Poland during World War II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ignacy Moscicki

Ignacy Moscicki (1867-1946) was a professor of chemistry, he invented the method of producing nitric acid. He was elected in 1926 and in September 1939 went on exile to Romania, where he was interned. He passed the presidency to Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz and left for Switzerland, where he spent the rest of his life.

Answer: 1.85 million Germans and 1.2 million Poles

The proportion was most even in infantry; in aircraft it was 2085:407 in favor of the Germans, and in tanks it was 2800 German Panzers against 880 Polish reconnaissance mini-tank and scout cars (there were only few new 7tp light tanks).

Answer: To hand over Danzig (Gdansk) to Germany and allow an exterritorial highway connecting the Reich with Konigsberg in Ost-Preussen

Danzig (Gdansk) after the World War I was administered by The League of Nations and had a similar number of Polish and German inhabitants, living together in peace. As a response to German demands, Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Josef Beck in his famous speech said: "In Poland, we don't know the meaning of 'peace at all costs'.

There is one thing, worth defending at all costs. This thing is Honor".

Answer: Hel

After its capitulation, there were only partisans and the Underground Army fighting with the enemy in Poland, while many soldiers managed to flee through Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia to France and Britain in order to join the newly-created Polish Armed Forces.

Answer: Orzel

The reason for imprisoning the crew was German pressure on Estonians. In Tallinn a German transport ship was refueling and if "Orzel" [Eagle] had had the possibility, it would have sunk it right after leaving the port. When "Orzel" escaped and was already on its way to England, the captain had to guide the submarine through Sund Straits without radars and maps, which were confiscated in Tallinn, so he drew the map himself!

Answer: Narvik

Not everyone knows that Samodzielna Brygada Strzelcow Podhalanskich managed to defeat Germans in the area, but retreated from Norway with the rest of Allied forces when Germany attacked France on May 10, 1940. To honor their fight for Norway's independence, the Commander-in-Chief of Norwegian Armed Forces on exile granted all soldiers of SBSPodh. the right to wear a rope in national Norwegian colors on their left arm.

Answer: Dywizjon 303

Dywizjon 303 consisted of Poles, but there were also two British, one Canadian and one Czech pilot in the squad. The Czech, sgt. Frantisek, shot down 17 German planes before being killed in an accident on October 8, 1940. "Cyrk Skalskiego" [Skalski's Circus] is the name of another Polish fighter squadron, which shot down many German and Italian planes while fighting in North Africa.

Answer: False

Never! In December 1939, Finland wasn't Nazi. In fact, Finland was never Nazi during the war. Polish volunteers were passing through frosted Finland Gulf to get to Helsinki and join the Finns in their heroic fight against the Soviet Union, which was occupying much of eastern Poland according to secret Ribbentropp - Molotov pact.

A huge part of Poland, which was taken by the Russians in 1939, has never been returned to Poland and now belongs to Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

Answer: Tobruk

Tobruk, along with Narvik and Monte Cassino, is considered one of the biggest and most successful battles of Polish Armed Forces during the war. Other well-known battle, at Arnhem during the Market-Garden operation, despite ferocious fighting, was a defeat.

Answer: Wladyslaw Sikorski

The reason of the crash is still not known, but even now, 50 years afterwards, each time someone comes up with his own theory, Poles start arguing about it. This is something like JFK case in America. In Poland there has already been talk of a plot by Germans, Churchill, Stalin, Raczkiewicz (Polish exile president), Spaniards, Czechs and a group of Polish generals.

Answer: gen. Stanislaw Maczek

They were equipped with American Shermans, British Crusaders and Cromwells. Their symbol was a helmet and wings of husaria, an elite Polish heavy cavalry from the 17th century. Generals Berling and Swierczewski were the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Polish Armies, fighting arm-to-arm with the Soviet Red Army and were considered heroes after the war, while the soldiers of Polish Armed Forces in the West were called 'traitors' and in many cases their Polish citizenship was revoked by the Communist government.

After 1989, many of their sons and grandsons were able to see for the first time the land for which their fathers had fought and died.

Answer: Yes

Pierwsza Samodzielna Brygada Spadochronowa (1st Independent Parachute Brigade), commanded by gen. Stanislaw Sosabowski was one of the best and most valuable Allied units during the ambitious but unsuccessful operation "Market-Garden" in The Netherlands in September 1944.

Its goal was to capture the bridges and dames in Holland and outflank Germans fortifications along the old French border on the Rhine. Polish paratroopers were dropped in Arnhem and defended their positions ferociously, but finally had to retreat.

This story is told in the film "A Bridge Too Far", where general Sosabowski is played by Gene Hackman.

Answer: Monte Cassino

The Polish 2nd Corps, commanded by general Wladyslaw Anders, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Forces in the West, took the monastery on May 20, 1944. The Germans had been defending it for months and after defeating them it took the Polish soldiers only two weeks to reach Rome. On the hill of Monte Cassino there is a Polish cemetery, where general Anders is buried along with his soldiers.

Answer: AK (Armia Krajowa)

Armia Krajowa organised the Warsaw Uprising, which started at 5 p.m. (the "W" hour) on August 1, 1944. The Uprising's aim was to defeat the Germans and welcome the arriving Red Army in Warsaw, not allowing the communist regime to install. Stalin ordered to halt the offensive on the right bank of Vistula River, allowing the Germans to slay the "Warsaw Riot" provoked by "Polish criminalists".

The gehenne of the city lasted 63 days; after that, the commander of AK surrendered the city. 40.000 fighters and 180.000 civilians were killed or wounded, 25.000 Germans killed, wounded or missing.

After the capitulation, 90% of Warsaw's buildings were blown up and all inhabitants were expelled. The Russians "liberated" Warsaw (only to establish their own regime for the next forty years) on January 17, 1945.

After the war, AK soldiers were accused of collaboration (!) with the Nazis and sentenced to death or long terms in prison.

Answer: January 17th, 1945

For more info - see answer to Q14.