WWII Forums Quiz Part V

At Tehran, Stalin promised Soviet entry into the Pacific War three months after the defeat of Germany and presented a huge list of supply demands as payment. At Yalta, Stalin upped the ante to the return of Soviet control of the lower half of Sakhalin Island and the Kuriles as they were prior to the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. Stalin also wanted to secure leases for the ports of Dairen and Port Arthur and for the railways that Russia built from Vladivostok to Dairen.

 

Correct. Your turn Bill.

 

Alrighty then....One of Japan's most talented carrier admirals he graduated from Eta Jima the Japanese Naval Academy in 1912. Over the years he held various posts, studied at Princeton from 1921-23, served on the Naval General Staff and was a delegate to the London Naval Conference. He also served as a naval attache in Washington from 1934-37. Although a nonflier, in 1940 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and given command of the 2nd Carrier Division. With this command he participated in the Pearl Harbor, Wake Island, Dutch East Indies and finally at Midway were he committed suicide by going down with his flagship. Who was this man?

 

I believe it was Rear Admiral Yamaguchi.

During the battle of Midway, Yamaguchi's flagship, the Hiryu, launched bombers and torpedo planes against Yorktown. The gallant carrier was crippled but nearly succeeded in reaching safety before torpedoes from Japanese submarine I-168 finally sank her three days later. Retribution was not long in coming. On the afternoon of June 4, 24 American dive-bombers--including 10 refugees from Yorktown--scored four hits on Hiryu. Admiral Yamaguchi went down with his ship, refusing to abandon her.

 

That is correct Col, your up to bat.

Incidently RADM Tamon Yamaguchi was a vocal critic of Nagumo's opting not to launch a third strike during the Pearl Harbor operation.

 

Ok here is one. Who fired the first shot to start WWII, who shot it, where, and when?

 

Doesn't anyone know? Should I post a new question? I am not sure because this is the first quiz I took part in.

 

Usually we give hints if no one has any guesses or wrong answers. You could say if the person was German, Pole, or something else and if your defination of the start of WWII is Sept. 1939.

 

Going with TA's definition of WWII starting with Poland, there are two possibilities:

1) On the night of August 31, 1939, Nazis took an unknown prisoner from one of their concentration camps, dressed him in a Polish uniform, took him to the town of Gleiwitz (on the border of Poland and Germany), and then shot him. The staged scene with the dead prisoner dressed in a Polish uniform was supposed to appear as a Polish attack against the German radio station there during a broadcast. Unfortunately, the station was only a relay station!

2)The German naval training ship 'Schleswig Holstein' fires opening shots of World War II at 4:45am shelling the Polish naval depot and garrison at Westeplatte. She was on a supposed “goodwill visit”
The navy later intended to use the World War I battleship Schleswig-Holstein, 3 cruisers, and two flotillas of destroyers to bombard shore installations at Gdynia and the garrison at Hel (north of Danzig).

 

There's also the case of the SS abteilung who were trained to attack across the Polish border in civvies in August 1939, and take a vital train station. The attack was postponed for a week, but they couldn't be contacted by radio and went ahead anyway. They achieved their objectives, but eventually realised something was up and retreated back across the border. A week later, they got to do it all again...
I forget names etc, but apparently this group's leader was found mysteriously floating dead in his own swimming pool a few months later.
A few people would argue that WWII started when the Japs walked into China, so there's another candidate!

 

They used the same 'tactic' in May 1940 when the attacked the Netherlands. SS men dressed up like Dutch MP's and civvies trying to get a couple of bridges. I have a pic of one of the KIA in the action with the 'Dutch" MP cap on his grave.

 

Ancient Fire Resurgent you are correct.

It was fired from the German battleship "SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN" which was berthed in Poland , it fired on an area called the "WASTERPLATTE" containing Polish troops .. at 4.47am , on 1st September 1939.

7 days later the "WASTERPLATTE" garrison surrendered.


The first allied shot was fired at an Australian coaster called "WONIORA" at the entrance to Melborne's Port Philip Bay .. after the coaster was told to "heave-to" for inspection , but kept going , then .. after the shot was fired .. the captain changed his mind.

 

OK then, my turn:

Name the Japanese carrier that was sunk two hours after it was launched on November 29, 1944 by the US submarine Archerfish. It was to be the sister ship of the Yamato and the Musashi.

 

It think it is the Shinano.

The Japanese Empire had plans to build three huge battleships. Those were the Yamato, Musashi, and Shinano. The Shinano was converted to an aircraft carrier and initially scheduled for completion in January 1945. The conversion was primarily caused due to losses of Japanese Carrier Forces at the battles of Midway and the Coral Sea.

 

Congratulations Col. Hessler!

It is the Shinano.

Capt. Toshio Abe, who along with most of his crew was untrained, commanded the Shinano. Many of the watertight doors had not been installed.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-s/shinano.htm

 

Ok, here is one. Who is the only car company to make vehicles for both the allies and the axis?

 

Ford

 

Correct. Your turn.

 

Alright!! All those hours watching "Combat" reruns on TV has paid off !!

Name three operational tri-motor aircraft used during WWII in combat.

 

The Junkers Ju 52 Trimotor, the Savoia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero, and the Ford Tri-Motor.