ships and damaging a further 102.

Answer: Three weeks

Doenitz's Flensburg-based government was allowed to remain in power to help ensure that the surrender terms where carried out. On 23 May the last remnant of Nazi government came to an end when Doenitz, Jodl, Speer and a number of other Nazi leaders were arrested and escorted to prison.

Answer: Attlee and Truman

Roosevelt died on 12 April 1945 and was succeeded by Harry Truman. Winston Churchill was replaced by Clement Attlee in July after Britain's general election.

Answer: Hideki Tojo

Tojo tried to poison himself before being arrested, but failed. During his trial he mounted a powerful, disclosing defense of his actions and showed little remorse. Despite an extremely incompetent cross-examination by an alcoholic chief prosecutor, Tojo was found guilty of war crimes and was hanged in Sugano prison in December 1948.

Answer: Cigarettes

In the wake of total defeat and economic collapse, cigarettes became the basic unit of exchange. For example, a Leica camera could be bought for 25 cartons of cigarettes and be re-sold in America for $600. Everything could be obtained with cigarettes, from the services of a prostitute to a highly priced "Persil Certificate" which cleared the owner of any complicity in Nazism.

Answer: On the 2nd British Division's memorial at Kohima

These words would be appropriate on almost any war memorial in the world. Every person seeing this epitaph draws their own, often emotional conclusion.

(Kohima is in north-east India and, with Imphal, marks the furthest point of the Japanese advance into India. The battle there was prolonged (April-June 1944) and fierce. Soon the battlefield resembled those areas of France and Belgium that had experienced trench warfare in World War One).