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About This Quiz
As the Second World War reached an incredible crescendo, a single balding man issued this timeless phrase to Allied troops: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.” And then, with Eisenhower’s words ringing in their ears, hundreds of thousands of men committed to pushing back Germany’s Nazis forever. What do you know about the incredible moments of World War II in this hard-fighting quiz?
First, it was Germany steamrolling across Western Europe. Then, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The world, it seemed, had gone mad with a thirst for blood. By the time it was all said and done, tens of millions of people were dead, cities were wiped from the maps, and the world would never be the same again. What do you know about the men, politics … and consequences of this heartbreaking conflict?
At the beginning of the war, the Luftwaffe achieved air superiority, devastating air and ground forces all over Europe. Planes like the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf 190 clashed with Hurricanes and P-51 Mustangs all across the battlefronts. What do you know about the aircraft and weapons of WWII?
As Hitler’s little mustache quivered with rage and Hirohito’s hopes crumbled, the Allies picked up the pace, building planes, tanks and ships at an ever-faster rate. Soon, evil would fall. Take our WWII quiz now! We’ll find out if you’re cut out for the Marines or if you’d be better off falling on your own sword in this WWII quiz for the ages!
During the Second World War, Germany, Italy and Japan were called the _____.
Allies
Axis
Germany, Japan and Italy were the primary nations that made up the Axis Powers of WWII. Their dreams of conquest sparked the deadliest war in human history.
Baddies
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What was the name for Germany’s fast-attack tactics?
Heinkel He
Luftwaffe
blitzkrieg
"Blitzkrieg" means "lightning war" — Germany used its armor and air superiority to quickly overwhelm Allied lines in blitzkrieg attacks. At the beginning of the war, few Allied forces could withstand the blitzkrieg.
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Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during WWII?
George Rockwell
Karl Donitz
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin was the USSR's Communist leader who ruled with an iron fist. He first sided with Hitler ... and later found his people being slaughtered at the hands of the Germans.
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What was one cause of World War II?
Winston Churchill’s stubbornness
Nazi infighting
heavy-handed WWI reparations
The treaty that ended the First World War required huge reparations from Germany and its allies. They were so heavy-handed that Germany didn’t make its last payments until 2010.
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Nazi doctor Josef Mengele had which nickname?
Rabbit Eyes
Angel of Death
Mengele was an empathy-free monster often called the "Angel of Death," for his role in conducting merciless medical experiments on people in concentration camps. He escaped justice after the war and lived a free life in South America until his death in 1979.
Joey
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In 1938, Hitler decided he wanted to "annex" the Sudetenland, a German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia. How did Britain respond?
It bombed Berlin.
It threatened to invade Germany.
It said, "sure, go ahead and do that, Hitler."
Hitler arbitrarily decided to take the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia ... and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had no objections. He hoped that pacifying Hitler would make him go away. He was wrong.
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Why did Communism and fascism flourish in Europe before WWII?
democracy seemed unattainable
economic troubles
The ruination of WWI and the Great Depression caused immense economic suffering in Europe. It was an atmosphere fertile for the roots of fascism and Communism.
people are lemmings
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Omaha Beach was an important part of which fight?
D-Day
On June 6, 1944 — D-Day — Allied forces landed on five code-named beaches in Normandy. Omaha Beach was one of the bloodiest, a place where thousands of soldiers were hurt or killed.
Battle of the Bulge
Battle of Okinawa
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How did the chemical DDT play a role in the war?
stopped diseases
DDT, a potent insecticide, was sprayed liberally all over the South Pacific, killing the bugs that spread disease among Americans. It was nothing short of a miracle — and it wasn’t until later that people realized how harmful it was to the environment.
halted bleeding quickly
deadly chemical weapon
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Who was the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe?
George Marshall
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower, the whip-smart strategist who forged many of the ideas behind D-Day, was the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe. He insisted on total control of many units so that he could efficiently execute his plans.
George Patton
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What was a hallmark of the Battle of Okinawa?
incredibly brutal
By April 1945, American troops were fed up with the war. At Okinawa, they uncorked their rage — and the Japanese returned the favor. Both sides committed one atrocity after another, and less than three months, 150,000 civilians were dead.
an all-air battle
surprisingly quick
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Who did NOT serve as U.S. president during WWII?
Harry Truman
Franklin Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt was president from 1901 to 1909. Franklin Roosevelt was president during most of WWII but died before the war ended; Truman stepped in to take his place.
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Which country enacted Operation Barbarossa?
Germany
On June 23, 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the USSR. It may have been the dumbest decision of the war, as it left Germany vulnerable on both the Western and Eastern fronts.
United States
Egypt
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Which man was known as "Old Blood and Guts"?
George Patton
General George Patton was called "Old Blood and Guts" in media reports, and the nickname stuck. Some soldiers complained that it was their blood and guts that were doing all the work of their egotistical general.
Erwin Rommel
Georgy Zhukov
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What was the "Spitfire"?
a British fighter
The Supermarine Spitfire was a British fighter aircraft of WWII. It shot to fame during the Battle of Britain, when its guns (along with those of the Hurricane) beat back the Luftwaffe, time and again.
a type of German bomb
a U.S. satellite system
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How many Americans served in uniform during the war?
1.3 million
4 million
16 million
America quickly ramped up its military capacity during the war. By the time the conflict ended, more than 16 million men and women had done their time in the military.
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The U.S. won a major naval fight called the Battle of Midway, in large part due to _____.
better intelligence
Before the Battle of Midway, American codebreakers cracked Japan’s codes ... so they knew the Empire’s attack plans. The U.S. landed a decisive blow, sending some of Japan’s most important ships to the bottom of the Pacific.
bigger guns
12 aircraft carriers
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How many atomic bombs did America drop on Japan during WWII?
1
2
In early August 1945, America dropped Fat Man and Little Boy on two Japanese cities. The bombs killed around 130,000 people and terrified humans all over the planet with their awesome power.
12
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What happened in the German city of Dresden during the war?
There was rampant cannibalism.
The city was firebombed.
In early 1945, the Allies loaded thousands of tons of incendiary bombs, which then fell on Dresden. The firebombing of Dresden is a lasting symbol of unbridled revenge, one that killed tens of thousands of civilians and destroyed a city full of precious artwork.
There was a Jewish uprising.
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What role did Isoroku Yamamoto have during the war?
designed Japanese tanks
tried to assassinate American leaders
Japanese admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto was top admiral in the Japanese Navy. He was also one of the masterminds of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was killed later in the war when American pilots (very intentionally) shot down his plane.
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The Japanese took four aircraft carriers to the Battle of Midway. How many were left once the battle ended?
0
America leveraged its superior intelligence regarding Japanese battle preparations for the Battle of Midway, blasting all four of the Empire’s carriers. It was a blow that Japan couldn’t recover from, giving the U.S. Navy the upper hand for much of the rest of the war.
2
all 4
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What was a "kamikaze"?
a type of bayonet
suicide pilot
As the momentum of the war turned against Japan, its leaders grew desperate, sending kamikaze suicide pilots at American ships. The tactic was intermittently effective — and terrified American sailors.
a Japanese atomic bomb
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What was the primary purpose of Germany’s V-1 weapon?
terror
Germany launched its V-1 flying bombs at British cities primarily as a tool of terror. It fired thousands of the missiles and caused tens of thousands of English casualties.
to destroy Washington D.C.
to sink battleships
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What was the most expensive American weapons project of the Second World War?
Manhattan Project
P-51 Mustang
B-29 Superfortress
You’d think that the atomic bomb (Manhattan) project would be the most expensive. But the B-29 bomber, due to its insanely advanced capabilities -- including computerized guns -- was actually far more expensive. It cost the U.S. around $3 billion.
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Calvin Graham was a decorated U.S. war hero. How old was he when he enlisted?
11
Graham lied and schemed to enlist in the Navy even though he was just 11 years old. Later, still a child, he became a war hero when he saved the lives of wounded sailors while suffering from injuries of his own.
15
19
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After WWII, many tons of chemical weapons were left unused. How did the Allies dispose of them?
incinerated them
chucked them into the ocean
Chemical weapons weren’t used often on the battlefield in WWII, but Germany had large stockpiles of these munitions. After the war, the Allies dumped many of the weapons into the ocean ... where they now threaten the health of the seas.
shot them into space
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Why did the Americans leave Emperor Hirohito unpunished after the war?
They needed him.
The United States occupied Japan for years after the war, and they used Hirohito as a puppet. Without the emperor, it would have been much harder to bring Japan’s citizenry to heel.
He was totally innocent.
He escaped.
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About how many total deaths were there during WWII?
maybe 19 million
perhaps 31 million
as many as 80 million
Due to the extent of the devastation, historians will never really know the true number. But some estimates put total troop and civilians deaths at 80 million ... or even more.
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As Allied troops liberated concentration camps, what did Commander Eisenhower tell them to do?
execute all Nazi guards
take pictures of everything
Dwight Eisenhower knew that in the wake of the war, many people would deny that the Holocaust ever occured. He had his men take countless pictures and films to document the madness for future generations.
burn everything to the ground
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What’s one major reason that Japan surrendered?
The USSR invaded Japan’s territory.
In early August 1945, the USSR, fresh off of its victory over Germany, invaded Japan’s lands. It may well have been the threat of the Soviets — and not American atomic bomb attacks — that caused Japan to throw in the towel.
Japan’s leaders were all dead.
It ran out of bullets.
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You Got:
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