FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Britain in WWII The Battle of the Atlantic
Quiz about Britain in WWII The Battle of the Atlantic

Britain in WWII: The Battle of the Atlantic Quiz


This is the third of five quizzes on Britain in World War II, a topic I am currently studying. Writing this has helped my revision and allowed me to broaden my knowledge of the subject.

A multiple-choice quiz by doublemm. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. History Trivia
  6. »
  7. World War II
  8. »
  9. European War

Author
doublemm
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
303,195
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
2573
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 206 (9/10), Guest 212 (7/10), Guest 64 (7/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Winning the Battle of the Atlantic was crucial to Britain's continuation of the war, as it allowed supplies to be brought from America. The first nine months of the war were relatively easy for Britain in the Atlantic due to their naval superiority and the fact that Germany did not have enough U-boats to make any sort of serious impact on Britain's supply routes. On top of this, British ships were able to destroy nearby U-boats which may have been a threat. How did they do this? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Britain also fitted its ships with Sonar, allowing U-boats to be detected underwater. What was this Sonar known as? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Doenitz (the German naval commander) realised the potential of the U-boats and so their number increased. Also, after the fall of France Germany was able to use French ports and so could spend longer in the Atlantic. U-boats also began using new tactics, the result being the increased amount of shipping damaged and the reduction of supplies to Britain. One way U-boats did this was by attacking in groups, what was this known as? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. This disastrous period, starting in the summer of 1940, lasted until June 1941. However, Britain also changed its tactics. What was the name of the radio frequency detector used to intercept messages between U-boats, thereby avoiding them? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Another way Britain reduced its losses was by increasing available protection to convoys. One way they did this was by making a deal with the USA in September 1940 by which Britain received more ships capable of providing this protection. What was this deal known as? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Britain extended its advantage in the Atlantic in May 1941, when a sinking U-boat was boarded by British sailors who obtained the German naval enigma codes. This allowed Britain to correctly determine when attacks were coming and was therefore able to avoid them. What name was given to this information? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The Battle of the Atlantic was very much a see-saw of success as Germany regained the upper hand. By July 1942 Doenitz had almost 300 U-boats, which were capable of staying at sea for longer periods of time. British shipping losses also rose again due to German attacking of convoys in the middle of the Atlantic, rather that near ports, due to lack of air protection. What was this area in the middle of the Atlantic, without air cover, known as? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Germany began to crack British naval codes. Moreover, Doenitz became suspected that Britain was cracking the German naval code and so changed the enigma code by adding a fourth wheel to the machine. What was the new code known as? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Finally, Britain again got on top of Germany in the Atlantic as the new naval code was broken, and adopting a more aggressive stance towards the threat of the U-boats. Who encouraged this aggressive attitude? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The decisive point of the Battle of the Atlantic was the entry of the USA into the war. America offered a seemingly unlimited supply of resources to be used on land and at sea. One of the major contributions America made to the Battle of the Atlantic was their construction of a bomber plane fitted with radar, searchlights and machine guns which offered constant air protection to convoys. What was the name of this plane? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Today : Guest 206: 9/10
Oct 19 2024 : Guest 212: 7/10
Oct 11 2024 : Guest 64: 7/10
Oct 10 2024 : Guest 90: 9/10
Oct 09 2024 : Guest 45: 8/10
Sep 30 2024 : Guest 136: 9/10
Sep 04 2024 : Eukodal: 10/10
Sep 02 2024 : Guest 45: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Winning the Battle of the Atlantic was crucial to Britain's continuation of the war, as it allowed supplies to be brought from America. The first nine months of the war were relatively easy for Britain in the Atlantic due to their naval superiority and the fact that Germany did not have enough U-boats to make any sort of serious impact on Britain's supply routes. On top of this, British ships were able to destroy nearby U-boats which may have been a threat. How did they do this?

Answer: By using depth charges

A depth charge was a bomb which was thrown from the stern or side of naval ships when a U-boat was detected. It was primed to detonate at a certain depth, causing severe damage to the German submarines.
2. Britain also fitted its ships with Sonar, allowing U-boats to be detected underwater. What was this Sonar known as?

Answer: Asdic

Asdic allowed the effective use of depth charges. Without it, the ships would have been blind as to what was underwater. However, Asdic only worked underwater, a flaw that the Germans were to take advantage of, as they took to attacking at night on the surface. This was advantageous for the Germans as they could move undetected as well as at greater speeds.
3. Doenitz (the German naval commander) realised the potential of the U-boats and so their number increased. Also, after the fall of France Germany was able to use French ports and so could spend longer in the Atlantic. U-boats also began using new tactics, the result being the increased amount of shipping damaged and the reduction of supplies to Britain. One way U-boats did this was by attacking in groups, what was this known as?

Answer: Wolf pack tactics

The German U-boats would surround British convoys and use radio messages to co-ordinate their attacks. This method was extremely detrimental to Allied supply routes, shown by the fact that in October 1940 33 of 79 supply ships were sunk.
Also, by November 1940 the amount of food reaching Britain had been halved.
4. This disastrous period, starting in the summer of 1940, lasted until June 1941. However, Britain also changed its tactics. What was the name of the radio frequency detector used to intercept messages between U-boats, thereby avoiding them?

Answer: Huff-Duff

This was a short term solution to the U-boat threat. However, it did not clear Allied supply routes of U-boats, which was what was needed. This would come later in the battle when Britain and America utilized their air superiority to win the Battle of the Atlantic.
High Frequency Direction Finding (HF/DF) = Huff-Duff.
5. Another way Britain reduced its losses was by increasing available protection to convoys. One way they did this was by making a deal with the USA in September 1940 by which Britain received more ships capable of providing this protection. What was this deal known as?

Answer: Destroyers for bases deal

In this deal, the USA provided Britain with 50 old destroyers in return for eight military bases. The efforts made by Britain to protect its convoys paid off, and within two months shipping losses had been reduced by more than half.
6. Britain extended its advantage in the Atlantic in May 1941, when a sinking U-boat was boarded by British sailors who obtained the German naval enigma codes. This allowed Britain to correctly determine when attacks were coming and was therefore able to avoid them. What name was given to this information?

Answer: Ultra

The German armed forces had cipher codes for the navy, air force and army. It was the naval codes which Britain had the greatest difficulty deciphering, as the codes for the army and air force had already been cracked by this point.
The information obtained from Ultra was to be used by the Allies for the duration of the war, in some cases determining the outcomes of entire battles. The British did not reveal that they had obtained the German naval cipher codes until the 1980s.
7. The Battle of the Atlantic was very much a see-saw of success as Germany regained the upper hand. By July 1942 Doenitz had almost 300 U-boats, which were capable of staying at sea for longer periods of time. British shipping losses also rose again due to German attacking of convoys in the middle of the Atlantic, rather that near ports, due to lack of air protection. What was this area in the middle of the Atlantic, without air cover, known as?

Answer: The Atlantic Gap

The Germans did this due to the aggressive security zone the Americans set up on their coast in August 1941. From 1942 to early 1943, the German navy were once again enjoying success in the Atlantic, sinking 1,100 ships in 1942 alone.
8. Germany began to crack British naval codes. Moreover, Doenitz became suspected that Britain was cracking the German naval code and so changed the enigma code by adding a fourth wheel to the machine. What was the new code known as?

Answer: Shark

The result of this was that Britain could no longer direct convoys away from U-boats, and the increase in U-boat numbers made the threat to naval supremacy in the Atlantic even more severe.
9. Finally, Britain again got on top of Germany in the Atlantic as the new naval code was broken, and adopting a more aggressive stance towards the threat of the U-boats. Who encouraged this aggressive attitude?

Answer: Admiral Max Horton

As well as these new aggressive tactics, the British managed to crack the Shark enigma code in December 1942.
10. The decisive point of the Battle of the Atlantic was the entry of the USA into the war. America offered a seemingly unlimited supply of resources to be used on land and at sea. One of the major contributions America made to the Battle of the Atlantic was their construction of a bomber plane fitted with radar, searchlights and machine guns which offered constant air protection to convoys. What was the name of this plane?

Answer: The Liberator

The rate of Liberator bomber production in America in 1943 was staggering and their long range capabilities allowed the allies to close the Atlantic Gap.
Germany did begin to make new technological advances in terms of the U-boats such as the "Type XXI" (1945) which could move three times faster underwater. However, this was too late as the allies had won a decisive victory in May 1943 and successfully kept Atlantic routes relatively U-boat free for the rest of the war.
Source: Author doublemm

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
10/31/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us