D-Day and The Battle of Normandy Quiz

Answer: Operation Neptune

"D-Day" refers to the day on which the operation began. Likewise, "H-Hour" refers to the start time.
Regarding the other options: Operation Overlord refers to the large-scale operation of establishing a military presence in Normandy; hence, Neptune is the first phase of Overlord. Operation Archangel is a phrase I took off from the movie "Apocalypse Now", and Operation Barbarossa was the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Answer: Bad weather and rough seas

Stormy seas in the English channel made a seaborne invasion too risky on June 5. Even on the actual day, conditions were rough. But Eisenhower wanted a full moon and high tides to land the soldiers. To put it off any longer would have meant waiting for the next full moon. Landing in marginal weather helped catch the Germans off-guard as they didn't expect an invasion in such conditions.

The German commander, Erwin Rommel, had even left the coast to attend his wife's birthday party.

Answer: General Maxwell Taylor -- 101st Airborne

Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander, in charge of all forces operating in Europe, including American, British, Canadian, etc. Patton led the Third Army, famous for its speed to battle and armored infantry. Montgomery led First Army. And General Taylor commanded 101st Airborne, famous for roles in D-Day, Operation Market Garden in Holland, the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden.

Answer: Hedgerows

The hedgerows -- tall earthen embankments -- surrounded farmed fields throughout Normandy. It took only a few German soldiers with machine guns and an anti-tank gun to keep an entire Allied battalion from advancing. The hedgerows provided thick cover for German defenders, while Allied tanks couldn't climb over the embankments without exposing their vulnerable undersides.

The Siegried and Maginot Lines were near the French-German border. Dragon's Teeth were concrete obstacles set up on the Siegfried Line.

Answer: Nowhere

Operation Fortitude was a deception. The Allies made the Germans believe that the invasion of Europe would happen at Calais, the point of France closest to Britain. The Allies built fake tanks, planes and landing craft to fool the German reconnaisance planes.

It worked like a charm -- the Germans thought the Normandy landings were a diversion, and kept back reserves of tanks and troops in the Calais area to counter what they thought would be the "real" invasion.

Answer: paratroopers

I don't know why paratroopers were considered to have a more dangerous role. Glider pilots were also part of the airborne but didn't receive extra pay. Tank crews also faced great dangers. Meanwhile, medics were (and are) expected to expose themselves, unarmed, while tending to wounded troops.

Answer: rhino

The rhino tank was a Sherman tank with four or five iron "tusks" welded to the front. This allowed the tank to poke large holes in the hegerows so troops and vehicles could get through more easily. Originally these tusks were fashioned from German beach obstacles or roadblocks. After their success was realized, General Omar Bradley ordered more than 200 Shermans to be equipped this way.

Answer: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

Celebrated for his tactics commanding the Afrika Korps, Rommel was nicknamed the Desert Fox. He was later put in charge of defending the French coast. During his only voluntary leave of the war, Rommel went to Ulm, Germany, to celebrate his wife's birthday.

While away, the invasion began. By the time he returned, it was unstoppable. Rommel was wise enough to see the course the war was taking. He appealed to Hitler to end the war but of course was rejected. He was arrested for his part in a plot to assassinate Hitler. On 14th October 1944, Rommel committed suicide rather than endure a trial and almost certain execution.

He was buried with full military honors.

Answer: Juno

The first wave on Juno suffered 50 per cent casualties, the second highest of the five D-Day beachheads, second only to Omaha. Evan so, within hours the Canadians were off the beach and beginning their advance inland. The 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment was the only Allied unit to meet its June 6 objectives, when it crossed the Caen-Bayeux highway 15 kilometers inland.

Answer: Cobra

Beginning on 25th July 1944, the Allies used massive air bombardment west of St. Lo, France to soften up the enemy. Slowly but surely, Allied ground troops moved forward through the hedgerows. By the end of July, Cobra was a success, allowing the the Allies to get out of Normandy and begin their progress across France and Europe.