Delve into the annals of history with our World War 2 trivia collection! Spanning from the early beginnings of the war in 1939 to its tumultuous end in 1945, these questions cover key events, figures, operations, and moments that defined this global conflict. Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a student, or just curious about the Second World War, these questions will challenge your knowledge and perhaps shed light on lesser-known facets of this pivotal time in history. So, gear up and see how many answers you can get right!
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1. In what year did World War 2 begin? Reveal Answer 1939 2. Which two cities in Japan were hit by atomic bombs? Reveal Answer Hiroshima and Nagasaki 3. Which German leader is associated with World War 2? Reveal Answer Adolf Hitler 4. What was the largest concentration camp established by the Nazis? Reveal Answer Auschwitz 5. Which country was known as the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ during WW2? Reveal Answer United States 6. What major battle was fought between June 4 and 7, 1942 in the Pacific? Reveal Answer Battle of Midway 7. Which country invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, marking the start of WW2? Reveal Answer Germany 8. Which French general led the Free French forces during WW2? Reveal Answer Charles de Gaulle 9. In which Russian city did the Red Army defeat the Germans after a long siege? Reveal Answer Stalingrad 10. Which treaty is often credited with indirectly leading to WW2? Reveal Answer Treaty of Versailles 11. What was the primary goal of the D-Day invasion? Reveal Answer Liberate France 12. Which operation was the German invasion of the Soviet Union? Reveal Answer Operation Barbarossa 13. What was the name of the British operation to evacuate troops from Dunkirk? Reveal Answer Operation Dynamo 14. Who was the British Prime Minister for most of WW2? Reveal Answer Winston Churchill 15. Which code name refers to the Allied invasion of North Africa? Reveal Answer Operation Torch 16. What was the last major German offensive on the Western Front? Reveal Answer Battle of the Bulge 17. Which island was the location for a flag raising captured in a famous photograph? Reveal Answer Iwo Jima 18. What project developed the first atomic bombs during WW2? Reveal Answer Manhattan Project 19. Which conference in 1945 established the post-war order? Reveal Answer Yalta Conference 20. Who was the U.S. President at the start of WW2? Reveal Answer Franklin D. Roosevelt 21. Which country did Germany invade in April 1940? Reveal Answer Denmark and Norway 22. What was the main anti-aircraft gun used by the British? Reveal Answer QF 3.7-inch AA gun 23. Which plane dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima? Reveal Answer Enola Gay 24. What was the code name for the German plan to invade the UK? Reveal Answer Operation Sea Lion 25. What major operation involved an airborne assault on the Netherlands in 1944? Reveal Answer Operation Market Garden 26. Which British jet became operational at the end of WW2? Reveal Answer Gloster Meteor 27. Which ship was the flagship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet? Reveal Answer USS Missouri 28. What were the German defenses on the French coast called? Reveal Answer Atlantic Wall 29. Which German general was known as the ‘Desert Fox’? Reveal Answer Erwin Rommel 30. Which pact in 1939 surprised the world and paved the way for the invasion of Poland? Reveal Answer Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 31. What was the main German tank in the early years of WW2? Reveal Answer Panzer IV 32. What was the codename for the Allied invasion of Sicily? Reveal Answer Operation Husky 33. Which battle in 1940 marked Germany’s first defeat? Reveal Answer Battle of Britain 34. What strategy did the U.S. adopt against Japan involving island hopping? Reveal Answer Leapfrogging 35. What was the Russian winter counter-offensive that relieved Moscow in 1941? Reveal Answer Battle of Moscow 36. Which WW2 battle was the largest tank battle in history? Reveal Answer Battle of Kursk 37. Which country did Mussolini’s Italy invade in 1935? Reveal Answer Ethiopia 38. Who was the commander of the U.S. Third Army in Europe? Reveal Answer General Patton 39. In what year did WW2 end? Reveal Answer 1945 40. Which nation joined the war in 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Reveal Answer United States 41. What did the acronym ‘RAF’ stand for? Reveal Answer Royal Air Force 42. Which vehicle was used by the Allies and known as a ‘duck’? Reveal Answer DUKW 43. What German battleship was sunk in 1941? Reveal Answer Bismarck 44. What was the infamous Japanese fighter plane? Reveal Answer Zero 45. Which country was the first to declare war on Germany? Reveal Answer Great Britain and France 46. What was the German air force called? Reveal Answer Luftwaffe 47. Which battle resulted in a turning point on the Eastern Front in favor of the Allies? Reveal Answer Stalingrad 48. What was the codename for the German invasion of the Soviet Union? Reveal Answer Operation Barbarossa 49. Who was the leader of Fascist Italy during WW2? Reveal Answer Benito Mussolini 50. Which sea battle halted the Japanese advance in the Pacific? Reveal Answer Battle of the Coral Sea 51. What was the series of trials for the prosecution of major WW2 criminals? Reveal Answer Nuremberg Trials 52. Which operation led to the capture of Rome in 1944? Reveal Answer Operation Diadem 53. Which British intelligence project broke several Axis codes? Reveal Answer Ultra 54. Which Japanese city was the second to be hit by an atomic bomb? Reveal Answer Nagasaki 55. Which force was a special operations group specializing in mountain warfare? Reveal Answer Alpini 56. What railway connected Thailand and Myanmar, built with forced labor? Reveal Answer Death Railway 57. What was the main Japanese naval aircraft in WW2? Reveal Answer Mitsubishi A6M Zero 58. Which body of water did the Allies cross on D-Day? Reveal Answer English Channel 59. Who was the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force? Reveal Answer Dwight D. Eisenhower 60. What was the German defensive line in Italy? Reveal Answer Gothic Line 61. Which U.S. naval battle was called the ‘Marianas Turkey Shoot’? Reveal Answer Battle of the Philippine Sea 62. Who was the commander of the Afrika Korps? Reveal Answer Erwin Rommel 63. What was the main light machine gun used by the U.S. forces? Reveal Answer M1918 BAR 64. Which operation was the Allied counter-offensive in the Ardennes? Reveal Answer Operation Nordwind 65. What British bomber was used in the ‘Dambuster’ raids? Reveal Answer Avro Lancaster 66. Which country was known for the ‘Blitz’ bombing campaign? Reveal Answer Germany 67. What was the Japanese term for a divine wind, used for their pilots? Reveal Answer Kamikaze 68. Which German missile was known as the ‘Vengeance weapon’? Reveal Answer V-2 rocket 69. Which major WW2 battle was fought in North Africa at El Alamein? Reveal Answer Second Battle of El Alamein 70. Which battleship did Japan use as its flagship at the Battle of Leyte Gulf? Reveal Answer Yamato 71. Which German tank was known as the ‘Tiger’? Reveal Answer Panzer VI 72. What operation was the airborne assault on southern France in 1944? Reveal Answer Operation Dragoon 73. Which Russian city was under siege for 872 days? Reveal Answer Leningrad 74. Who commanded the German Panzer divisions during the invasion of France? Reveal Answer Heinz Guderian 75. Which country declared neutrality but was invaded by Germany in 1940? Reveal Answer Belgium 76. Which operation resulted in the heaviest one-day airmen casualties for the U.S.? Reveal Answer Operation Tidal Wave 77. Which bridge in Netherlands became famous as ‘a bridge too far’? Reveal Answer Arnhem 78. Which WW2 campaign involved the battle for Guadalcanal? Reveal Answer Solomon Islands campaign 79. What was the primary U.S. semi-automatic rifle used in WW2? Reveal Answer M1 Garand 80. Which country did Japan sign a neutrality pact with in 1941? Reveal Answer Soviet Union 81. Which city hosted the conference that formed the United Nations in 1945? Reveal Answer San Francisco 82. Which nation suffered the highest civilian and military casualties during WW2? Reveal Answer Soviet Union 83. Which beach was primarily assigned to the Canadian forces on D-Day? Reveal Answer Juno Beach 84. What was the German ‘Wolf Pack’ tactic? Reveal Answer Submarine group attack 85. Which U.S. general promised ‘I shall return’ after leaving the Philippines? Reveal Answer Douglas MacArthur 86. What was the name of the main German defensive line on the Eastern Front? Reveal Answer Eastern Wall 87. Which nation had the ‘Gurkha’ soldiers who fought alongside the Allies? Reveal Answer Nepal 88. Which country did Germany and Italy support in the Spanish Civil War? Reveal Answer Nationalists 89. Which French region saw heavy fighting in the ‘Battle of the Hedgerows’? Reveal Answer Normandy 90. What was the codename for the planned German invasion of Switzerland? Reveal Answer Operation Tannenbaum 91. Which German general was involved in a plot to kill Hitler? Reveal Answer Claus von Stauffenberg 92. Which WW2 conference was the last meeting of the ‘Big Three’ Allied leaders? Reveal Answer Potsdam Conference 93. What was the primary British fighter plane during the Battle of Britain? Reveal Answer Spitfire 94. Which group conducted sabotage and resistance against the Nazis in France? Reveal Answer French Resistance 95. What operation was the codename for the bombing of Tokyo in 1942? Reveal Answer Doolittle Raid 96. Which British ship was sunk with a loss of over 3,000 men in 1941? Reveal Answer HMS Hood 97. What event on December 7, 1941, led the U.S. to join WW2? Reveal Answer Attack on Pearl Harbor 98. Which battle was Germany’s last attempt to achieve air superiority over the UK? Reveal Answer Battle of Britain 99. Which French port city was surrounded and defended against the Germans until 1942? Reveal Answer Dunkirk 100. Which U.S. battleship, sunk at Pearl Harbor, was later raised and returned to service? Reveal Answer USS West Virginia Sharing is Caring: