You know I love my historical trivia. This week’s category is World War II. My own self enforced rules are that I have to know the answer before I ask you (although sometimes I do cheat a bit if it is one of those things where I know I know it but it’s on the tip of my tongue and I can't quite . . . . You old guys know what I'm talking about).
Questions
1. Kay Summersby was the name of
a. Eisenhower’s reputed mistress during WWII.
b. Roosevelt’s reputed mistress during WWII.
c. the only member of the U.S. house of representatives to vote “no” to war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
d. Tokyo Rose’s real name.
2. The name of Albania’s ruler until Mussolino had Italy invade a few months before WWII started.
a. Ramades Pera.
b. King Zog.
c. Ross King.
d. General Zod.
3. Churchill’s physician was
a. Lord Halifax.
b. Stanley Baldwin.
c. Duff Cooper.
d. Lord Moran.
4. Poland’s leader, at least in foreign affairs, when Germany invaded Poland to start WWII was
a. Josef Beck.
b. Heinz Guderian.
c. Wolfgang Hochstetter.
d. Monte Cassino.
5. The surrender of Japan took place on the
a. U.S.S. Indianapolis.
b. The U.S.S. Missouri.
c. U.S.S. Philadelphia.
d. U.S.S. Bismarck.
6. The first head of the U.S. spy service the O.S.S. was
a. William J. Donovan.
b. Charles Lindbergh.
c. Allen Dulles.
d. William S. Stephenson.
7. The name of British spymaster and later author Ian Fleming's home in Jamaica was
a. Moonraker.
b. Chartwell.
c. MI6.
d. Goldeneye.
8. A valet in the British Mission to Turkey was a German spy code named
a. Pastorius.
b. Ultra.
c. Rainbow.
d. Cicero.
9. The only pilot to fly on both missions dropping atomic bombs on Japan was
a. Colonel Paul Tibbets.
b. Major Thomas McGuire.
c. Major Charles W. Sweeney.
d. Lady Jennie Jerome Randolph.
10. John Strange Churchill, a WWI British hero, was also
a. Winston’s brother.
b. Winston’s nefarious uncle who had a great influence on his nephew.
c. An American author who capitalized on Churchill's name in the 30s and 40s.
d. The only Churchill from the same generation as Winston now still alive at 107 years old.
11. Winston Churchill, as opposed to Winston S. Churchill, was
a. The code name for the actor who actually broadcast Churchill’s famous radio addresses.
b. A British politician, novelist and painter.
c. A British scientist at Los Alamos who designed the trigger for “Fat Boy”.
d. An American politician, novelist and painter.
12. Savrola was the name of
a. The leader of the Yugoslavian underground.
b. A mystic who would occasionally counseled Hitler early in the war.
c. Winston Churchill’s one novel.
d. The home built near Berchtesgaden for Hitler's 50th birthday.
13. Spandau was the name of
a. Hitler’s beloved german shepherd.
b. The prison where German war criminals were held after the Nuremberg Trials.
c. Churchill’s prized foxhound.
d. The first bridge to be taken in Germany after D-Day.
14. Georgy Zhukov was
a. A leading Soviet general.
b. The province in Georgia where Stalin was probably raised.
c. The legendary unjammable Soviet assault rifle.
d. The Soviet Spy at Los Alamos.
15. King Michael’s Coup refers to
a. A child’s game played in the Soviet Union during the war.
b. The tavern in Cambridge where Eisenhower and staff formulated D-Day plans.
c. The recapture of political power in Romania by King Michael near the end of the war.
d. A tactic used by sub-destroyers to trap German submarines by triangulating sonar.
16. He fought at Guadalcanal
a. “Would you believe” Don Adams (Get Smart)?
b. Don Rickles, you stupid morons.
c. Don Knotts.
d. Donald Pleasance.
17. He studied at Harvard, planned the Pearl Harbor invasion and said “"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
a. Isoroku Yamamoto.
b. Hideki Togo.
c. Hirohito.
d. Kantaro Suzuki.
18. He was a leading proponent of tank warfare and lightning attacks among the allies before WWII
a. FDR.
b. Winston Churchill.
c. Charles de Gaulle.
d. Dwight Eisenhower.
19. The notorious “Munich Agreement” was
a. The surrender of Germany to the allies, excepting the Soviet Union, in May, 1945.
b. An agreement by France, Britain and Italy to allow Germany to take part of Czechoslovakia.
c. An agreement by France, Britain and Italy to allow the unification of Austria and Germany.
d. The formal agreement by France and Britain to guarantee Poland’s independence.
20. Audie Murphy was
a. a decorated war hero who died in a plane crash on the way back from Europe.
b. a successful actor who many believe was actually a decorated war hero – he was 14 when WWII ended.
c. a great soldier, a successful lightweight boxer and country western songwriter.
d. a great soldier, a successful movie star and country western songwriter.
Answers
1. Kay Summersby was the name of
a. Eisenhower’s reputed mistress during WWII. At least she so much later claimed (she was his chauffeur, for sure) as did one fairly diseputable author who wrote that Truman told him that Eisenhower wanted to divorce Mamie and marry her (also after everyone was dead). Who knows. Even she indicated they never really had intercourse, although that could have been to save her reputation. However, popular culture being what it is, many people just assume it is true without even recognizing that the sources are very weak. Jeanette Rankin was the lone voice against war after Pearl Harbor for which she was booed and did not get re-elected. She was one of the few who voted not to go war in WWI as well, but that was a tougher call.
2. The name of Albania’s ruler until Italy invaded a few months before WWII started.
b. For those who are thinking Zod, he’s a character in Superman. Zog was the name of the Albanian King who fled with his wife and child when the Italian’s marched in not long before the big war. I just like his name. He’s not real important. Pera was a child actor who played young Kwai Chang Caine, Ross King an author about art (I particularly recommend Brunelleschi's Dome and Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling).
3. Churchill’s physician was
d. Lord Charles Moran. Halifax was Britain’s foreign affairs minister, Baldwin a previous PM and Cooper an undersung Churchill ally. Moran was the author of probably the first book yours truly ever read about WWII not authored by Churchill
4. Poland’s leader, at least in foreign affairs, when Germany invaded Poland to start WWII was
a. That would be Josef Beck, whose name has fallen from most histories, probably because he was interned in Romania for the war. There probably was not a sole leader of Poland at the time, but the responsibility for foreign affairs was his and he worked hard to protect his country. Guderian was a great Panzer leader and tank innovator (I recommend his memoirs). Hochstetter, in case any of you picked him, was a character on Hogan’s Heroes, and Monte Cassino was an Italian monastery central to a great battle of the war.
5. The surrender of Japan took place on the
b. The U.S.S. Missouri, of course. The Indianapolis went down at the end of the war and has never been located. The most famous Philadelphia (there were several with that name) saw service in the Barbary Wars. The Bismarck was Germany’s flagship, sunk Britain’s Hood, and was later torpedoed by them - don't mess with the British Navy - at least in the old days.
6. The first head of the U.S. spy service the O.S.S. was
a. William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan was certainly a great American whose name is generally forgotten. I recommend Anthony Cave Brown’s Wild Bill Donovan: The Last Hero. Believe it or not, Lindbergh did actually fight in WWII and even shot down an enemy plane, but he was really there for planning and morale. Dulles was Donovan’s chief of operations and later the head of the CIA which Donovan also started following the war. Stephenson was Britain's intelligence liaison to America.
7. The name of British spymaster and James Bond author Ian Fleming's home in Jamaica is
d. Goldeneye, which Fleming says was based on one of the missions he planned regarding the preservation of Gibraltar and also a Carson McCuller’s novel. Chartwell was a Churchill family home.
8. A valet in the British Mission to Turkey was the spy code named
d. That would be Cicero. I won’t put his real name because I never remember it myself, but you can look it up. He was Albanian in origin and for a while very successful at his task, which he apparently did purely for money. Pastorius was the code name for the comical German sabotage attempt in America in 1942, Ultra was the name for the material garnered from allied intercepts of German Enigma machine coded messages and Rainbow was a collection of American combat plans prior to the war.
9. The only man to fly on both missions dropping atomic bombs on Japan was
c. Sweeney’s War’s End is worth reading. He was in another B-29 for the Hiroshima bombing, where his boss, Tibbets, piloted the plane that dropped the bomb. Sweeney took the lead role for Nagasaki. Thomas McGuire was a top ace in the Pacific, but was killed there. Jennie was Churchill’s mother and not a pilot at all. If you picked her, you need to do some reading.
10. John Strange Churchill, a WWI British hero, was also
a. He was, in fact, the great man’s brother and quite an impressive fellow in his own way. They were close but Winston’s fame completely eclipsed subsequent knowledge of him. He died a few years after the war. There are those who believe that the man he was named for, John Strange, was Winston’s real father, possibly being one of Lady Randolph's lovers. We could dig them up and do dna testing if Britain would allow it (yeah, right), but otherwise it's hard to say. I know of no Churchill still now alive from Winston's generation.
11. Winston Churchill, as opposed to Winston S. Churchill, was
d. He was, in fact, quite a well known American politician, novelist and painter. They knew each other and corresponded. The British version decided that when he wrote, he would use his middle initial to differentiate between them. The American had no middle name. Norman Shelley was a British actor who was rumored to be Churchill's stand i,n but, that claim appears to be bogus.
12. Savrola was the name of
c. Winston Churchill’s one novel, a political thriller. I read most of it and just could not finish. Don’t bother. Churchill was a magnificent writer, but I'm glad he stuck to non-fiction. The home built by the Nazi’s near Berchtesgaden for Hitler’s 50th birthday was Kehlsteinhaus, eerily similar to the name of the grade school teacher I disliked the most.
13. Spandau was the name of
b. The prison where German war criminals were held after the Nuremberg Trials.
14. Georgy Zhukov was
a. Probably the greatest Soviet general. These things are always debatable, but I think not so much here. Even with one or two controversial contributions, those that are sure almost certainly make the Marshall the best of the best. I completely made up b and c. Klaus Fuchs was the name of the Soviet spy at Los Alamos.
15. King Michael’s Coup refers to
c. King Michael reclaimed his throne from the pro-German dictator, Ion Antonescu, in Romania, switched them over to the allies, but soon after the war became a puppet for the Soviets before he was forced to abdicate a second time and Romania became a satellite. Nice try though, Mikey.
16. He fought at Guadalcanal
a. “Would you believe” Don Adams (Get Smart)? Rickles was in the navy. Pleasance was reportedly captured and tortured by the Gestapo. Knotts was an entertainer there and actually received a medal for his services. Adams, a marine, fought in several battles, was lucky to survive when his battalion was wiped out ("missed it by that much"), and was shot at Guadalcanal.
17. He studied at Harvard, planned the Pearl Harbor invasion and said “"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
a. Isoroku Yamamoto, who was brilliant and also right about America. Hideki Togo was a political opponent of his and became Japan’s prime minister. Hirohito was Emperor, of course, and Suzuki was the last war PM and the one who surrendered.
18. He was a leading proponent of tank warfare and lightning attacks among the allies before WWII
c. Charles de Gaulle was a successful combat veteran who wrote about tank warfare before the war, just as Guderian was pressing it in Germany. Guderian was listened to, de Gaulle was not. Obviously, de Gaulle led French forces after the country's surrender and was France's long time leader after the war. There are a number of good books about him of which I read a couple. He's hard to warm up to if you are an American.
19. The notorious “Munich Agreement” was
b. The agreement which Neville Chamberlain said represented “Peace in our time,” and, as we know, did not. Hitler took Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland for Germany and the rest of the country was soon after dismembered by hungry neighbors. Although Hitler himself did not see Munich as a political victory, the ease which he manipulated Chamberlain emboldened him to invade Poland the next year, beginning the war. There have been efforts to rehabilitate Chamberlain's diplomacy, but they sound hollow to me when I read them.
20. Audie Murphy was
d. a true American combat hero in WWII, a movie star and actually a successful song writer (although, seriously, how hard is that . . . It was cold and wet the day my mawmaw diiiiiied. . .) He did die in a plane crash, but that was much later.
Hope you enjoyed.
Questions
1. Kay Summersby was the name of
a. Eisenhower’s reputed mistress during WWII.
b. Roosevelt’s reputed mistress during WWII.
c. the only member of the U.S. house of representatives to vote “no” to war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
d. Tokyo Rose’s real name.
2. The name of Albania’s ruler until Mussolino had Italy invade a few months before WWII started.
a. Ramades Pera.
b. King Zog.
c. Ross King.
d. General Zod.
3. Churchill’s physician was
a. Lord Halifax.
b. Stanley Baldwin.
c. Duff Cooper.
d. Lord Moran.
4. Poland’s leader, at least in foreign affairs, when Germany invaded Poland to start WWII was
a. Josef Beck.
b. Heinz Guderian.
c. Wolfgang Hochstetter.
d. Monte Cassino.
5. The surrender of Japan took place on the
a. U.S.S. Indianapolis.
b. The U.S.S. Missouri.
c. U.S.S. Philadelphia.
d. U.S.S. Bismarck.
6. The first head of the U.S. spy service the O.S.S. was
a. William J. Donovan.
b. Charles Lindbergh.
c. Allen Dulles.
d. William S. Stephenson.
7. The name of British spymaster and later author Ian Fleming's home in Jamaica was
a. Moonraker.
b. Chartwell.
c. MI6.
d. Goldeneye.
8. A valet in the British Mission to Turkey was a German spy code named
a. Pastorius.
b. Ultra.
c. Rainbow.
d. Cicero.
9. The only pilot to fly on both missions dropping atomic bombs on Japan was
a. Colonel Paul Tibbets.
b. Major Thomas McGuire.
c. Major Charles W. Sweeney.
d. Lady Jennie Jerome Randolph.
10. John Strange Churchill, a WWI British hero, was also
a. Winston’s brother.
b. Winston’s nefarious uncle who had a great influence on his nephew.
c. An American author who capitalized on Churchill's name in the 30s and 40s.
d. The only Churchill from the same generation as Winston now still alive at 107 years old.
11. Winston Churchill, as opposed to Winston S. Churchill, was
a. The code name for the actor who actually broadcast Churchill’s famous radio addresses.
b. A British politician, novelist and painter.
c. A British scientist at Los Alamos who designed the trigger for “Fat Boy”.
d. An American politician, novelist and painter.
12. Savrola was the name of
a. The leader of the Yugoslavian underground.
b. A mystic who would occasionally counseled Hitler early in the war.
c. Winston Churchill’s one novel.
d. The home built near Berchtesgaden for Hitler's 50th birthday.
13. Spandau was the name of
a. Hitler’s beloved german shepherd.
b. The prison where German war criminals were held after the Nuremberg Trials.
c. Churchill’s prized foxhound.
d. The first bridge to be taken in Germany after D-Day.
14. Georgy Zhukov was
a. A leading Soviet general.
b. The province in Georgia where Stalin was probably raised.
c. The legendary unjammable Soviet assault rifle.
d. The Soviet Spy at Los Alamos.
15. King Michael’s Coup refers to
a. A child’s game played in the Soviet Union during the war.
b. The tavern in Cambridge where Eisenhower and staff formulated D-Day plans.
c. The recapture of political power in Romania by King Michael near the end of the war.
d. A tactic used by sub-destroyers to trap German submarines by triangulating sonar.
16. He fought at Guadalcanal
a. “Would you believe” Don Adams (Get Smart)?
b. Don Rickles, you stupid morons.
c. Don Knotts.
d. Donald Pleasance.
17. He studied at Harvard, planned the Pearl Harbor invasion and said “"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
a. Isoroku Yamamoto.
b. Hideki Togo.
c. Hirohito.
d. Kantaro Suzuki.
18. He was a leading proponent of tank warfare and lightning attacks among the allies before WWII
a. FDR.
b. Winston Churchill.
c. Charles de Gaulle.
d. Dwight Eisenhower.
19. The notorious “Munich Agreement” was
a. The surrender of Germany to the allies, excepting the Soviet Union, in May, 1945.
b. An agreement by France, Britain and Italy to allow Germany to take part of Czechoslovakia.
c. An agreement by France, Britain and Italy to allow the unification of Austria and Germany.
d. The formal agreement by France and Britain to guarantee Poland’s independence.
20. Audie Murphy was
a. a decorated war hero who died in a plane crash on the way back from Europe.
b. a successful actor who many believe was actually a decorated war hero – he was 14 when WWII ended.
c. a great soldier, a successful lightweight boxer and country western songwriter.
d. a great soldier, a successful movie star and country western songwriter.
Answers
1. Kay Summersby was the name of
a. Eisenhower’s reputed mistress during WWII. At least she so much later claimed (she was his chauffeur, for sure) as did one fairly diseputable author who wrote that Truman told him that Eisenhower wanted to divorce Mamie and marry her (also after everyone was dead). Who knows. Even she indicated they never really had intercourse, although that could have been to save her reputation. However, popular culture being what it is, many people just assume it is true without even recognizing that the sources are very weak. Jeanette Rankin was the lone voice against war after Pearl Harbor for which she was booed and did not get re-elected. She was one of the few who voted not to go war in WWI as well, but that was a tougher call.
2. The name of Albania’s ruler until Italy invaded a few months before WWII started.
b. For those who are thinking Zod, he’s a character in Superman. Zog was the name of the Albanian King who fled with his wife and child when the Italian’s marched in not long before the big war. I just like his name. He’s not real important. Pera was a child actor who played young Kwai Chang Caine, Ross King an author about art (I particularly recommend Brunelleschi's Dome and Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling).
3. Churchill’s physician was
d. Lord Charles Moran. Halifax was Britain’s foreign affairs minister, Baldwin a previous PM and Cooper an undersung Churchill ally. Moran was the author of probably the first book yours truly ever read about WWII not authored by Churchill
4. Poland’s leader, at least in foreign affairs, when Germany invaded Poland to start WWII was
a. That would be Josef Beck, whose name has fallen from most histories, probably because he was interned in Romania for the war. There probably was not a sole leader of Poland at the time, but the responsibility for foreign affairs was his and he worked hard to protect his country. Guderian was a great Panzer leader and tank innovator (I recommend his memoirs). Hochstetter, in case any of you picked him, was a character on Hogan’s Heroes, and Monte Cassino was an Italian monastery central to a great battle of the war.
5. The surrender of Japan took place on the
b. The U.S.S. Missouri, of course. The Indianapolis went down at the end of the war and has never been located. The most famous Philadelphia (there were several with that name) saw service in the Barbary Wars. The Bismarck was Germany’s flagship, sunk Britain’s Hood, and was later torpedoed by them - don't mess with the British Navy - at least in the old days.
6. The first head of the U.S. spy service the O.S.S. was
a. William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan was certainly a great American whose name is generally forgotten. I recommend Anthony Cave Brown’s Wild Bill Donovan: The Last Hero. Believe it or not, Lindbergh did actually fight in WWII and even shot down an enemy plane, but he was really there for planning and morale. Dulles was Donovan’s chief of operations and later the head of the CIA which Donovan also started following the war. Stephenson was Britain's intelligence liaison to America.
7. The name of British spymaster and James Bond author Ian Fleming's home in Jamaica is
d. Goldeneye, which Fleming says was based on one of the missions he planned regarding the preservation of Gibraltar and also a Carson McCuller’s novel. Chartwell was a Churchill family home.
8. A valet in the British Mission to Turkey was the spy code named
d. That would be Cicero. I won’t put his real name because I never remember it myself, but you can look it up. He was Albanian in origin and for a while very successful at his task, which he apparently did purely for money. Pastorius was the code name for the comical German sabotage attempt in America in 1942, Ultra was the name for the material garnered from allied intercepts of German Enigma machine coded messages and Rainbow was a collection of American combat plans prior to the war.
9. The only man to fly on both missions dropping atomic bombs on Japan was
c. Sweeney’s War’s End is worth reading. He was in another B-29 for the Hiroshima bombing, where his boss, Tibbets, piloted the plane that dropped the bomb. Sweeney took the lead role for Nagasaki. Thomas McGuire was a top ace in the Pacific, but was killed there. Jennie was Churchill’s mother and not a pilot at all. If you picked her, you need to do some reading.
10. John Strange Churchill, a WWI British hero, was also
a. He was, in fact, the great man’s brother and quite an impressive fellow in his own way. They were close but Winston’s fame completely eclipsed subsequent knowledge of him. He died a few years after the war. There are those who believe that the man he was named for, John Strange, was Winston’s real father, possibly being one of Lady Randolph's lovers. We could dig them up and do dna testing if Britain would allow it (yeah, right), but otherwise it's hard to say. I know of no Churchill still now alive from Winston's generation.
11. Winston Churchill, as opposed to Winston S. Churchill, was
d. He was, in fact, quite a well known American politician, novelist and painter. They knew each other and corresponded. The British version decided that when he wrote, he would use his middle initial to differentiate between them. The American had no middle name. Norman Shelley was a British actor who was rumored to be Churchill's stand i,n but, that claim appears to be bogus.
12. Savrola was the name of
c. Winston Churchill’s one novel, a political thriller. I read most of it and just could not finish. Don’t bother. Churchill was a magnificent writer, but I'm glad he stuck to non-fiction. The home built by the Nazi’s near Berchtesgaden for Hitler’s 50th birthday was Kehlsteinhaus, eerily similar to the name of the grade school teacher I disliked the most.
13. Spandau was the name of
b. The prison where German war criminals were held after the Nuremberg Trials.
14. Georgy Zhukov was
a. Probably the greatest Soviet general. These things are always debatable, but I think not so much here. Even with one or two controversial contributions, those that are sure almost certainly make the Marshall the best of the best. I completely made up b and c. Klaus Fuchs was the name of the Soviet spy at Los Alamos.
15. King Michael’s Coup refers to
c. King Michael reclaimed his throne from the pro-German dictator, Ion Antonescu, in Romania, switched them over to the allies, but soon after the war became a puppet for the Soviets before he was forced to abdicate a second time and Romania became a satellite. Nice try though, Mikey.
16. He fought at Guadalcanal
a. “Would you believe” Don Adams (Get Smart)? Rickles was in the navy. Pleasance was reportedly captured and tortured by the Gestapo. Knotts was an entertainer there and actually received a medal for his services. Adams, a marine, fought in several battles, was lucky to survive when his battalion was wiped out ("missed it by that much"), and was shot at Guadalcanal.
17. He studied at Harvard, planned the Pearl Harbor invasion and said “"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”
a. Isoroku Yamamoto, who was brilliant and also right about America. Hideki Togo was a political opponent of his and became Japan’s prime minister. Hirohito was Emperor, of course, and Suzuki was the last war PM and the one who surrendered.
18. He was a leading proponent of tank warfare and lightning attacks among the allies before WWII
c. Charles de Gaulle was a successful combat veteran who wrote about tank warfare before the war, just as Guderian was pressing it in Germany. Guderian was listened to, de Gaulle was not. Obviously, de Gaulle led French forces after the country's surrender and was France's long time leader after the war. There are a number of good books about him of which I read a couple. He's hard to warm up to if you are an American.
19. The notorious “Munich Agreement” was
b. The agreement which Neville Chamberlain said represented “Peace in our time,” and, as we know, did not. Hitler took Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland for Germany and the rest of the country was soon after dismembered by hungry neighbors. Although Hitler himself did not see Munich as a political victory, the ease which he manipulated Chamberlain emboldened him to invade Poland the next year, beginning the war. There have been efforts to rehabilitate Chamberlain's diplomacy, but they sound hollow to me when I read them.
20. Audie Murphy was
d. a true American combat hero in WWII, a movie star and actually a successful song writer (although, seriously, how hard is that . . . It was cold and wet the day my mawmaw diiiiiied. . .) He did die in a plane crash, but that was much later.
Hope you enjoyed.
Much fun, Frodo. Got a few wrong because so many of the choices sounded alike and us old guys remember..eh... not so good. Sounds like Zog... one Churchill's the same as another.... and so on...
ReplyDeleteDon't you just picture him pounding his chest and saying "Zog want foooood"?
ReplyDeleteThe Don Adams question is my favorite. Who'd a thought? Not that you'd find that in a history book, but one day I was looking up Barbara Feldon - one of my tv girlfriends when I was growing up -and clicked on something about him.
I picture him battling it out with a giant Japanese soldier, breaking his gun over the guys head, then putting his arm around him and saying "Sorry about that big goon remark."