Second World War Oddities Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carrots

Britain fielded a disinformation campaign in an attempt to explain their capability to detect German aircraft, claiming that pilots ate plenty of carrots to improve their vision. The real reason was British use of radar, a top-secret technological advantage during the air Battle of Britain.

Answer: Underage

Calvin Graham enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August 1942 when he was 12 years old, falsely giving his age as 17. He earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals serving in the battleship USS South Dakota during the Battle of Guadalcanal in October 1942. His mother informed the Navy of his true age and in April 1943 he was dishonorably discharged and his awards were revoked.

He legally enlisted in the U.S. Marines at the age of 17 in 1948 and served until 1951. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter granted him an honorable discharge from the Navy and restored his awards, except the Purple Heart. Graham died in 1992 and his Purple Heart was reinstated in 1994.

Answer: None

Japan invaded Kiska, an island in the Aleutian chain of Alaska, in June 1942 as part of a feint to draw attention from the attempted invasion of Midway Island. When U.S. forces dislodged the Japanese holding nearby Attu Island during a bloody battle in May 1943, Japan began removing their troops from Kiska under cover of the frequent fog in the area.

The entire Japanese garrison of over 5,000 troops had been removed by the time of the Allied invasion of Kiska. Allied casualties on land were from "friendly fire" incidents and booby traps that the Japanese had left behind.

In addition to the casualties on land, a U.S. destroyer hit a Japanese mine, killing 71 and wounding 47.

Answer: Los Angeles

The "Battle of Los Angeles" or the "Great Los Angeles Air Raid" was caused by jumpy nerves following the recent very real Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the night preceding this false alarm, a Japanese submarine had surfaced off the coast of Santa Barbara and shelled an oil refinery there, causing no significant damage but heightening fears over further Japanese attacks. On the next night, 24 February, air raid sirens sounded in Los Angeles and air defense artillery fired more than 1,400 shells into the sky for over an hour.

A report in 1983 stated the initial sighting that started the shooting was of a high-altitude weather balloon. Unfortunately, 5 civilians died during the "battle", two from stress-induced heart attacks and three from automobile crashes in the panicked traffic.

Answer: Taiwan

Born with the name Attun Pailin as a Taiwanese aborigine, he was assigned the Japanese name Teruo Nakamura when he enlisted in the Japanese army in 1943 while those forces occupied his native land. He was stationed on Morotai Island in the Dutch East Indies when the Allies invaded and the Japanese listed him as deceased in November 1944.

He was captured in December 1974 after an aircraft had discovered his solitary cabin in the jungle. He was repatriated to his home of Taiwan, where he was viewed with suspicion as a Japanese collaborator. The Japanese government, after pressure from the press and private citizens, eventually paid him a pension for his wartime service. Nakamura was captured shortly after the more famous Hiroo Onoda, who was treated much better by Japan since he was an officer of Japanese ethnicity.

Answer: United States

The 45th Infantry Division was based in the Southwest section of the U.S., and in 1924 adopted a symbol from Native American culture that looked like the swastika used in Nazi Germany. The 45th's use of the symbol predated the Nazi rise to power and was different in color (gold) and orientation (vertical) than the Nazi black swastika canted at 45 degrees.

In 1939, the 45th fielded a new patch with a gold thunderbird design, another symbol of Southwestern Native American culture.

Answer: Auschwitz

Leszczyńska was arrested in 1943 for assisting Jews in the ghetto of Lodz, Poland, and was incarcerated in the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. She served as camp midwife until it was liberated in 1945, birthing over 3,000 children from Auschwitz inmates. Horribly, over 2,500 of those children died in the camp; some with "Aryan" features were sent to German families, and approximately 30 survived in the camp under the care of their mothers.

Answer: Rhine

On 24 March 1945, Patton did indeed cross the Rhine River into Germany. Numerous stories have the general stopping in the middle of a pontoon bridge to urinate into the river. The irreverent act is certainly in line with Patton's flamboyant and aggressive image and could be seen as both him "marking" the Rhine as his territory and registering his contempt for his enemies.

Despite the numerous stories, there is no mention of the incident in contemporaneous memoirs or official reports. One photograph has circulated but cannot be confirmed as occurring during the Rhine crossing.

Answer: Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola became popular in the U.S. in the early 20th century, including among the U.S. armed forces who cherished the touch of home as well as the sweet and stimulating treat. In 1941 the president of Coca-Cola set a goal of providing bottled Coke for troops worldwide for the price of 5 cents, despite the costs of producing and distributing the drink near active combat operations. Coke bottling plants were set up in North Africa in 1943 and eventually appeared in 44 countries during the war. Not only a morale boost for the troops, but a powerful way to build the Coke brand for millions of customers around the world.

Answer: Toilet

Evacuating the contents of toilets from a submerged submarine is complex due to the great water pressure at depth. In April 1945, the captain of the submarine U-1206, submerged at 230 feet (70 meters), made an error operating the complex mechanism and sea water rushed into the sub.

The water interacted with the sub's batteries and produced poisonous chlorine gas that caused the captain to surface to get to fresh air. British forces attacked the damaged submarine, and her captain ordered her scuttled to avoid capture. Three drowned in the high seas and 46 were captured.