History Quiz

In what manner did Japanese General and former Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō attempt (and fail) to commit suicide on September 11, 1945, to avoid capture by U.S. soldiers?

Can you identify this World War II-era German assault gun?

What was the collective name of all armed elements of the French Resistance from early 1944 onwards, after they have accepted the authority of de Gaulle’s government-in-exile?

The German Graf Zeppelin was the last zeppelin, dismantled in 1940. During its service, it mainly made propaganda flights, but was also used for a military purpose on two occasions. What was this purpose?

Do you recognize this World War II-era U.S. admiral?

What type of building or facility was Italian dictator Benito Mussolini being held in by the Allies when he was rescued by a German commando team on September 12, 1943?

What is the original meaning of the word maquis, the name for French Resistance groups in the countryside during World War II?

What was the gist of President F. D. Roosevelt’s “shoot on sight” order during World War II?

What was the original name of the German heavy cruiser that was laid down in 1937, sold to the Soviet Union in an incomplete state, renamed Petropavlovsk, sunk during the German invasion of the Soviet Union, raised, renamed Tallinn, used the in the Soviet counteroffensive, renamed Dniepr, and broken up for scrap during the Cold War?

What upcoming event was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill referring to in a speech which included the following: “Therefore, we must regard the next week or so as a very important period in our history. It ranks with the days when the Spanish Armada was approaching the Channel, and Drake was finishing his game of bowls; or when Nelson stood between us and Napoleon's Grand Army at Boulogne. We have read all about this in the history books; but what is happening now is on a far greater scale and of far more consequence to the life and future of the world and its civilisation than these brave old days of the past. Every man and woman will therefore prepare himself to do his duty, whatever it may be, with special pride and care“?