Dunkirk Online Quiz | World War II

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. May 10th 1940 saw the emergence of 'Blitzkrieg' in the European war scene for the first time with devastating effects. A crack troop of German paratroopers landed at the gates of the heavily fortified Belgian fortress of Eben Emael. Using explosives and very quick manoevures, the concrete walls were blown to pieces and confusion reigned among the Belgian defenders. Within the space of 10 hours the Germans truimphed, and the use of panzers and superior air power helped the paratroopers take control and finally take Maastricht. The architect of this strike was General Erich von Manstein, but it was not his idea to use 'Blitzkrieg': this was the brainchild of a Panzer General who persuaded Adolf Hitler to use this form of warfare. Who was it?

Answer: Heinz Guderian

Nicknamed 'Fast', Guderian indeed invented the 'Blitzkrieg' concept. In fact Guderian's idea was so clever that once the XIX Panzer Corps had broken through Sedan, it was almost impossible for it to stop except on order from a superior. His superiors felt the need to put a brake on the advance as the infantry and supply units were unable to keep up. Hitler ordered the advance to stop so they could re-group. It took Guderian two days to persuade the F�hrer to change his mind. However, by then it was too late, the Allied defences around Dunkirk had been hardened and the great evacuation had begun.
General Erwin Rommel was Commander of the 7th ("Ghost") Panzer division and would go on to greater things.
General Paul Ewald von Kleist was a Panzer Commander that broke through at the Ardennes.
General Walther von Reichenau was Commander of the 6th Army at Maastricht who led his troops to victory in Brussels.

2. When the Germans invaded France and the Low Countries it was said that the Allies had far fewer tanks than those of the ten Panzer divisions in action. However, this was not the case, in fact the German's mustered 2,349 tanks, whilst the French and the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) had a combined total of 3,310 tanks. What significant difference between the two rival forces helped the Germans overcome their numerical disadvantage?

Answer: Very few British and French commanders had much grasp of mechanized warfare

On the other hand, the Germany Army had made a point of training many of its officers in mechanized warfare.

3. Which Dutch city was heavily bombed while the Dutch were negotiating a ceasefire with the Germans?

Answer: Rotterdam

May 14th 1940 saw the surrender of the Dutch after Rotterdam suffered a heavy whacking from the Luftwaffe. The Dutch Government moved to Britain where it remained as a government in exile till the end of WWII. Holland was easily invaded and its low lands and flat terrain made it easy for the German Panzers and infantry to take control. To the south, the Panzers were rampaging through Allied controlled areas causing French units to scatter. Due to poor leadership the French found the 2nd and 9th armies wedged apart and a path open up for the Germans to take Northern France with ease.

The 7th army was in disarray and the Belgian army was fighting desperately to hold onto Antwerp. These problems caused major concern within the BEF which had become sandwiched in between and in danger of being surrounded by German troops. On MAy 15th, Field Marshall John Gort, the Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, ordered the withdrawal of the BEF to the River Scheldt. Within 5 days the 2nd Panzer division had reached Abbeville (almost on the French coast), blocking the route of escape for the BEF.

4. Major General Harold Franklyn was given orders to defend and secure the small town of Arras in the north-west France. After seeing that his French counterparts were nowhere near prepared for a Panzer onslaught, he moved his battalion of the Durham Light Infantry and First Army Tank brigade off to face the advancing German Panzers. Much to his despair his men came under repeated attacks from the Lufftwaffe's notorious Stukas. Many of the BEF tanks were either destroyed or damaged and Franklyn, persued by the Germans, limped back to Arras. But what turn of events gave the Allies their one and only tank victory of the campaign?

Answer: The French 3rd Light Mechanised Divison were ready for the Germans

The French 3rd Light Mechanised Division had been awaiting the arrival of the BEF after news of the battle that had taken place had got through. With their heavy guns and armour, they managed to stave off many German attacks. However, the Stukas eventually broke through but with huge losses on the German side.

This 'victory' gave the BEF precious time to fall back unhindered and Dunkirk was the destination.

5. The Allies reached Dunkirk and became quickly surrounded by the aggressive German raiders. Plans had been laid previously for a mass evacuation and Field Marshall Gort was preparing to withdraw along the longest and best beaches at the closest point to the English mainland. However, this plan was not practical in the circumstances, and Dunkirk became the only choice. But which French coastal town would have been the better option for evacuation?

Answer: Calais

Calais was the best option due to its long beaches and easy access for landing craft. However, the Germans already dominated the area from the air, and many lives had been lost, it was too risky for Gort to send more troops there so Dunkirk became his only option.

The quays in Dunkirk were badly damaged due to relentless bombing by the Lufftwaffe. Dunkirk, France's third largest Channel port had the look of a mangled mess of countless steal cranes and craters. For the evacuation to happen there needed to be a point at the port where the BEF could get away with time for cover to protect them. Two 'moles' (a form of jetty) had survived the bombing.

The first mole called the 'West Mole' was based around the oil storage area of the port, this was obviously deemed unstable and was a disaster waiting to happen, so the one other option was the 'East Mole'. No more than a long narrow plank that extended a mile out to sea, the order was taken and men started to pour in their thousands on to the waiting vessels.

It took the Germans a number of hours to become aware of the extent of the evacuation. The earlier loses suffered by the one tank battle loss, plus Hitler's decisons to slow things down gave the BEF the time needed and the biggest evacuation in history had begun.

6. What was the codename given to the evacuation mission?

Answer: Dynamo

No reason has been found as to why the mission was named 'Dynamo'.
If any Funtrivia member knows of any reason then please let me know, thank you.

Thanks go to Don59 who sent me this answer on January 25th 2005.

"It was called Operation Dynamo after the old dynamo room beneath Dover Castle where the planning for the evacuation took place."

7. On May 26th 1940 advice was sent Field Marshall Gort to fall back to the coast despite it already being done. Who was the Secretary of State for War responsible for this advice?

Answer: Anthony Eden

Eden was born in 1897. He was educated at Eton and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Due to poor eyesight he was released from the armed forces. However, in the First World War Eden was allowed to take an active part in the fighting and his courage and duty to his country saw him win the Military Cross whilst fighting at the Somme. Many of his friends and comrades were killed and by the end of the war had become a Major.
In 1923 he entered Parliment as Conservative MP for Warwick and Leamington. He found himself working within the Foreign Office shortly into his term and then saw his postion go when the Tories lost the 1929 election.
1935 saw him back in government under Stanley Baldwin and he was given the role of Foriegn Secretary. However, in 1938 he resigned due to major disagreements with Neville Chamberlain over the rise in Fascism in Europe. When Chamberlain left in 1940 to be replaced by Churchill, Eden returned to the government. This he held for the remainder of the war only to lose his post following the 1945 election. In 1955 Eden himself became Prime Minister replacing Sir Winston Churchill. Eden's main contribution to Government came with the Suez crisis of 1956 and his long battles with the American establishment. Bad health forced Eden to step down in 1957 and after becoming Earl of Avon in 1961, Eden lived his life writing and recalling his experiences through the war years, he passed away in 1977.

8. Churchill made a famous speech to the British nation after the BEF had been rescued from the Dunkirk beaches. But what part of the quote is missing? "We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, ---------------------, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender."

Answer: we shall fight on the landing grounds

Speaking to the nation, Churchill spelt out the cold truth in a manner that inspired the British in a way that Chamberlain had never managed to do. The words were made immortal by his verve, his optimism and strength and his desire to make his countrymen understand the worst might still come.

He knew of a proposed attack by Hitler's invading armies and braced Britain for the day to come. He added Britain would "ride out the tyranny of war, if necessary for years, if necessary alone." And he praised every man's contribution to the Dunkirk effort, including that of the RAF who fought with extreme vigour and courage against a powerful foe.

9. Who on June 5th 1940 was heard saying? "Dunkirk has fallen ... With it has ended the greatest battle of world history. Soldiers! My confidence in you knew no bounds. You have not disappointed me."

Answer: Adolf Hitler

The then famous words helped spur the German forces to further successes. The decision to slow down the assault on the BEF was later seen as a tactical error by Hitler and many of his advisers began pointing out that the war might have been won had they carried on the assault.

However, this made Hitler more determined to nullify the British threat and he ordered the series of attacks on RAF bases that began the Battle of Britain - the first significant German defeat in WWII.

10. The scale of the evacutation remained for many years one of modern histories amazing acts of war. The number of personnel and transportation used was on a scale that was not to be witnessed again for some years. However, what day and event saw the same numbers of personnel and transport used in an even more dramatic act of war four years later?

Answer: D-Day

Nearly 340,000 men were evacuated during the whole Dunkirk mission.
The battle numbers were simple, 1375 Allied planes faught with 2738 Lufftwaffe aircraft. 2.6 million Allied soldiers took part at some stage or where numbered to be available against 2.35 million German troops. And 11000 artillery posts for the French against that of 7700 German heavy guns. May 10th saw Winston Churchill take over and begin the long road to final victory, in which June 6th 1944 saw that victory really kick in. So much in those four years had happened, so many liveslost, so many buildings and homes destroyed. The introduction of many more nations and many more battlefields. And how very different things could of been had Adolf Hitler not hesitated on the use of 'Blitzkrieg' on a sunny day in May 1940.

Note. The statistics supplied in the notes have been taken from various sources, but mainly from literature supplied by the Imperial War Musuem in London.

Source: Author doomed

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Dunkirk Trivia Quiz

German successes in April-June 1940 were remarkable. The word 'Blitzkrieg' came into use. It led to the mass evacuation of Allied troops in Dunkirk. This quiz covers the events that led up to some of Europe's darkest hours.

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