There are few historical events quite as horrific as the world wars. While you may have learned about them in history class, there’ll likely be a lot of information you’ve yet to uncover, which is where this WW2 trivia comes in!
Even if you know a lot about war, there’s still so much to learn; important dates, notable people, how the rest of the world coped, and why America stepped in to end global chaos.
In this WW2 trivia, there are no losers, for the answers you don’t get right will only provide opportunities to learn something new – after all, knowing your history is critical!
During the first two years of WW2, America maintained formal neutrality, meaning we fought on no side and stayed out of political affairs, too.Â
President Franklin D. Roosevelt effectively declared war on Germany and Italy in 1941, yet WW2 began in Europe in 1939, and most Europeans were significantly affected by this point.Â
What had actually happened in the two years before American involvement, and what impact did the US have?
Let’s find this out and more as we play WW2 trivia round 1.
1: In what year did Adolf Hitler become appointed as the leader of Germany?
1933.
2: WW2 officially began when Germany invaded which European country?
Poland.
3: Roughly how many Americans served in the United States Armed Forces during WW2?
16 million (16,112,566).
4: What specific group of people did Hitler wish to exterminate, leading to the death of more than 6 million of them?
Jewish people.
5: Which country won the first major naval engagement of WW2?
Britain.
6: What happened to inner-city British children during the war?
They were evacuated to rural areas.
7: Who did Winston Churchill replace as the British Prime Minister on May 10, 1940?
Neville Chamberlain.
8: What was the most extended continuous military campaign in WW2?
The Battle of the Atlantic.
9: Whose death led to Germany surrendering?
Adolf Hitler.
10: Pearl Harbor was attacked by which country's army?
Japan.
11: What is the girl's full name that kept a diary and documented life in hiding under German persecution?
Anne Frank.
12: Which three countries made up the Axis Powers?
Germany, Italy, and Japan.
13: Who famously said that 'the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.'?
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (December 8, 1941).
14: What type of military force was Germany's Luftwaffe?
Air.
15: How is the genocide of European Jews during WW2 often termed?
The Holocaust.
16: On December 7, 1941, which country declared war on Japan?
USA.
17: What was the first German concentration camp?
Dachau.
18: What is the largest invasion force in human history (June 6, 1944) known as?
D-Day.
19: How many people are estimated to have died during WW2?
70,000,000 to 85,000,000.
20: On what date did WW2 officially end?
September 2, 1945.
American WW2 Trivia Questions and Answers
The surprise attack on a US naval base at Pearl Harbor led to America’s formal entry into WW2.
More than 16 million Americans served in the forces, and almost half a million (405, 399) were killed in combat.Â
As a nation, we suffered colossal losses, and for many, civilian life was never the same again.
What happened to the brave, courageous young men who boarded ships and planes to fight in foreign lands for a ‘mad man’s war,’ and what was home like for the rest of us?
Let’s take a somber look as we play round 2 of this WW2 trivia.Â
1: In 1945 dollars, how much did WW2 cost the US?
$341 billion.
2: What was the nickname of the 1st American Volunteer Group?
The Flying Tigers.
3: Where did the United States Army Air Forces arrive in mid-1942?
The United Kingdom.
4: How many military aircraft did the US manufacture just prior to and during WW2?
Around 300,000.
5: In WW2, women working at which candy company slipped notes of thanks and encouragement into candy boxes destined for US soldiers?
Whitman's.
6: Although most of the world suffered rationing during the second world war, what item was never rationed in the US?
Cigarettes (although there were shortages at times).
7: What was the first concentration camp liberated by US soldiers?
Ohrdruf concentration camp.
8: How many future American presidents fought in WW2?
8.
Global WW2 Trivia Questions and Answers
Almost every country was involved in WW2, across more than 50 nations.Â
Although some countries took a neutral stand at the beginning of the war, very few remained so until the end.Â
There were over 100 million soldiers deployed to fight, and the loss of life for military persons and civilians globally was a travesty.Â
In this WW2 trivia round, we will look at how different countries experienced this war and the overall effect it had on a global scale.
1: What is the name given to the sustained campaign of Luftwaffe bombing attacks on British towns and cities between September 1940 and May 1941?
The Blitz.
2: How many countries remained neutral until the war's end?
14.
3: The first action taken by the Germans against Jewish people was to do what?
Boycott all Jewish-run businesses.
4: In 1939, secret negotiations between the Soviet Union and Germany resulted in which country being split between the two?
Poland.
5: Infantry divisions could hold up to 25,000 soldiers. Germany had 100 of these, and France had 90. How many did the UK have?
10.
6: In January 1944, who created the War Refugee Board to aid Jewish people and other victims of war?
President Roosevelt.
7: If a person in a German-run concentration camp wore a pink triangle on their uniform, how had they been identified?
Homosexual.
8: How many global deaths were from war-related famine and disease?
19 to 28 million.
9: Remaining on the list of most-wanted war criminals until 2013, by what other name was Austrian Doctor Aribert Ferdinand Heim known?
Dr. Death.
10: Italian leader and founder of the National Fascist Party, Benito Mussolini, declared war on which two countries on June 10, 1940?
France and the UK.
Notable People in WW2 Trivia Questions and Answers
Out of every disaster, heroes rise, which is certainly true during world war two.Â
Including daring social workers and courageous members of the Nazi party, not every hero in this list is a decorated veteran soldier. Still, all are notable for one or more reasons.Â
Learn about the British soldier who smuggled himself INTO Auschwitz and who the most decorated American officer of WW2 is.Â
If you’re looking to do further research on this topic, this WW2 trivia round is where all the keywords are at!
Here we go!Â
1: Nicknamed 'the ghost,' due to seemingly coming back to life so often, who is the most decorated American officer of WW2?
Lt. Col. Matt Urban.
2: Who falsified documents to meet the standards to join the US army and went on to become one of the most decorated combat soldiers of WW2, receiving every medal and award available from the US army and Belgian and French awards for heroism?
Audie Leon Murphy.
3: From where did lone-working female social worker Irena Sendler help to smuggle Jewish people to freedom?
Warsaw Ghetto.
4: Name the British soldier who smuggled himself into Auschwitz, bribed SS guards, smuggled himself out, and in the process, saved at least 400 Jewish laborers.
Charles Joseph Coward.
5: How did an unnamed German guard help to save the life of Auschwitz survivor Edith Rubin, according to her account?
He would silently put down his lunch for prisoners like Edith to eat.
