Nicknames from World War 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Erwin Rommel

Arriving in Tunisia with one armored division, Rommel turned around the situation in North Africa, creating the highly trained and effective Afrika- Korps, and pushing the British to the limits in Egypt and mercilessly testing the fresh American troops in Algeria and Tunisia.

His strategies and character earned him the nickname "Desert Fox" from the Allies. Later, when Allied numerical and production superiority surpassed that of the Germans, Rommel could only minimize losses in the retreat. He was given command of the Atlantic Wall along with Gerd von Rundstedt. Rommel accurately predicted the location of the Allied landings, but disagreements in strategy with von Rundstedt allowed Overlord and its following campaigns to succeed. Rommel committed suicide rather than be tried by Hitler for participating in his assassination attempt.

Answer: Screaming Mimi

The sound of the stationary rocket launcher was one of the strangest sounds heard by many soldiers, and they nicknamed is "Screaming Mimi". THe Nebelwerfers were quite accurate for a rocket artillery piece of that time, and were quite terrorizing to Allied troops.

Answer: Lady Lex

The Lexington was one of the few major aircraft carriers before the onset of World War II. It participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea, where Japanese dive and torpedo bombers sank it. Highly loved by her crew members, she was called Lady Lex by the American sailors.

Answer: Raymond Spruance

Raymond Spruance and William Halsey were a dynamic duo. While the superior, Halsey, was an air carrier admiral that emphasized air naval power, his trusted admiral, Spruance, was a traditional fleet admiral. Both were considered some of the best fighting admirals of World War 2, but Spruance had an amazing intelligence that showed in his able handling as both a staff officer and a fleet commander.

Answer: Ma Deuce

The M2 machine gun, produced by John Browning, is one of the oldest pieces in the military arsenals of over 50 countries, yet it has shown no need for replacement. This excellent gun has served ever since the 1920s, mounted on so many different types of vehicles and tripods, all of which have come and gone, but the M2 has still lived on.

Answer: B-san

Japanese civilians near the end of the war were subject to constant bombing, almost every day, from B-29s flying from airbases dotted all over the Pacific and even in India and China. They viewed the bombers with fear and respect, as they were a powerful war weapon that Japan had no answer for.

Answer: Bouncing Betty

The Bouncing Betty was originally designed to wound horrendously, because it would be more effective. Allied soldiers were averse to leaving men behind, so the Bouncing Betty would wound a soldier. The other soldier that would theoretically come save the wounded man would have to accompany him back to the aid station, or so on, so that now two men were out of the fight instead of one. Once at the aid station, the wounded man would probably turn out to be wounded so badly that he would die shortly, so the soldier would still be eliminated.

Although it was not very effective at bringing about this situation, it still became a deadly mine that Allied troops feared.

Answer: Walking Stuka

The Walking Stuka was an unusual unit. It was the versatile Sdkfz. 251 halftrack, but with three rocket-launcher tubes on each side. It was an early user of the "shoot and scoot" method, and the mobility and punch reminded Allied troops of a Stuka dive-bomber, only on the ground.

Answer: M18

Built by Buick, the M18 Gun Motor Carriage had the fastest speed of any armored vehicle in World War II. Its speed could be utilized in huge flanking maneuvers that would expose the flank of the lumbering German tanks. The 76mm gun had enough penetration and power to disable even the most powerful German tanks from behind, even at long ranges.

Answer: Howlin' Mad

A long time member of the U.S. military, Holland Smith served from the Phillippines before World War I until World War II, where he commanded the Marine Divisions in the Aleutians and Iwo Jima. He is considered the father of modern amphibious warfare, as his strategies were highly effective in the island hopping campaign.