WW2 Trivia

jmayo · 07-07-2008 2:03pm

motherfunker wrote: »

Jmayo got it, it was the American contingency plan to invade Ireland in the event of a German attack. It was almost mistakenly implemented on the 3rd June 1942 but was aborted just before US troops crossed the border.
That would have been interesting.

Have to admit lucky guess

Sure they would have interred them all in the Curragh

Here is one...probably easy enough.
Name the Irish born actor who acted in The Longest Day movie and was also involved in the real D-Day event ?

In the movie he plays the part of someone whom he actually met on D-Day.

Morlar · 07-07-2008 2:55pm

jmayo wrote: »

Name the Irish born actor who acted in The Longest Day movie and was also involved in the real D-Day event ?

In the movie he plays the part of someone whom he actually met on D-Day.

Richard Todd (never knew he was Irish:)

jmayo · 07-07-2008 4:53pm

Morlar wrote: »

Richard Todd (never knew he was Irish:)

Damm it, too easy

Yep he was born in Ireland, son of a British Army officer, but moved to Uk for obvious reasons.

He was a British Para officer dropped into France on D-Day.
He met Major Horward, the character he was later to play in The Longest Day, at the Pegasus Bridge in Normandy.
Now when I say met, they were both there on the day, I am not sure if they dropped into the Cafe for tea, scones and a chin wag

Dinner · 07-07-2008 4:58pm

What was Operation Flash, and why did it fail?

And no, I don't mean the Croation operation that wikipedia talks about.

ojewriej · 09-07-2008 11:16am

Arabel wrote: »

What was Operation Flash, and why did it fail?

And no, I don't mean the Croation operation that wikipedia talks about.

it was one of the attempts on Hitler's life. Bomb was planted on his plane, but it didn't go off, as the fuse frose on high altitude.

I have to admit though, I didn't know that. I was just reading up on German Ressistance and came across this name.

Dinner · 09-07-2008 12:05pm

ojewriej wrote: »

it was one of the attempts on Hitler's life. Bomb was planted on his plane, but it didn't go off, as the fuse frose on high altitude.

I have to admit though, I didn't know that. I was just reading up on German Ressistance and came across this name.

Yep that's the one. Pilot decided to go up a few more thousand feet to avoid clouds.

ojewriej · 09-07-2008 2:39pm

So few more:

1. Where was the very first concentration camp located?

2. On what date did Hitler originally plan to invade Poland, and what changed his decision?

3. What was "Operation Fish"?

4. What was a "volksdeutche"?

5. Why is this picture significant to this forum?

Morlar · 09-07-2008 3:07pm

ojewriej wrote: »

5. Why is this picture significant to this forum?

That looks like one of Adolph's ?

1.) Dachau 1st ww2 KZ

ojewriej · 09-07-2008 3:13pm

Morlar wrote: »

That looks like one of Adolph's ?

1.) Dachau 1st ww2 KZ

2 points for you.

jmayo · 09-07-2008 5:20pm

ojewriej wrote: »

So few more:

2. On what date did Hitler originally plan to invade Poland, and what changed his decision?

3. What was "Operation Fish"?

4. What was a "volksdeutche"?

2. Originally planned for August 26th, but Britain committed to defend Poland when they signed British Polish Common Defence Pact on the 25th.
Also they hinted that they might be open to discussions with Germany over Danzig Corridor. Thus Hitler postponed the attack.
Of course on 31st they staged Gleiwitz incident, the mock attack by Polish units to perticipate war.

3. Operation Fish was transfer of Gold and foreign reserves in June 1940 from Britain to Canada.

4. Volksdeutche are ethnic Germans (German people translated) that were living in countries in Central or Eastern Europe e.g Poland, Czechoslovakia, Baltics, Romania, and Yugoslavia.

And only had to use Wiki for the first

jmayo · 09-07-2008 6:02pm

1. What was a WACO and who made most of them ?

2. Name the unit whose every member was awarded the Bronze Star ?

3. What European village's name was preserved by countries around the world by naming towns, streets etc after it, and it even became a gril's name ?

4. What was operation Longcloth ?

5. What was the Keitel Order ?

elurhs · 09-07-2008 11:48pm

jmayo wrote: »

1. What was a WACO and who made most of them ?

AFAIK the WACO was the American glider used by the Allied gliderborne troops during D-Day/Arnhem. The British version was the Horsa glider.

ojewriej · 10-07-2008 9:17am

2. Name the unit whose every member was awarded the Bronze Star ?

Devils Brigade? I think the proper name was 1st Special Service Unit, or something like that.

3. What European village's name was preserved by countries around the world by naming towns, streets etc after it, and it even became a gril's name ?

That's a very broad question. Would there not be many places that'd fullfill these criteria?

5. What was the Keitel Order ?

Mr Keitel put his foot down and told his wife "Shut up, we are naming our son Harvey, and that's that."

But really, it was an order that allowed Nazis to "legally" execute civilians (or send them to the camp), if they thought they were a threat to the national security. So for any reason really.

jmayo · 10-07-2008 10:38am

elurhs wrote: »

AFAIK the WACO was the American glider used by the Allied gliderborne troops during D-Day/Arnhem. The British version was the Horsa glider.

Yep that was it.
To give it it's full name: it was the WACO CG-4A COMBAT ASSAULT GLIDER
and it was designed by Weaver Aircraft Company of Ohio (WACO).
Also called Hadrian by British.

They used them all over the place (Sicily, Burma) but they tugged a load of them across on D-Day and after using Dakotas (C47s)
In France, they actually used to load them up with wounded and the Dakota would come in low/slow and a tail hook would collect the tow rope/wire and thus launch the glider.

jmayo · 10-07-2008 11:03am

ojewriej wrote: »

2. Name the unit whose every member was awarded the Bronze Star ?

Devils Brigade? I think the proper name was 1st Special Service Unit, or something like that.

3. What European village's name was preserved by countries around the world by naming towns, streets etc after it, and it even became a gril's name ?

That's a very broad question. Would there not be many places that'd fullfill these criteria?

5. What was the Keitel Order ?

Mr Keitel put his foot down and told his wife "Shut up, we are naming our son Harvey, and that's that."

But really, it was an order that allowed Nazis to "legally" execute civilians (or send them to the camp), if they thought they were a threat to the national security. So for any reason really.

2. The devils brigade was the joint Canadian/US commando unit.
Don't think they all got the Bronze star ?
Hint: The unit I am talking about was also rather unusual, but it did not see service in Europe.

3. Ok the question was a bit vague. I have to make it interesting somehow

Hint: The village was destroyed by Germans after high ranking Nazi's death.

5. Yep Willy Keitel signed his name to the Nacht und Nebel Erlass - Night and Fog Decree which handed over resistance to the Gestapo or otherwise they were executed.
Not a very wise move since it helped decide he should get the noose in Nuremberg.
Didn't know he was realted to Harvey

As an aside what other famous order did he sign ?

ojewriej · 10-07-2008 11:24am

jmayo wrote: »

2. The devils brigade was the joint Canadian/US commando unit.
Don't think they all got the Bronze star ?
Hint: The unit I am talking about was also rather unusual, but it did not see service in Europe.

They got a blanket Bronze Star, one for the whole unit. I don't know of any other. Unless maybe E-Company of 101st? I remember that there was a lot of medals handed out after the famous assault on the 88s battery in Normandy.

jmayo wrote: »

3. Ok the question was a bit vague. I have to make it interesting somehow
Hint: The village was destroyed by Germans after high ranking Nazi's death.

That must be Lidice then, after Heydrich was killed.

jmayo wrote: »

As an aside what other famous order did he sign ?

Hm, he signed a lot of orders, he was Hitler's lackey after all. Commando order?

jmayo · 10-07-2008 12:56pm

ojewriej wrote: »

They got a blanket Bronze Star, one for the whole unit. I don't know of any other. Unless maybe E-Company of 101st? I remember that there was a lot of medals handed out after the famous assault on the 88s battery in Normandy.

That must be Lidice then, after Heydrich was killed.

Hm, he signed a lot of orders, he was Hitler's lackey after all. Commando order?

Ok didn't know the Devils Brigade all got Bronze Star but the unit I am talking about fought in the Far East i.e. Burma.

Yep, Lidice was the one I was after. The Heydrich hint was too easy.

Keitel also signed the Commissar Order which allowed or rather ordered the execution of all captured Soviet political commissars.

ojewriej · 10-07-2008 1:06pm

jmayo wrote: »

Ok didn't know the Devils Brigade all got Bronze Star but the unit I am talking about fought in the Far East i.e. Burma.

I'm out so, I know very little about this side of the war.

elurhs · 10-07-2008 11:26pm

jmayo wrote: »

2. Name the unit whose every member was awarded the Bronze Star ?

Have to say I cheated on this one, checked Wikipedia. The answer is Merrill's Marauders, 5307th Composite Unit (provisional). Seem like a tough bunch of guys.

Try this one:
Only 3 weapons used by the British Army in WWII could fire German ammunition. What are they?

jmayo · 11-07-2008 12:03pm

elurhs wrote: »

Have to say I cheated on this one, checked Wikipedia. The answer is Merrill's Marauders, 5307th Composite Unit (provisional). Seem like a tough bunch of guys.

Try this one:
Only 3 weapons used by the British Army in WWII could fire German ammunition. What are they?

Yep, Merrils Marauders were the guys.
I didn't think the answer was in wiki so that's why I asked.
Any of the guys that fought in Burma were tough. The Chindits were another tough crew.
Read arcticle years ago that described how the Japanese eventually turned to canabilism since their food supply ran out later in the war.

I know the MP38/MP40 can fire sten 9mm ammo so presume the sten SMG fire German 9mm ammo ?
The Welrod silenced pistol that was used by SOE also used 9mm.
A lot of the British weapons used .303 or .45 whereas Germans would have been using 7.92mm so can't think of any others.

The US "Grease Gun" could also use the same 9mm ammo but did the Brits have any of them ?

ojewriej · 11-07-2008 12:14pm

jmayo wrote: »

I know the MP38/MP40 can fire sten 9mm ammo so can the sten SMG fire German 9mm ammo ?

Also the Lanchester SMG?

And as far as I remember, both sides used Browning Hi-something pistol, which used 9mm ammo as well, would that qualify?

jmayo · 11-07-2008 4:01pm

ojewriej wrote: »

Also the Lanchester SMG?

And as far as I remember, both sides used Browning Hi-something pistol, which used 9mm ammo as well, would that qualify?

That's a blooming MP28 just renamed.
Forgot the Germans had the Browning FN plant in Belgium :mad:

elurhs · 11-07-2008 7:34pm

Yeah the Sten is one, and the Browning Hi-Power another, both using 9mm.
I'll take your word jmayo on the SOE pistol, would make sense they could fire German ammo.

The other gun I'm thinking of was 7.92mm, and mass produced. It wasn't developed in the UK, it was a design they bought, but didn't bother modifying to the standard .303in due to cost/technical issues. The logistical problem of it using different calibre ammo was solved by using it in a branch of the Army that had its own supply chain.

ojewriej, just checked on the Lanchester, have to say it was a new one on me, hadn't heard of it before. It wasn't the one I was thinking of, but it would certainly qualify.

ojewriej · 11-07-2008 9:45pm

elurhs wrote: »

The other gun I'm thinking of was 7.92mm, and mass produced. It wasn't developed in the UK, it was a design they bought, but didn't bother modifying to the standard .303in due to cost/technical issues. The logistical problem of it using different calibre ammo was solved by using it in a branch of the Army that had its own supply chain.

Only one i can think of, based on a design they bought is Bren. But that's obviously not it. Was it some kind of a mounted weapon? Heavy MG or something like that? No name comes to my mind though

elurhs · 12-07-2008 12:23am

ojewriej wrote: »

Only one i can think of, based on a design they bought is Bren. But that's obviously not it. Was it some kind of a mounted weapon? Heavy MG or something like that? No name comes to my mind though

You're not too far out. It was the Besa machine gun, bought from the same company they got the Bren from. It was mounted as the machine gun on all British tanks, the Royal Armoured Corps having a separate supply line from the infantry.

Morlar · 14-07-2008 7:50pm

just 2 quick ones for now :

1) The handwriting & voice of which ww2 figure can be seen/heard in outer space ?

2) Who was the first (non prisoner) German combatant to step onto English soil during ww2 ?

jmayo · 15-07-2008 1:57pm

Morlar wrote: »

just 2 quick ones for now :

1) The handwriting & voice of which ww2 figure can be seen/heard in outer space ?

Albert Einstein on Voyager ?
Edit: after bit of research could it be Kurt Waldheim ?

Morlar wrote: »

2) Who was the first (non prisoner) German combatant to step onto English soil during ww2 ?

Rudolf Hess landing in Scotland ?
Or does this involve the Channel Islands by any chance or a British embassy?
Sorry to be pedantic but do you mean UK/Britain or just England ?
If England then it must be shot down pilot if England.

Morlar · 15-07-2008 2:36pm

jmayo wrote: »

Albert Einstein on Voyager ?
Edit: after bit of research could it be Kurt Waldheim ?

Rudolf Hess landing in Scotland ?
Or does this involve the Channel Islands by any chance or a British embassy?
Sorry to be pedantic but do you mean UK/Britain or just England ?
If England then it must be shot down pilot if England.

Waldheim is correct & your right about the islands - I should have said British soil not english. ps Not shot down.

Morlar · 15-07-2008 2:43pm

Here are a few more :

1) Beginning in WWI and continued into WWII on what was the 'We got mittens too' jibe based ?

2) Who said . . .

"We didnt wish to die and would kill and massacre as if to avenge ourselves in advance for what was about to happen. When we died it was with fury because we hadnt been able to exact enough retribution."

3) In the context of the war in the east what was the ;

'rats war' ?
Red Orchestra ?
red october tractor factory (ie why important) ?

4) Which country did the Spy ring code-named Lucy report to & where did they report from ?

ojewriej · 15-07-2008 2:52pm

Morlar wrote: »

Here are a few more :

1) Beginning in WWI and continued into WWII on what was the 'We got mittens too' jibe based ?

Got mit uns (got with us) on german belt buckles.

Morlar wrote: »

2
'rats war' ?
Red Orchestra ?
red october tractor factory (ie why important) ?

I'm not really sure if I get this question right - Red Orchestra was a german code name for Soviet spy network in Europe. ROTF was a scene of most ferocious fighting in Stalingrad, I'm not sure about rats war - something to do with combat in unerground canals?.

Morlar · 15-07-2008 3:05pm

ojewriej wrote: »

Got mit uns (got with us) on german belt buckles.

I'm not really sure if I get this question right - Red Orchestra was a german code name for Soviet spy network in Europe. ROTF was a scene of most ferocious fighting in Stalingrad, I'm not sure about rats war - something to do with combat in unerground canals?.

Yep - knew they were too easy. The belt buckle one is correct, Red orchestra indeed was the spy network, ROTF is correct (but what I was looking for was about that the last transmission recieved by an encircled german unit) - also yes, acknowledged as scenes of some of the most intense close quarters fighting. The rat's war or 'Rat War' as google finds it referred to the house to house fighting in stalingrad which included cellars and sewers.

So the ones which are left are :

1) Who was the first (non prisoner) German combatant to step onto British soil during ww2

2) Who said . . .

"We didnt wish to die and would kill and massacre as if to avenge ourselves in advance for what was about to happen. When we died it was with fury because we hadnt been able to exact enough retribution."

3) Which country did the Spy ring code-named Lucy report to & where did they report from ?

jmayo · 15-07-2008 3:11pm

Morlar wrote: »

Waldheim is correct & your right about the islands - I should have said British soil not english. ps Not shot down.

Ok is it the German recon pilot that landed on Guernsey and they surrendered to him.
Must be the French influence.
For some reason I thought i was a trick question and involved them taking an embassy somewhere

On Waldheim question I originally thought it was Einstein but when I checked he doesn't seem to be on the Voyager record, whereas the ex Austrian president/child deporting German officer is.

Morlar · 15-07-2008 6:52pm

jmayo wrote: »

Ok is it the German recon pilot that landed on Guernsey and they surrendered to him.
Must be the French influence.

It was Roman Gastager -
http://www.hubhobbyshop.com/review173.htm
Couldnt find a wiki page but thats the guy.

motherfunker · 21-07-2008 8:54pm

Name the unit and commander of the only 2 Irish men known to serve with the Waffen SS during WW2.

Morlar · 21-07-2008 10:10pm

motherfunker wrote: »

Name the unit and commander of the only 2 Irish men known to serve with the Waffen SS during WW2.

Sepp Dietrichs good buddy Otto Skorzeny. SS Jager Battailon 502. Also under direct command of SS-Hautscharfuhrer Manns at one point or another.

motherfunker · 21-07-2008 10:28pm

Thought that was a bit too easy.

Morlar · 21-07-2008 11:00pm

Interesting that they fostered the commando unit that got Mussolini out. As an fyi that book 'Hitlers Irishmen also has a pic of the unit in the courtyard of Bendlerstrasse the day after Stauffenberg was put to death there for his part in the attempt on Hitler.

Here are some more short ones :

a) According to Goebbels who was 'Isidor' ?

b) How many court cases did 'Isidor' bring against Goebbels ?

c) How were Goebbels and Victor Chaim Arlosoroff connected & how/where did Arlosoroff die ?

jmayo · 22-07-2008 10:31am

Morlar wrote: »

Interesting that they fostered the commando unit that got Mussolini out. As an fyi that book 'Hitlers Irishmen also has a pic of the unit in the courtyard of Bendlerstrasse the day after Stauffenberg was put to death there for his part in the attempt on Hitler.

Here are some more short ones :

a) According to Goebbels who was 'Isidor' ?

b) How many court cases did 'Isidor' bring against Goebbels ?

c) How were Goebbels and Victor Chaim Arlosoroff connected & how/where did Arlosoroff die ?

a. Dr. Bernhard Weiss - Deputy police chief of Berlin in 1920s

b. Weiss sued goebels 28 times for libel I think

c. Goebels was going out with Arlosoroff's girlfriend Magda who later married Goebbels ?
He was killed in Tel Aviv in 1933 by Zionists.

And no I didn't use Wiki.

Here is one....
What was the rumour surrounding Goebbels son Helmut ?

Morlar · 22-07-2008 10:56am

Correct on all three ! Apparently Magda - a peroxide blonde also had a liasion with herbert hoovers nephew and married to an elderly prussian while having an interest in his son alledgedly. Apparently Arlosoroff' fired a gun at her when he found out she was seeing the Naxi Gauleiter of Berlin.

I read somewhere that one of the times Goebbels was sued for libel it was for publishing a cartoon picture of Weiss's face on a donkey spreadeagled on the ice.

In court Goebbels said 'No thats not him' The judge said 'Of course thats him' - next day the headline in Goebbels paper said 'Judge confirms Weiss looks like a donkey'.
Genius!

Morlar · 22-07-2008 12:23pm

jmayo wrote: »

Here is one....
What was the rumour surrounding Goebbels son Helmut ?

I think the rumour was that he was not Goebbels son - the rumour had it that he was Hitlers ?

Morlar · 22-07-2008 5:49pm

This one is a bit convoluted for a change ;

What is the connection between Frank Stringer (the Irishman who served in the Jager Battailon 502 of the Waffen SS)

and .......

The Arizona Patriots (an alledgedly anti-semitic anti federal govt/ pro weapons stockpiling group of people from the 70's).

Note there is no direct connection at all.

big hint;

Frank Stringers waffen SS unit was among those who took part in the Ardennes offensive dressed as american GI's.

ojewriej · 23-07-2008 10:44am

Morlar wrote: »

This one is a bit convoluted for a change ;

What is the connection between Frank Stringer (the Irishman who served in the Jager Battailon 502 of the Waffen SS)

and .......

The Arizona Patriots (an alledgedly anti-semitic anti federal govt/ pro weapons stockpiling group of people from the 70's).

That's a tough one - it took some digging.

Would it be something to do with Arizona Patriots' leader Ty Harding starring in "Battle of the Bulge"?

Morlar · 23-07-2008 11:43am

ojewriej wrote: »

Would it be something to do with Arizona Patriots' leader Ty Harding starring in "Battle of the Bulge"?

Bingo - Ty Hardin played a fictional character in the movie Battle of the Bulge' called Lt Schumacher.

This composite character was based on the activities of units like Frank Stringer's Jager Battailon 502 Waffen SS.

In later life the actor Ty Harding he led the 'Arizona Patriots' an alledgedly anti-semitic - weapon stockpiling group who were not fond of the federal government. Since then he has disbanded them and recently won some citizenship award or another.

ojewriej · 23-07-2008 11:46am

Morlar wrote: »

Bingo - Ty Hardin played a fictional character in the movie Battle of the Bulge' called Lt Schumacher.

This composite character was based on the activities of units like Frank Stringer's Jager Battailon 502 Waffen SS.

In later life the actor Ty Harding he led the 'Arizona Patriots' an alledgedly anti-semitic - weapon stockpiling group who were not fond of the federal government. Since then he has disbanded them and recently won some citizenship award or another.

Great. I really liked that question, read some interesting stuff while looking for the answer.

jmayo · 23-07-2008 3:10pm

Morlar wrote: »

I think the rumour was that he was not Goebbels son - the rumour had it that he was Hitlers ?

Yep got it in one.

Fratton Fred · 23-07-2008 3:46pm

There's some great stuff here guys, keep it up :cool:

23-07-2008 4:57pm

Fratton Fred wrote: »

There's some great stuff here guys, keep it up :cool:

Yeah I love peering in this thread too

. Only got one answer right first so far, I thought my history was good. You guys are sick!

Night Flight · 23-07-2008 5:13pm

Morlar wrote: »

Sepp Dietrichs good buddy Otto Skorzeny. SS Jager Battailon 502. Also under direct command of SS-Hautscharfuhrer Manns at one point or another.

SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502 was Nazi Germany's main special forces unit from 1943-1944. Formed in June 1943, the unit was commanded by Otto Skorzeny and was based at Friedenthal just north of Berlin, consisting originally of the three hundred members of the former Sonder Lehrgang zbv Friedenthal. After an unsuccessful attempt to train members of an SS penal facility, Skorzeny obtained permission to recruit volunteers from the Wehrmacht, and a hundred SS personnel, fifty Luftwaffe and a hundred and fifty army personnel were admitted, allowing the formation of a headquarters company and two line companies. An intensive training programme was instituted.

In September 1943, fourteen members of this unit carried out the raid on Gran Sasso which resulted in the rescue of deposed Italian dictator Mussolini.
They were later placed on standby for several operations that never took place, including a proposed kidnapping of Marshal Petain.
In February 1944, a third company was formed from mainly Flemish and Dutch personnel with Hauptsturmfuhrer Hoyer as its commanding officer. In the same month, No. 1 and 2 companies of the battalion went to the Kurmark troop training area near Cologne for four weeks intensive training, after which they saw combat on the Eastern front for over a month. At the same time, a small detachment of veterans of the Gran Sasso raid were carrying out terrorist operations in Occupied Denmark; this group is known to have carried out ten assassinations, over thirty attacks on civilians and nearly twenty attacks on Danish factories.
On 20 July 1944, No. 1 Company was deployed in Berlin, briefly occupying the Benderblock after the attempted assassination of Hitler.

In August 1944, fifty members of the unit carried out Operation Landfried in Romania, destroying road and railway bridges in an attempt to delay the Russian advance.
In September 1944, SS-Jäger-Bataillon 502 was dissolved and its personnel absorbed into a new battalion, Jagdverbande Mitte.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS-J%C3%A4ger-Bataillon_502

Morlar · 23-07-2008 5:41pm

Night Flight wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS-J%C3%A4ger-Bataillon_502

From what I recall of the book Hitlers Irishmen the Jager Battailon were visited on October 1 1943 by Heinrich Himmler.

This is just 3 days before he made his infamous 'splendid jew' speech - (well worth reading imo).

http://www.holocaust-history.org/himmler-poznan/speech-text.shtml

So while he was watching the Jager Battailon do their sports show he most likely had that speech floating around in his head. Stunning to think of the coincidences and closeness to major moments in history that this group had.

ojewriej · 24-07-2008 10:00am

Ok, few more:

They are easy, so no Wiki ;-)

1. Who (or what) fired the first (official) shots of WWII? What was the target?

2. What's Benzedrine, and how does it relate to WWII?

3. What was WAAF?

4. What's the name of the weapon pictured below? (and I don't mean Lee Enfields;))

WW2 Trivia

Comments