The Battle of Cherbourg

It was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II and was fought immediately after the successful Allied landings on June 6, 1944. American troops isolated and then captured the fortified port, considered vital to the campaign in Western Europe, in a hard-fought campaign of three weeks.

What do you know about The Battle of Cherbourg? Try this U.S. World War II History Made Easy Trivia quiz. You'll find the answers at the bottom of the page.

1) In the early hours of June 6, the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Divisions landed at the base of what peninsula?

• Cotentin Peninsula
• Artourin Peninsula
• Baconin Peninsula

2) In the immediate aftermath of the landings, the priority for the invaders at Utah Beach was to link up with the main Allied landings further west. On June 9, the 101st Airborne Division managed to cross the flooded Douve valley, and they captured Carentan the next day, thus giving the invaders a continuous front.

• True or False?

3) Who commanded the American force during the Battle of Cherbourg?

• Collins J. Lawton
• J. Lawton Collins
• Melvin G. Arnold

4) German forces were commanded by Friedrich Becker.

• True or False?

5) By June 16, there were no further natural obstacles in front of the American forces. The German command was in some confusion. The commanders (including Field Marshal Erwin Rommel) wished to withdraw their troops in good order into the Atlantic Wall fortifications of Cherbourg, where they could have withstood a siege for some time. Adolf Hitler, issuing orders from his headquarters, demanded that they hold the line, even though this risked disaster. Where was Hitler's headquarters?

• Berlin
• East Prussia
• Bavaria

6) Late on June 17, Hitler agreed that the troops might withdraw but specified a new, illogical defensive line, spanning the entire peninsula just south of Cherbourg. Rommel protested against this order; but nevertheless dismissed the commander of the German LXXXIV Corps, who he thought was trying to circumvent it. Who was the German commander dismissed?

• General Bangerbacher
• General Farmbacher
• General Beckermann

7) American troops discovered several large caches of V-1 flying bombs were discovered in addition to a V-2 rocket installation at . Where was the V-2 rocket installation?

• Stacy
• Brix
• Viesal

8) American divisions were within striking distance of Cherbourg. The garrison commander, Lieutenant General Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben, had 21,000 men but many were hastily drafted naval personnel or from labor units, and the fighting troops who had retreated to Cherbourg (including the remnants of von Schliebens own Division, the 709th Infantry Division) were tired and disorganized. Food, fuel and ammunition were short. The Luftwaffe dropped a few supplies, but these were mostly items such as Iron Crosses, to bolster the garrison's morale.

• True or False?

9) The Americans launched a general assault on June 22. Resistance was stiff at first, but the Americans slowly cleared the Germans from their bunkers and concrete pillboxes. On June 26, the 79th Division captured Fort du Roule, which dominated the city and its defenses. This finished any organized defense. Von Schlieben was captured. The harbor fortifications and the Arsenal surrendered a few days later, after a token resistance. How long did some German troops cut off outside the defenses held out until?

• July 1
• July 4
• July 8

10) The commanding general of the German Seventh Army, died on June 28, having just been informed of a court martial pending as a result of the capture of Cherbourg. What was the cause of death?

• Suicide
• Heart attack
• Pneumonia

The Battle of Cherbourg Answers

1. Cotentin Peninsula

2. True

3. J. Lawton Collins

4. False. German forces were commanded by Friedrich Dollman.

5. East Prussia

6. General Farmbacher

7. Brix

8. True

9. July 4

10. Heart attack