Question #1: What treaty that ended WWI and put heavy burdens on Germany do many historians point to as one of the earliest causes of WWII?
Correct Answer: The Treaty of Versailles
Question #2: Though it is common knowledge that in the beginning of WWII the Germans signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union, what was the official name of this document?
Correct Answer: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Question #3: The general consensus among scholars and historians is that the Second World War began in which year?
Correct Answer: 1939
Question #4: Once the two clear sides were formed and the battle lines were drawn, what were the names of the two opposing factions in World War Two?
Correct Answer: The Axis and Allied Powers
Question #5: Even though most point to 1939 as the beginning of the war, others say it was 1937 because that was the year when Japan began trying to conquer what other nation?
Correct Answer: China
Question #6: Before Adolf Hitler rose to power and established the Third Reich in Germany, what was the name of Germany’s short-lived democratic government?
Correct Answer: Wiemar Republic
Question #7: Back in 1931, before the war fully erupted, what land did Japan invade and eventually take over, causing them to leave the League of Nations?
Correct Answer: Manchuria
Question #8: In what year did the United States formally enter the fray in response to the Pearl Harbor attacks?
Correct Answer: 1941
Question #9: What German general, nicknamed “Desert Fox”, was responsible for leading the German forces in North Africa?
Correct Answer: Erwin Rommel
Question #10: What was the name of the leader of China throughout The Second World War?
Correct Answer: Chiang Kai-shek
Question #11: In World War Two, when Allied forces began to plan their invasion of France from across the English Channel, they code named the operation D-Day. What does the “D” in D-Day stand for?
Correct Answer: Absolutely nothing
Question #12: Throughout World War Two, what was the nickname for German submarines used almost universally?
Correct Answer: U-Boats
Question #13: In the war between Japan and the U.S.A. in the Pacific Ocean, what legendary battle went down in the history books as being the first sea-air battle?
Correct Answer: The Battle of Coral Sea
Question #14: Despite the fact that they are rarely considered one of the biggest contributors to the Allied war effort, approximately how many Canadians actually served in World War Two?
Correct Answer: 1.12 Million
Question #15: What is the name of the Spanish dictator who took over his county thanks to the aid of Adolf Hitler?
Correct Answer: Francisco Franco
Question #16: Throughout the merciless and brutal combat that happened along Germany’s Eastern front, what 1942-1943 battle marked the turning point with a hard-fought Russian victory?
Correct Answer: Stalingrad
Question #17: While the tragedy of war happened out in the open, the tragedy of the Holocaust happened behind the scenes. What does the word “Holocaust” roughly mean in its original use?
Correct Answer: “Death by fire”
Question #18: The ruthless tactic of fire-bombing used throughout the war led to a tragic number of civilian casualties throughout the conflict. The fire-bombing of what place inspired the book Slaughterhouse Five?
Correct Answer: Dresden
Question #19: In France, even when occupied by Germany, the people looked to what man as the leader of their armed forces?
Correct Answer: Charles de Gaulle
Question #20: Once Germany marched through and took over the nation of France, they decided to install a puppet government in order to enforce their will. What was the name of this new French government?
Correct Answer: Vichy France
Question #21: What event in 1939 is considered the opening of the war because it caused most of Europe to declare war on Germany?
Correct Answer: The German invasion of Poland
Question #22: The Axis Powers began to truly crumble with the surrender of which member nation in 1943?
Correct Answer: Italy
Question #23: The German military operation known as “Operation Barbarossa” was the plan to attack which other nation?
Correct Answer: The Soviet Union
Question #24: Even before World War Two began, most Axis Powers tried to take over smaller nations to add to their own empires. What nation did Italy conquer in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War?
Correct Answer: Ethiopia
Question #25: German General Erwin Rommel was involved in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. How was Rommel executed for his involvement in this plot?
Correct Answer: He was forced to kill himself
Question #26: The turning point for the war in the Pacific theater is considered which battle in 1942?
Correct Answer: The Battle of Midway
Question #27: Accounting for everyone killed in the Holocaust, what was its estimated total death toll?
Correct Answer: 11 Million
Question #28: In terms of death toll, World War Two is the ___ deadliest conflict in human history. (Fill in the Blank)
Correct Answer: 1st
Question #29: Once the smoke settled and the war officially ended, what new peace-keeping organization was created to replace the failed League of Nations?
Correct Answer: The United Nations
Question #30: What was the name of the Prime Minister of Great Britain who managed to defend his country from German onslaught throughout the Second World War?
Correct Answer: Winston Churchill
Question #31: After the First World War, France created a de-militarized zone as a buffer between them and Germany to prevent another invasion. What was the name of this area?
Correct Answer: The Maginot Line
Question #32: After taking over Germany, what was the first area that Hitler ordered the annexation of?
Correct Answer: Austria
Question #33: What World War Two battle marked the final major German offensive of the conflict?
Correct Answer: The Battle of the Bulge
Question #34: In what city was the peace conference that officially ended World War Two held?
Correct Answer: Paris
Question #35: What famous military officer commanded the American forces that fought in the Pacific throughout the Second World War?
Correct Answer: Douglas MacArthur
Question #36: At which battle was this legendary image of soldiers united to lift an American flag taken?
Correct Answer: The Battle of Iwo Jima
Question #37: The final true act of violence in World War Two was the the United States dropping two atomic bombs on what other nation?
Correct Answer: Japan