The Essential World War Ii Quiz Book

Copyright © 2020 William E. Scott.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or

by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the

author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of

people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8613-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8615-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8614-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020902342

Archway Publishing rev. date: 02/08/2022

In memory of

Vic Morrow

(1929–1982)

and

Rick Jason

(1923–2000)

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1:     Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany

Answers

Chapter 2:     Military Leaders

Answers

Chapter 3:     Battles and Campaigns

Answers

Chapter 4:     Weapons

Answers

Chapter 5:     Codenames and Nicknames

Answers

Chapter 6:     Wartime Quotes

Answers

Chapter 7:     Military Acronyms

Answers

Chapter 8:     GI Slang

Answers

Chapter 9:     Films

Answers

Chapter 10:   Television Programs

Answers

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I was inspired to publish this book by the courageous and self-effacing young men and women who left their small towns and big cities across the United States to face a world at war. Many volunteered. Many were conscripted. All contributed. Among them were Private Hal Baumgarten, US Army, Lieutenant Commander Laura Cobb, US Navy, Corporal William Dabney, US Army, Sergeant Alexander Drabik, US Army, Lieutenant Mary Harrington, US Navy, Lieutenant Myrtle Brethouwer Hoftiezer, US Army, Corporal Harry Johns, US Army, Private Robert Leckie, US Marine Corps, Lieutenant Leonard Lomell, US Army, Lieutenant Colonel Margaret Ritchie Raffa, US Army Air Force, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Ryder, US Army, Commander Agnes Shurr, US Navy, Corporal E. B. Sledge, US Marine Corps, Colonel James Stewart, US Army Air Force, Lieutenant Karl Timmermann, US Army, and Major Dick Winters, US Army.

During a teaching career that began with Ronald Reagan in the White House and concluded with Barack Obama, I was both fortunate and blessed to have taught many gifted students, including Tony Braithwaite, Steve Calabro, John Connors, Dave Falcone, Jenna Ficchi, Joseph Kain, Katie Karsh, Diana Lim, Jenny Ly, Brian Mann, John Martino, Jackie McBride, John Regan, Jeremy Simon, Robert Sola, Matthew Thomas, Donald Woods, Timothy Wright, and Patrick Zaleski.

For their support and friendship through the years, I would like to acknowledge Thomas Belzer, Reverend Barry Boyle, SJ, Joseph Brownie Brown, Professor James Burgwyn, Professor Louis Casciato, William Dienna, Eileen Frampton, Jane Frampton, Steven Ghicondes, Beverly Hadwal, Professor Thomas Heston, Karen Katrinak, Dennis Kent, Cheryl Thomas Leinheiser, Chuck Longo, Kendall Mattern, Albert Melfi, Reverend Joseph Michini, SJ, John and Catherine Moore, William and Ella Moore, Rick Orme, Professor Ben Peters, Daniel Scott (Pa-C, MPAS), Reverend Frank Skechus, SJ, Reverend Vince Taggart, SJ, Jerome Taylor, Kerry Wetzel, Curt Wrzeszczynski, and Al Zimmerman.

A very special thank you to Mari Preis, who assisted me with editing. The American writer William Arthur Ward said, The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. The latter certainly describes my friend Mari. Her commitment to the teaching profession is only exceeded by her dedication and concern for her adoring students. She is without equal.

Finally, to my wife Diane, for allowing me to pursue my passion and for tolerating my eccentricities, thank you.

William E. Scott

Springfield, PA

October 2019

INTRODUCTION

In 2019, the United States, Canada, and the nations of Western Europe commemorated the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day, the largest and most complex seaborne invasion in military history. Attending the official ceremonies in Normandy were heads of state, foreign dignitaries, and a dwindling number of soldiers and sailors who participated in the assault. The surviving heroes who made the world safe for democracy are now diminished by the ravages of time, but their memories of that bloody and harrowing day have never wavered.

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, after five long years of Nazi domination, a naval force of six thousand warships and lesser craft carried 156,000 American, British, Canadian, and Free French troops across the English Channel and landed them on five predetermined beaches on the coast of France. Their objective: Hitler’s Festung Europa.

Although meticulously planned down to the last detail, Operation OVERLORD, like most military ventures, was not without its problems. Coalition forces, racked by seasickness and unrelenting fear, were forced to contend with inclement weather, malfunctioning equipment, miscommunication, and the intimidating defenses of Germany’s Atlantic Wall—a system of concrete and steel bunkers and fortifications augmented with artillery, machine guns, mortars, and an array of beach obstacles including belts of barbed wire, pressure and radio-controlled mines, and Rommel’s asparagus (sharp wooden poles with explosive tips). The prospects of success, especially on Omaha Beach, were anything but guaranteed, and failure was a distinct possibility.

Yet through it all, the grit, determination, and courage exhibited by the citizen-soldier carried the day. By D+1, the Allies had gained control of the designated sectors, securing a precious, yet precarious, foothold on the continent and signaling the beginning of Germany’s final collapse.

For the greatest generation, which fought on the plains of Europe and in the jungles of the Pacific, World War II was a seminal moment and a defining event in our nation’s history. For the rest of their lives, the valor and sacrifice they exhibited defined who they were and what they represented to their families, friends, and to the world.

Unlike my late uncle, US Airman Joseph Scott, a veteran of the Korean War, I have never served in the armed forces. My military experience has been strictly limited to historical scholarship, but I have always felt a deep and abiding admiration and respect for what the greatest generation accomplished and for the generations that followed in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other battlefields.

As a social studies teacher for nearly three decades, first at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia and later at Upper Darby High School in nearby Drexel Hill, it was not only my responsibility to teach the who, what, and where of history, but also to explain why the study of history is relevant. According to British historian James Holland, Remembering the past is vital. It helps us make sense of the present and to prepare for the future. It provides context for today and offers lessons too, for while history does not repeat itself, patterns of human behavior certainly do.

As an ever-growing number of our oldest veterans pass from the scene and first-hand accounts become increasingly scarce, it is crucial that we continue to remember the people, places, and events that made World War II a watershed event. With that thought in mind, I began researching The Essential World War II Quiz Book in the spring of 2017. Drawing on a wide variety of sources found in public and university libraries, including hundreds of documentaries, motion pictures, and television programs, I completed the project in a little more than two years.

Unlike my three previous books, which were reference works, this is a compendium of one thousand questions and answers designed to offer the casual student of history, as well as the experienced military enthusiast, a unique perspective on the twentieth century’s deadliest war. Carefully written to test the reader’s knowledge, the book contains fact-filled and challenging queries about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, military leaders, battles and campaigns, weapons, codenames and nicknames, wartime quotes, military acronyms, GI slang, films, and television programs.

Whatever your level of interest or expertise, I hope that you find The Essential World War II Quiz Book both educational and informative and that it will encourage you to delve more deeply into history’s most senseless and destructive conflict.

CHAPTER 1

ADOLF HITLER AND NAZI GERMANY

1. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in which Austrian town?

A. Hallein

B. Lustenau

C. Stockerau

D. Braunau am Inn

2. Hitler was the fourth of _____ children.

A. five

B. six

C. eight

D. ten

3. Young Hitler was deeply affected when his brother Edmund died in 1900. Which of the following was the cause of death?

A. Suicide

B. Cancer

C. Pneumonia

D. Measles

4. Which did Hitler’s father, Alois, want his son to become when he grew up?

A. Soldier

B. Customs official

C. Farmer

D. Schoolteacher

5. As a youngster, Hitler served as a(n) _____.

A. delivery boy

B. waiter

C. altar boy

D. None of the above

6. Hitler was twice rejected from which Austrian art school?

A. Royal Academy of Arts Salzburg

B. Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

C. Fine Arts Institute of Krems

D. University of Arts and Design Linz

7. Which was the highest level of education attained by Hitler?

A. Elementary

B. Secondary

C. Undergraduate

D. Postgraduate

8. In 1907, Hitler again suffered