World War II was one of the most significant events in modern history. Spanning from 1939 to 1945, it involved the vast majority of the world’s nations forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. The conflict engulfed the globe from Europe to the Pacific, lasting over 6 years and resulting in over 60 million fatalities. Let’s test your knowledge of this impactful period with 47 riddles about World War II.
Riddles About World War II Events
These riddles cover major events and battles during World War II.
Riddle 1
Invasion launched the USA’s direct involvement in WWII. What am I?
Answer: The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.
Riddle 2
I rained terror from above during the London Blitz. What am I?
Answer: The German Luftwaffe bombing raids on London and other British cities from 1940-1941.
Riddle 3
June 6, 1944, along the beaches of Normandy, France saw the greatest seaborne invasion in history. What am I?
Answer: D-Day – the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France.
Riddle 4
The deadliest and most destructive war in human history ended when I fell. What am I?
Answer: The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, leading to Japan’s surrender.
Riddle 5
I liberated Paris from 4 years of Nazi occupation. What was I?
Answer: The Battle of Paris in August 1944 saw Allied forces retake the French capital from German control.
Riddles About World War II Leaders
Test your knowledge of the major political and military leaders during the war.
Riddle 6
This British Prime Minister rallied and inspired my nation during our “finest hour.” Who am I?
Answer: Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II.
Riddle 7
My New Deal programs helped lift America out of the Great Depression. I led the nation into World War II. Who am I?
Answer: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States (1933-1945).
Riddle 8
I commanded Allied forces during D-Day. They called me “Ike.” Who am I?
Answer: General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during WWII.
Riddle 9
Born in Austria, I ruled Germany with an iron fist. My name still evokes evil. Who am I?
Answer: Adolf Hitler, Nazi dictator of Germany during World War II.
Riddle 10
I led the Soviet Red Army to victory over Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front. Who am I?
Answer: Marshal Georgy Zhukov, the most prominent Soviet military commander of World War II.
Riddles About World War II Technology and Weapons
These riddles cover some of the advanced technologies and weapons used during the war.
Riddle 11
Radar let the British detect incoming German aircraft. What was its nickname?
Answer: “Chain Home” was the nickname for the radar system used by the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain.
Riddle 12
I was the powerful German coded communication machine. What was I called?
Answer: The Enigma machine, whose codes were cracked by the Allied codebreakers.
Riddle 13
The British attack on German dams used clever “bouncing bombs.” What was this called?
Answer: Operation Chastise, also known as the Dambusters raid, deployed bouncing bombs to breach dams in Germany’s Ruhr valley in 1943.
Riddle 14
I was a German guided ballistic missile that terrorized London. What was I called?
Answer: The V-2 rocket, used in attacks on London and Antwerp from 1944-1945.
Riddle 15
Derived from Einstein’s famous equation, I fueled the atomic bomb. What am I?
Answer: E=mc^2, Einstein’s famous equation showing the equivalence of mass and energy, was critical to the development of the atomic bombs used on Japan.
Riddles About World War II Battles
Test your knowledge on some of the most significant battles and campaigns of the war.
Riddle 16
In 1942 I stopped the Japanese advance towards Australia. What decisive naval battle was I?
Answer: The Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, the first naval battle fought entirely by aircraft carriers.
Riddle 17
General Rommel led his Afrika Korps against the British in which WWII desert campaign?
Answer: The North African campaign (1940–1943) pitted Allied and Axis forces fighting across Egypt and Libya.
Riddle 18
On June 22, 1941, Operation Barbarossa saw Nazi Germany invade what nation?
Answer: The Soviet Union. This German invasion of the USSR opened the Eastern Front of World War II.
Riddle 19
The turning point on the Eastern Front, this enormous tank battle occurred at Kursk in 1943.
Answer: The Battle of Kursk between German and Soviet forces was the largest tank battle in history.
Riddle 20
Isolated Allied troops were evacuated by sea from which French port in 1940?
Answer: Dunkirk, where Operation Dynamo rescued Allied soldiers surrounded by German forces in northern France.
Riddles About World War II Places
These riddles cover important World War II locations and settings.
Riddle 21
The “longest day” occurred on the beaches of what French region in 1944?
Answer: Normandy, where the D-Day landings took place on June 6, 1944.
Riddle 22
The Gestapo was the secret police of which political party in Nazi Germany?
Answer: The Gestapo carried out police activities for Hitler’s Nazi party during WWII.
Riddle 23
Japanese American citizens were controversially detained here during World War II.
Answer: Japanese American internment camps were located across the western United States.
Riddle 24
The Nazi program of exterminating Jews occurred largely at camps like what?
Answer: Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp complex where over 1 million Jews were murdered.
Riddle 25
The Battle of Britain was fought in the skies over which country?
Answer: Great Britain. The Battle of Britain saw British fighter planes defend against large-scale German air raids.
Riddles About World War II Politics
See how well you know the political situations and alliances during the war.
Riddle 26
Led by Germany, Italy and Japan, what were the Axis Powers called?
Answer: The Axis powers were the fascist and militaristic nations that fought the Allies in World War II.
Riddle 27
The US, Britain, France, China, and the USSR were all members of what alliance?
Answer: The Allied powers, united against the Axis powers during World War II.
Riddle 28
Signed in August 1939, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact allied Germany and what nation?
Answer: The Soviet Union. The pact between Germany and the USSR shocked the world but delayed conflict between them.
Riddle 29
Vichy France was a puppet state collaborating with which occupying power?
Answer: Nazi Germany. Vichy France administered part of southern France during WWII.
Riddle 30
Warsaw was the capital and largest city of which nation invaded by Germany in 1939?
Answer: Poland. Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, starting World War II in Europe.
Riddles About World War II Aftermath
These riddles cover events and effects in the aftermath of World War II.
Riddle 31
Established in 1945, this organization sought to maintain international peace and security.
Answer: The United Nations replaced the ineffective League of Nations following World War II.
Riddle 32
Hitler’s top officers were put on trial in 1945-46 in what German city?
Answer: The Nuremberg trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany after the war.
Riddle 33
After WWII, Germany was divided into East and West halves split by what physical barrier?
Answer: The Berlin Wall dividing communist East Germany and capitalist West Germany.
Riddle 34
The Allied plan to rebuild and create a stable Europe after WWII was known as what?
Answer: The Marshall Plan, named after Secretary of State George Marshall, offered US aid to rebuild Western Europe.
Riddle 35
The formation of NATO in 1949 allied the US and Western Europe against what nation?
Answer: The Soviet Union. NATO was created to counter Soviet power in Eastern Europe during the Cold War.
Riddles About World War II People and Groups
These riddles cover notable individuals and groups from World War II.
Riddle 36
What Swedish diplomat helped rescue thousands of Jews from Nazi persecution?
Answer: Raoul Wallenberg, who worked in Hungary to protect Jewish lives during WWII.
Riddle 37
This brilliant encryption machine was named for a WWII Polish mathematician.
Answer: The Enigma machine, cracked by Polish mathematician Marian Rejewski before WWII.
Riddle 38
American soldiers were dubbed “G.I.s” – what does this abbreviation actually stand for?
Answer: “G.I.” stands for “Government Issue,” referring to equipment issued to US soldiers.
Riddle 39
Born in Austria, this diarist died at 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
Answer: Anne Frank, whose diary became one of the most famous books of the Holocaust.
Riddle 40
Leader of the Nazi Schutzstaffel and architect of the Holocaust, who was Heinrich Himmler?
Answer: Heinrich Himmler commanded the SS and organized the mass murder of Jews and others during WWII.
Riddles About World War II Inventions and Discoveries
These cover inventions and developments that emerged from World War II.
Riddle 41
Developed during WWII to treat injured soldiers, I revolutionized medicine. What am I?
Answer: Penicillin, the first widely used antibiotic, was mass-produced during World War II.
Riddle 42
This secret WWII project in Los Alamos led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
Answer: The Manhattan Project successfully developed the atomic weapons that ended World War II.
Riddle 43
German technology designed to “guide” bombs and missiles to targets was a precursor to what modern system?
Answer: The V-1 and V-2 rockets used gyroscopes and fins for guidance, foreshadowing modern guided missile systems.
Riddle 44
Made from nylon, this sheer woman’s stocking entered widespread use in WWII due to rationing of silk.
Answer: Nylon stockings became popular during WWII when silk was needed for military parachutes.
Riddle 45
This handheld communication device got its name from WWII slang for a radio backpack.
Answer: The walkie-talkie, invented during WWII after the backpack radio units nicknamed “walkie-talkies.”
Riddles About World War II Media and Culture
See how well you know the music, films and propaganda of World War II.
Riddle 46
Glenn Miller’s “(I’ve Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo” was a #1 hit and favorite of which troops?
Answer: American G.I.s – the Glenn Miller Orchestra was hugely popular with US soldiers during WWII.
Riddle 47
Starring Humphrey Bogart, this film about a WWII nightclub in French Morocco won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Answer: Casablanca (1942), one of the most iconic and beloved films of the war era.
Conclusion
We’ve covered riddles spanning the political dynamics, major battles, notable individuals, new inventions, and cultural impacts of World War II. From Pearl Harbor to D-Day, from Churchill to Hitler, from atomic bombs to penicillin, this cataclysmic war indelibly shaped our modern world. I hope testing your knowledge against these 47 riddles shed light on this definitive 20th century conflict!
