Easy World War II Quiz | 10 Questions | History

Answer: Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler invaded Poland but Britain had an alliance with Poland, and France sided with Britain. So started the bloodiest war ever.

Answer: Winston Churchill

On 10 May 1940 Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as the British prime minister.

Answer: Austria

Even though he became the ruler of Germany, he was actually born in Austria. He did not obtain German citizenship till February 1932, less than 12 months before he was appointed Chancellor of Germany.

Answer: Hurricanes and Spitfires

These two planes were what helped to win the Battle of Britain. Most of the 1940 Spitfires had a top speed of 340 mph (at 18,000 feet); it was the most successful plane. (Later models were faster).

Answer: Bombing of Pearl Harbor

The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, destroying planes and naval vessels. The U.S. which had been trying to avoid getting involved in the war, then declared war on Japan. American entry into the war was a (or even the) key factor leading to the defeat of the Axis.

Answer: Widespread, systematic bombing of towns and cities

Though planes were also used to bomb enemies on the battlefield, the widespread use of bombers against the civilian population was a new development. (This had been foreshadowed by the Germans and Italians at Guernica in the Spanish Civil War).

Answer: Atomic bombs

Even though they stood no chance of winning, the Japanese refused to surrender but were forced to when two atomic bombs were dropped, on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Answer: The Soviet Union

You might have thought it was Germany but the Soviet Union had over 20 million dead - about one third of all of the casualties in the war. This was because (1) the Soviet Union was not well prepared for the invasion and (2) from 1941-1944 they had well over half of the Nazi army fighting against them. The Nazis took one city after another, slaughtering the civilians.

Answer: 70,000,000

70,000,000 deaths in 6 years! That's over 10,000,000 deaths per year! That includes the bombing, the battlefield, the skies, the naval battles and the conquered countries.

Answer: 8 May 1945

There were two final surrenders in Europe - one at Reims on 7 May 1945 and the other in Berlin very late on 8 May 1945 to the Soviet Union. When the second of these surrenders came into force it was already 9 May 1945 in Moscow, and that is treated as VE Day in the former Soviet Union. Fighting continued till 10 May in parts of Bohemia, and on the Dutch island of Texel till 20 May, but essentially the war in Europe was over.