Little Known Wars Trivia Quiz

Answer: Great Britain and the United States

It began before the Civil War and ran through it. The main controversy was who controlled a group of islands in the Northwest Territory. The end result was the 49th parallel.
War was never declared by either side. An American settler shot a pig owned by a British settler, who wanted the American arrested.
The British sent six soldiers to arrest him and the American settlers asked General Winfeild Scott to help him. General Scott sent six soldiers to defend him so the British sent more troops and Scott countered. At one point there were over one thousand troops on the Island from each side. The Generals discussed it and agreed they were not going to risk lives over the death of a pig. They then told their respective governments to settle the matter through diplomacy. Soldiers from both sides remained on the island for the next fourteen years.

Answer: 1942

After the Battle of the Midway the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands. It was the only place from which American bombers could reach Japan safely and return. The island's inhabitants did not have communication with the mainland so the Japanese took them prisoner. When the United States tried to build airstrips on the islands they were greeted by the Japanese.

Answer: The Zulu War

On January 21st, 1879, thirty thousand Zulu warriors, armed with clubs and spears, destroyed thirteen hundred British troops, armed with repeating rifles, canons, mortars, and two million rounds of bullets. The British couldn't open the containers for the bullets and ended up fighting hand to hand.

It was the worst defeat of a modern military by primitive troops. Ironically the next day three thousand Zulu warriors tried the same thing at Rork's Drift. The Drift was being defended by 150 men. The Zulus lost seventy five percent of their soldiers while the British lost 13 men. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded as a result.

Answer: The British retreat from Kabul

Over 16,000 British troops lost their lives during the First Afghan War (1838-41), with particularly heavy casualties during the final retreat from Kabul. They suffered heavy casualties while passing through the Khyber Pass, with Afghan troops firing down on them from the surrounding cliffs.
"When you are left there to die on the Afghanistan Plains
and the women come out to hack off your remains
Just roll on your rifle and blow out your brains
and go to God like a soldier"

Answer: The U.S. occupation of Vera Cruz

We were there for at least two months in 1914. It began with the arrests of two sailors from the U.S.S. Dolphin by Mexican soldiers known as the Tampico affair. The sailors had come into Vera Cruz to arrange supplies but were arrested for using an off limits landing to dock.

Answer: Russia

It was called the War of Intervention (against Bolshevism). Russians are taught the Americans were there to bolster the White Army but they were too far away and too few in numbers to be of any practical help. Other than that noone knows for sure why they were there.

Some say it was to retrieve arms sent to the Czar during World War I before they fell into the hands of the Red Army. Interestingly, troops entered Russia through Archangel in the west and Vladivostock in the east trying to make their way inland.

By the way it was a disaster. British troops were also there.

Answer: 1871

While attempting to establish trade with Korea, three ships of the United States Navy were fired upon by Korean forces. The ships then sent in the Marines to take out their fortifications.

Answer: French defeated at Puebla

On that day Mexican forces defeated the French, the first defeat for the French army in almost forty years. But the French returned with a much larger force and brushed by the Mexican defenders putting Maximillian on the throne of the New French Territory. Ironically, According to the website http://www.pbs.org/kpbs/theborder/history/timeline/10.html England and Spain were also with the French forces.

They had come to collect on a debt owed to them by the Mexican government. However the Mexican American War had depleted the National Treasury so Mexico could not repay them.

A deal was worked out which Britain and Spain went back to Europe but the French remained with the possible aim of marching troops North to help the Confederacy during the american Civil War. Had they been successful the United States would have been split into two less powerful countries and France would have had two allies in North America.

Answer: The Bay of Pigs

The CIA had organized an invasion force of Cuban refugees to invade cuba. They were told that President Kennedy had authorized air support but they never got it. The invasion was a disaster. After this Allen Dulles was fired by President Kennedy.

Answer: Peter Hancock

They were actually under orders to shoot prisoners but shot a German by mistake. The German government wanted justice and they were railroaded. There is a movie about it called Breaker Morant and a book written by George Whitton called "Scapegoats of the Empire".