Lesson 1 Unit 1

Question 1

What proved a prerequisite for successful land, sea, or air operations?

Answer 1

Air superiority

Question 2

What term (meaning lightning war) was spawned when, on 1 September 1939, Adolf Hitler launched a massive assault on Poland that opened the greatest war in history?

Answer 2

Blitzkrieg

Question 3

What did the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) emphasize to gain air superiority, pound Warsaw, Poland’s capital, and attack and crush its ground forces? (1.9.2)

Answer 3

Speed and concentration of forces

Question 4

In May 1940, Hitler’s forces invaded the Netherlands and Belgium. What shocked the West during this invasion? (1.9.3)

Answer 4

The speed of the German advance and the ruthlessness of the bombing of Rotterdam

Question 5

What was the first all-air campaign in history? (1.9.4)

Answer 5

The Battle of Britain—German Air Force (Luftwaffe) faced Britain’s Royal Air Force

Question 6

Despite the apparent mismatch, the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) suffered substantial losses from Dowding’s Fighter Command(England). For what did the German training, equipment, and experience prove ill-suited? (1.9.5)

Answer 6

Long-range strategic air campaign

Question 7

What was the top secret information gained from Dowding’s code-breaking Enigma machine known as? (1.9.5)

Answer 7

ULTRA

Question 8

What gave British intelligence forewarning of major attacks and invaluable insight on the status of German maintenance and logistics? (1.9.5)

Answer 8

The Enigma machine

Question 9

Plagued by poor intelligence, Göring and other Luftwaffe leaders miscalculated, leading to a battle of attrition won by the Royal Air Force. What did the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) fail to appreciate, causingHitler to abandon his planned invasion of Britain? (1.9.6)

Answer 9

The value of British radar stations

Question 10

In June 1940, what galvanized President Franklin Roosevelt’s resolve to fight Nazi tyranny? (1.9.7)

Answer 10

The fall of France

Question 11

Knowing the isolationist sentiment of many Americans, what did Roosevelt turn to as a major weapon when he resolved to fight Nazi tyranny? (1.9.7)

Answer 11

Airpower

Question 12

What emerged as a key to Allied victory? (1.9.7)

Answer 12

American industrial production

Question 13

To manage growing American airpower, a major reorganization created the United States Army Air Forces. Who was appointedCommanding General of the United States Army Air Forces? (1.9.

Answer 13

General Henry “Hap” Arnold

Question 14

In August 1941 a group of ex-Air Corps Tactical School instructors created a doctrinal blueprint for the conduct of a strategic air campaign against the Axis. What was the name of this conceptual frameworkfor the American air effort in World War II? (1.9.

Answer 14

Air War Planning Document 1

Question 15

When did Imperial Japan deal a devastating blow to the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor—a date which will live in infamy? (1.9.9)

Answer 15

7 December 1941

Question 16

Why did the United States Army ground commander order United States Army Air Forces aircraft parked in tight rows that made prime targets for Japanese aviators at Pearl Harbor? (1.9.9)

Answer 16

Concerned over the prospect of sabotage

Question 17

When did the United States declare war on Japan? (1.9.9)

Answer 17

8 December 1941

Question 18

What directive inaugurated the Combined Bomber Offensive, codenamed Operation PointBlank, combining American precisiondaylight bombing and British night area bombing? (1.9.10)

Answer 18

The Casablanca Directive of January 1943

Question 19

The Casablanca Directive of January 1943 inaugurated the Combined Bomber Offensive, combining American precision daylight bombing and British night area bombing. What was its codename? (1.9.10)

Answer 19

Operation PointBlank

Question 20

In February 1942 Brig Gen Ira C. Eaker flew from bases in England in preparation for the United States Army Air Forces buildup. Whatbomber command did he establish in this way? (1.9.11)

Answer 20

The VIII Bomber Command

Question 21

On 17 August 1942, what aircraft from the 97th Bomb Group conducted the first American daylight operational bombing mission against a railroad marshalling yard in Rouen, France? (1.9.11)

Answer 21

B-17E

Question 22

Where did one of the three disastrous missions occur in the late summer and fall of 1943 that targeted Hitler’s oil supply, one of the most heavily defended targets in Europe?(1.9.12)

Answer 22

Ploesti, Romania