How Well Do You Know Famous German Terms from World War II?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Well Do You Know Famous German Terms from World War II?
Image: Wiki commons

About This Quiz

OK, so "gesundheit” isn't one of them. But when it comes to a Nazi-inspired lexicon, there are a whole lot of World War II-era terms that are exceedingly common in our everyday language. That's the kind of power that the Third Reich and its reign of terror have on our culture, more than 70 years after the end of the worst conflict in modern history. You already know the name of the man who made big history by seizing power in Germany. Do you know the name of the book he used to inspire his followers? As you take our quiz, can you recall the various technological advances he leveraged to smash entire civilizations? The Nazis weren't content to merely do battle - they wanted to crush other nations as quickly as possible. Do you know the words that they used for their tactics and weapons? From their anti-tank explosives to their machine guns, the Nazis were inventive in amazing and horrifying ways. And the Nazis kept busy far beyond the front lines. Do you remember the name that's used to describe the systematic homicide of millions of Europeans? And can you recall the name of the all-powerful police force that rounded up the doomed? It's a new century, but the Nazis and the words of their mad war live on. Take our quiz and see if you know your Volkssturm from your SS.

What was the German term for "lightning war," a series of fast, armored strikes meant to smash defensive lines?
Bodengebunden
Blitzkrieg
Blumenkriege
Deutschlandsender referred to which communications system?
Nazi satellite systems
Nazi radio
Nazi Pony Express
To what activity does the word "bücherverbrennung" refer?
Book burning
Book reading
Book writing

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What's the word for the German highway system constructed by the Nazis?
Aufsichtsverwaltung
Aussenstelle
Autobahnen
What was the "SS"?
A Nazi folk rock band
A type of German sausage
Elite German troops
What was the term that the Nazis used to describe someone they believed was racially superior?
Gypsy
Aryan
Jewish

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What is "Mein Kampf"?
A German machine gun
A type of Nazi cheese
A book
The word "Daseinskampf" refers to the Nazi idea of struggling for _____.
Poetry
Existence
True love
What was the name of the Nazi secret police?
GIA
FF
Gestapo

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What was the purpose of the military squad called "Einsatzgruppen"?
It organized fun parties
It was a Nazi death squad
They dug potatoes
What was an official title bestowed on Hitler?
Fuhrer
Dachau
Chelmno
What did the phrase, "Blut and boden" mean?
"Blood and soil"
"Oil for money"
"Dishes and soap"

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The "Luftwaffe" referred to which branch of the Nazi military?
Special forces
Navy
Air force
What was the purpose of the Nazi Sturmabteilungen troops?
They were young Austrian children
They were storm troopers
They were special Jewish troops
To what group did "Nationalsozialist" refer?
The Gypsies
The Jews
The Nazis, of course

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What was the name of the German army?
Uschla
Wehrmacht
Volkswagen
What did it mean if Nazi troops set out to "liquidieren" a political opponent?
It meant that they recruited him into the German army
It meant they killed him
It meant they sold him to a slave-trading company
The word "Atomwaffe" referred to what weapon?
Nuclear weapons
Grenade launchers
German tanks

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What was the "Volkssturm"?
A thunderstorm that struck Berlin
An emergency Nazi military force
A type of German stew
To what aspect of Nazi life did the word "Obergruppenführer" refer?
It was Hitler's dog's name
Family prayer
Military rank
The "V-1" and "V-2" were a type of _____.
Weapon
Nazi badge of honor
Nazi secret soldier program

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The word "konzentrationslager" referred to which horrifying aspect of Nazi racial cleansing?
A poison
Concentration camps
Freight trains
What does the phrase, "Drang nach Osten" mean?
"Drive to the East"
"Fly to the Moon"
"Let's bomb London"
When the Nazis used the word, "Untermenschen," to what were they referring?
"Unorganized" propaganda
"Undesirable" humans
"Unattractive" women

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The "totenkopf" was a terrifying symbol worn by Nazi troops. What was its appearance?
It featured a human skull
It had a swastika and roses
It had a large gun that was actually a cigarette lighter
The term "panzerkampfwagen" specified which sort of German weapon?
Armored vehicles
Portable machine guns
Death Star
The Sicherheitspolizei was an agency that was part of the _____.
SS
Blitzkrieg
Brown Shirts

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What did it mean if you were part of the "selektion" in a concentration camp?
You were given freedom
You were tasked with cleaning chores
You were selected for execution
Which term was used to describe a Nazi doctor's power to declare whether a person's poor health made him or her a burden to society?
Frontgemeinschaft
Fahnenweihe
Euthanasiebefehl
If the Nazis called you a "Ehrenarier," what did it mean?
You were a slave to the system
You were condemned to die
You were an honorary Aryan

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