WWII Events Quiz
Instructions: How well do you remember the key events of World War II?
- 1.
On what date did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
ADecember 7, 1941BNovember 11, 1941CSeptember 1, 1941DJune 6, 1941 - 2.
What was the code name for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944?
AOperation BarbarossaBOperation TorchCOperation OverlordDOperation Market Garden - 3.
Which battle is considered the turning point of WWII on the Eastern Front?
ABattle of MoscowBBattle of BerlinCBattle of StalingradDBattle of Kursk - 4.
What was the name of the first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima?
AGadgetBTrinityCLittle BoyDFat Man - 5.
In what year did Germany invade Poland, starting World War II in Europe?
A1939B1938C1940D1937 - 6.
What was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk known as?
AOperation SealionBOperation HuskyCOperation AnvilDOperation Dynamo - 7.
Which conference in 1945 divided post-war Germany into occupation zones?
ATehran ConferenceBPotsdam ConferenceCQuebec ConferenceDCasablanca Conference - 8.
What was Germany's failed invasion of the Soviet Union called?
AOperation CitadelBOperation BarbarossaCOperation TyphoonDOperation Overlord - 9.
On what date did Germany officially surrender, ending WWII in Europe?
AMarch 15, 1945BMay 8, 1945CJune 6, 1945DApril 30, 1945 - 10.
Which Pacific island battle raised the famous flag on Mount Suribachi?
AOkinawaBIwo JimaCMidwayDGuadalcanal - 11.
What was the Nazi plan to systematically murder European Jews called?
ALebensraumBThe Final SolutionCKristallnachtDThe Nuremberg Laws - 12.
Which naval battle in June 1942 is considered the turning point of the Pacific War?
ABattle of the Philippine SeaBBattle of Leyte GulfCBattle of the Coral SeaDBattle of Midway - 13.
What was the massive German air campaign against Britain in 1940-1941 called?
AThe Battle of BritainBThe BlitzCOperation SealionDThe Luftwaffe Offensive - 14.
Which 1943 Allied invasion of Italy began with landings on this island?
ACreteBSardiniaCSicilyDCorsica - 15.
What was the last major German offensive on the Western Front called?
AOperation Market GardenBBattle of Hürtgen ForestCOperation NordwindDBattle of the Bulge
Answer Key
Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, bringing the United States into World War II.
Operation Overlord was the code name for the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, France, the largest amphibious invasion in history.
The Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943) was a devastating defeat for Nazi Germany and is widely regarded as the turning point on the Eastern Front.
The atomic bomb 'Little Boy' was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. 'Fat Man' was dropped on Nagasaki three days later.
Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany two days later.
Operation Dynamo evacuated over 338,000 Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France in May-June 1940.
The Potsdam Conference (July-August 1945) established the post-war order in Europe, including the division of Germany into four occupation zones.
Operation Barbarossa was launched on June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in the largest military operation in history.
Germany surrendered unconditionally on May 8, 1945, known as V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day).
The iconic flag-raising photograph was taken on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945.
The 'Final Solution' (Endlösung) was the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, resulting in the Holocaust and the murder of six million Jews.
The Battle of Midway (June 1942) was a decisive American victory that destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers and shifted the balance of power in the Pacific.
The Blitz was the sustained German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom from September 1940 to May 1941, targeting London and other major cities.
Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, marked the beginning of the Italian Campaign and led to the fall of Mussolini.
The Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 - January 1945) was Germany's last major offensive, fought through the dense forests of the Ardennes region.