| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This campaign was central to Operation Abstention, which was prevented when Italy recaptured the island of Kastellorizo from the British. Admirals Inigo Campioni and Luigi Mascherpa became prisoners of war during this campaign, which was successfully led by Generals Friedrich- Wilhelm Müller (+) and Ulrich Kleeman. One of the last major German victories in World War Two, (*) for the points, what is this campaign to capture a namesake archipelago in the Aegean Sea? | Dodecanese Campaign |
| One figure involved in this operation was identified as Glyndwr [[GLEN-door]] Michael, who died from ingesting rat poison. Michael's dead body was central to this operation, as it provided credence to an invented persona named "William Martin," (+) who was dressed as a British officer and released near the shores of Spain. A plan by the British to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily, (*) for the points, what is this operation, named for a certain pie filling? | Operation Mincemeat |
| This emperor reconquered Septimania following the Battle of Arelate, at which he crushed the Visigoths under Theodoric the Second. This ruler stopped a Vandal invasion at Sinuessa but had his invasion fleet for Vandal-ruled (+) Africa destroyed by treachery. Restoring most of Hispania before being beheaded by his friend, Ricimer, (*) for the points, who was this late Western Roman emperor? | Majorian (or Julius Valerius Majorianus) |
| A ruler of this polity imprisoned Francois Bonivard, inspiring Lord Byron's poem "The Prisoner at Chillon." Through descent from Anne of Lusignan, the leaders of this polity claimed the kingship of Cyprus and Jerusalem. Giulio Cesare Vachero (+) refused to reveal his conspiracy with a ruler of this polity to take over Genoa. Ceded to Napoleon the Third in conjunction with Nice, (*) for the points, what is this polity? | Duchy of Savoy (or County of Savoy; or Savoyard State; accept Duke of Savoy) |
| Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti publicly recognized the existence of this program, which had earlier been revealed at the 1984 trial of Vincenzo Vinciguerra. The Western Union was an initial key funder and organizer of this program, which aimed to delay a hypothetical Warsaw Pact (+) invasion. A set of planned clandestine "stay-behind" paramilitary activities in Cold War-era Italy and Europe, (*) for the points, what is this operation, ultimately organized by the CIA and NATO, the name of which is a derivation of that of a certain Roman sword? | Operation Gladio |
| The creator of this concept was opposed by Marcus Minucius Rufus and earned the cognomen "Cunctator." Rufus instigated the Battle of Geronium after this concept's proponent left for Rome to defend its use. The abandonment of this idea, which had previously caused some Spanish mercenaries (+) to desert, led to defeat for Paullus and Varro at the Battle of Cannae. Involving cutting supply lines and avoiding battle and deriving its name from that of a Roman dictator, (*) for the points, what is this strategy? | Fabian strategy (or tactics) |
| During the Second Italian War, this “Arbiter of Italy” was captured at the Battle of Novara and detained until his death in France. Nicknamed “Il Moro” due to his dark complexion, this man’s wife, Beatrice d'Este, helped him to escape from the French, but this man was ultimately taken (+) prisoner by Louis the Twelfth and died in captivity. Commissioning The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci and duke of Milan from 1494 to 1499, (+) for the points, who was this man? | Ludovico Sforza (or Ludovico Maria Sforza; accept Ludovico Il Moro before mentioned; prompt on "Sforza") |
| This leader had a canal built from Lake Avernus to Lake Lacrinus for his fleet at Portus Julius, which this general used to defeat Sextus Pompey at Naulochus. The last ruler of the Kingdom of Judaea was named in honor of this man, who commissioned the construction of the Roman Pantheon. (+) This son-in-law of Augustus and victor of the Battle of Actium shared his name with a legendary king of Alba Longa. (*) For the points, who was this man? | Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa |
| The bombing of one structure during this battle prompted Cardinal Secretary of State Luigi Maglione to call it "a colossal blunder. . .a piece of a gross stupidity." Operation Avenger was the second offensive of this battle, during which a New Zealand battalion seized Castle Hill. At the end of this battle, a Polish (+) unit raised its country's flag atop the rubble of a monastery. The Allies staged four attacks on a hill southeast of Rome that is known for its abbey in, (*) for the points, what 1944 World War Two battle? | Battle of Monte Cassino (prompt on "Battle for Rome") |
| The Sequani handed King Teutobod over to this general, who had earlier routed Teutobod at the Battle of Aquae Sextiae. Lutatius Catulus disputed credit for the victory at Vercellae with this general by showing that most of the dead Cimbri were killed by Catulus's legionnaires. (+) This general made the Aquila the only Roman standard during his namesake reforms. Elected consul seven times and known for his late rivalry with Sulla, (*) for the points, who was this Roman general? | Gaius Marius (prompt on "Marian reforms") |
| In February 2022, this ship was part of interoperability training operations with the USS Harry S. Truman and the flagship of the French navy, the Charles de Gaulle. This ship was dispatched to Haiti to help in the 2010 earthquake relief effort, and the namesake of this ship was the first prime (+) minister of Italy from March to June of 1861. Launched in 2004 and considered the flagship of the Italian navy, (*) for the point, what is this Italian aircraft carrier? | Cavour (accept Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour) |
| The Treaty of Luneville was signed in the aftermath of this battle, at which a key attack was led by Michael von Melas. A dish similar to chicken à la Provençale, but containing crayfish, was named in honor of this battle, as was a horse of the victor. That victor at this battle used it to secure his position as (+) first consul. Occurring after a crossing of the Alps and leading to the expulsion of Austrian forces from Italy by Napoleon, (*) for the points, what was this 1800 French victory? | Battle of Marengo (accept Chicken Marengo) |
| The aftermath of this battle led to the founding of a charitable organization known as the Opera Nazionale Combattenti. Erwin Rommel won the Pour le Mérite award for his actions in this battle, which Ernest Hemmingway depicted in Book Three of A Farewell to Arms. (+) The Central Powers caused Italian forces to retreat to the Piave [[pee-AH-veh]] River in present-day Slovenia in, (*) for the points, what Autumn 1917 battle? | Battle of Caporetto (or Battle of Kobarid; or Battle of Karfreit; or Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo) |
| This man governed Libya under the title Marquis of Sabotino and was promoted to the rank of major general after planning the capture of Monte Sabotino during World War One. This man, who staged the fascist propaganda March of the Iron Will, replaced another general as commander of Italy’s invasion of (+) Ethiopia and became the viceroy of Italian East Africa. Serving as prime minister of Italy from 1943 to 1944 and dissolving the Fascist Party, (*) for the points, who was this general? | Pietro Badoglio [[bah-DOH-lyoh]] (prompt on "Duke of Addis Ababa") |
| The Combeforce cut the Via Balbia during this raid, allowing the destruction of the Babini force at the Battle of Beda Fomm. Iven Mackay's capture of Bardia during this engagement allowed the Sirte division to be overrun at Tobruk. Archibald Wavell ordered Jumbo Wilson to organize this attack, for which (+) Wilson was promoted to military governor of Cyrenaica. Destroying the Italian 10th Army in Northern Africa, (*) for the points, what was this British raid, named for an orienteering tool? | Operation Compass |
| From 1972 to 1995, this place was the location of a LORAN-C transmission station, administered by the US Coast Guard. Libya fired two Scud missiles at this island in 1986 in retaliation for US bombings. A humanitarian crisis on this island was the subject of the 2016 documentary Fire at Sea. (+) The largest of the Pelagie [[puh-LAY-jee]] Islands, south of Sicily and the entry point into the European Union for migrants traveling by boat or raft from North Africa, (*) for the points, what is this southernmost Italian island? | Lampedusa |
| One leader in this battle refused to issue newer-model rifles in order to use up old ammunition, and at the start of this battle, troops were inadvertently led into enemy lines by a poor map. Oreste Baratieri led an unsuccessful assault in this battle, days before his troops would have run out of supplies (+) while defending the Tigray province. An 1896 victory for Menelik the Second, which ended the First Italo-Ethiopian War, (*) for the points, what is this battle in the Tigray region of Ethiopia? | Battle of Adwa |
| Richard Berg, the creator of this game, noted that he anachronistically created its "pasta rule," which requires one army to carry extra water rations even though that army would have historically cooked their pasta in tomato sauce. This game contains a 16-page background paper written by Albert Nofi and Jim Dunnigan, in addition to cartographic materials designed by Redmond Simonsen. (+) Published by SPI in 1978 to simulate World War Two battles in a namesake region, (*) for the points, what is this “longest board game ever produced”? | The Campaign for North Africa: "The Desert War, 1940–43 (accept either underlined portion) |
| In 1969, a cover of this tune was recorded by the Chilean group Quilapayún, who sang it in a response to the regime of Augusto Pinochet. One version of this tune includes the lyrics "one morning I woke up, and I found the invader." This tune, which was originally sung by female rice paddy (+) field workers, is sung every April 25th to celebrate Italy's liberation from German occupation and fascist rule at the end of World War Two. With a title translating to “Goodbye beautiful,” (*) for the points, what is this Italian protest folk song? | "Bella Ciao" |
| This Italian diplomat was the subject of a 1985 HBO documentary titled Mussolini and I. From February to July of 1943, this son of a Royal Italian Navy admiral was the ambassador from Italy to the Vatican. This politician reached the rank of captain and earned two silver medals of valor. Along with (+) Joachim von Ribbentrop of Germany, this diplomat signed the Pact of Steel in 1939. The son- in-law of Benito Mussolini and minister of foreign affairs from 1936 to 1943, (*) for the points, who was this man? | Galeazzo Ciano [[CHAH-noh]] (or Gian Galeazzo Ciano; or 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari; accept attempts at phonetic pronunciation) |
| This ruler defeated a rebellion, funded by Perennos of Durazzo and led by the counts of Conversano, Molfetta, and Montescaglioso. Despite destroying most of the Varangian Guard of Alexios Komnenos at the Battle of Dyrrachium, this knight was forced to retreat from Greece to relieve Gregory the Seventh. (+) A Norman adventurer who terminated Byzantine control in Italy and whose sobriquet can be translated from French as "the Cunning," (*) for the points, who was this man? | Robert Guiscard (or Robert the Guiscard; accept Terror Mundi) |
| Admiral Andrew Cunningham said, "[This battle] should be remembered forever as having shown once and for all that in the Fleet Air Arm the Navy has its most devastating weapon." The British were victorious at this battle after its 21 biplane torpedo bombers took off from the Illustrious. (+) Navy warships were devastated at the capital of a namesake province on the interior of the bootheel of Italy in, (*) for the points, what 1940 World War Two battle? | Battle of Taranto |
| This incident was prompted by international outrage after Enrico Tellini, an Italian general, and his team were murdered in Greek territory. Those men were sent by the League of Nations to investigate a border dispute between Greece and Albania before this event. A 1923 diplomatic and military crisis (+) between Italy and Greece, during which Italy occupied and bombarded a Greek territory, (*) for the points, what is this incident, named for an Ionian island on the northwestern Greek frontier? | Corfu Incident |
| In 1953, this man published a memoir titled A Soldier to the Last Day. In 1936, this man became the chief of staff of the Luftwaffe, following the death of Walther Wever [[VEH-vuh]] in an air crash. This man, who produced the first draft of Operation Hercules, was sentenced to death (+) for ordering the murder of over 300 hostages in the Ardeatine Cave Massacre. A German military officer, referred to as "Smiling Albert," (*) for the points, who was this man? | Albert Kesselring |
| During this engagement, the 19th Combat regiment division was overrun along Highway 13 by the Centauro division. During this battle, two U.S. infantry battalions were marooned on Djebel Lessouda and Djebel Ksaira. Lloyd Fredenhall was recalled by Eisenhower in the aftermath of this (+) disaster, during which Erwin Rommel failed to capture U.S. supplies at Tebessa. The first major engagement between US and Axis forces in Africa and named for a gap in the Atlas Mountains, (*) for the points, what is this battle? | Battle of Kasserine Pass |
| The first iteration of this organization was housed in the Via Pellegrino and was led by Kaspar von Silenen. This organization's dress uniforms were designed by Jules Repond, who used a four- color design of blue, red, orange, and yellow. Recruits to this organization are required to be unmarried (+) Catholic males between eighteen and thirty years of age. Protecting the Apostolic Palace and the pope, (*) for the points, what is this armed force? | Pontifical Swiss Guard (accept "Papal" in place of "Pontifical") |