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D-Day: A 60th Anniversary Quiz

An acquaintance who landed on Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944 has just passed away. His humble demeanor and fascinating stories is the stimulus for this quiz, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

A multiple-choice quiz by jstagamtome. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
jstagamtome

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
181,471

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
2208

Last 3 plays: Guest 67 (5/10), Guest 1 (8/10), Guest 142 (3/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was absent from the action at the onset of the invasion. Why? Hint

He was suffering an episode of malaria contracted in North Africa

He was receiving an award in Berlin

He was being questioned about involvement in a Hitler assassination attempt

He was celebrating his wife's birthday in Germany

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Question 2 of 10

2. The American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is on American soil.

True

False

3. On the dawn of D-Day, paratroopers secured a vital bridge across the Orne River to prevent German troops from reinforcing the area of the landings. This bridge is commonly known as Pegasus bridge. From where did it get this name? Hint

The nearby horse farm where the gliders landed

The emblem of British paratroopers

The code name for the pre-dawn raid

An epic Greek poem about the Athenian capture of a bridge from the Spartans

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Question 4 of 10

4. Which D-Day invasion beach was added to the attack plan last, primarily for the purpose of capturing a natural port early in the campaign for use for supplies? Hint

Sword

Omaha

Utah

Gold

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Question 5 of 10

5. Had D-day been postponed due to poor weather, the next opportunity would have been June 19th. What was the weather like on the Normandy beaches that day? Hint

The worst storm in decades

Intense fog with near zero visibility

Dead calm

"Average and usual" channel conditions

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Question 6 of 10

6. One of the two main reasons for choosing Normandy as the invasion site was that it was less heavily defended than the Pas de Calais. What was the other main reason? Hint

The natural cover provided by the hedgerow country

Ability to cross the channel undetected

Accessibility to Allied air cover

The strength of the French resistance at this location

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Question 7 of 10

7. How many divisions participated in the initial amphibious assault on 6 June? Hint

Ten

Six

Four

Twelve

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Question 8 of 10

8. What significant event in the war occurred just two days before the D-Day invasion? Hint

The Russians defeated the Germans at Kursk

General MacArthur returned to the Philippines

Admiral Yamamoto's plane was shot down

Rome fell to the Allies

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Question 9 of 10

9. What was the total width of the D-Day invasion front on the Normandy beaches? Hint

4.9 miles

61.7 miles

12.4 miles

42.0 miles

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Question 10 of 10

10. What was the German airpower presence over the landing beaches on D-Day? Hint

A single sortie of two fighters

A flight of six planes, all shot down as they reached the beaches

None

A single squadron of fighter-bombers over Juno Beach

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel was absent from the action at the onset of the invasion. Why?

Answer: He was celebrating his wife's birthday in Germany

Because the weather in the English Channel appeared to be too severe to launch an invasion, Rommel felt it would be safe to leave the front for several days to see his wife. Although he was concluded to be complicit in the attempt on Hitler's life, and subsequently commited suicide with poison because of this, these events did not happen until later.

2. The American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is on American soil.

Answer: False

There are 9,385 American dead buried here, and the cemetery is located directly above Omaha Beach, at the point where the first American soldiers landed. The grave markers are made of Carrara Italian marble, and the dead buried here include American soldiers from all European theaters of battle.

France has granted the USA a perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery, free of charge. It is still French soil.

Answer: The emblem of British paratroopers

The British 6th Airborne Division landed in gliders a few hundred yards from the bridge and captured it. Today, stone markers indicate the exact location where the gliders came to rest. The operation was code-named Tonga.

4. Which D-Day invasion beach was added to the attack plan last, primarily for the purpose of capturing a natural port early in the campaign for use for supplies?

Answer: Utah

Located on the Contentin peninsula, Cherbourg was the first usable port captured by the Allies. Utah Beach is on the eastern Contentin peninsula. The primary obstacle on this assault was not the beach defenses, but the marshy inland terrain.

5. Had D-day been postponed due to poor weather, the next opportunity would have been June 19th. What was the weather like on the Normandy beaches that day?

Answer: The worst storm in decades

The worst storm in decades demolished the Mulberry harbor, destroyed 500 ships and beached 800 others.

6. One of the two main reasons for choosing Normandy as the invasion site was that it was less heavily defended than the Pas de Calais. What was the other main reason?

Answer: Accessibility to Allied air cover

Allied air domination was essential in establishing a beachhead. The hedgerow topography acually impaired glider landings and favored a defensive position, most often employed by the Germans.

7. How many divisions participated in the initial amphibious assault on 6 June?

Answer: Six

Three American divisions, two British, and one Canadian participated in the initial landings. One additional American and two British divisions were to follow once beachheads were established.

8. What significant event in the war occurred just two days before the D-Day invasion?

Answer: Rome fell to the Allies

Rome fell on June 4, 1944. Yamamoto was shot down April 18, 1943. MacArthur returned to the Philippines October 20, 1944, and the German defeat at Kursk was in July, 1943.

9. What was the total width of the D-Day invasion front on the Normandy beaches?

Answer: 61.7 miles

The debarkation zones were for the most part directly north to south except on the western end, where the attack was from east to west on the Contentin peninsula. Nowhere was morning sun a factor.

10. What was the German airpower presence over the landing beaches on D-Day?

Answer: A single sortie of two fighters

Approx 309 sorties were flown that day by the Luftwaffe, but almost none reached the beaches.

Source: Author jstagamtome

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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