Battle of Britain Trivia

1. What was one of the main targets that the German air force attacked first?

From Quiz Battle of Britain

Answer: coastal shipping convoys

The rest were attacked after shipping convoys first. Much to the chagrin of the RAF and the Royal Navy, even ships sailing round the coasts of the United Kingdom were not safe for a while.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz 2 - More Memories

Answer: It caused too many damaged planes to crash

This practice was called "doing a victory roll", but damaged planes tended to loose bits which could have been repaired and that caused not only expense but unnecessary danger for the pilots.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz

Answer: Soap

There were no detergents available. Soap was used for washing everything, mostly the same sort of soap, usually a red one called Lifebouy, and even that was in short supply. When a bar wore down too far to use it was put into the jar and later all the pieces were melted together and left to set for further use.

From Quiz Aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Answer: Dornier Do-17

The Dornier Do-17 was a twin engined bomber used extensively in the Battle of Britain. It was given the nickname "Flying Pencil" due to its construction (the boom/tail was very thin). They suffered heavy losses and were taken out of service after 1941.

From Quiz Britain in WWII: Battle of Britain

Answer: Operation Sea Lion

Operation Sea Lion was intended to be a threat to Britain, and was only to be carried out if other German pressures failed. Hitler expected Britain to agree to a peace. He believed that Britain had no reason to continue the war, and this was reflected by the words of Goebbels on 23 June 1940 that "Churchill is doomed".

From Quiz The Battle of Britain

Answer: Winston Churchill

It was British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill who gave the Battle of Britain his name. On 18th June, 1940, after Britain was run-out of France by the Germans, Churchill gave an inspiring speech in the House of Commons. Towards the end he said "What General Weygand called 'The Battle of France' is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin ..." And so the name stuck.

From Quiz Battle of Britain

Answer: Spitfire and Hurricane

The F/A-18 and F/A-15 are modern planes .... The Mustang is a American plane which wasn't used in the battle. The Avro 621 is a trainer plane, while the Bell P-59 is American.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz 2 - More Memories

Answer: Barrage balloons

The whole sky seemed filled with these shiny grey blobs. Sometimes one would break free of its tether and drift away. Without a tether they went with the wind and as the gas leaked out would deflate and gradually come down to earth. This usually resulted in torn canopies which were considered fair game for us children who liked pieces for trophies. The official salvage task went to the Home Guard.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz

Answer: In a downstairs room

The Morrison shelter was a cage of immovable strong mesh with hard metal corners and a metal top. It was usually placed indoors in the corner of the living room. It was big enough for mattresses to be placed inside and the whole family would sleep there together during the bombing. The roof was used as a very large table top. The Anderson shelter was put in the garden. That meant digging a hole to sink the ends of the reinforced corrugated steel sides. I remember the men in our road joining together to dig each other's holes. As we lived on the North Downs that meant going into chalk hills, a daunting task. The shelters were were made of corrugated iron and although covered with a thick layer of soil they had no heating or electric lighting and so were candle lit and very cold. There were bunks made of rough wood for sleeping and the toilet was a bucket behind a curtain tied to the bolts that fixed the sections together. Some people had the shelters provided free of charge, but if you earned more than a certain amount, they cost £7 each.

From Quiz Aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Answer: Hawker Hurricane

The Hawker Hurricane was the RAF's first monoplane fighter, constructed of metal and wood/canvas, the Hurricane was the most used fighter of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. Although the Supermarine Spitfire was bettter known, it was the Hurricane which shot down the most German aircraft between June-August 1940.

From Quiz The Battle of Britain

Answer: The Hawker Hurricane

Despite the hype about the Spitfire, it was the Hurricane that scored the most kills in the Battle of Britain. (One reason was that there were more Hurricanes than Spitfires). Because the German Bf 109 was faster than the Hurricane but equal to the Spitfires, the Spitfires tended to attack the 109s if possible. The Hurricanes, not equal to 109s, were encouraged to attack the bombers and as a result they scored more kills as the bombers were an easier target. Although the Spitfire did well, it was in short supply. The Avro Lancaster was an RAF bomber and as stated above, the Bf 109 was a German fighter. Source: * Battles of WWII, pp. 28-31.

From Quiz Battle of Britain

Answer: No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron

The No. 303 Polish fighter squadron was credited with about 40 kills in its first seven days of combat.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz 2 - More Memories

Answer: Shrapnel

Shrapnel was any piece of broken metal that had fallen from the sky. It looked like lead, smooth on both sides with jagged rough edges. There was a central collecting station for it, but most of us had at least one small piece in our pockets which we would compare for size and quality. Discarded parachutes were never found. The authorities always reached the site first. We were warned to stay well clear of spent bullets in case they still contained explosives. Disguised bombs were considered very dangerous. These days we would know them as anti-personnel weapons. Most were said to be incendiaries and there were posters showing what they might look like. Some were said to be like discarded parcels, even decorated with Christmas wrapping, which would make us suspicious because fancy wrapping was not used much during the war; some were like tins of desirable foods and a few were fitted with wings or little windmill blades to catch in trees or the rafters of bombed buildings. Once we were even shown a picture of one that looked like a bottle of milk.

From Quiz Aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Answer: Gloster Gladiator

The Gloster Gladiator was already an obsolete design when the war began. However, because of the desperate need of aircraft, it was kept in service during the Battle of Britain. It was armed with four machine-guns and had an enclosed cockpit.

From Quiz The Battle of Britain

Answer: 754 single-seat fighters and 149 two-seat fighters

At 0900 on 1st July 1940, an RAF census count confirmed a total of 1,963 planes at their disposal. The German air force, the Luftwaffe, had a total 4,074 planes, of which 2,242 could be used in an aggressive role (fighters and bombers). The Luftwaffe had more planes, more pilots (and more experienced pilots), greater industrial potential and had momentum from the Battle of France. However, they could not break the British spirit despite their continuously heavy raids. Source: * Stephen Bungay, "The Most Dangerous Enemy", Aurum Press, 2000, p. 107. * Battles of WWII, pp. 27-28.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz 2 - More Memories

Answer: Poured from a churn into your own container

There were horses brought out of retirement to pull a cart around the streets. Churns of milk were in the cart and you had to run out with your own container and a ration book to collect your share. Your container was a jug or basin that you supplied, but which had been marked officially with a line showing how far it it was to be filled. We had no fridges so milk would go off if it were delivered only once a week. Liquid-proof cardboard was not known, so not available to make milk cartons. The milk was pasteurised in a central depot before delivery.

From Quiz Aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Answer: Junkers Ju-88

The Junkers Ju-88 was a twin-engined bomber which was designed as a dive-bomber. It was the fastest in the Luftwaffe's bomber arsenal as well as the most poorly armed. It later became a very effective night fighter.

From Quiz The Battle of Britain

Answer: The Luftwaffe targeted airfields, radar stations and industrial factories

From July 10 to August 11, the Battle of Britain took place over the English Channel. From August 12 to August 23, the Luftwaffe started an all-out assault on the coastal RAF airfields and radar stations (Eagle Attack). Despite the Luftwaffe's strength, the RAF shot down an enormous number of German bombers and fighters. From August 24 to September 6, the Luftwaffe targeted nearly all the RAF fighter airfields in Southern England, ports and the industrial areas of London, Birmingham, Coventry and other industrial cities. Despite the fact that the RAF was winning the Battle of Britain and inflicting terrible losses on their German counterpart, the RAF lost 200+ veteran pilots and 40% of their planes in that two-week period. The RAF were near total collapse with all available reserve pilots and fighter planes in the air. It was a critical time in the air war. Britain was alive by a thread. German historians state the Battle of Britain stretched from August, 1940 to May, 1941. Most British historians place the Battle from July 10, 1940 to October 31, 1940. There is no fully agreed date for the start and finish of the campaign. Source: * "World War II", by Ronald Heiferman, pp. 50-61.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz 2 - More Memories

Answer: Whale meat

Whale meat was often sold, but was not to everyone's taste. It was not known in those days how intelligent these animals were. It is amazing how forgiving the creatures have been as we get to know them better. To the best of my knowledge zoo animals were never used in this country, although I heard tell that some of the animals in European zoos were going to starve for lack of food to feed to them and were humanely killed and their bodies used for food.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz

Answer: Not many were made because of sugar shortages

Most sugar came from across the Atlantic which was a dangerous route with the submarines so there was very little brought from abroad. Sugar beet was not grown or prepared in quantity until later. With so many factories diverted to war work and with rationing so tight, sweets were not a priority and you seldom managed to buy your allocation. I remember my dentist would use his ration on chocolate bars when he could get them and, if you went through a visit to him without fussing, you would be given one quarter of a square of a bar of chocolate as a reward - not enough to be bad for your teeth and certainly no chance of becoming obese on that amount.

From Quiz Aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Answer: Boulton Paul Defiant

The Boulton Paul Defiant was unlike any other fighter. This aircraft had a turret mounted behind the pilot with four .303 calibre machineguns, which would fire at an unsuspecting bomber over London, late in the battle of Britain. Although it saw service as a day fighter, it had limited forward firing armament, so it was transfered to night fighter service over London until 1941 when the Bristol Beaufighter took over.

From Quiz Britain in WWII: Battle of Britain

Answer: The deliberate bombing of civilian areas of London

The Germans did this as they believed Britain only had a few fighter planes left, and that bombing London would draw them out, allowing for the defeat of the RAF. The bombing of London could also be seen as an attempt to get revenge on Britain due to previous RAF bombings of Berlin.

From Quiz The Battle of Britain

Answer: Ordered continuous attacks on the civilian population and air defences of major British cities, by day and night

From the 7th of September, 1940 to May, 1941 Hitler's war on the cities became known as 'The Blitz'. Instead of RAF bases and radar stations, the Luftwaffe bombed Britain's major cities. This saved RAF Fighter Command. For nine months the Germans wasted their efforts trying to bomb English cities while the RAF rebuilt itself. They wasted pilots, planes, fuel, and time. Hitler's attempt to bomb the British into submission so they would plead for peace failed. It was a costly decision. The RAF began to fight back and the Germans were losing more and more pilots and planes. The blitz on the cities ended when Hitler transferred bomber and fighter units to Poland for the upcoming invasion of the Soviet Union.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz 2 - More Memories

Answer: The outfields were dug up for allotments

Many of the outfields were dug up to allow locals to have an allotment plot to grow their own vegetables. There were certainly not many fit young men around, but there were plenty of old ones who would have played, given the opportunity. Time was certainly short with most people doing voluntary work after overtime in the factories. Voluntary work included Civil Defence, plane spotting, Home Guard, the Women's Voluntary Service and many other organisations, but we did find time to enjoy life as well. As for being exposed, I don't think anyone worried too much; they just made sure where the nearest shelter was, but this brings out one of my saddest memories. My 8 year old friend was working with her father on the cricket field allotment when a single enemy fighter sneaked in unseen as they sometimes did and strafed (laid a line of machine gun fire over) them, killing her father before her eyes. Happily she was untouched.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz

Answer: Tinned fruit

The items that everybody wanted were rationed by quantity, but some things were not wanted regularly so the ration books had pages of "Points tokens" which could be spent on what you chose - tinned goods, dried fruit, suet and such like. Eggs, butter and milk were all rationed. Eggs at one time were limited to only one a week per person. Butter and margarine rations were small. We mixed both with a thick cornflour custard so it would go further when spread on bread Meat was rationed by price: in other words, there was a maximum amount of money that one could spend per week on meat; so the dearer the meat, the less you were entitled to.

From Quiz Aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Answer: Bristol Beaufighter

The Bristol Beaufighter was the most heavily armed fighter of the time, armed with four .303 Browing machine-guns and four 20mm Hispanio cannons. The De Havilland, although also a 2 seater twin engined fighter, didn't enter service until three months after the Battle of Britain.

From Quiz The Battle of Britain

Answer: Messerschmitt Bf 109

The workhorse of the Luftwaffe fighters was the Bf 109, designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the 1930s. In mid 1941, the Bf 109 was joined by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The Bf 110 was a twin-engined fighter-bomber that was equipped to repel enemy fighters as well as drop bombs. It wasn't as effective as the Bf 109. The Me 262 was the world's first jet fighter. It could fly faster than the other fighters but was not introduced till 1944, and so did not take part in the Battle of Britain. The Focke-Wulf Fw 187 was a twin-engined fighter which was rejected for production by the Luftwaffe.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz 2 - More Memories

Answer: Rosehips

Crab apples were gathered for jam, but could not be sold to the food offices. Mushrooms had no known use as vitamin supplements. By late summer the elderflowers had finished. Rosehips were made into rosehip syrup which was then provided for babies and young children because oranges were available only occasionally.

From Quiz Child of the Blitz

Answer: anaesthetics

There were few anaesthetics for dental use as they were diverted to the hospitals for serious cases. Teeth were drilled without numbing. The young dentists were in the forces and it seemed that only old men with shaky hands were left. If you so much as moved, both the dentist and your mother were furious with you - the dentist probably because he was sorry for hurting you but mother was worse because you would hear about it for days afterwards from her. Extractions? Not until you were desperate! Some adults braved it out without anything. The less hardy adults and children could have a brief whiff of gas but I remember some pain even so. Also it had to be administered by a doctor and before the National Health Service, that added to the cost.

From Quiz Aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Answer: Messerschmitt Bf-109

The Messerschmitt Bf-109 (also known as the Messerschmitt Me-109) was the most advanced fighter design at the time. Although it was 20kmph faster then the Supermarine Spitfire and better armed, it only had a combat time of 10 minutes over England before running out of fuel and being forced to return to base. In August 1941 the Focke Wulf 190 (Fw190), which was even faster than the Bf-109, entered service.

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Last Updated Dec 14 2024 5:50 AM

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