Answer: Appliance Park

Context: It has been said that GE got into computer manufacturing because in the 1950s they were the largest user of computers outside the United States federal government, aside from being the first business in the world to own a computer. Its major appliance manufacturing plant "Appliance Park" was the first non-governmental site to host one. However, in 1970, GE sold its computer division to Honeywell, exiting the computer manufacturing industry, though it retained its timesharing operations for some years afterwards. GE was a major provider of computer timesharing services, through General Electric Information Services (GEIS, now GXS), offering online computing services that included GEnie.

Question: What was the name of GE's major appliance manufacturing plant?


Answer: 1970

Question: In what year did GE sell its computer division to Honeywell?


Answer: GXS

Question: What division of GE provides computer timesharing services?


Answer: GE

Question: What was the name of first business in the world to own a computer?


Answer: Edison Lamp Company

Context: During 1889, Thomas Edison had business interests in many electricity-related companies: Edison Lamp Company, a lamp manufacturer in East Newark, New Jersey; Edison Machine Works, a manufacturer of dynamos and large electric motors in Schenectady, New York; Bergmann & Company, a manufacturer of electric lighting fixtures, sockets, and other electric lighting devices; and Edison Electric Light Company, the patent-holding company and the financial arm backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family for Edison's lighting experiments. In 1889, Drexel, Morgan & Co., a company founded by J.P. Morgan and Anthony J. Drexel, financed Edison's research and helped merge those companies under one corporation to form Edison General Electric Company which was incorporated in New York on April 24, 1889. The new company also acquired Sprague Electric Railway & Motor Company in the same year.

Question: What was the name of the lamp manufacturer in East Newark which Thomas Edison an interest in?


Answer: Schenectady, New York

Question: Where was Edison Machine Works located?


Answer: J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family

Question: Who provided financial backing for the Edison Lighting Company?


Answer: 1889

Question: In what year did Drexel, Morgan & Co. begin to finance Edison's research and form Edison General Electric Company?


Answer: Edison Electric Light Company

Question: What was the name of the company that held the patents from Edison's research?


Answer: financial services

Context: Since over half of GE's revenue is derived from financial services, it is arguably a financial company with a manufacturing arm. It is also one of the largest lenders in countries other than the United States, such as Japan. Even though the first wave of conglomerates (such as ITT Corporation, Ling-Temco-Vought, Tenneco, etc.) fell by the wayside by the mid-1980s, in the late 1990s, another wave (consisting of Westinghouse, Tyco, and others) tried and failed to emulate GE's success.[citation needed]

Question: What is the business source of the majority of GE's revenues?


Answer: Ling-Temco-Vought, Tenneco

Question: Besides ITT Corporation, which two companies tried to emulate GE, but failed by the mid-1980's?


Answer: over half

Question: How much of GE's revenues is derived from the financial services it provides?


Answer: Japan

Question: In what other country besides the US does GE provide lending services?


Answer: David Lucas

Context: The changes included a new corporate color palette, small modifications to the GE logo, a new customized font (GE Inspira) and a new slogan, "Imagination at work", composed by David Lucas, to replace the slogan "We Bring Good Things to Life" used since 1979. The standard requires many headlines to be lowercased and adds visual "white space" to documents and advertising. The changes were designed by Wolff Olins and are used on GE's marketing, literature and website. In 2014, a second typeface family was introduced: GE Sans and Serif by Bold Monday created under art direction by Wolff Olins.

Question: Who composed GE's slogan "Imagination at work?"?


Answer: We Bring Good Things to Life

Question: What was GE's slogan prior to "Imagination at work?"


Answer: 1979

Question: In what year was the slogan "We Bring Good Things to Life" first used?


Answer: Wolff Olins

Question: Which company designed the standard format for GE's marketing literature and website?


Answer: GE Sans and Serif by Bold Monday

Question: What is the name of the typeface family created for GE in 2014?


Answer: fourth-largest

Context: GE has a history of some of its activities giving rise to large-scale air and water pollution. Based on year 2000 data, researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute listed the corporation as the fourth-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States, with more than 4.4 million pounds per year (2,000 tons) of toxic chemicals released into the air. GE has also been implicated in the creation of toxic waste. According to EPA documents, only the United States Government, Honeywell, and Chevron Corporation are responsible for producing more Superfund toxic waste sites.

Question: Based on year 2000 data, where is GE ranked among the largest corporate producers of air pollution in the US?


Answer: 2,000

Question: How many tons of toxic chemicals does GE release into the atmosphere each year?


Answer: EPA

Question: According to which government agency is GE a leading producer of Superfund toxic waste sites?


Answer: Honeywell, and Chevron Corporation

Question: Which two commercial businesses produce more Superfund toxic waste sites than GE?


Answer: Political Economy Research Institute

Question: Which organization identified GE as the fourth largest corporate producer of air pollution in the US?


Answer: 1892

Context: At about the same time, Charles Coffin, leading the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, acquired a number of competitors and gained access to their key patents. General Electric was formed through the 1892 merger of Edison General Electric Company of Schenectady, New York, and Thomson-Houston Electric Company of Lynn, Massachusetts, with the support of Drexel, Morgan & Co. Both plants continue to operate under the GE banner to this day. The company was incorporated in New York, with the Schenectady plant used as headquarters for many years thereafter. Around the same time, General Electric's Canadian counterpart, Canadian General Electric, was formed.

Question: In what year was General Electric formed?


Answer: New York

Question: In which US state was GE incorporated?


Answer: Schenectady

Question: Which city was the home of GE's first headquarters?


Answer: Charles Coffin

Question: Who led the Thomson-Houston Electric Company when GE was formed?


Answer: Lynn, Massachusetts

Question: Where was the Thomson-Houston Electric Company based?


Answer: Housatonic River

Context: From circa 1932 until 1977, General Electric polluted the Housatonic River with PCBs discharges from the General Electric plant at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260, made by Monsanto was the primary contaminant of the pollution. The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found in Woods Pond in Lenox, Massachusetts, just south of Pittsfield, where they have been measured up to 110 mg/kg in the sediment. About 50% of all the PCBs currently in the river are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about 11,000 pounds of PCBs. Former filled oxbows are also polluted. Waterfowl and fish who live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs and can present health risks if consumed.

Question: Which river did GE pollute with PCBs from its plant in Pittsfield, MA?


Answer: 11,000

Question: How many pounds of PCBs are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam?


Answer: 110 mg/kg

Question: How high have the levels of PCBs in the sediments behind Woods Pond dam been measured at?


Answer: Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260

Question: What were the primary contaminants contained in the pollution discharged into the Housatonic River?


Answer: Monsanto

Question: Which company produced the Aroctor 1254 and Aroctor 1260?


Answer: 2002

Context: GE (General Electric) Energy's renewable energy business has expanded greatly, to keep up with growing U.S. and global demand for clean energy. Since entering the renewable energy industry in 2002, GE has invested more than $850 million in renewable energy commercialization. In August 2008 it acquired Kelman Ltd, a Northern Ireland company specializing in advanced monitoring and diagnostics technologies for transformers used in renewable energy generation, and announced an expansion of its business in Northern Ireland in May 2010. In 2009, GE's renewable energy initiatives, which include solar power, wind power and GE Jenbacher gas engines using renewable and non-renewable methane-based gases, employ more than 4,900 people globally and have created more than 10,000 supporting jobs.

Question: In what year did GE enter the renewable energy industry?


Answer: more than $850 million

Question: How much money has GE invested in renewable energy commercialization?


Answer: 2008

Question: In what year did GE acquire Kelman Ltd.?


Answer: more than 4,900

Question: As of 2009, how many people did GE employ in its renewable energy initiatives?


Answer: May 2010

Question: When did GE announce an expansion of its business in Northern Ireland?


Answer: May 2005

Context: In May 2005, GE announced the launch of a program called "Ecomagination," intended, in the words of CEO Jeff Immelt "to develop tomorrow's solutions such as solar energy, hybrid locomotives, fuel cells, lower-emission aircraft engines, lighter and stronger durable materials, efficient lighting, and water purification technology". The announcement prompted an op-ed piece in The New York Times to observe that, "while General Electric's increased emphasis on clean technology will probably result in improved products and benefit its bottom line, Mr. Immelt's credibility as a spokesman on national environmental policy is fatally flawed because of his company's intransigence in cleaning up its own toxic legacy."

Question: When did GE announce its Ecoimagination program?


Answer: Jeff Immelt

Question: Who was the CEO of GE when it announced its Ecoimagination program?


Answer: water purification technology

Question: What type of technology related to water was to be developed under the Ecoimagination program?


Answer: The New York Times

Question: Which newspaper printed an op-ed piece that questioned Immelt's credibility as a spokesman on environmental policy?


Answer: hybrid

Question: What type of locomotive technology was to be developed by GE under its Ecoimagination program?


Answer: Sanford Alexander Moss

Context: GE's history of working with turbines in the power-generation field gave them the engineering know-how to move into the new field of aircraft turbosuperchargers.[citation needed] Led by Sanford Alexander Moss, GE introduced the first superchargers during World War I, and continued to develop them during the Interwar period. Superchargers became indispensable in the years immediately prior to World War II, and GE was the world leader in exhaust-driven supercharging when the war started. This experience, in turn, made GE a natural selection to develop the Whittle W.1 jet engine that was demonstrated in the United States in 1941. GE ranked ninth among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. Although their early work with Whittle's designs was later handed to Allison Engine Company, GE Aviation emerged as one of the world's largest engine manufacturers, second only to the British company, Rolls-Royce plc.

Question: Who led GE's effort to build the first turbosupercharges during World War I?


Answer: Whittle W.1

Question: Which jet engine did GE introduce in 1941?


Answer: ninth

Question: What was GE's rank among US corporations in the value of wartime production contracts during World War II?


Answer: Allison Engine Company

Question: To which company did GE hand off their work on Whittle's jet engines?


Answer: Rolls-Royce plc

Question: Which company is ranked as the largest engine manufacturer in the world?


Answer: 1947-77

Context: General Electric heavily contaminated the Hudson River with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1947-77. This pollution caused a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river or drink the water. In response to this contamination, activists protested in various ways. Musician Pete Seeger founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the Clearwater Festival to draw attention to the problem. The activism led to the site being designated by the EPA as one of the superfund sites requiring extensive cleanup. Other sources of pollution, including mercury contamination and sewage dumping, have also contributed to problems in the Hudson River watershed.

Question: In what time period did GE pollute the Hudson River with PCBs?


Answer: Pete Seeger

Question: Who founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the Clearwater Festival to bring attention to the pollution caused by GE?


Answer: polychlorinated biphenyls

Question: What does PCB stand for?


Answer: superfund

Question: What designation did the EPA give to the site of GE's Hudson River pollution


Answer: mercury contamination and sewage dumping

Question: What other types of pollution have contaminated the Hudson River watershed?


Answer: $1.4 billion

Context: GE has said that it will invest $1.4 billion in clean technology research and development in 2008 as part of its Ecomagination initiative. As of October 2008, the scheme had resulted in 70 green products being brought to market, ranging from halogen lamps to biogas engines. In 2007, GE raised the annual revenue target for its Ecomagination initiative from $20 billion in 2010 to $25 billion following positive market response to its new product lines. In 2010, GE continued to raise its investment by adding $10 billion into Ecomagination over the next five years.

Question: How much money has GE said it will invest in 2008 for clean technology R&D?


Answer: 70

Question: How many green products did GE bring to market via its Ecoimagination program as of October 2008?


Answer: biogas

Question: What type of engine did GE bring to market as part of its Ecoimagination project?


Answer: halogen

Question: What type of lamp was introduced by GE as part of its Ecoimagination initiative?


Answer: $25 billion

Question: What was GE's new revenue target for its Ecoimagination program in 2010?


Answer: Short Films, Big Ideas

Context: Short Films, Big Ideas was launched at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival in partnership with cinelan. Stories included breakthroughs in Slingshot (water vapor distillation system), cancer research, energy production, pain management and food access. Each of the 30 films received world premiere screenings at a major international film festival, including the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. The winning amateur director film, The Cyborg Foundation, was awarded a US$100,000 prize at the 2013 at Sundance Film Festival.[citation needed] According to GE, the campaign garnered more than 1.5 billion total media impressions, 14 million online views, and was seen in 156 countries.[citation needed]

Question: What was the name of the project introduced by GE at the 2011 Toronto International Fils Festival?


Answer: cinelan

Question: Which company was GE's partner in the Short Fils, Big Ideas project?


Answer: water vapor distillation

Question: What type of system is Sligshot?


Answer: US$100,000

Question: What prize was awarded to the winning amateur dirctor film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival?


Answer: 14 million

Question: How many online views did the Short Films, Big Ideas campaign generate?


Answer: April 2014

Context: In April 2014, it was announced that GE was in talks to acquire the global power division of French engineering group Alstom for a figure of around $13 billion. A rival joint bid was submitted in June 2014 by Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) with Siemens seeking to acquire Alstom's gas turbine business for €3.9 billion, and MHI proposing a joint venture in steam turbines, plus a €3.1 billion cash investment. In June 2014 a formal offer From GE worth $17 billion was agreed by the Alstom board. Part of the transaction involved the French government taking a 20% stake in Alstom to help secure France's energy and transport interests, and French jobs. A rival offer from Siemens-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was rejected. The acquisition was expected to be completed in 2015.

Question: When did GE announce it was in talks to acquire the French engineering group Alstom?


Answer: $17 billion

Question: What was the final acquisition price paid by GE for Alstom?


Answer: 20%

Question: How big was the stake in Alstom taken by the French government as part of the acquisition deal?


Answer: June 2014

Question: When was GE's acquisition of Alstom agreed to by Alstom's board?


Answer: Siemens-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Question: From which company did the Alstom board reject a rival acquisition proposal?


Answer: Fairfield, Connecticut

Context: GE is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut. Its main offices are located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York City, known now as the Comcast Building. It was formerly known as the GE Building for the prominent GE logo on the roof; NBC's headquarters and main studios are also located in the building. Through its RCA subsidiary, it has been associated with the center since its construction in the 1930s. GE moved its corporate headquarters from the GE Building on Lexington Avenue to Fairfield in 1974.

Question: Where is GE's headquarters located?


Answer: Lexington Avenue

Question: On what street in New York was GE headquartered before moving to Fairfield?


Answer: 1974

Question: In what year did GE move its headquarters to Fairfield?


Answer: NBC

Question: Which television broadcast company is located in the same building as GE's main offices in New York City?


Answer: 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center

Question: What was the former name of the Comcast Building, location of GE's main offices?


Answer: Robert Abrams

Context: In 1983, New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams filed suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York to compel GE to pay for the cleanup of what was claimed to be more than 100,000 tons of chemicals dumped from their plant in Waterford, New York. In 1999, the company agreed to pay a $250 million settlement in connection with claims it polluted the Housatonic River (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) and other sites with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances.

Question: Which New York State Attorney General filed suit in US District Court to force GE to pay for the cleanup of chemicals dumped by their plant in Waterford, NY?


Answer: $250 million

Question: How much did GE agree to pay in claims for the pollution it caused in the Housatonic River and other sites?


Answer: more than 100,000

Question: How many tons of PCBs were claimed to have been dumped by GE's Waterford Plant in the 1983 lawsuit?


Answer: 1999

Question: In which year was a settlement reached regarding GE's pollution of the Housatonic River?


Answer: Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Question: What was the location of the pollution caused by GE in the Housatonic River?


Answer: 14 June 1775

Context: The Continental Army was created on 14 June 1775 by the Continental Congress as a unified army for the colonies to fight Great Britain, with George Washington appointed as its commander. The army was initially led by men who had served in the British Army or colonial militias and who brought much of British military heritage with them. As the Revolutionary War progressed, French aid, resources, and military thinking influenced the new army. A number of European soldiers came on their own to help, such as Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who taught the army Prussian tactics and organizational skills.

Question: When was the Continental Army created?


Answer: George Washington

Question: Who was the commander of the Continental Army?


Answer: Europe

Question: From what country did Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben come from?


Answer: Prussian tactics and organizational skills

Question: What did Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben teach the Continental Army?


Answer: 1959

Context: The Vietnam War is often regarded as a low point for the U.S. Army due to the use of drafted personnel, the unpopularity of the war with the American public, and frustrating restrictions placed on the military by American political leaders. While American forces had been stationed in the Republic of Vietnam since 1959, in intelligence & advising/training roles, they did not deploy in large numbers until 1965, after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. American forces effectively established and maintained control of the "traditional" battlefield, however they struggled to counter the guerrilla hit and run tactics of the communist Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army. On a tactical level, American soldiers (and the U.S. military as a whole) did not lose a sizable battle.

Question: What year did American forces start being stationed in Vietnam?


Answer: Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Question: What caused American forces to deploy in large number in 1965?


Answer: communist

Question: What political structure did Vietnam have?


Answer: the "National Army"

Context: By the twentieth century, the U.S. Army had mobilized the U.S. Volunteers on four separate occasions during each of the major wars of the nineteenth century. During World War I, the "National Army" was organized to fight the conflict, replacing the concept of U.S. Volunteers. It was demobilized at the end of World War I, and was replaced by the Regular Army, the Organized Reserve Corps, and the State Militias. In the 1920s and 1930s, the "career" soldiers were known as the "Regular Army" with the "Enlisted Reserve Corps" and "Officer Reserve Corps" augmented to fill vacancies when needed.

Question: What was organized to replace the concept of U.S. Volunteers?


Answer: end of World War I

Question: When was the National Army demobilized?


Answer: "Enlisted Reserve Corps" and "Officer Reserve Corps"

Question: Who filled vacancies in the Regular Army?


Answer: The Chief of Staff

Context: The army is led by a civilian Secretary of the Army, who has the statutory authority to conduct all the affairs of the army under the authority, direction and control of the Secretary of Defense. The Chief of Staff of the Army, who is the highest-ranked military officer in the army, serves as the principal military adviser and executive agent for the Secretary of the Army, i.e., its service chief; and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a body composed of the service chiefs from each of the four military services belonging to the Department of Defense who advise the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council on operational military matters, under the guidance of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1986, the Goldwater–Nichols Act mandated that operational control of the services follows a chain of command from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the unified combatant commanders, who have control of all armed forces units in their geographic or function area of responsibility. Thus, the secretaries of the military departments (and their respective service chiefs underneath them) only have the responsibility to organize, train and equip their service components. The army provides trained forces to the combatant commanders for use as directed by the Secretary of Defense.

Question: Who is the highest-ranked military officer in the army?


Answer: Secretary of the Army

Question: Who does the Chief of Staff serve as the principal military adviser to?


Answer: four

Question: How many military services beling to the Department of Defense?


Answer: 1986

Question: In what year did the Goldwater-Nichols act take place?


Answer: The United States Army

Context: The United States Army (USA) is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed (14 June 1775) to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–83)—before the U.S. was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784, to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.

Question: What branch of the USA Armed Forces is the largest?


Answer: seven

Question: How many uniformed services are there in the US?


Answer: 1775–83

Question: What years did the American Revolutionary War span?


Answer: 3 June 1784

Question: What date was the U.S. Army created?


Answer: Continental Army

Question: What did the U.S Army replace?


Answer: United Kingdom

Context: The War of 1812, the second and last American war against the United Kingdom, was less successful for the U.S. than the Revolution and Northwest Indian War against natives had been, though it ended on a high note for Americans as well. After the taking control of Lake Erie in 1813, the Americans were able to seize parts of western Upper Canada, burn York and defeat Tecumseh, which caused his Indian Confederacy to collapse. Following ending victories in the province of Upper Canada, which dubbed the U.S. Army "Regulars, by God!", British troops were able to capture and burn Washington. The regular army, however, proved they were professional and capable of defeating the British army during the invasions of Plattsburgh and Baltimore, prompting British agreement on the previously rejected terms of a status quo ante bellum. Two weeks after a treaty was signed (but not ratified), Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans and became a national hero. Per the treaty both sides returned to the status quo with no victor.

Question: The War of 1812 consisted of the U.S against whom?


Answer: 1813

Question: In what year did the U.S. take control of Lake Eerie?


Answer: Tecumseh

Question: Who did the U.S. defeat to collapse the Indian Confederacy?


Answer: Andrew Jackson

Question: In the Battle of New Orleans, who defeated the British?


Answer: republican

Context: After the war, though, the Continental Army was quickly given land certificates and disbanded in a reflection of the republican distrust of standing armies. State militias became the new nation's sole ground army, with the exception of a regiment to guard the Western Frontier and one battery of artillery guarding West Point's arsenal. However, because of continuing conflict with Native Americans, it was soon realized that it was necessary to field a trained standing army. The Regular Army was at first very small, and after General St. Clair's defeat at the Battle of the Wabash, the Regular Army was reorganized as the Legion of the United States, which was established in 1791 and renamed the "United States Army" in 1796.

Question: What political party did not have trust in standing armies?


Answer: General St. Clair

Question: Who was defeated at the Battle of the Wabash?


Answer: Native Americans

Question: Who did the state militias have ongoing conflict with?


Answer: 1791

Question: In what year was the Legion of the United States established?


Answer: 1796

Question: In what year was the Legion of the United States renamed to the United States Army?


Answer: Fort Irwin, California

Context: Collective training at the unit level takes place at the unit's assigned station, but the most intensive training at higher echelons is conducted at the three combat training centers (CTC); the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California, the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the Joint Multinational Training Center (JMRC) at the Hohenfels Training Area in Hohenfels, Germany. ARFORGEN is the Army Force Generation process approved in 2006 to meet the need to continuously replenish forces for deployment, at unit level, and for other echelons as required by the mission. Individual-level replenishment still requires training at a unit level, which is conducted at the continental US (CONUS) replacement center at Fort Bliss, in New Mexico and Texas, before their individual deployment.

Question: Where is the National Training Center located?


Answer: Fort Polk, Louisiana

Question: Where is the Joint Readiness Training Center located?


Answer: Hohenfels, Germany

Question: Where is the Joint Multinational Training Center located?


Answer: 2006

Question: In what year was ARFORGEN approved?


Answer: New Mexico and Texas

Question: In what states is Fort Bliss located?


Answer: 1862

Context: For the first two years Confederate forces did well in set battles but lost control of the border states. The Confederates had the advantage of defending a very large country in an area where disease caused twice as many deaths as combat. The Union pursued a strategy of seizing the coastline, blockading the ports, and taking control of the river systems. By 1863 the Confederacy was being strangled. Its eastern armies fought well, but the western armies were defeated one after another until the Union forces captured New Orleans in 1862 along with the Tennessee River. In the famous Vicksburg Campaign of 1862–63, Ulysses Grant seized the Mississippi River and cut off the Southwest. Grant took command of Union forces in 1864 and after a series of battles with very heavy casualties, he had Lee under siege in Richmond as William T. Sherman captured Atlanta and marched through Georgia and the Carolinas. The Confederate capital was abandoned in April 1865 and Lee subsequently surrendered his army at Appomattox Court House; all other Confederate armies surrendered within a few months.

Question: In what year did the Union Forces capture New Orleans?


Answer: Ulysses Grant

Question: Who took control of the Mississippi River in 1862-63?


Answer: William T. Sherman

Question: Who captured Atlanta?


Answer: Appomattox Court House

Question: Where did Lee surrender his army?


Answer: Cold War

Context: The end of World War II set the stage for the East–West confrontation known as the Cold War. With the outbreak of the Korean War, concerns over the defense of Western Europe rose. Two corps, V and VII, were reactivated under Seventh United States Army in 1950 and American strength in Europe rose from one division to four. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops remained stationed in West Germany, with others in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, until the 1990s in anticipation of a possible Soviet attack.

Question: What war occurred after the end of World War II?


Answer: 1950

Question: In what year were corps V and corps VII reactivated?


Answer: four

Question: How many divisions of the U.S. Army were in Europe?


Answer: December 1941

Context: The United States joined World War II in December 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On the European front, U.S. Army troops formed a significant portion of the forces that captured North Africa and Sicily, and later fought in Italy. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, and in the subsequent liberation of Europe and defeat of Nazi Germany, millions of U.S. Army troops played a central role. In the Pacific War, U.S. Army soldiers participated alongside the United States Marine Corps in capturing the Pacific Islands from Japanese control. Following the Axis surrenders in May (Germany) and August (Japan) of 1945, army troops were deployed to Japan and Germany to occupy the two defeated nations. Two years after World War II, the Army Air Forces separated from the army to become the United States Air Force in September 1947 after decades of attempting to separate. Also, in 1948, the army was desegregated by order of President Harry S. Truman.

Question: What month and year did the U.S. join World War II?


Answer: Japanese

Question: Which military force attacked Pearl Harbor?


Answer: June 6, 1944

Question: What is the month, day and year of "D-Day"?


Answer: Pacific War

Question: What war lead to the capture of the Pacific Islands by the U.S.?


Answer: Harry S. Truman

Question: Who was responsible for the desegregation of the army?


Answer: General Creighton Abrams

Context: The Total Force Policy was adopted by Chief of Staff of the Army General Creighton Abrams in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and involves treating the three components of the army – the Regular Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve as a single force. Believing that no U.S. president should be able to take the United States (and more specifically the U.S. Army) to war without the support of the American people, General Abrams intertwined the structure of the three components of the army in such a way as to make extended operations impossible, without the involvement of both the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

Question: Who adopted the Total Force Policy?


Answer: Vietnam War

Question: What war was responsible for the creation of the Total Force Policy?


Answer: three

Question: How many army components were affected by the Total Force Policy?


Answer: Afghanistan

Context: In response to the September 11 attacks, and as part of the Global War on Terror, U.S. and NATO forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, displacing the Taliban government. The U.S. Army also led the combined U.S. and allied invasion of Iraq in 2003. It served as the primary source for ground forces with its ability to sustain short and long-term deployment operations. In the following years the mission changed from conflict between regular militaries to counterinsurgency, resulting in the deaths of more than 4,000 U.S service members (as of March 2008) and injuries to thousands more. 23,813 insurgents were killed in Iraq between 2003–2011.

Question: Which country was invaded by the U.S. in October 2001?


Answer: 2003

Question: The U.S. Army invaded Iraq in what year?


Answer: more than 4,000

Question: About how many U.S. soldiers died as of March 2008 due to counterinsurgency?


Answer: 23,813

Question: How many Iraqi insurgents were killed from 2003-2011?


Answer: state soldiers

Context: Currently, the army is divided into the Regular Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard. The army is also divided into major branches such as Air Defense Artillery, Infantry, Aviation, Signal Corps, Corps of Engineers, and Armor. Before 1903 members of the National Guard were considered state soldiers unless federalized (i.e., activated) by the President. Since the Militia Act of 1903 all National Guard soldiers have held dual status: as National Guardsmen under the authority of the governor of their state or territory and, when activated, as a reserve of the U.S. Army under the authority of the President.

Question: What were National Guard members considered before 1903?


Answer: 1903

Question: In what year did the Milita Act take place?


Answer: the Army

Question: The Air Defense Artillery is a branch of what?


Answer: the governor

Question: National Guardsmen are under the authority of who?


Answer: 10

Context: The U.S. Army currently consists of 10 active divisions as well as several independent units. The force is in the process of contracting after several years of growth. In June 2013, the Army announced plans to downsize to 32 active combat brigade teams by 2015 to match a reduction in active duty strength to 490,000 soldiers. Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno has projected that by 2018 the Army will eventually shrink to "450,000 in the active component, 335,000 in the National Guard and 195,000 in U.S. Army Reserve."

Question: How many divisions are there in the U.S. Army?


Answer: 32

Question: How many brigade teams did the Army downsize to by 2015?


Answer: Raymond Odierno

Question: Who is the Army Chief of Staff?


Answer: 450,000

Question: By 2018, how many active Army members will there be?


Answer: 195,000

Question: How many Army Reserve members will there be by 2018?


Answer: individual and collective

Context: Training in the U.S. Army is generally divided into two categories – individual and collective. Basic training consists of 10 weeks for most recruits followed by Advanced Individualized Training (AIT) where they receive training for their military occupational specialties (MOS). Some individuals MOSs range anywhere from 14–20 weeks of One Station Unit Training (OSUT), which combines Basic Training and AIT. The length of AIT school varies by the MOS The length of time spent in AIT depends on the MOS of the soldier, and some highly technical MOS training may require many months (e.g., foreign language translators). Depending on the needs of the army, Basic Combat Training for combat arms soldiers is conducted at a number of locations, but two of the longest-running are the Armor School and the Infantry School, both at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Question: What categories are U.S. Army training divided into?


Answer: 10 weeks

Question: How long does basic training last?


Answer: 14–20 weeks

Question: How long does military occupation specialties training last?


Answer: One Station Unit Training

Question: What does OSUT stand for?


Answer: Fort Benning, Georgia

Question: Where are the Armor School and the Infantry School both located?


Answer: Squad Automatic Weapon

Context: Many units are supplemented with a variety of specialized weapons, including the M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon), to provide suppressive fire at the fire-team level. Indirect fire is provided by the M203 grenade launcher. The M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun or the Mossberg 590 Shotgun are used for door breaching and close-quarters combat. The M14EBR is used by designated marksmen. Snipers use the M107 Long Range Sniper Rifle, the M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, and the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle.

Question: What does the SAW in M249 SAW stand for?


Answer: suppressive fire

Question: What kind of gunfire is the M249 SAW generally used for?


Answer: door breaching and close-quarters combat

Question: What is the Mossberg 590 used for?


Answer: M14EBR

Question: What gun do designated marksmen use?


Answer: M110

Question: What semi-automatic sniper do Snipers use?


Answer: 25,000

Context: The Pentagon bought 25,000 MRAP vehicles since 2007 in 25 variants through rapid acquisition with no long-term plans for the platforms. The Army plans to divest 7,456 vehicles and retain 8,585. Of the total number of vehicles the Army will keep, 5,036 will be put in storage, 1,073 will be used for training, and the remainder will be spread across the active force. The Oshkosh M-ATV will be kept the most at 5,681 vehicles, as it is smaller and lighter than other MRAPs for off-road mobility. The other most retained vehicle will be the Navistar MaxxPro Dash with 2,633 vehicles, plus 301 Maxxpro ambulances. Thousands of other MRAPs like the Cougar, BAE Caiman, and larger MaxxPros will be disposed of.

Question: How many MRAP vehicles has the Pentagon bought since 2007?


Answer: 1,073

Question: How many of the vehicles will be used for training?


Answer: 7,456

Question: How many of the 25,000 vehicles do they plan on getting rid of?


Answer: Oshkosh M-ATV

Question: The Army will be keeping 5,681 of what vehicle?


Answer: Maxxpro

Question: What type of ambulance will the Army have 301 of?


Answer: black beret

Context: The U.S. Army black beret (having been permanently replaced with the patrol cap) is no longer worn with the new ACU for garrison duty. After years of complaints that it wasn't suited well for most work conditions, Army Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey eliminated it for wear with the ACU in June 2011. Soldiers still wear berets who are currently in a unit in jump status, whether the wearer is parachute-qualified, or not (maroon beret), Members of the 75th Ranger Regiment and the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade (tan beret), and Special Forces (rifle green beret) and may wear it with the Army Service Uniform for non-ceremonial functions. Unit commanders may still direct the wear of patrol caps in these units in training environments or motor pools.

Question: What piece of the uniform has been replaced by the patrol cap?


Answer: General Martin Dempsey

Question: Who was the Army Chief of Staff at this time?


Answer: June 2011

Question: What month and year was the black beret replaced?


Answer: maroon

Question: If a soldier is in a unit in jump status, what color beret do they wear?


Answer: Special Forces

Question: The rifle green beret is worn by whom?


Answer: three

Context: As a uniformed military service, the Army is part of the Department of the Army, which is one of the three military departments of the Department of Defense. The U.S. Army is headed by a civilian senior appointed civil servant, the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY), and by a chief military officer, the Chief of Staff of the Army (CSA) who is also a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In the fiscal year 2016, the projected end strength for the Regular Army (USA) was 475,000 soldiers; the Army National Guard (ARNG) had 342,000 soldiers, and the United States Army Reserve (USAR) had 198,000 soldiers; the combined-component strength of the U.S. Army was 1,015,000 soldiers. As a branch of the armed forces, the mission of the U.S. Army is "to fight and win our Nation's wars, by providing prompt, sustained, land dominance, across the full range of military operations and the spectrum of conflict, in support of combatant commanders." The service participates in conflicts worldwide and is the major ground-based offensive and defensive force.

Question: How many military departments does the Department of Defense have?


Answer: Secretary of the Army

Question: What does SECARMY stand for?


Answer: Chief of Staff of the Army

Question: What does CSA stand for?


Answer: 475,000

Question: At the end of 2016, how many soldiers were in the Regular Army?


Answer: 1,015,000

Question: How many soldiers were there in the entire U.S. Army at the end of 2016?


Answer: Seminoles

Context: The army's major campaign against the Indians was fought in Florida against Seminoles. It took long wars (1818–58) to finally defeat the Seminoles and move them to Oklahoma. The usual strategy in Indian wars was to seize control of the Indians winter food supply, but that was no use in Florida where there was no winter. The second strategy was to form alliances with other Indian tribes, but that too was useless because the Seminoles had destroyed all the other Indians when they entered Florida in the late eighteenth century.

Question: What Indian tribe was the Army's major campaign against?


Answer: 1818–58

Question: During what years did the wars between the Army and the Seminoles take place?


Answer: Oklahoma

Question: What state were the Seminoles moved to?


Answer: winter food supply

Question: What did the Army traditionally take control of to defeat the Indians?


Answer: eighteenth

Question: During what century did the Seminoles enter Florida?


Answer: 1950

Context: During the Cold War, American troops and their allies fought Communist forces in Korea and Vietnam. The Korean War began in 1950, when the Soviets walked out of a U.N. Security meeting, removing their possible veto. Under a United Nations umbrella, hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops fought to prevent the takeover of South Korea by North Korea, and later, to invade the northern nation. After repeated advances and retreats by both sides, and the PRC People's Volunteer Army's entry into the war, the Korean Armistice Agreement returned the peninsula to the status quo in 1953.

Question: What year did the Korean War start?


Answer: the Soviets

Question: Who walked out of the U.N. security meeting?


Answer: Korea and Vietnam

Question: In what two countries did the American troops fight Communist forces?


Answer: 1953

Question: In what year did the Korean war end?


Answer: 580,000

Context: By 1989 Germany was nearing reunification and the Cold War was coming to a close. Army leadership reacted by starting to plan for a reduction in strength. By November 1989 Pentagon briefers were laying out plans to reduce army end strength by 23%, from 750,000 to 580,000. A number of incentives such as early retirement were used. In 1990 Iraq invaded its smaller neighbor, Kuwait, and U.S. land forces, quickly deployed to assure the protection of Saudi Arabia. In January 1991 Operation Desert Storm commenced, a U.S.-led coalition which deployed over 500,000 troops, the bulk of them from U.S. Army formations, to drive out Iraqi forces. The campaign ended in total victory, as Western coalition forces routed the Iraqi Army, organized along Soviet lines, in just one hundred hours.

Question: In 1989, what did the Pentagon plan to reduce the army end strength to?


Answer: Kuwait

Question: Which country did Iraq invade in 1990?


Answer: Desert Storm

Question: What operation began in January 1991?


Answer: 500,000

Question: How many troops were involved in Operation Desert Storm?


Answer: one hundred hours

Question: How long did Operation Desert Storm last?


Answer: 1775

Context: The task of organizing the U.S. Army commenced in 1775. In the first one hundred years of its existence, the United States Army was maintained as a small peacetime force to man permanent forts and perform other non-wartime duties such as engineering and construction works. During times of war, the U.S. Army was augmented by the much larger United States Volunteers which were raised independently by various state governments. States also maintained full-time militias which could also be called into the service of the army.

Question: What year was the U.S. army organized?


Answer: United States Volunteers

Question: What group combined with the U.S. Army?


Answer: various state governments

Question: Who raised the United States Volunteers?


Answer: Regular Army

Context: The United States Army is made up of three components: the active component, the Regular Army; and two reserve components, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. Both reserve components are primarily composed of part-time soldiers who train once a month, known as battle assemblies or unit training assemblies (UTAs), and conduct two to three weeks of annual training each year. Both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve are organized under Title 10 of the United States Code, while the National Guard is organized under Title 32. While the Army National Guard is organized, trained and equipped as a component of the U.S. Army, when it is not in federal service it is under the command of individual state and territorial governors; the District of Columbia National Guard, however, reports to the U.S. President, not the district's mayor, even when not federalized. Any or all of the National Guard can be federalized by presidential order and against the governor's wishes.

Question: What is the active component of the U.S. Army?


Answer: Army National Guard and the Army Reserve

Question: What are the two reserve components of the U.S. Army?


Answer: unit training assemblies

Question: What are UTAs?


Answer: 10

Question: The U.S. Army is organized under what title of the United States Code?


Answer: the U.S. President

Question: Who does the D.C. National Guard report to?


Answer: additional skill identifier

Context: Following their basic and advanced training at the individual-level, soldiers may choose to continue their training and apply for an "additional skill identifier" (ASI). The ASI allows the army to take a wide ranging MOS and focus it into a more specific MOS. For example, a combat medic, whose duties are to provide pre-hospital emergency treatment, may receive ASI training to become a cardiovascular specialist, a dialysis specialist, or even a licensed practical nurse. For commissioned officers, ASI training includes pre-commissioning training either at USMA, or via ROTC, or by completing OCS. After commissioning, officers undergo branch specific training at the Basic Officer Leaders Course, (formerly called Officer Basic Course), which varies in time and location according their future assignments. Further career development is available through the Army Correspondence Course Program.

Question: What does ASI stand for?


Answer: provide pre-hospital emergency treatment

Question: What is are combat medics duties?


Answer: Basic Officer Leaders Course

Question: Where do the officers go to complete their branch specific training?


Answer: Army Correspondence Course Program

Question: If the officers want to advance their careers even further, where is that available?


Answer: tents

Context: The army has relied heavily on tents to provide the various facilities needed while on deployment. The most common tent uses for the military are as temporary barracks (sleeping quarters), DFAC buildings (dining facilities), forward operating bases (FOBs), after action review (AAR), tactical operations center (TOC), morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) facilities, and security checkpoints. Furthermore, most of these tents are set up and operated through the support of Natick Soldier Systems Center.

Question: What does the army use for facilities while they are deployed?


Answer: TOC

Question: What is the abbreviation for a tactical operations center?


Answer: forward operating bases

Question: What does FOB stand for?


Answer: DFAC buildings

Question: Where are the dining facilities called?


Answer: sleeping quarters

Question: What are the barracks used for?


Answer: The American Civil War

Context: The American Civil War was the costliest war for the U.S. in terms of casualties. After most slave states, located in the southern U.S., formed the Confederate States, C.S. troops led by former U.S. Army officers, mobilized a very large fraction of Southern white manpower. Forces of the United States (the "Union" or "the North") formed the Union Army consisting of a small body of regular army units and a large body of volunteer units raised from every state, north and south, except South Carolina.[citation needed]

Question: Which war had the most U.S. casualties associated with it?


Answer: the "Union" or "the North"

Question: What were the U.S. forces referred to as?


Answer: South Carolina

Question: What state did not contribute any troops to the Union Army?


Answer: 1910

Context: Starting in 1910, the army began acquiring fixed-wing aircraft. In 1910, Mexico was having a civil war, peasant rebels fighting government soldiers. The army was deployed to American towns near the border to ensure safety to lives and property. In 1916, Pancho Villa, a major rebel leader, attacked Columbus, New Mexico, prompting a U.S. intervention in Mexico until 7 February 1917. They fought the rebels and the Mexican federal troops until 1918. The United States joined World War I in 1917 on the side of Britain, France, Russia, Italy and other allies. U.S. troops were sent to the Western Front and were involved in the last offensives that ended the war. With the armistice in November 1918, the army once again decreased its forces.

Question: In what year did the army start using fixed-wing aircraft?


Answer: Pancho Villa

Question: Who attacked New Mexico in 1916?


Answer: 1917

Question: What year did the U.S. join World War I?


Answer: 7 February 1917

Question: What date did the U.S. intervention in New Mexico end?


Answer: Robert McNamara

Context: During the 1960s the Department of Defense continued to scrutinize the reserve forces and to question the number of divisions and brigades as well as the redundancy of maintaining two reserve components, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. In 1967 Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara decided that 15 combat divisions in the Army National Guard were unnecessary and cut the number to 8 divisions (1 mechanized infantry, 2 armored, and 5 infantry), but increased the number of brigades from 7 to 18 (1 airborne, 1 armored, 2 mechanized infantry, and 14 infantry). The loss of the divisions did not set well with the states. Their objections included the inadequate maneuver element mix for those that remained and the end to the practice of rotating divisional commands among the states that supported them. Under the proposal, the remaining division commanders were to reside in the state of the division base. No reduction, however, in total Army National Guard strength was to take place, which convinced the governors to accept the plan. The states reorganized their forces accordingly between 1 December 1967 and 1 May 1968.

Question: Who was the Secretary of Defense in 1967?


Answer: 8

Question: How many divisions did the Secretary of Defense cut the original 15 down to?


Answer: 18

Question: How many brigades did the Secretary of Defense increase the number to?


Answer: 125

Context: On September 11, 2001, 53 Army civilians (47 employees and six contractors) and 22 soldiers were among the 125 victims killed in the Pentagon in a terrorist attack when American Airlines Flight 77 commandeered by five Al-Qaeda hijackers slammed into the western side of the building, as part of the September 11 attacks. Lieutenant General Timothy Maude was the highest-ranking military official killed at the Pentagon, and the most senior U.S. Army officer killed by foreign action since the death of Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner, Jr. on June 18, 1945, in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.

Question: How many victims were killed in the attack on the Pentagon?


Answer: American Airlines Flight 77

Question: What aircraft was hijacked?


Answer: west

Question: Did they crash into the eastern or wester part of the Pentagon.


Answer: Lieutenant General Timothy Maude

Question: Who was the highest ranking official killed in the attack?


Answer: brigades

Context: The army is also changing its base unit from divisions to brigades. Division lineage will be retained, but the divisional headquarters will be able to command any brigade, not just brigades that carry their divisional lineage. The central part of this plan is that each brigade will be modular, i.e., all brigades of the same type will be exactly the same, and thus any brigade can be commanded by any division. As specified before the 2013 end-strength re-definitions, the three major types of ground combat brigades are:

Question: What is the army replacing divisions with?


Answer: modular

Question: How will the brigades be structured?


Answer: divisional headquarters

Question: Who can command any brigade?


Answer: 9 mm M9 pistol

Context: The army employs various individual weapons to provide light firepower at short ranges. The most common weapons used by the army are the compact variant of the M16 rifle, the M4 carbine, as well as the 7.62×51mm variant of the FN SCAR for Army Rangers. The primary sidearm in the U.S. Army is the 9 mm M9 pistol; the M11 pistol is also used. Both handguns are to be replaced through the Modular Handgun System program. Soldiers are also equiped with various hand grenades, such as the M67 fragmentation grenade and M18 smoke grenade.

Question: What is the primary sidearm used by the U.S. Army?


Answer: M67

Question: What type of frag grenade is used by the U.S. Army?


Answer: smoke

Question: The M18 is a type of what kind of grenade?


Answer: Modular Handgun System

Question: Through what system are handguns being replacedby the U.S. Army?


Answer: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle

Context: The army's most common vehicle is the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), commonly called the Humvee, which is capable of serving as a cargo/troop carrier, weapons platform, and ambulance, among many other roles. While they operate a wide variety of combat support vehicles, one of the most common types centers on the family of HEMTT vehicles. The M1A2 Abrams is the army's main battle tank, while the M2A3 Bradley is the standard infantry fighting vehicle. Other vehicles include the Stryker, and the M113 armored personnel carrier, and multiple types of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

Question: What does HMMWV stand for?


Answer: Humvee

Question: What is the HMMWV also known as?


Answer: battle tank

Question: The M1A2 Abrams is an example of what?


Answer: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected

Question: What does MRAP stand for?


Answer: Wilhelm I

Context: The German states proclaimed their union as the German Empire under the Prussian king, Wilhelm I, uniting Germany as a nation-state. The Treaty of Frankfurt of 10 May 1871 gave Germany most of Alsace and some parts of Lorraine, which became the Imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen).The German conquest of France and the unification of Germany upset the European balance of power, that had existed since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and Otto von Bismarck maintained great authority in international affairs for two decades. French determination to regain Alsace-Lorraine and fear of another Franco-German war, along with British apprehension about the balance of power, became factors in the causes of World War I.

Question: Under what Prussian king did the German empire unite as a nation-state?


Answer: 10 May 1871

Question: What was the date of the Treaty of Frankfurt?


Answer: Alsace-Lorraine

Question: The Treaty of Frankfurt gave Germany which Imperial territory?


Answer: Otto von Bismarck

Question: Following the unification of Germany, who maintained great authority in international affairs for two decades?


Answer: another Franco-German war

Question: Which specific fear was a factor in causing World War I?


Answer: Ems telegram

Context: The Ems telegram had exactly the effect on French public opinion that Bismarck had intended. "This text produced the effect of a red flag on the Gallic bull", Bismarck later wrote. Gramont, the French foreign minister, declared that he felt "he had just received a slap". The leader of the monarchists in Parliament, Adolphe Thiers, spoke for moderation, arguing that France had won the diplomatic battle and there was no reason for war, but he was drowned out by cries that he was a traitor and a Prussian. Napoleon's new prime minister, Emile Ollivier, declared that France had done all that it could humanly and honorably do to prevent the war, and that he accepted the responsibility "with a light heart." A crowd of 15–20,000 people, carrying flags and patriotic banners, marched through the streets of Paris, demanding war. On 19 July 1870 a declaration of war was sent to the Prussian government. The southern German states immediately sided with Prussia.

Question: What telegram had the intended effect on French public opinion?


Answer: he felt "he had just received a slap"

Question: Following the Ems telegram, what reaction did the French foreign minister report that he felt?


Answer: Adolphe Thiers

Question: In Parliament, who was the leader of the monarchists?


Answer: Emile Ollivier

Question: Which French prime minister believed he had done all that he could to prevent a war?


Answer: 19 July 1870

Question: On which date did France issue a declaration of war to the Prussian government?


Answer: Battle of Königgrätz

Context: The army was still equipped with the Dreyse needle gun of Battle of Königgrätz fame, which was by this time showing the age of its 25-year-old design. The rifle had a range of only 600 m (2,000 ft) and lacked the rubber breech seal that permitted aimed shots. The deficiencies of the needle gun were more than compensated for by the famous Krupp 6-pounder (3 kg) steel breech-loading cannons being issued to Prussian artillery batteries. Firing a contact-detonated shell, the Krupp gun had a longer range and a higher rate of fire than the French bronze muzzle loading cannon, which relied on faulty time fuses.

Question: In which battle did the Dreyse needle gun gain its fame?


Answer: 25-year-old design

Question: At the start of the Franco-Prussian War, what was the age of the Dreyse gun's design?


Answer: 600 m (2,000 ft)

Question: What was the Dreyse rifle's tactical range?


Answer: Krupp

Question: What was the name of the famous cannon issued to Prussian soldiers at the time?


Answer: a contact-detonated shell

Question: What type of shell did the Krupp weapon fire?


Answer: 4 August 1870

Context: The first action of the Franco-Prussian War took place on 4 August 1870. This battle saw the unsupported division of General Douay of I Corps, with some attached cavalry, which was posted to watch the border, attacked in overwhelming but uncoordinated fashion by the German 3rd Army. During the day, elements of a Bavarian and two Prussian corps became engaged and were aided by Prussian artillery, which blasted holes in the defenses of the town. Douay held a very strong position initially, thanks to the accurate long-range fire of the Chassepots but his force was too thinly stretched to hold it. Douay was killed in the late morning when a caisson of the divisional mitrailleuse battery exploded near him; the encirclement of the town by the Prussians threatened the French avenue of retreat.

Question: What was the date of the first action of the Franco-Prussian War?


Answer: Bavarian and two Prussian corps

Question: On that date, which elements were assisted by Prussian artillery forces?


Answer: General Douay of I Corps

Question: Who initially held a strong position during the battle at the border?


Answer: long-range fire of the Chassepots

Question: Douay's initial success was credited by what?


Answer: the encirclement of the town by the Prussians

Question: What threatened the French avenue of retreat?


Answer: German numerical superiority

Context: The French were unaware of German numerical superiority at the beginning of the battle as the German 2nd Army did not attack all at once. Treating the oncoming attacks as merely skirmishes, Frossard did not request additional support from other units. By the time he realized what kind of a force he was opposing, it was too late. Seriously flawed communications between Frossard and those in reserve under Bazaine slowed down so much that by the time the reserves received orders to move out to Spicheren, German soldiers from the 1st and 2nd armies had charged up the heights. Because the reserves had not arrived, Frossard erroneously believed that he was in grave danger of being outflanked as German soldiers under General von Glume were spotted in Forbach. Instead of continuing to defend the heights, by the close of battle after dusk he retreated to the south. The German casualties were relatively high due to the advance and the effectiveness of the chassepot rifle. They were quite startled in the morning when they had found out that their efforts were not in vain—Frossard had abandoned his position on the heights.

Question: What factor were the French unaware of at the start of the battle?


Answer: Frossard

Question: Which French commander miscalculated the severity of the battle?


Answer: Seriously flawed communications

Question: What was a key factor in Frossard's disasterous retreat to the south?


Answer: effectiveness of the chassepot rifle

Question: What factor was credited to the large number of German casualties?


Answer: Frossard had abandoned his position

Question: What outcome surprised the Germans the following day?


Answer: 18 August

Context: The Battle of Gravelotte, or Gravelotte–St. Privat (18 August), was the largest battle during the Franco-Prussian War. It was fought about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Metz, where on the previous day, having intercepted the French army's retreat to the west at the Battle of Mars-La-Tour, the Prussians were now closing in to complete the destruction of the French forces. The combined German forces, under Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, were the Prussian First and Second Armies of the North German Confederation numbering about 210 infantry battalions, 133 cavalry squadrons, and 732 heavy cannons totaling 188,332 officers and men. The French Army of the Rhine, commanded by Marshal François-Achille Bazaine, numbering about 183 infantry battalions, 104 cavalry squadrons, backed by 520 heavy cannons, totaling 112,800 officers and men, dug in along high ground with their southern left flank at the town of Rozerieulles, and their northern right flank at St. Privat.

Question: On which date was the Battle of Gravelotte?


Answer: The Battle of Gravelotte

Question: Which battle was considered the biggest in the war?


Answer: 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Metz

Question: Where was the location of the Battle of Gravelotte?


Answer: Count Helmuth von Moltke

Question: Under which Field Marshall were the combined German forces commanded?


Answer: Marshal François-Achille Bazaine

Question: Who commanded the French Army of the Rhine?


Answer: the defeat of Marshal Bazaine's Army

Context: With the defeat of Marshal Bazaine's Army of the Rhine at Gravelotte, the French were forced to retire to Metz, where they were besieged by over 150,000 Prussian troops of the First and Second Armies. Napoleon III and MacMahon formed the new French Army of Châlons, to march on to Metz to rescue Bazaine. Napoleon III personally led the army with Marshal MacMahon in attendance. The Army of Châlons marched northeast towards the Belgian border to avoid the Prussians before striking south to link up with Bazaine. The Prussians, under the command of Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, took advantage of this maneuver to catch the French in a pincer grip. He left the Prussian First and Second Armies besieging Metz, except three corps detached to form the Army of the Meuse under the Crown Prince of Saxony. With this army and the Prussian Third Army, Moltke marched northward and caught up with the French at Beaumont on 30 August. After a sharp fight in which they lost 5,000 men and 40 cannons, the French withdrew toward Sedan. Having reformed in the town, the Army of Châlons was immediately isolated by the converging Prussian armies. Napoleon III ordered the army to break out of the encirclement immediately. With MacMahon wounded on the previous day, General Auguste Ducrot took command of the French troops in the field.

Question: What factor forced the French to retreat to Metz?


Answer: over 150,000

Question: At Metz, what was the approximate number of Prussian troops?


Answer: Napoleon III and MacMahon

Question: Who formed the new French Army of Chalons?


Answer: the Prussian Third Army

Question: Along with the Army of the Meuse, what other army did Moltke march north with?


Answer: 5,000 men

Question: How many casualties did Moltke suffer at Beaumont?


Answer: the Germans

Context: When the war had begun, European public opinion heavily favored the Germans; many Italians attempted to sign up as volunteers at the Prussian embassy in Florence and a Prussian diplomat visited Giuseppe Garibaldi in Caprera. Bismarck's demand for the return of Alsace caused a dramatic shift in that sentiment in Italy, which was best exemplified by the reaction of Garibaldi soon after the revolution in Paris, who told the Movimento of Genoa on 7 September 1870 that "Yesterday I said to you: war to the death to Bonaparte. Today I say to you: rescue the French Republic by every means." Garibaldi went to France and assumed command of the Army of the Vosges, with which he operated around Dijon till the end of the war.

Question: At the start of the war, which country did European public opinion champion?


Answer: Florence

Question: In which city did many Italians attempt to proffer their services to the Prussian embassy?


Answer: Bismarck's demand for the return of Alsace

Question: What caused a dramatic shift in Italian sentiment toward the war?


Answer: Garibaldi

Question: To whom is the quote, "Rescue the French Republic by every means" attributed?


Answer: the Army of the Vosges

Question: What army did Garibaldi gain command of in France?


Answer: 10 October

Context: On 10 October, hostilities began between German and French republican forces near Orléans. At first, the Germans were victorious but the French drew reinforcements and defeated the Germans at the Battle of Coulmiers on 9 November. After the surrender of Metz, more than 100,000 well-trained and experienced German troops joined the German 'Southern Army'. The French were forced to abandon Orléans on 4 December, and were finally defeated at the Battle of Le Mans (10–12 January). A second French army which operated north of Paris was turned back at the Battle of Amiens (27 November), the Battle of Bapaume (3 January 1871) and the Battle of St. Quentin (13 January).

Question: On which date did hostilities between the German and French troops begin near Orleans?


Answer: the Germans

Question: Which side was initially successful at the Battle of Coulmiers?


Answer: 9 November

Question: On which date did the French triump over the Germans at the Battle of Coulmiers?


Answer: 4 December

Question: On which date were the French forced to abandon Orleans?


Answer: Battle of Amiens

Question: Of the three battles that occured north of Paris, which was the first that forced the French army to retreat?


Answer: any form of surrender

Context: Although public opinion in Paris was strongly against any form of surrender or concession to the Prussians, the Government realised that it could not hold the city for much longer, and that Gambetta's provincial armies would probably never break through to relieve Paris. President Trochu resigned on 25 January and was replaced by Favre, who signed the surrender two days later at Versailles, with the armistice coming into effect at midnight. Several sources claim that in his carriage on the way back to Paris, Favre broke into tears, and collapsed into his daughter's arms as the guns around Paris fell silent at midnight. At Tours, Gambetta received word from Paris on 30 January that the Government had surrendered. Furious, he refused to surrender and launched an immediate attack on German forces at Orleans which, predictably, failed. A delegation of Parisian diplomats arrived in Tours by train on 5 February to negotiate with Gambetta, and the following day Gambetta stepped down and surrendered control of the provincial armies to the Government of National Defence, which promptly ordered a cease-fire across France.

Question: What was public opinion in Paris strongly opposed to?


Answer: 25 January

Question: On what date did president Trochu resign?


Answer: Favre

Question: Who replaced President Trochu?


Answer: Versailles

Question: In which French city was the surrender made official?


Answer: Gambetta

Question: Who disregarded the surrender and launched a failed attack on the Germans?


Answer: The quick German victory

Context: The quick German victory over the French stunned neutral observers, many of whom had expected a French victory and most of whom had expected a long war. The strategic advantages possessed by the Germans were not appreciated outside Germany until after hostilities had ceased. Other countries quickly discerned the advantages given to the Germans by their military system, and adopted many of their innovations, particularly the General Staff, universal conscription and highly detailed mobilization systems.

Question: What stunned neutral observers about the end of the war?


Answer: French victory

Question: What outcome had most people expected from the war?


Answer: the Germans

Question: Whose strategic advantages were not appreciated until after the war over?


Answer: their military system

Question: What German advantages were discerned by other countries in the aftermath?


Answer: highly detailed mobilization systems

Question: What is at least one German innovation that other countries would later adopt in other wars?


Answer: pre-war preparations

Context: The effect of these differences was accentuated by the pre-war preparations. The Prussian General Staff had drawn up minutely detailed mobilization plans using the railway system, which in turn had been partly laid out in response to recommendations of a Railway Section within the General Staff. The French railway system, with multiple competing companies, had developed purely from commercial pressures and many journeys to the front in Alsace and Lorraine involved long diversions and frequent changes between trains. Furthermore, no system had been put in place for military control of the railways, and officers simply commandeered trains as they saw fit. Rail sidings and marshalling yards became choked with loaded wagons, with nobody responsible for unloading them or directing them to the destination.

Question: The effect of German victory and ensuing influence stems back to what factor?


Answer: detailed mobilization plans using the railway system

Question: What was the Prussian General staff quick to utilize at the onset of the war?


Answer: multiple competing companies

Question: What was one factor behind the inefficiency of the French railway system?


Answer: frequent changes between trains

Question: What factor especially affected travel to the front in Alsace and Lorraine?


Answer: nobody

Question: Who was responsible for dealing with chaotic train yards and unloaded wagons?


Answer: General Adalbert von Bredow

Context: At the Battle of Mars-la-Tours, the Prussian 12th Cavalry Brigade, commanded by General Adalbert von Bredow, conducted a charge against a French artillery battery. The attack was a costly success and came to be known as "von Bredow's Death Ride", which was held to prove that cavalry charges could still prevail on the battlefield. Use of traditional cavalry on the battlefields of 1914 proved to be disastrous, due to accurate, long-range rifle fire, machine-guns and artillery. Von Bredow's attack had succeeded only because of an unusually effective artillery bombardment just before the charge, along with favorable terrain that masked his approach.

Question: Who commanded the Prussian 12 Cavalry Brigade?


Answer: a French artillery battery

Question: What did General von Bredow lead a charge against at the Battle of Mars-la-Tour?


Answer: von Bredow's Death Ride

Question: What did von Bredow's Pyrrhic victory become known as?


Answer: Use of traditional cavalry

Question: What military tactic proved to be unsuccessful on the 1914 battlefields?


Answer: favorable terrain that masked his approach

Question: What was one of two factors that led von Bredow's narrow success on the battlefield?


Answer: Posen

Context: In the Prussian province of Posen, with a large Polish population, there was strong support for the French and angry demonstrations at news of Prussian-German victories—a clear manifestation of Polish nationalist feeling. Calls were also made for Polish recruits to desert from the Prussian Army—though these went mainly unheeded. An alarming report on the Posen situation, sent to Bismarck on 16 August 1870, led to the quartering of reserve troop contingents in the restive province. The Franco-Prussian War thus turned out to be a significant event also in German–Polish relations, marking the beginning of a prolonged period of repressive measures by the authorities and efforts at Germanisation.

Question: In which Prussian province did a large Polish population reside?


Answer: the French

Question: What was there strong support of in Posen?


Answer: to desert from the Prussian Army

Question: What calls were made for the Polish recruits?


Answer: 16 August 1870

Question: On what date did Bismarkck receive the disturbing report on the Posen situation?


Answer: prolonged period of repressive measures

Question: What significant consequence was a result of German-Polish relations?


Answer: the unification of Germany

Context: The causes of the Franco-Prussian War are deeply rooted in the events surrounding the unification of Germany. In the aftermath of the Austro–Prussian War of 1866, Prussia had annexed numerous territories and formed the North German Confederation. This new power destabilized the European balance of power established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon III, then the emperor of France, demanded compensations in Belgium and on the left bank of the Rhine to secure France's strategic position, which the Prussian chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, flatly refused. Prussia then turned its attention towards the south of Germany, where it sought to incorporate the southern German kingdoms, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt, into a unified Prussia-dominated Germany. France was strongly opposed to any further alliance of German states, which would have significantly strengthened the Prussian military.

Question: What are the causes of the Franco-Prussian War deeply rooted in?


Answer: North German Confederation

Question: In the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian war, formed what group?


Answer: new power destabilized

Question: What was the effect of that new group on the European balance of power?


Answer: the Congress of Vienna

Question: What established the European balance of power in 1815?


Answer: strongly opposed to any further alliance of German states

Question: As Prussia sought to incorporated several German kingdoms, what stance did France assume?


Answer: 400,000

Context: The French Army consisted in peacetime of approximately 400,000 soldiers, some of them regulars, others conscripts who until 1869 served the comparatively long period of seven years with the colours. Some of them were veterans of previous French campaigns in the Crimean War, Algeria, the Franco-Austrian War in Italy, and in the Franco-Mexican War. However, following the "Seven Weeks War" between Prussia and Austria four years earlier, it had been calculated that the French Army could field only 288,000 men to face the Prussian Army when perhaps 1,000,000 would be required. Under Marshal Adolphe Niel, urgent reforms were made. Universal conscription (rather than by ballot, as previously) and a shorter period of service gave increased numbers of reservists, who would swell the army to a planned strength of 800,000 on mobilisation. Those who for any reason were not conscripted were to be enrolled in the Garde Mobile, a militia with a nominal strength of 400,000. However, the Franco-Prussian War broke out before these reforms could be completely implemented. The mobilisation of reservists was chaotic and resulted in large numbers of stragglers, while the Garde Mobile were generally untrained and often mutinous.

Question: In peacetime, what the approximate number of French soldiers?


Answer: the Franco-Austrian War

Question: Veterans of the French Army had prviously fought in which war in Italy?


Answer: Prussia and Austria

Question: The "Seven Weeks War" was between which two countries?


Answer: Marshal Adolphe Niel

Question: Who reformed the low numbers of troops by implementing universal conscription?


Answer: the Garde Mobile

Question: If a citizen was for some reason not conscripted, in what militia were they were registered?


Answer: the General Staff

Context: The Prussian army was controlled by the General Staff, under Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. The Prussian army was unique in Europe for having the only such organisation in existence, whose purpose in peacetime was to prepare the overall war strategy, and in wartime to direct operational movement and organise logistics and communications. The officers of the General Staff were hand-picked from the Prussian Kriegsakademie (War Academy). Moltke embraced new technology, particularly the railroad and telegraph, to coordinate and accelerate mobilisation of large forces.

Question: What entity controlled the Prussian army?


Answer: Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke

Question: Who commanded the General Staff?


Answer: to prepare the overall war strategy

Question: What was the unique purpose of the Prussian Army during peacetime?


Answer: Prussian Kriegsakademie (War Academy)

Question: The officers of the General Staff were hand-selected from which place?


Answer: the railroad and telegraph

Question: What new technologies in particular were courted by Moltke?


Answer: 2 August

Context: General Frossard's II Corps and Marshal Bazaine's III Corps crossed the German border on 2 August, and began to force the Prussian 40th Regiment of the 16th Infantry Division from the town of Saarbrücken with a series of direct attacks. The Chassepot rifle proved its worth against the Dreyse rifle, with French riflemen regularly outdistancing their Prussian counterparts in the skirmishing around Saarbrücken. However the Prussians resisted strongly, and the French suffered 86 casualties to the Prussian 83 casualties. Saarbrücken also proved to be a major obstacle in terms of logistics. Only one railway there led to the German hinterland but could be easily defended by a single force, and the only river systems in the region ran along the border instead of inland. While the French hailed the invasion as the first step towards the Rhineland and later Berlin, General Le Bœuf and Napoleon III were receiving alarming reports from foreign news sources of Prussian and Bavarian armies massing to the southeast in addition to the forces to the north and northeast.

Question: On which date did Frossard's and Bazaines's troops cross the German border?


Answer: The Chassepot rifle

Question: What proved its worth against the Dreyse rifle?


Answer: the Prussian 40th Regiment of the 16th Infantry Division

Question: Which regiment did their respective corps force from the town of Saarbrucken?


Answer: 86 casualties

Question: How many casualties did the French suffer at Saarbrucken?


Answer: 83 casualties

Question: How many casualties did the Prussians suffer at Saarbrucken?


Answer: King William

Context: According to some historians, Bismarck adroitly created a diplomatic crisis over the succession to the Spanish throne, then edited a dispatch about a meeting between King William of Prussia and the French ambassador, to make it appear that the French had been insulted. The French press and parliament demanded a war, which the generals of Napoleon III assured him that France would win. Napoleon and his Prime Minister, Émile Ollivier, for their parts sought war to solve their problems with political disunity in France. On 16 July 1870, the French parliament voted to declare war on the German Kingdom of Prussia and hostilities began three days later. The German coalition mobilised its troops much more quickly than the French and rapidly invaded northeastern France. The German forces were superior in numbers, had better training and leadership and made more effective use of modern technology, particularly railroads and artillery.

Question: A dispatch was edited about a meeting between the French ambassador and what Prussian king?


Answer: to make it appear that the French had been insulted

Question: What was the purpose of editing the dispatch?


Answer: 16 July 1870

Question: On which date did the French parliament vote to declare war on Prussia?


Answer: succession to the Spanish throne

Question: What diplomatic crisis was Bismarck credited with skillfully creating?


Answer: northeastern France

Question: Where did the quickly mobilised troops first invade in France?


Answer: Wissembourg

Context: The fighting within the town had become extremely intense, becoming a door to door battle of survival. Despite a never-ending attack of Prussian infantry, the soldiers of the 2nd Division kept to their positions. The people of the town of Wissembourg finally surrendered to the Germans. The French troops who did not surrender retreated westward, leaving behind 1,000 dead and wounded and another 1,000 prisoners and all of their remaining ammunition. The final attack by the Prussian troops also cost c. 1,000 casualties. The German cavalry then failed to pursue the French and lost touch with them. The attackers had an initial superiority of numbers, a broad deployment which made envelopment highly likely but the effectiveness of French Chassepot rifle-fire inflicted costly repulses on infantry attacks, until the French infantry had been extensively bombarded by the Prussian artillery.

Question: Which town's people surrendered to the Germans?


Answer: westward

Question: In which direction did the French troops who did not surrender head?


Answer: 1,000 dead

Question: How many dead troops leave behind?


Answer: 1,000 prisoners

Question: How many prisoners did the French leave behind?


Answer: French Chassepot

Question: What weapon once again increased the effectiveness of the infantry attacks?


Answer: Franco-German War

Context: The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War (German: Deutsch-Französischer Krieg, lit. German-French War, French: Guerre franco-allemande, lit. Franco-German War), often referred to in France as the War of 1870 (19 July 1870 – 10 May 1871), was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the German states of the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. The conflict was caused by Prussian ambitions to extend German unification. Some historians argue that the Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck planned to provoke a French attack in order to draw the southern German states—Baden, Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse-Darmstadt—into an alliance with the North German Confederation dominated by Prussia, while others contend that Bismarck did not plan anything and merely exploited the circumstances as they unfolded.

Question: What is the Franco-Prussian War also known as?


Answer: the War of 1870

Question: What was the war often referred to in France as?


Answer: the Kingdom of Prussia

Question: In the conflict, who lead the German states of the North German Confederation?


Answer: Prussian ambitions

Question: Whose ambitions are credited with causing the conflict?


Answer: Otto von Bismarck

Question: Which Prussian chancellor's motives in the conflict are still disputed?


Answer: Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

Context: The immediate cause of the war resided in the candidacy of a Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a Prussian prince, to the throne of Spain. France feared encirclement by an alliance between Prussia and Spain. The Hohenzollern prince's candidacy was withdrawn under French diplomatic pressure, but Otto von Bismarck goaded the French into declaring war by altering a telegram sent by William I. Releasing the Ems Dispatch to the public, Bismarck made it sound as if the king had treated the French envoy in a demeaning fashion, which inflamed public opinion in France.

Question: In whose cadidacy did the immediate cause of war reside?


Answer: encirclement

Question: What did France fear by an alliance between Prussia and Spain?


Answer: Otto von Bismarck

Question: Who goaded the French into war by editing a telegram sent by William I?


Answer: Ems Dispatch

Question: What was the name of the famous telelgram?


Answer: inflamed public opinion

Question: What was the reaction of the French people to the deceptively crafted offense in the Ems Dispatch?


Answer: The Battle of Wörth

Context: The Battle of Wörth (also known as Fröschwiller or Reichshoffen) began when the two armies clashed again on 6 August near Wörth in the town of Fröschwiller, about 10 miles (16 km) from Wissembourg. The Crown Prince of Prussia's 3rd army had, on the quick reaction of his Chief of Staff General von Blumenthal, drawn reinforcements which brought its strength up to 140,000 troops. The French had been slowly reinforced and their force numbered only 35,000. Although badly outnumbered, the French defended their position just outside Fröschwiller. By afternoon, the Germans had suffered c. 10,500 killed or wounded and the French had lost a similar number of casualties and another c. 9,200 men taken prisoner, a loss of about 50%. The Germans captured Fröschwiller which sat on a hilltop in the centre of the French line. Having lost any hope for victory and facing a massacre, the French army disengaged and retreated in a westerly direction towards Bitche and Saverne, hoping to join French forces on the other side of the Vosges mountains. The German 3rd army did not pursue the French but remained in Alsace and moved slowly south, attacking and destroying the French garrisons in the vicinity.

Question: What battle began when two armies collided in the town of Froschwiller?


Answer: 6 August

Question: On what date did the Battle of Worth begin?


Answer: 140,000 troops

Question: What was the estimated number of troops in Prussia's 3rd Army?


Answer: 35,000

Question: What number of troops did France have to contend with?


Answer: Alsace

Question: Instead of pursuing the French as they retreated, the Germans decided to remain where?


Answer: Prussia

Context: In Prussia, some officials considered a war against France both inevitable and necessary to arouse German nationalism in those states that would allow the unification of a great German empire. This aim was epitomized by Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's later statement: "I did not doubt that a Franco-German war must take place before the construction of a United Germany could be realised." Bismarck also knew that France should be the aggressor in the conflict to bring the southern German states to side with Prussia, hence giving Germans numerical superiority. Many Germans also viewed the French as the traditional destabilizer of Europe, and sought to weaken France to prevent further breaches of the peace.

Question: In which country was a war against France condsidered desirable?


Answer: unification of a great German empire

Question: What was the overarching Prussian motive in starting a war with France?


Answer: Chancellor Otto von Bismarck

Question: Who had no doubts that a Franco-German war was totally necessary?


Answer: France

Question: Who did Bismarck feel needed to be viewed as the aggressor in the conflict?


Answer: Germans numerical superiority

Question: In bringing the southern German states to align with Prussia, what tactical outcome was achieved?


Answer: 18 August

Context: On 18 August, the battle began when at 08:00 Moltke ordered the First and Second Armies to advance against the French positions. By 12:00, General Manstein opened up the battle before the village of Amanvillers with artillery from the 25th Infantry Division. But the French had spent the night and early morning digging trenches and rifle pits while placing their artillery and their mitrailleuses in concealed positions. Finally aware of the Prussian advance, the French opened up a massive return fire against the mass of advancing Germans. The battle at first appeared to favor the French with their superior Chassepot rifle. However, the Prussian artillery was superior with the all-steel Krupp breech-loading gun. By 14:30, General Steinmetz, the commander of the First Army, unilaterally launched his VIII Corps across the Mance Ravine in which the Prussian infantry were soon pinned down by murderous rifle and mitrailleuse fire from the French positions. At 15:00, the massed guns of the VII and VIII Corps opened fire to support the attack. But by 16:00, with the attack in danger of stalling, Steinmetz ordered the VII Corps forward, followed by the 1st Cavalry Division.

Question: On what date did the battle begin?


Answer: Moltke

Question: Who order the First and Second armies to advance against the French?


Answer: General Manstein

Question: Which general opened the battle with artillery from the 25th Infantry Division?


Answer: the French

Question: Who did the battle first appear to favor?


Answer: General Steinmetz

Question: Who was the commander of the First Army?


Answer: Chassepot rifle

Context: French infantry were equipped with the breech-loading Chassepot rifle, one of the most modern mass-produced firearms in the world at the time. With a rubber ring seal and a smaller bullet, the Chassepot had a maximum effective range of some 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) with a short reloading time. French tactics emphasised the defensive use of the Chassepot rifle in trench-warfare style fighting—the so-called feu de bataillon. The artillery was equipped with rifled, muzzle-loaded La Hitte guns. The army also possessed a precursor to the machine-gun: the mitrailleuse, which could unleash significant, concentrated firepower but nevertheless lacked range and was comparatively immobile, and thus prone to being easily overrun. The mitrailleuse was mounted on an artillery gun carriage and grouped in batteries in a similar fashion to cannon.

Question: What modern, mass-produced weapon were the French infantry provided?


Answer: 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)

Question: What was the maximum effective range of the Chassepot rifle?


Answer: trench-warfare

Question: In which type of warfare did the French best utilize the Chassepot?


Answer: the mitrailleuse

Question: What precedent of the machine gun did the French troops also possess?


Answer: on an artillery gun carriage

Question: On what was the mitrailleuse mounted?


Answer: 1 September 1870

Context: On 1 September 1870, the battle opened with the Army of Châlons, with 202 infantry battalions, 80 cavalry squadrons and 564 guns, attacking the surrounding Prussian Third and Meuse Armies totaling 222 infantry battalions, 186 cavalry squadrons and 774 guns. General De Wimpffen, the commander of the French V Corps in reserve, hoped to launch a combined infantry and cavalry attack against the Prussian XI Corps. But by 11:00, Prussian artillery took a toll on the French while more Prussian troops arrived on the battlefield. The French cavalry, commanded by General Marguerite, launched three desperate attacks on the nearby village of Floing where the Prussian XI Corps was concentrated. Marguerite was killed leading the very first charge and the two additional charges led to nothing but heavy losses. By the end of the day, with no hope of breaking out, Napoleon III called off the attacks. The French lost over 17,000 men, killed or wounded, with 21,000 captured. The Prussians reported their losses at 2,320 killed, 5,980 wounded and 700 captured or missing. By the next day, on 2 September, Napoleon III surrendered and was taken prisoner with 104,000 of his soldiers. It was an overwhelming victory for the Prussians, for they not only captured an entire French army, but the leader of France as well. The defeat of the French at Sedan had decided the war in Prussia's favour. One French army was now immobilised and besieged in the city of Metz, and no other forces stood on French ground to prevent a German invasion. Nevertheless, the war would continue.

Question: On which date did the battle begin with the Army of Chalons attacking various Prussian divisions?


Answer: General De Wimpffen

Question: Who commanded the French V Corps in reserve?


Answer: more Prussian troops

Question: As the French were hard-hit by the Prussian artillery, what continued to show up to the battlefield?


Answer: General Marguerite

Question: Which commander of the French calvary led three desperate attacks on Floing?


Answer: over 17,000 men

Question: How many casualties did the French suffer?


Answer: Marshal Niel

Context: A pre-war plan laid out by the late Marshal Niel called for a strong French offensive from Thionville towards Trier and into the Prussian Rhineland. This plan was discarded in favour of a defensive plan by Generals Charles Frossard and Bartélemy Lebrun, which called for the Army of the Rhine to remain in a defensive posture near the German border and repel any Prussian offensive. As Austria along with Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden were expected to join in a revenge war against Prussia, I Corps would invade the Bavarian Palatinate and proceed to "free" the South German states in concert with Austro-Hungarian forces. VI Corps would reinforce either army as needed.

Question: Pre-war, who planned for a strong French offensive?


Answer: the Prussian Rhineland

Question: From Thionville towards Trier, what was the final destination of the offensive?


Answer: Bartélemy Lebrun

Question: Niel's plan was cast aside in favour of a plan by General Frossard and what other general??


Answer: Army of the Rhine

Question: The new plan called for which army to remain in a defensive grouping at the German border?


Answer: the disaster at Wissembourg

Context: On the French side, planning after the disaster at Wissembourg had become essential. General Le Bœuf, flushed with anger, was intent upon going on the offensive over the Saar and countering their loss. However, planning for the next encounter was more based upon the reality of unfolding events rather than emotion or pride, as Intendant General Wolff told him and his staff that supply beyond the Saar would be impossible. Therefore, the armies of France would take up a defensive position that would protect against every possible attack point, but also left the armies unable to support each other.

Question: Which disaster made French planning supremely essential?


Answer: General Le Bœuf

Question: Which general was determined to go on the attack over Saar?


Answer: the reality of unfolding events

Question: Planning for the next battle was less based on emotion and more focused on what?


Answer: General Wolff

Question: Who told LeBoeuf that supply beyond the Saar would be impossible?


Answer: a defensive position

Question: What did the French armies decide on to protect against every possible attack point?