"I"dentify The War Trivia Quiz

Answer: Anglo-Zulu War

In early 1879, the British garrisoned the village of Lüneberg, which was located in an area that had already been attacked by Zulu troops. The movements of a supply convoy of eighteen wagons that had been sent to the garrison were hampered by rainy weather, and when the commander was ordered to "arrive at any cost", he abandoned the convoy and arrived at Lüneberg alone, leaving the convoy vulnerable to looting or attack.

A group of about 100 men was immediately dispatched to retrieve the supplies; after spending a day moving what had not already been stolen across the Intombe River, their camp was attacked by an estimated group of 500-800 Zulu warriors. Only three survived the battle - one British soldier and two African drivers.

The supplies were either destroyed or taken by the Zulus.

Answer: Wars of Alexander the Great

As Alexander continued his conquest of the Persian Empire and all of Asia Minor, he found that Darius III, the Persian shah, had ordered his troops to cut the Macedonian supply line. Fought near the town of Issus on the Pinarus River, the battlefield was chosen by Darius III, but was actually more beneficial to Alexander's smaller army.

Modern historians still debate just how many soldiers participated in the battle; conservative estimates say the Macedonians were outnumbered 108,000 to 40,000.

But when Alexander led his King's Companions cavalry straight toward Darius III, he and his bodyguards fled, and the rest of the army did too! The confused Persian army was slaughtered, and while Darius successfully escaped, Alexander was able to capture his mother, wife, and daughters.

It was written that Alexander treated them with the upmost respect, and eventually married one of Darius' daughters.

Answer: Wars of the Three Kingdoms

The Battle of Inverlochy (1645) took place during the Scottish Civil War, also called the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. With civil war also raging in England, it was important for the king, Charles I, to make sure that that Covenanter forces in Scotland, those people who sided with the Presbyterian Church there and basically controlled Scotland at the time, didn't affiliate with Parliament against the Stuarts, with whom they had already had disagreements regarding religious beliefs. On February 2, 1645, Covenanter forces camped under the walls of Inverlochy Castle were routed by Royalist forces that consisted of Highlanders and Irish troops. Over 1500 Convenanters lost their lives, while the Royalists lost very few - some sources say 4-8 men.

In 1648 the Covenanters switched sides and supported the Royalists; they also supported Charles II during the Restoration.

Answer: Korean War

Also called Operation Chromite, the Battle of Inchon began as a surprise amphibious invasion. Douglas MacArthur, leader of the United Nations Command/Republic of Korea Army, convinced the other generals that an assault over extremely difficult terrain was not in their best interest.

The UN/ROK victory at the conclusion of the four-day battle ended a long streak of victories won by the Korean People's Army and cut their supply lines. Within two weeks, the UN forces had taken Seoul. Even though the Battle of Inchon changed the course of the war, it would take several months for the war to be over. And General MacArthur? Even though his plan was called "brilliant", "genius", and his "greatest success", he lost his job the following year over a difference in opinion regarding his plan to invade North Korea.

Answer: World War I

Altogether there were twelve battles fought in modern-day Slovenia and Italy between the armies of Italy (Allies) and Austria-Hungary (Central Powers). The battles, even the ones fought in Italy, were always named after the Isonzo (Soèa) River. According to the Treaty of London (1915), Italy had been promised territory in the Austria-Hungarian empire that was inhabited by Slovenes.

The sixty mile long river, completely located within Austria-Hungary, was close to the border of Italy and contained members of the ethnic group. Over the course of the battle, the Italian army gained about one mile of land, and was never able to cross the river, however, the operations did force Austria-Hungary to relocate some of their forces from the Eastern Front.

Answer: World War II

Fought from February 19-March 26, the Battle of Iwo Jima was between the Imperial Japanese Army and U.S. Marines and Navy. The United States needed to take the island because the Japanese were using it as a military base; it was their line of defense against air raids.

They would notify the mainland that the planes were on their way, and their planes took off from the airfield to intercept the air raiders as well. In addition, the U.S. planned to use the airfield there for their planes to take off and land.

When 30,000 Marines first landed on the island, there was no sign of Japanese soldiers. They were hiding in their 11-mile system of bunkers and tunnels beneath the ground. Reinforced from the water and air, it took 36 days for the Marines to claim control of Iwo Jima.

The famous picture of them raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi took place on February 23.

Answer: Second Punic War

Fought between the armies of Rome and Carthage, the Second Punic War lasted seventeen years. The Battle of Ilipa took place in Spain, from where the Carthaginians had been launching their land invasions of the Roman Empire. Hannibal, who famously crossed the Alps with his war elephants, had landed in Spain before traveling east in 218 BC.

In an attempt to regain their holdings in Spain, the Carthaginians had been assembling their army and mercenaries, and had amassed somewhere between 74,000-54,000 troops compared to the 48,000 troops commanded by Scipio Africanus. Feeding and army his troops early, he launched a surprise attack before the Carthaginians had been given breakfast and held back his infantry until the last possible moment. The Carthaginians were massacred by the Romans and trampled by their own war elephants, and their mercenaries deserted.

It was a resounding victory for the Romans; Scipio Africanus went home and was elected consul the following year.

Answer: American Civil War

Also known as the Battle of Hampton Roads or Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack, the naval battle lasted for two days before it ended in a draw. During the American Civil War, the Confederates had control of Virginia, but the Union had established a successful blockade of port cities which had brought international trade to an end there.

In April 1861 Confederates seized Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia, and destroyed some of the ships there. The Merrimack, which was also known as the Virginia, was partially damaged at that time. Seizing an opportunity, the Confederate Secretary of the Navy gave orders to rebuild the ship and give it armor; it was then renamed the Virginia.

When the Union learned of the Confederate project, an Ironclad Board was established, and orders were given to build the Monitor. Both sides ultimately claimed a victory after the battle, but the truth is that the Union blockade remained in tact.

This first battle of ironclad ships, however, set the stage for the building of more ironclads around the world.

Answer: Hungarian War of Independence

The Battle of Isaszeg was fought between the Austrian Empire and the Hungarian Revolutionary Army, which was also supported by Polish volunteers. After winning the Battle of Kapolna in February 1849, the Austrian army had failed to follow up and strike while the iron was hot, thinking that the rebellion had been stopped once and for all. Angry at the loss, Hungarian leaders choose a new high commander. Led by General Artúr Görgei, who was considered to be one of the best Hungarian revolutionary generals, the Battle of Isaszeg was considered to be one of the turning points of the war.

It forced the Austrian army to retreat and gave the Hungarians the victory they needed in order to continue their fight and declare independence.

Answer: Crimean War

The Battle of Inkerman was fought between forces of the alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France against the Imperial Russian Army. The Allied goal was to reach Sevastopol and capture the Russian naval base there. It was difficult, however, for the Allied generals to agree on a plan, and rather than directly attacking the city, they encircled it, giving the Russians time to evacuate civilians and fortify it.

The Battle of Inkerman is commonly called "The Soldier's Battle" because it was so foggy soldiers could not see or communicate with their commanders.

Instead, they took whatever action they felt was needed. While it was considered to be an Allied win, in hindsight, directly taking Sevastopol when the opportunity presented itself would have ended the war sooner.