Q 01/05

Which country contains the village that gave Guadalcanal its name, the home town of a sixteenth-century explorer?

A) Portugal

B) Spain

C) Mexico

D) Peru

Answer · why

B) Spain

Spain has the original Guadalcanal, a village in Andalusia's Seville province. Pedro de Ortega Valencia, sailing with Mendaña's expedition, named the ...

Q 02/05

Which surname was shared by five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, who all died when one cruiser sank off Guadalcanal?

A) Niland

B) Borgstrom

C) Rogers

D) Sullivan

Answer · why

D) Sullivan

Sullivan was the name, and the loss of all five aboard USS Juneau moved the Navy to name a warship USS The Sullivans. The brothers had insisted on ser...

Q 03/05

Henderson Field on Guadalcanal honours a Marine pilot killed attacking Japanese carriers in which earlier battle?

A) Coral Sea

B) Wake Island

C) Midway

D) Pearl Harbor

Answer · why

C) Midway

Midway is where Major Lofton Henderson died at the head of his bomber squadron. Marines gave his name to the field within days of coming ashore.

Q 04/05

Which code name did Allied planners give Guadalcanal, a word the island's pilots soon borrowed for their own nickname?

A) Cactus

B) Ringbolt

C) Bobcat

D) Huddle

Answer · why

A) Cactus

Cactus was the code name, so the scratch collection of Allied planes flying from the island became known as the Cactus Air Force.

Q 05/05

Which nickname did Allied forces give the fast Japanese destroyer runs that supplied Guadalcanal under cover of night?

A) Midnight Mail

B) Yokohama Railroad

C) Shanghai Shuttle

D) Tokyo Express

Answer · why

D) Tokyo Express

Tokyo Express was the name the press made famous. The destroyers had to unload and be back at base within one night, before daylight brought Allied ai...