Soldiers 'R' Us: Fiction's Finest Military Men Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which soldier went to extreme lengths to try to get a discharge from a war zone? Perhaps he would be just at home in a quiz called "Cross-dressers 'R' Us".

Answer: Maxwell Klinger

Maxwell Q. Klinger was a character played by Jamie Farr in the hugely popular US TV series M*A*S*H* (1972-1983). Cpl. Klinger was so desperate to get out of the Army that he dressed in female clothes in the hope he would get a psychiatric discharge.

2. He was a work-shy NCO who was more than happy to spin out his service on the home front. Which soldier and his bunch of cronies spent much of their time playing cards and thinking up ways to confuse the officers?

Answer: Ernest Bilko

Phil Silvers played Bilko in 143 episodes of the sitcom from September 1955 to September 1959. Strictly speaking it was called 'The Phil Silvers Show' (originally 'You'll Never Get Rich'), but you may see it running on cable or satellite under the titles 'Bilko' or 'Sergeant Bilko'.

3. First blood usually goes to the toughest and the quickest to shoot on the battlefield. Which Green Beret fought the Viet Cong and escaped their clutches when captured but found life back on civvie street just as challenging?

Answer: John Rambo

John Rambo was played by Sylvester Stallone in a series of movies from 1982 - First Blood (1982); Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985); Rambo III (1988); Rambo (2008); and Rambo V 92009). The character first appeared in a novel by David Morrell. Video games and animated books have also been based on the character.

4. He was a common soldier who rose trough the ranks and was commissioned after saving the life of a military leader. Something of a loose cannon, he rarely lost on the battlefield and fought his way through Britain's 19th century battles from Seringapatam to Waterloo. Which rifleman often forgot that officers were also supposed to be gentlemen?

Answer: Richard Sharpe

Richard Sharpe was the creation of the British novelist Bernard Cornwell and appeared in a series of books before the character transferred to television screens, where he was played by Sean Bean. Sharpe was supposedly an orphan who joined the Army and served first in India as a common soldier before saving the life of Arthur Wellesley (later 1st Duke of Wellington).

Although the books were works of fiction, Cornwell based much of the action around historically provable events.

5. Shrimps were among his favorite foods and Steve Jobs made him a millionaire. Which Vietnam veteran kept fit with a little light running?

Answer: Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump was played by Tom Hanks in a 1994 movie based on Winston Groom's 1986 novel. After surviving childhood adversity, a somewhat, shall we say, naive, Forrest Gump served in the US Army in the Vietnam war. Back in civilian life, Gump tried his had at shrimp fishing, ended up a millionaire through shares in Apple Computers (he thought it was something to do with fruit) and ended up in running marathons across the USA, with thousands joining in.

6. At 18 he joined the Army and the next five years were the happiest of his life. It was a shock, then, to be declared unfit and thrown back into civvie street. Which ex-squaddie got a job in a pub with royal connections and fell for a troubled teenage mum?

Answer: Lofty Holloway

Lofty Holloway was played by Tom Watt in the BBCtv soap opera 'Eastenders' from 1985 to 1988. Lofty had a difficult childhood and really felt at home in the Army until asthma forced him out. He got a job in the Queen Victoria public house (aka the Queen Vic).

His love affair and eventual marriage to teenage temptress Michelle Fowler (pregnant with another man's child) drew huge ratings.

7. As a member of an occupying force, he was meant to keep the local population under control, but instead he had a crush on a cafe owner. Which soldier had pink braids on his uniform and a cute little tank?

Answer: Lt. Gruber

Lt Hubert Gruber was played by Guy Siner in the British TV comedy "'Allo, 'Allo". (1982 to 1992) The character had many gay stereotypes and seemed to have formed an attraction for Rene, the cafe owner, played by Gordon Kaye. Supposedly an officer in the German panzer division, Grubber and the other German characters spent most of their time occupying a French village, where they were hoodwinked left, right and centre by the locals and the Resistance. Gruber had his own armored car and wore pink piping on his uniform.

8. He was king of the commandos and fought to save the free world from the Nazi menace. Which soldier turned his hand to combating terrorists, and finding treasure, when war ended?

Answer: Gimlet

Captain Lorrington "Gimlet" King was the fictional hero of the 'Gimlet' books by Captain W. E. Johns, creator of the very successful 'Biggles' books. While Biggles was a pilot, Gimlet was a soldier, often working behind enemy lines. The first book, 'King Of The Commandoes', appeared in 1943 and nine more appeared before 1954.

9. The trenches of the western front were hardly a time for quiet reflection, but one soldier tried to get his thoughts in order. Which soldier quickly found that romantic ideas of a chivalrous war had no place in the slaughter house that was 'the war to end all wars'?

Answer: Paul B�umer

Paul B�umer was the chief character and narrator of Erich Maria Remarque's 'All Quiet On The Western Front'. This was, in effect, an anti-war book (later a movie) written from the point of view of a German soldier. 'Im Westen nichts Neues' was published in Germany in January 1929, and quickly sold millions of copies.

In 1930, the book was turned into a movie and won best picture and director Oscars. In 1979 a TV movie was made of the book.

10. When the Nazis capture a high-ranking allied general with the plans for D-Day in his head, you need a team of dedicated soldiers to rescue him from his prison aerie. Which G.I. was attached to a British operation and favored direct action? He even had his own instructions the others did not know about to ensure that the secrets stayed secret.

Answer: Lt. Morris Schaffer

Clint Eastwood played Schaffer in the 1968 movie 'Where Eagles Dare'. The movie is perhaps best remembered for its alpine cable car scenes. Richard Burton and Mary Ure also starred. Alistair MacLean wrote the screenplay and the 1967 book of the same name.

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LeoDaVinci before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Soldiers 'R' Us: Fiction's Finest Military Men Quiz

"War does not determine who is right - only who is left", or so said Bertrand Russell. Despite that, war and battle fiction have an almost universal popularity.

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