100+ Best Military History Trivia Questions & Answers

Question: Which military conflict forms the backdrop of Doctor Zhivago? 

Answer: All three

Question: When did England serve Spain a salty L in the form of a sinking Armada? 

Answer: 1588

Question: How did Julius Caesar make his dramatic exit? (Spoiler: Not natural causes) 

Answer: Murdered

Question: Which country said “Not today, Russia!” in a 2008 clash over South Ossetia? 

Answer: Georgia

Question: Battle of Britain Day is honoured in which month—right when summer says “cheerio”? 

Answer: September

Question: In what year did General Custer learn the hard way that outnumbered is not a vibe? 

Answer: 1876

Question: Which Allied mission in 1943 had a codename that sounds more like a furry good boy than a battle? 

Answer: Operation Husky

Question: Which century saw England’s real-life Game of Thrones—aka the Wars of the Roses? 

Answer: 15th

Question: Where did Breitenfeld and Lutzen make history with battlefield chaos fit for a metal album? 

Answer: Thirty Years War

Question: Churchill dropped his iconic “so much owed” line during what legendary air fight? 

Answer: Battle of Britain

Question: Edge Hill kicked off which war where wigs and muskets were all the rage? 

Answer: English Civil War

Question: Who did the UK square up against in the island showdown called the Falklands War? 

Answer: Argentina

Question: Which war turned tragic when a U-boat sunk the Lusitania, a ship full of civilians? 

Answer: World War I

Question: At which battle did the Duke of Wellington tell Napoleon, “Not today, sir”? 

Answer: Waterloo

Question: What century did England sink the Spanish Armada and basically shout “Sea ya!”? 

Answer: 16th

Question: Which Greek-Persian battle inspired 300—but this time, the Persians actually won? 

Answer: Thermopylae

Question: Cavaliers vs Roundheads—what war was basically the British version of a messy family feud? 

Answer: English Civil War

Question: Which battle ended the Roses drama and crowned the Tudors? 

Answer: Bosworth Field

Question: Which century saw the Battle of Naseby—a key moment in England’s civil shake-up? 

Answer: 17th

Question: Hexham was part of which blood-red English feud with more plot twists than a soap opera? 

Answer: War of the Roses

Question: Stamford Bridge saw a major medieval brawl just 8 miles from which northern city? 

Answer: York

Question: Which war featured Ypres—where the mud was deep and the loss was deeper? 

Answer: World War I

Question: Where was the desert clash of El Alamein fought? 

Answer: Egypt

Question: Which wild-west state hosted the Battle of Little Bighorn? 

Answer: Montana

Question: Which South American country went head-to-head with the UK over some cold islands? 

Answer: Argentina

Question: Which war turned tragic when the Lusitania sank and shook the world? 

Answer: World War I

Question: El Alamein exploded onto history books in what wartime year? 

Answer: 1942

Question: Caporetto was a battlefield in which world-spanning war? 

Answer: World War I

Question: What year saw Napoleon meet his muddy match at Waterloo? 

Answer: 1815

Question: Which year had double trouble: one Norman invasion and one bloody bridge battle? 

Answer: 1066

Question: What conflict-prone strip of land lies at the heart of Israel–Palestine tensions? 

Answer: Gaza Strip

Question: “Shogun” sounds cool—but it’s actually a military title from where? 

Answer: Japan

Question: Which academy trains future US generals while flexing above the Hudson River? 

Answer: West Point

Question: Which city had Checkpoint Charlie, Cold War tension, and serious spy vibes? 

Answer: Berlin

Question: What did Agent Orange do during Vietnam—besides sound like a Marvel villain? 

Answer: Remove leaves from trees

Question: What clever 1500s invention gave wounded soldiers a fighting limb back? 

Answer: Artificial limbs

Question: What was the epic codename for the WWII mission that cracked German dams? 

Answer: Operation Chastise

Question: In WWII, what buzzed through the sky with a creepy name and explosive intent? 

Answer: Flying bomb

Question: What were the Mosquito and Mustang—besides names you'd expect on muscle cars? 

Answer: Fighter planes

Question: What makes a nuclear sub nuclear—radioactive torpedoes or something else? 

Answer: Source of power

Question: Which aircraft can take off like a rocket and land like a feather? 

Answer: Harrier

Question: What tank-sized surprise rolled into war for the first time in 1916? 

Answer: Tanks

Question: Which war first saw submarines sneak under the surface? 

Answer: American Civil War

Question: Which war machine came first—before jets, tanks, or subs even had blueprints? 

Answer: Battleship

Question: Where in the UK did the Royal Navy build its very first sneaky underwater ride in 1901? 

Answer: Barrow-in-Furness

Question: What year saw the skies roar as the Dam Busters pulled off their daring raid? 

Answer: 1943

Question: When did Britain say, “Let’s take to the skies!” and launch its first flying corps? 

Answer: 1912

Question: In which year did brave little Malta earn the George Cross for serious wartime grit? 

Answer: 1942

Question: Which century featured wigs, muskets, and the English Civil War? 

Answer: 17th

Question: France kept carrier pigeons for military use until what surprisingly recent year? 

Answer: 1993

Question: In 1938, Stalin offered backup to which country during a pre-WWII showdown? 

Answer: Czechoslovakia

Question: When did Britain go nuclear with its very first hydrogen bomb test? 

Answer: 1958

Question: What year saw tanks roar in the Battle of El Alamein? 

Answer: 1942

Question: Which battle helped the Duke of Marlborough bag the Southern Netherlands? 

Answer: Ramilles

Question: Which general rode into history on a horse named Copenhagen? 

Answer: Wellington

Question: Who clashed with Russia in 2008 over a tiny but tense region called South Ossetia? 

Answer: Georgia

Question: In what century did Malta earn the George Cross for sheer bravery? 

Answer: 20th

Question: Which war featured the infamous Battle of Little Bighorn? 

Answer: American Indian Wars

Question: When did Napoleon get his final “nope” at Waterloo? 

Answer: 1815

Question: The Battle of Britain shook the skies during which world war? 

Answer: World War II

Question: When did England sink the Spanish Armada and make waves in history? 

Answer: 1588

Question: Submarines made their stealthy debut in which war? 

Answer: American Civil War

Question: If the Hundred Years’ War started in 1337, when did this long fight finally end? 

Answer: 1453

Question: Which fearless fighters from Nepal have served Britain and India since 1815? 

Answer: Nepalese

Question: Which country fired its army in 1949—and never brought it back? 

Answer: Costa Rica

Question: Napoleon marched 600,000 into Russia. How many limped home? 

Answer: 30,000

Question: What was WWII hero Field Marshal Montgomery’s first name? (Hint: not Monty.) 

Answer: Bernard

Question: When did American G.I.s first touch down in Britain with duffel bags and dreams? 

Answer: 1942

Question: What codename kicked off Operation Overlord with a beachy bang? 

Answer: D-Day

Question: Thompson, Gatling, Mauser—what were these loud and legendary names linked to? 

Answer: Guns

Question: What was Monty’s real name—the man behind the medals in WWII? 

Answer: Bernard

Question: Which future U.S. president once captained a torpedo boat in WWII? 

Answer: John F. Kennedy

Question: Gold, Juno, Sword—what were these code-named spots during the D-Day landings? 

Answer: Beaches

Question: During WWII, Hugh Dowding was a key figure in which sky-high branch? 

Answer: RAF

Question: Which British sub made waves by sinking the General Belgrano in 1982? 

Answer: HMS Conqueror

Question: What year did France finally say “au revoir” to carrier pigeons in uniform? 

Answer: 1993

Question: Developed in WWII, what fiery mix of “salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids” got a much simpler name? 

Answer: Napalm

Question: A sapper in the Royal Engineers does what down-and-dirty job—literally? 

Answer: Dig trenches

Question: How many days ticked by between the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? 

Answer: 3

Question: Which everyday phrase came out of the American Civil War trenches? 

Answer: Meet a deadline

Question: What do you call a military move meant to fake out the enemy with lies or distractions? 

Answer: Disinformation

Question: What's the word for wrecking enemy stuff on purpose—tools, roads, you name it? 

Answer: Sabotage

Question: What’s the peaceful pause called when both sides agree to stop shooting—at least for now? 

Answer: Ceasefire

Question: What’s the name of that sandbag hideout soldiers use to dodge bullets and bad weather? 

Answer: Bunker

Question: What do you call a sneaky squad sent ahead to scope things out or stir the pot? 

Answer: Reconnaissance

Question: What’s the grand-sounding term for the zone where all the combat magic (and chaos) happens? 

Answer: Theater of operations

Question: What’s it called when troops surround the enemy and say, “You’re not going anywhere”? 

Answer: Encirclement

Question: What’s the camo-covered trick soldiers use to blend in like military chameleons? 

Answer: Camouflage

Question: What’s it called when the plan becomes: “Let’s get out of here—now”? 

Answer: Retreat

Question: What’s the term for a tag-team battle strategy that combines land, sea, and sky power? 

Answer: Joint operation

Question: ANZAC stands for the troops of which two countries? 

Answer: Australia New Zealand

Question: How did Luftwaffe boss Herman Goering exit stage left after WWII? 

Answer: Took a cyanide pill

Question: What clever 16th-century invention helped wounded soldiers get back on their feet—literally? 

Answer: Artificial limbs

Question: In what chilly month of 1945 did Allied bombers turn Dresden to rubble? 

Answer: February

Question: What was the bold codename for the massive D-Day beach invasion in 1944? 

Answer: Operation Overlord

Question: Which country's troops followed General Pershing into the WWI fray? 

Answer: USA

Question: What were the Spitfire and Messerschmitt—besides sounding like rival rock bands? 

Answer: Fighter planes