WW II TEST PEOPLE

Question 1

Adolf Hitler

Answer 1

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then assuming the title of Führer in 1934. He is the reason for WWII and is behind the deaths of millions of Jewish people.

Question 2

B. Montgomery

Answer 2

• Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was one of the most prominent and successful British commanders of the Second World War (1939-45). Known as ‘Monty’, he notably commanded the Allies against General Erwin Rommel in North Africa, and in the invasions of Italy and Normandy.

Question 3

Benito Mussolini

Answer 3

• Benito Mussolini was an Italian political leader who became the fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 to 1945. Called “Il Duce” (the Leader) by his countrymen or simply “Mussolini,” he allied himself with Adolf Hitler during World War II, relying on the German dictator to prop up his leadership.

Question 4

Elizabeth “Elsie” MacGill

Answer 4

• In the early years of the Second World War, fighter planes were in short supply. So Canada’s war machine turned to a small northern Ontario town and an exceptional person named Elsie MacGill. Elsie MacGill was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering (1929). She was also the first practicing Canadian woman engineer. In 1938, she became chief aeronautical engineer of Canadian Car & Foundry (Can Car).

Question 5

Emperor Hirohito

Answer 5

• Hirohito was emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. During World War II, Japan attacked nearly all of its Asian neighbors, allied itself with Nazi Germany and launched a surprise assault on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Hirohito presided over the invasion of China, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and eventually, the Japanese surrender to the Allies. Many historical sources have portrayed Hirohito as powerless, constrained by military advisers that were making all the decisions. Some have even portrayed him as a pacifist.

Question 6

Erwin Rommel

Answer 6

• Erwin Rommel was one of Germany’s most respected military leaders in World War Two. Rommel played a part in two very significant battles during the war – at El Alamein in North Africa and at D-Day. Rommel’s nickname was the ‘Desert Fox’ – a title given to him by the British.

Question 7

F. D. Roosevelt

Answer 7

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. On January 10, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt introduced the lend-lease program to Congress. The plan was intended to help Britain beat back Hitler’s advance while keeping America only indirectly involved in World War II.

Question 8

Gen. Andrew McNaughton

Answer 8

• war breaks out, McNaughton becomes commanding officer of the First Canadian Infantry Division. Under his leadership, the Division grew and was reorganized as a corps (1940), and then as an army (1942). McNaughton’s contribution to the development of new techniques is outstanding, especially in the field of detection and weaponry, including the discarding sabot projectile. He is however criticized for his poor judgement regarding military strategy, especially his approval of the ill-fated operation against Dieppe. His obstinate opposition to the fragmentation of Canadian troops stationed in Great Britain antagonized both the British senior Staff and the Canadian government. Pressured by critics and weakened by health problems, McNaughton resigned his command in December 1943.

Question 9

H. Truman

Answer 9

• Truman began his presidency with great energy. He helped arrange Germany’s unconditional surrender in May 1945, which ended World War II in Europe. Then he travelled to Germany for a meeting with Allied leaders to discuss the peace settlement. In the White House from 1945 to 1953, Truman made the decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan, helped rebuild postwar Europe, worked to contain communism and led the United States into the Korean War (1950-1953).

Question 10

J.L. Ralston

Answer 10

• James Layton Ralston was a WWI battalion commander with a reputation for bravery and competence, Ralston was twice minister of national defence, 1926-30 and 1940-44. Intense, scrupulously honest, and an able representative of the political interests of the Maritime provinces, he was a stalwart in Prime Minister Mackenzie King’s WWII Cabinet, serving briefly as minister of finance, 1939-40, before becoming defence minister. King forced Ralston’s resignation in 1944 because of his outspoken support of overseas conscription.

Question 11

Joseph Stalin

Answer 11

• Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who governed the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He served as both General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.

Question 12

Lord L. Mountbatten

Answer 12

• Lord Mountbatten was the second cousin of King George V and was the great grandson of Queen Victoria. In a political move, Mountbatten was promoted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the position of the head of Combined Operations Command, with the effective rank of a navy vice admiral, an army lieutenant general, and an air marshal. This move upset some of the more senior military officers who thought Mountbatten was ill-suited for the job. Despite Mountbatten’s reputation of being a daring and effective navy commander, he also shouldered part of the burden of the disaster at Dieppe, France, where thousands of Canadian troops lost their lives.

Question 13

Neville Chamberlain

Answer 13

• Neville Chamberlain was the British prime minister as Great Britain entered World War II. He is known for his policy of “appeasement” toward Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany. He was told by the King of England to either retire or he would forcefully be removed from office.

Question 14

W.L. Mackenzie King

Answer 14

• King was best known for his leadership of Canada throughout the Second World War when he mobilised Canadian money, supplies and volunteers to support Britain while boosting the economy and maintaining morale on the home front.

Question 15

Winston Churchill

Answer 15

• As prime minister (1940–45) during most of World War II, Winston Churchill rallied the British people and led the country from the brink of defeat to victory. He shaped Allied strategy in the war, and in the war’s later stages he alerted the West to the expansionist threat of the Soviet Union.