100 World War I Trivia Questions (2)

[B] 1915 | The Treaty of London promised Italy territorial gains for switching sides; fighting erupted along the Alpine front.

[A] Lusitania | Although carrying munitions, the Lusitania’s destruction swayed American opinion toward war.

[A] Zimmermann Telegram | British intelligence intercepted Germany’s secret proposal to Mexico, enraging the U.S. public.

[D] Enver Pasha | As Minister of War, Enver Pasha aligned with Germany and orchestrated the disastrous Caucasus campaign.

[B] Chlorine | The German Army released chlorine gas in April 1915, forcing French and Canadian troops to improvise gas masks.

[C] 28 June 1914 | The killings in Sarajevo on Saint Vitus’ Day set off diplomatic ultimatums that led to war.

[A] Ferdinand Foch | French Marshal Foch coordinated the counteroffensive that halted Germany’s Spring Offensive and led to victory.

[C] Battle of the Somme | The British introduced armored “land ships” at Flers–Courcelette, though mechanical issues limited their impact.

[B] Wilfred Owen | Owen’s vivid depiction of gas warfare condemned the notion that it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.

[D] Serbia | Members of the Black Hand sought to free Slavic peoples from Austro‑Hungarian rule and unite them with Serbia.

[A] Blistering of skin and lungs | Sulfur mustard burned skin and mucous membranes, leaving survivors with lasting injuries and banned after the war.

[D] Red Baron | Manfred von Richthofen painted his aircraft red and became a legend of aerial combat.

[B] Treaty of Brest‑Litovsk | The harsh terms were later nullified when Germany lost the war, but Russia ceded vast territory.

[C] Little Willie | Little Willie was a prototype; subsequent tanks like the Mark I saw action at the Somme.

[D] Mauser | The bolt‑action Gewehr 98 Mauser was accurate, reliable, and influenced rifle designs worldwide.

[B] Shell shock | Doctors coined the term shell shock to describe PTSD‑like symptoms from constant bombardment.

[A] 1915 | During this British offensive in France, chlorine gas was used but shifting winds turned it against the attackers.

[C] Palace of Versailles | Delegates gathered in the Hall of Mirrors at Louis XIV’s opulent palace outside Paris.

[A] Russia | Lenin’s Bolshevik government signed the treaty to concentrate on the civil war despite losing Ukraine and the Baltics.

[B] Battle of Amiens | Allied forces under Foch used surprise artillery barrages and tanks to breach German lines near Amiens.

[D] Gallipoli | ANZAC troops landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915 but failed to capture the straits from the Ottomans.

[C] 11 November | On 11 November 1918 fighting ceased; many countries now observe Remembrance Day or Veterans Day.

[C] Big Bertha | The 420 mm howitzers nicknamed Big Bertha bombarded Belgian forts and later Paris from miles away.

[B] Texas, Arizona, New Mexico | Germany hoped to distract the U.S. by offering Mexico former territories lost in the Mexican–American War.

[D] Meuse‑Argonne Offensive | American forces under Pershing attacked in the Meuse–Argonne, contributing to the war’s end.

[A] Red | Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae’s poem inspired the red poppy as a symbol of remembrance.

[B] Convoy system | Grouping merchant vessels under naval escort reduced sinkings by German submarines.

[C] John J. Pershing | General Pershing insisted U.S. troops fight as an independent army rather than be folded into British or French units.

[A] Chemical weapons | The Geneva Protocol of 1925 outlawed the use of poison gas, though not its production or stockpiling.

[D] Hand grenade | The British Mk 1 fragmentation grenade, nicknamed Mills bomb, became a standard infantry weapon.