1. World War II Quiz Questions: II

2. A focus on defence of our homeland
What change in our military strategy resulted from the Fall of Singapore?
A focus on defence of our homeland

3. What significant world event took place in the years before World War II broke out?
The Great Depression

4. Where did Curtin and others say the war was after the Fall of Singapore?
On our doorstep

5. How many Australian troops were captured at Singapore and from what division were they?
from the 8th Division

6. What happened to most Australian prisoners of war?
They died of disease, malnutrition or ill-treatment by the Japanese

7. On what date was Darwin bombed?
19th February, 1942

8. Where was Italy expanding its territory at the time of World War II?
North Africa

9. Where was Germany expanding its territory?
Europe, particularly to the East

10. Why did Singapore fall much more quickly than expected?
A Japanese attack from the sea was expected, and British defence was based on this incorrect assumption. The Japanese attacked from the land via the Malay Peninsula

11. On what date did Singapore fall?
15th February, 1942

12. Who was the German leader during World War II?
Adolf Hitler

13. Fascists were opposed to which political system?
Communism

14. Which two British warships were sunk by the Japanese in December 1941?
The Repulse and the Prince of Wales

15. In response to Singapore appearing vulnerable, the Prime Minister of Australia, Curtin, appealed to which country for help in defence?
The United States

16. Which country was Hirohito the leader of?
Japan

17. Who was the leader of Italy in World War II?
Mussolini

18. Where was Japan expanding its territory during World War II?
South East Asia

19. Name the pact signed by British Prime Minister Chamberlain, and Hitler in 1938, which gave Hitler territory in Czechoslovakia.
Munich Pact

20. Which country did Mussolini align Italy with, and why?
Germany, because both countries were lead by fascist dictators

21. British navy, with Australians to support the British war effort
Which British armed forces base was located at Singapore, and why were there Australian troops there?
British navy, with Australians to support the British war effort

22. What name is given to the leader of a fascist country?
Dictator

23. Why were Britain and France willing to pursue a policy of appeasement in relation to Germany?
Britain and France, because of the impact of the Great Depression & cost of World War I, were not financially prepared for another war

24. Some people think Germany’s actions in the lead up to World War II were partly justified because of the way they were treated in which treaty at the end of World War I?
Treaty of Versailles

25. After Pearl Harbour, where else did the Japanese also attack?
Burma, Borneo, the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), Malaya, and other places in South-East Asia

26. What island was considered strategically important for British and Allied forces in South Asia in 1942?
Singapore

27. Under what convention should the ‘Centaur’ and other hospital ships have been left alone?
Geneva Convention

28. No direct action was taken against Hitler when his military forces began to take over other countries in Europe. What was this policy known as?
Policy of Appeasement

29. How many women had joined the women’s armed services by the end of World War II?
More than

30. They were nurses, drivers, signallers, and motor mechanics
What sort of work did the women in our armed services do during the war?
They were nurses, drivers, signallers, and motor mechanics

31. What economic and political system was Hitler opposed to, partly because he was a fascist?
Communism

32. What sorts of roles did women hold on the home front during the war?
Heavy factory work, farm labouring, rural postings through the Women’s Land Army, other roles traditionally performed by men

33. What kind of ship was the ‘Centaur’?
A hospital ship

34. What happened to the ‘Centaur?
It was sunk by a Japanese submarine, in a breach of the rules of war

35. What is the relationship between the views of Menzies and the views of the general public in Australia, over whether we should join World War II?
Menzies and most Australians supported the belief we should help the British war effort

36. Give two reasons why Australia should not have become involved in WWII, just because Britain had.
Because of the losses and conditions faced in World War I and because it did not concern us. Our relationship with Britain was also weaker.

37. In what year did the Women’s Australian National Service begin?
1940

38. In what year did the government finally agree that women could enroll in the armed services, on a restricted basis?
1941

39. List the main women’s branches of the armed services.
Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service
Women’s Australian Auxilliary Air Force
Australian Women’s Army Service
Nursing Corps

40. Name one political party which opposed Australia becoming involved in WWII?
Labor Party

41. Who was Australia’s Prime Minister when war broke out in September 1939?
Robert Menzies

42. What does the abbreviation AIF stand for?
Australian Imperial Force

43. Name 2 Australian ships lost in World War II.
HMAS Sydney
HMAS Parramatta
HMAS Nestor
HMAS Australia
HMAS Perth
HMAS Canberra

44. Voluntary Aid Detachment
What does VAD stand for?
Voluntary Aid Detachment

45. What did VAD’s do?
They were groups of unpaid nursing assistants who worked in Australian military hospitals

46. In what year was the 2nd AIF formed?
1939

47. The Mediterranean, the Middle East & North Africa
Where did the Australian RAAF see service outside the Asia-Pacific region?
The Mediterranean, the Middle East & North Africa

48. In the War in the Pacific, where did the RAAF operate from?
Darwin

49. What was the role of the RAAF in the Pacific during the war?
They bombed enemy positions and reinforcements, escorted convoys and attacked Japanese planes that were trying to bomb Australian cities

50. What is significant about August 15th 1945?
The Japanese finally unconditionally surrendered and World War II ended.

51. What island near Greece did Australians evacuate to after attacks from German Air Forces?
Crete

52. What does ‘blitzkrieg’ mean?
‘lightning strike’ – A German military strategy involving rapid surprise attacks on their enemy

53. 2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Force)
Which Australian force joined fighting in the Mediterranean the Middle East and North Africa?
2nd AIF (Australian Imperial Force)

54. In 1940, where were 1500 Australians killed in a 5 week campaign?
Syria

55. In what continent is Tobruk?
Africa

56. How long did the siege at Tobruk last?
Eight months

57. What was significant about the Battle of El Alamein?
Australia’s 9th Division and other Allied forces defeated the Germans and forced them to leave North Africa

58. Name the three axes powers of World War II.
Germany, Italy and Japan

59. Name the four allied powers of World War II.
Australia, Britain, USA,
Soviet Union

60. The Australian force which saw battle in the Mediterranean Sea, and also in the Pacific, helped protect troop and supply ships was the RAN. What does RAN stand for?
Royal Australian Navy

61. What event triggered the start of the War in the Pacific?
The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour, December 7th, 1941

62. What was the ‘Brisbane line’?
An idea, challenged as non-existent by some historians, that a line be drawn from Brisbane to Adelaide on a map, and only places south of this ‘Brisbane line’ would be defended. The idea was rejected.

63. In what year did WWII extend to the Pacific?
1941

64. Give 2 reasons why Australian men volunteered to join the AIF.
A desire to help Britain
To gain employment
To honour fathers and others who fought in World
War I
They had previously served in World War I themsleves