History Quiz

Chanson d'automne, “Autumn Song,” is a poem by French poet Paul Verlaine. Which lines of this poem were broadcast to the French Resistance on June 5, 1944, to warn them of the coming Normandy landings?

Can you identify this World War II-era British armored fighting vehicle?

What was the gist of Fall Rot (“Case Red”), a German war plan executed after Fall Gelb (“Case Yellow”), the invasion of France and the Benelux Countries?

In which conflict did Georgy Zhukov, the most famous Soviet general of World War II, first distinguish himself against the Japanese as a capable leader?

What was the goal of Operation Forager, a U.S. operation in the Pacific?

Which of these wars did the 1st Infantry Division, one of the most famous U.S. Army divisions, did NOT fight in?

The Dunkirk evacuation in May-June 1940 resulted in the successful rescue of 338,226 British and French soldiers, but not everyone made it out. Roughly how many were captured by the Germans?

In war, an “open city” is a settlement its occupier declared not to defend, allowing the other side to march in and take the place without fighting and destruction. Such declarations are usually, but not always, respected. Which of these cities was an exception in World War II, where the attacker bombed the city anyway? (Photo does not depict the correct answer.)

“On [this date], the hand that held the dagger has plunged it into the back of its neighbor.” Which national leader said this in a speech about what event during World War II?

World War II firearms sometimes show in movies in unusual roles. What real-life weapon was the basis for the “Smart Gun” used in the sci-fi action-horror classic Aliens?