Winter of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lloyd

Lloyd and his mother Ethel are visiting the von Ulrich family in Berlin. On the evening of the fire they are having dinner in Robert von Ulrich's restaurant. Maud is still shaken up after a raid by Brownshirts on the office of 'The Democrat', the weekly magazine she's writing for.

Upon leaving the restaurant they become aware of a fire nearby. They decide to take a look at what's happening and become witnesses of the Reichstag fire. Lloyd gets separated from the others and decides to take a closer look at the building, when Hitler and a couple of his cronies appear to inspect the damage. He overhears Hitler ranting and Göring saying they should use this to crush the communist party.

Answer: In Russia when Lev's dad was hanged

This passage refers to the first book of the series, "Fall of Giants". When Lev was a young child in Russia his father was accused of letting his cattle graze on Prince Andrei's lands. For this minor offence Lev's dad was hanged and Lev was forced to watch. The sister of the prince was also a spectator of the execution. Everybody at the party realizes that this was Bea, then Princess Elizaveta.

Later Lev and Bea met twice again. In Saint Petersburg when Fitz was inspecting the factory where Lev was working and in Wales where Lev was working as a coalminer, but this isn't mentioned in "Winter of the World".

Answer: They are executed for desertion

Lloyd, his cousin Dave and close friend Lenny Griffiths all volunteered to fight Franco's rebel army in the Spanish civil war. During the Battle of Belchite Lloyd's platoon is ordered to take the town church without cover or sufficient ammunition by the incompetent Red Army Colonel Bobrov. As predicted the attack is a complete failure and only three men escape unscathed, two others injured. After they have reported back to Bobrov he executes the uninjured survivors for desertion. Lloyd and Lenny are injured and transferred to prisoner escort duty. Lloyd goes back to England, disillusioned with communism.

Later in the novel Bobrov, now a general, is present in Moscow when the Germans are advancing towards Russia's capital. He is killed when he tries to flee Moscow.

Answer: Ethel and Fitz

Those who have read "Fall of Giants" will already know that Lloyd was born out of an extramarital affair between Fitz and Ethel, at the time his housekeeper.

Daisy finds an old photograph of old Earl Fitzgerald who bears a striking resemblance with Lloyd. She correctly assumes that Lloyd is the old earl's grandson. However, she thinks that Maud had an illegitimate baby and gave it to Ethel who then claimed to be Lloyd's mother and was rewarded with a house and a pension. An understandable mistake since Maud and Fitz are siblings. A couple of days later Lloyd finally gets the truth out of Ethel when she confesses her earlier relationship with Fitz.

Answer: Because he doesn't want to jeopardize his espionage actions

When two mentally handicapped boys die on the same day from the same illness in a mental hospital in Akelberg the suspicions of the von Ulrich and the Franck families are raised. When Werner Franck, Walter von Ulrich and Pastor Ochs start asking awkward questions the regime is not amused. Werner and Pastor Ochs get an unpleasant visit from the Gestapo; Walter von Ulrich is even arrested. Despite clear warnings from Gestapo Commissar Macke, Werner still wants to continue his investigations. Werner is also working as a spy for the Russians. His contact Volodya Peshkov doesn't want to lose his best spy and convinces him not to get further involved. When Carla asks Werner to join her and Frieda on a bicycle trip to Akelberg Werner refuses. Carla thinks he's a coward and breaks off her relationship with him. Carla and Frieda set off to Akelberg to find out that the mental hospital is part of 'Operation T4' in which the Nazis systematically kill handicapped people, whom they consider 'unproductive' and 'a burden on society'. The girls manage to get proof of these activities and eventually get the program cancelled. This comes at a high price when Walter von Ulrich is beaten to death by the Gestapo.

Werner continues his work as an communist spy and hands over the plans of operation Barbarossa (the German invasion of Russia) to Volodya. Later, when Werner is sent to the Russian front, he tells Carla he's a spy and asks her to continue his work. Carla then realizes she was wrong about Werner.

Answer: USS 'Yorktown'

After a fracas with Captain Vandermeier Chuck is reassigned to the USS 'Yorktown'. Although the aircraft carrier sinks, Chuck survives the battle. Chuck is later killed in the Battle of Bougainville.

The USS 'Enterprise' and USS 'Hornet' were the two other aircraft carriers present at the Battle of Midway. The USS 'Astoria' was a heavy cruiser that also took part in the Battle of Midway.

Answer: They kill him

Joachim Koch is a young lieutenant who works for the General Staff and is infatuated with Maud, who is his piano teacher. Maud seduces him and persuades him to show her the "Code Blue" plans, the plans for the new German offensive on the Eastern Front. Frieda delivers a miniature camera and three film cassettes and asks Carla to take pictures of the plans.

When Koch is at the von Ulrich house with the plans he and Maud 'retire' to the back room. This gives Carla the chance to steal the plans and take pictures.

However, she is unable to replace the plans in time. When Koch notices that his bag containing the plans is not in the spot he left it he becomes aware something is going on. He then finds two film cassettes lying around in the kitchen and, upon inspecting the cupboard, finds the camera. Realizing what has happened Koch panics and becomes violent, hitting and kicking Maud. Carla grabs an iron soup pot and hits him twice over the head. Ada then takes the pot and continues to hit him over the head until he dies.

Answer: He leads a platoon of paratroopers to capture a bridge across a river in a small French town

Lieutenant Woody Dewar and his platoon of paratroopers are given the assignment to capture a bridge across a river in the (fictional) town of Eglise-des-Soeurs. Of the eighteen soldiers that jump from the airplane, nine assemble to take the bridge. There are two sentries patrolling the bridge and a pillbox at each end.

The pillboxes are defended by three German soldiers manning machine guns. Despite those strong defenses Woody's platoon succeeds in taking the bridge. Five of Woody's men die in the attack.

Answer: Joseph Stalin

Volodya's dad, who is a member of the inner circle of the most senior generals and politicians of Russia, hints that an extremely distinguished guest will attend the wedding reception. Volodya hopes it won't be Lavrentiy Beria, the hated boss of the NKVD (Russian secret police).

It turns out to be Stalin himself. Halfway through the party Stalin rushes out after he has received the message that the Americans have dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Answer: To ensure Volodya will come back to the USSR after his assignment in the USA

One morning Volodya and Zoya get an unexpected visit from three NKVD agents led by Volodya's brother-in-law Ilya Dvorkin. Zoya is taken away and when Volodya resists he gets beaten up. When Volodya complains to his boss, Colonel Lemitov, he finds out that Lemitov okayed the arrest.

He wants Volodya to go on a mission to the USA and tells him that Zoya is arrested to ensure his return. Volodya has to contact an old school friend from back in Berlin, Wilhelm Frunze, who is now part of the team that developed the atomic bomb. Volodya complies and succeeds in convincing Frunze and his wife to hand over plans containing information on how the bomb was built. Later in the novel Frunze is found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

He and his wife die on the electric chair.