Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945) I

What do you know about the Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944 - January 25, 1945) I?  Defend with this World War II Quick Quiz.

1. The Ardennes Offensive  was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains region of Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front. It is known to the general public simply as the Battle of the Bulge. What is the official U.S. Army name of battle?

• Battle of the Ardennes
• The Belgium Front Battle
• Battle of the Rhine Valley

2. The Battle of the Bulge was the bloodiest of the battles that U.S. forces experienced in World War II; the 19,000 American dead were unsurpassed by those of any other engagement.

• True or False?

3. Before the offensive, the Allies were virtually blind to German troop movement. During the retaking of France, an extensive network had provided valuable intelligence about German dispositions. However, once they reached the German border, this source dried up. Who provided the valuable intelligence?

• French army
• German resistance
• French resistance

4. Because the Ardennes was considered a quiet sector, economy-of-force considerations led it to be used as a training ground for new units and a rest area for units that had seen hard fighting. The U.S. units deployed in the Ardennes thus were a mixture of inexperienced troops (such as the raw U.S. 99th and 106th "Golden Lions" Divisions), and battle-hardened troops sent to that sector to recuperate (the 2nd Infantry Division). What was one of the battle-hardened troops?

• 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division
• 2nd Infantry Division
• 81st Infantry Division

5. The German assault began on December 16, 1944, at 05:30, with a massive artillery barrage on the Allied troops facing the Sixth SS Panzer Army. All three German armies attacked through the Ardennes had begun their attack by what time?

• 06:00
• 08:00
• 10:00

6. In the northern sector Sepp Dietrich’s Sixth SS Panzer Army assaulted the Losheim Gap and the Elsenborn Ridge. What is their goal?

• Liège
• Brussels
• Antwerp

7. In the center Hasso von Manteuffel’s Fifth Panzer Army attacked towards Bastogne and St. Vith, both road junctions of great strategic importance.

• True or False?

8. In the south, where did Erich Brandenberger's Seventh Army pushed towards in their efforts to secure the flank from Allied attacks.

• Berlin
• Austria
• Luxembourg

9. Otto Skorzeny successfully infiltrated a small part of his battalion of disguised, English-speaking Germans behind the Allied lines. Al though they failed to take the vital bridges over the Meuse, the battalion’s presence produced confusion out of all proportion to their military activities, and rumors spread quickly. What was the name of the operation?

• Operation Hans
• Operation Greif
• Operation Becker

10. Checkpoints were set up all over the Allied rear, greatly slowing the movement of soldiers and equipment. Military policemen drilled servicemen on things which every American was expected to know, such as the identity of Mickey Mouse’s girlfriend, baseball scores, or the capital of Illinois. What is the capital of Illinois?

• Harrisburg
• Chicago
• Springfield

Check Your Answers

1. Battle of the Ardennes
2. True
3. French resistance
4. 2nd Infantry Division
5. 08:00
6. Liège
7. True
8. Luxembourg
9. Operation Greif
10. Springfield

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