100 World War I Trivia Questions (3)

[A] Prolonged exposure to dampness | Standing in cold mud without dry socks led to fungal infections that could require amputation.

[C] Royal Air Force | The RAF combined the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service into the world’s first independent air force.

[B] Erich Ludendorff | Ludendorff directed German war strategy with Hindenburg and supported Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch in 1923.

[D] Bartonella quintana infection | Spread by body lice, trench fever caused high fevers and exhaustion among front‑line soldiers.

[C] Room 40 | The Admiralty’s Room 40 intercepted and decoded enemy traffic—including the 1917 Zimmermann Telegram—shaping naval operations and U.S. opinion toward entering the war.

[C] Battle of Saint‑Mihiel | In September 1918, Pershing’s troops encircled the salient and proved U.S. capability as an independent force.

[A] No‑man’s‑land | The barren area between opposing trenches was called no‑man’s‑land and could be as narrow as a few yards or wide as 1 km.

[B] HMAS Sydney | Australia’s light cruiser intercepted and destroyed the raider SMS Emden at the Battle of Cocos on 9 November 1914—an early Allied morale boost with big propaganda value.

[B] New York | American troops departed from Hoboken, New Jersey, and New York harbor to join the Allied fight overseas.

[C] Oberste Heeresleitung | Led by Hindenburg and Ludendorff, the OHL directed German Army operations and effectively governed the nation during the war.

[D] Douglas Haig | General Haig oversaw the Somme offensive, believing attrition would wear down German forces despite heavy losses.

[A] Eastern Front | The Eastern Front saw massive clashes between Germany, Austria‑Hungary, Russia, and later Romania.

[A] Selective Service Act | Signed by President Wilson, the act authorized a national draft for men aged 21–30.

[D] Battleship | HMS Dreadnought’s 1906 design rendered earlier battleships obsolete and sparked a naval arms race.

[B] Italian Front | The twelve Battles of the Isonzo (1915–1917) cost over a million casualties for little territorial gain.

[C] Carrying messages | Homing pigeons reliably carried vital dispatches when telegraph lines were cut or radios jammed.

[B] Urine‑soaked cloths | Soldiers covered their faces with cloths dipped in urine to neutralize chlorine gas before respirators were issued.

[D] Ottoman Empire | The Young Turks’ government deported and massacred Armenians, an atrocity often considered the first modern genocide.

[A] Bosnia and Herzegovina | Austria‑Hungary’s 1908 annexation of Bosnia angered Serbian nationalists and destabilized the Balkans.

[C] Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro | The alliance expelled the Ottoman Empire from most of the Balkans during the First Balkan War of 1912–1913.

[C] Robert Graves | Graves’s 1929 autobiography recounts his harrowing experiences in the trenches and postwar disillusionment.

[D] Second Battle of Ypres | In April 1915, Germany’s chlorine gas attack opened a gap in Allied lines at Ypres in Belgium.

[A] Dardanelles | Controlling the Dardanelles would open supply routes to Russia; failure led to heavy Allied casualties.

[B] Lord Kitchener wants you | The iconic poster featured Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener pointing his finger at viewers to recruit volunteers.

[A] Bloody April | In April 1917, the Royal Flying Corps suffered heavy losses while supporting the Arras offensive.

[B] Sound ranging | Before radar, arrays of acoustic mirrors and listening devices triangulated the sound of airplane engines.

[D] Germany | The long‑range artillery could send shells into the stratosphere; its psychological impact outweighed its military value.

[C] Risk Theory | Admiral Tirpitz hoped to reduce the Royal Navy piece by piece, but the plan never materialized fully.

[B] Battle of Tannenberg | In August 1914, Germany annihilated Russia’s Second Army, encircling it near Tannenberg in East Prussia.

[D] Australian and New Zealand Army Corps | ANZAC soldiers gained a reputation for bravery during the Gallipoli campaign and later on the Western Front.

[A] Battle of Jutland | Although tactically inconclusive, the battle confirmed British naval dominance and led Germany to focus on submarines.

[C] Balfour Declaration | Britain’s 1917 statement supported a national home for the Jewish people, complicating Middle Eastern politics.

[A] Brodie helmet | The British introduced the steel Brodie helmet in 1915; its shallow bowl design protected against overhead blasts.

[C] Dysentery | Contaminated water and poor sanitation in trenches led to severe gastrointestinal infections.

[B] Battle of Belleau Wood | The fierce fighting earned the Marines the nickname 'Devil Dogs' from their German adversaries.

[D] World War I | Authors like Hemingway and Fitzgerald depicted the aimless despair of those traumatized by WWI.

[C] First Battle of the Marne | Allied forces counterattacked near the Marne River, saving Paris and leading to trench warfare.

[A] Archduke Franz Ferdinand | Franz Ferdinand’s death removed a moderate voice who favored autonomy for Slavic subjects.

[D] Belgium | Germany’s violation of Belgian neutrality brought Britain into the war and galvanized international opinion.

[B] Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf | Conrad advocated pre‑emptive strikes against Serbia and Russia, but his offensives faltered.