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History Quiz

Name: Band of Brothers Tour®
Brand: Beaches of Normandy Tours
Rating: 4.9 (622 reviews)

Which of these World War II offensives did NOT commence in the winter? (Photo does not necessarily depict the offensive.)

The Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939 The Soviet offensive to dislodge German forces from the vicinity of Moscow in 1941 The first major counteroffensive by Nationalist Chinese forces against the invading Japanese in 1939 The German -Finnish invasion of the Soviet Union to retake Finnish lands lost earlier

sa-kuva-fi

Can you identify the German rocket launcher system mounted on this halftrack?

Panzerwerfer 8 cm Raketen-Vielfachwerfer Wurfrahmen 40 Nebelwerfer

Bundesarchiv

Which World War II belligerent nation’s soldiers were particularly noted for their habit of dressing in women’s clothing at holiday festivities, possibly due to older folk traditions?

Britain Germany Italy France

Martin Dammann Collection

Which one of these was NOT a contributing factor to the death of over 800 people, most of them American soldiers, when the troopship Léopoldville sank off the coast of Normandy on Christmas Eve, 1944?

There was not enough rescue craft available in the nearest port The soldiers did not understand the evacuation command given in a foreign language The ship’s radio could not communicate with nearby Allied forces on the shore Many men froze to death in the cold water

Richard Rockwell

Where was the first messenger pigeon to carry news of the D-Day landings back to England released from?

Utah Beach Omaha Beach Pointe du Hoc A ship still at sea

British Pathe

In which combat arm of the U.S. Army did Anthony McAuliffe, who commanded the defenses of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, serve?

Infantry Armor Field Artillery Corps of Engineers

U.S. Army

Which of these events occurred in Allied-occupied Germany on January 1, New Year’s Day, in 1947?

A conference began about the unification of all zones, but failed due to Soviet refusal The British and American occupation zones merged into one The French occupation zone merged into the already unified Anglo-American one Soviet forces set up a large number of new checkpoints around the Soviet zone, deepening the Cold War

Imperial War Museum

The 101st Airborne Division, the “Screaming Eagles” of World War II fame, are today officially designated as “Air Assault.” What does that mean in practical terms?

They no longer perform parachute jumps, but rather travel to the deployment zone by helicopters. They carry more heavy weaponry than “regular” airborne units, which are categorized as light infantry. They can count on more close air support during combat. They are only supposed to be used for offensive operation, but not defensive ones – at least in theory.

Private First Class Cameron Boyd

Operation Northwind was a German offensive launched on December 31, 1944. What was its goal?

To prevent Soviet forces from taking vital oil fields in Hungary on the Eastern Front To destroy Allied aircraft on the ground before they could be used in the Battle of the Bulge To keep American forces busy and take the pressure off of German forces still fighting in the Battle of the Bulge To sever British and American forces on the Western Front

Bundesarchiv

Which one of these events happened on January 1, New Year’s Day? (Note: photo does not necessarily depict the correct answer.)

The Declaration of St. James Palace was signed in London by the United Kingdom, countries of the British Commonwealth and the exiled governments of Nazi-occupied countries, declaring the cooperation of free peoples as the basis of enduring peace, in 1941. The Declaration by United Nations was signed by the U.S., the U.K., the Soviet Union and China, formally creating “the Allies” of World War II, in 1942. The San Francisco Conference opened, leading to an agreement about the Charter of the United Nations, in 1945. The Charter of the United Nations was ratified and the U.N. came into existence, in 1946.

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