These are the ten questions from War Dossier daily challenge #34, of 26 October 2026, with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Today's challenge is a different one and it is free to play.
Credit: Fotografo desconocido del Ejercito japones · Licence: Dominio publico (PD-Japan) · View at original source
The dossier entry: Tomoyuki Yamashita
Japanese general nicknamed "the Tiger of Malaya" after leading the swift conquest of Malaya and Singapore in 1941-1942. He was later posted to the Philippines, where in 1944-1945 he commanded the Japanese defense against the American landings. After Japan's surrender, a US military tribunal tried him for war crimes committed by troops under his command against the Filipino civilian population, in a case that set a precedent on command responsibility (the so-called "Yamashita standard"). He was convicted and hanged in February 1946.
Challenge answers
1 / 10
This Japanese general was tried and executed after the war for crimes committed by troops under his command in the Philippines. Who is he?
Tomoyuki Yamashita
Isoroku Yamamoto
Gerd von Rundstedt
Walter Model
Tomoyuki Yamashita, nicknamed "the Tiger of Malaya," was convicted in 1945 and executed in 1946 for war crimes committed in the Philippines.
2 / 10
At which residence did the king receive Mussolini to inform him of his dismissal?
At the Villa Savoia
At the Palazzo Venezia
At the Quirinal Palace
At Castel Gandolfo
The king received Mussolini at the Villa Savoia, his Roman residence, to personally inform him of his dismissal.
3 / 10
What was Turkish chrome mainly used for in the war industry?
Hardening armor and tool steel
Manufacturing explosives
Producing synthetic fuel
Manufacturing artillery ammunition
Chrome was alloyed with steel to produce armor plate and very hard tool steel.
4 / 10
What was the original purpose of the Panzer I and II within the German rearmament programme?
As training or stop-gap vehicles until medium tanks were available
As heavy assault tanks for breaking through fortifications
As vehicles intended exclusively for export
As self-propelled anti-aircraft platforms
Both models were originally designed for crew training and as a stop-gap solution while medium tank development matured.
5 / 10
Which 1942 Asian campaign did Alexander lead before moving to the Mediterranean?
The retreat from Burma
The defense of Singapore
The Philippines campaign
The defense of Hong Kong
In 1942, Alexander directed the long British retreat from Burma before taking command in the Middle East.
6 / 10
How long did the garrison of the fort of Eben-Emael hold out after the German assault began?
Just over a day
Several weeks
Less than an hour
Almost six months
The assault began on 10 May, and the garrison capitulated shortly after, barely a day later.
7 / 10
What did Operation Merkur represent in military history because of how it was carried out?
It was the first large-scale airborne invasion in history
It was the first amphibious landing with tanks
It was the first operation using combat radar
It was the first coordinated submarine campaign
Never before had a territory been conquered almost exclusively from the air.
8 / 10
Of these, which is the overall operation that encompasses the other Saipan episodes?
Operation Forager
The 15 June landing
The banzai charge of 7 July
The relief of Ralph Smith
Forager is the name of the whole campaign; the others are episodes within it.
9 / 10
What is the radio message with which the emperor announced the surrender known as?
The Jewel Voice Broadcast (Gyokuon-hōsō)
The Pearl Harbor Rescript
The Meiji Edict
The Cherry Blossom Speech
The announcement is known as the Gyokuon-hōsō, the 'Jewel Voice Broadcast', the first time the people heard the emperor's voice.
10 / 10
Compared with the attempted seizure of power at the Army High Command building in Berlin (the Bendlerblock) following the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt, the outcome at the East Prussian headquarters (the Wolfsschanze) was decided…
Within minutes, while in Berlin the collapse of the attempt took several hours to be confirmed
Several days later, once reinforcements arrived from the front
Simultaneously and identically in both places, with no difference
Only after a post-war judicial investigation
At the headquarters, Hitler's fate was clear almost immediately; in Berlin, however, uncertainty over his survival prolonged the attempted seizure of power for several hours.
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