Question 1 of 20Key eventsEasy
World War II quiz
From the invasion that started it to the surrender that ended it, this WW2 quiz covers key battles, leaders, codebreakers, inventions and life on the home front. Take on these 20 World War 2 quiz questions and see how much you know about the conflict that reshaped the 20th century.
A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Mighty History Quiz Book.
Question 2 of 20Key eventsEasy
The surprise attack of December 7, 1941, that brought the United States into the war struck Pearl Harbor, in what was then which US territory?
Question 3 of 20TechnologyMedium
Codebreakers at Britain's Bletchley Park worked to crack messages sent with which German cipher machine, used widely by its army, navy and air force?
Question 4 of 20LeadersEasy
Who became Britain's prime minister in May 1940 and led the country for the rest of the war in Europe?
Question 5 of 20Key eventsHard
At the Battle of Midway in June 1942, how many Japanese aircraft carriers did US forces sink?
Question 6 of 20Home frontMedium
Which food became the first to be rationed nationwide in the United States, in spring 1942?
Question 7 of 20Home frontEasy
On the American home front, the figure of "Rosie the Riveter" represented which group?
Question 8 of 20Key eventsMedium
What was the code name for the Allied invasion of German-occupied Western Europe, launched in June 1944?
Question 9 of 20TechnologyHard
During the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF relied on a ring of coastal early-warning radar stations known by what name?
Question 10 of 20Key eventsEasy
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed on five beaches along the coast of which French region?
Question 11 of 20Key eventsMedium
The Soviet city of Stalingrad, scene of a pivotal 1942-43 battle, is known today by what name?
Question 12 of 20Key eventsHard
What was the code name for the 1940 evacuation of Allied troops from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France?
Question 13 of 20LeadersEasy
Benito Mussolini led which Axis country into the war?
Question 14 of 20LeadersMedium
Who became US president in April 1945 and led the country through the war's final months?
Question 15 of 20Home frontMedium
Which 1941 US law allowed America to supply Britain and other Allies with weapons and equipment before it entered the war?
Question 16 of 20LeadersHard
In late 1943, the "Big Three" leaders of the US, UK and Soviet Union met together for the first time in which city?
Question 17 of 20TechnologyMedium
The Navajo Code Talkers, who sent messages in a code based on their own language, served in the Pacific with which branch of the US military?
Question 18 of 20Key eventsMedium
On which date in 1945 did Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe (VE) Day?
Question 19 of 20Key eventsHard
On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered aboard which US battleship anchored in Tokyo Bay?
Question 20 of 20TechnologyMedium
Germany's Messerschmitt Me 262, first used in combat in 1944, was the world's first operational aircraft of what type?
Answer all 20 to see your score.
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Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- World War II began in Europe when Germany invaded Poland in which year? 1939Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later, and the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east on September 17.
- The surprise attack of December 7, 1941, that brought the United States into the war struck Pearl Harbor, in what was then which US territory? HawaiiThe USS Arizona Memorial straddles the sunken battleship without touching it, and drops of oil still rise from the wreck.
- Codebreakers at Britain's Bletchley Park worked to crack messages sent with which German cipher machine, used widely by its army, navy and air force? EnigmaAlan Turing designed electromechanical "bombe" machines, building on earlier Polish work, to speed up finding the daily settings.
- Who became Britain's prime minister in May 1940 and led the country for the rest of the war in Europe? Winston ChurchillHe later won the 1953 Nobel Prize in Literature, honoring his historical writing and his speeches.
- At the Battle of Midway in June 1942, how many Japanese aircraft carriers did US forces sink? FourUS codebreakers had partly broken Japan's naval code, revealing that the target, code-named "AF," was Midway.
- Which food became the first to be rationed nationwide in the United States, in spring 1942? SugarShoppers needed ration stamps as well as cash, and the first limit was half a pound per person per week.
- On the American home front, the figure of "Rosie the Riveter" represented which group? Women working in factories and shipyardsMore than six million American women took war jobs, many in roles once thought suitable only for men.
- What was the code name for the Allied invasion of German-occupied Western Europe, launched in June 1944? Operation OverlordA deception plan, Operation Fortitude, used a fictitious army and dummy tanks to make Germany expect landings at Pas-de-Calais.
- During the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF relied on a ring of coastal early-warning radar stations known by what name? Chain HomeIt was the world's first early-warning radar network, with stations running from 1938, and could spot German aircraft forming up over France.
- On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed on five beaches along the coast of which French region? NormandyAbout 156,000 Allied troops landed by sea and air on that single day, from the US, Britain, Canada and other nations.
- The Soviet city of Stalingrad, scene of a pivotal 1942-43 battle, is known today by what name? VolgogradThe Motherland Calls statue, dedicated in 1967 on Mamayev Kurgan hill, stands 85 meters (279 ft) tall from pedestal to sword tip.
- What was the code name for the 1940 evacuation of Allied troops from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, France? Operation DynamoHundreds of civilian "little ships," from fishing boats to yachts, helped ferry soldiers out as more than 338,000 troops were rescued.
- Benito Mussolini led which Axis country into the war? ItalyThe country signed an armistice with the Allies in September 1943 and declared war on Germany that October.
- Who became US president in April 1945 and led the country through the war's final months? Harry S. TrumanHe had been vice president for just 82 days and learned the full details of the atomic bomb project only after taking office.
- Which 1941 US law allowed America to supply Britain and other Allies with weapons and equipment before it entered the war? Lend-Lease ActBy the war's end, the program had shipped about $50 billion in supplies, around 17 percent of total US war spending.
- In late 1943, the "Big Three" leaders of the US, UK and Soviet Union met together for the first time in which city? TehranIt was also the first time Roosevelt and Stalin met in person; the three met again at Yalta in February 1945.
- The Navajo Code Talkers, who sent messages in a code based on their own language, served in the Pacific with which branch of the US military? US Marine CorpsThe original 29 recruits created the code themselves and were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, presented in 2001.
- On which date in 1945 did Britain and the United States celebrate Victory in Europe (VE) Day? May 8The Soviet Union celebrated on May 9, because the surrender took effect just after midnight Moscow time.
- On September 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered aboard which US battleship anchored in Tokyo Bay? USS MissouriIt was the last battleship ever commissioned by the United States, and today it is a museum ship.
- Germany's Messerschmitt Me 262, first used in combat in 1944, was the world's first operational aircraft of what type? Jet-powered fighterFaster than any Allied fighter, it arrived too late and in too few numbers, about 1,400 built, to change the war's outcome.
