Aircraft of World War Two: Part III Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The British "turret" fighter, also known as "Daffy", redeemed itself (well to some extent at least) as a night fighter, after turning out to be a dismal failure in daylight operations. Which of these was it?

Answer: Boulton Paul Defiant

Designed as an interceptor, the Defiant's main weakness was the absence of forward-firing guns. The main armament was four 7.7mm machine guns mounted in a hydraulically powered dorsal turret, behind the pilot. After being decisively beaten by the more agile and better armed Messerschmitt Bf109's, it found a temporary, albeit mediocre, purpose as a night fighter before being relegated to training and target towing duties.

2. Like a Phoenix from the ashes of the failed Avro Manchester, arose the mainstay of the RAF bomber command, sinking the German battleship "Tirpitz" on its way to fame. I am talking about the?

Answer: Avro Lancaster

The four engined Lancaster was introduced into active service in 1942, and quickly proved its mettle while becoming the principal heavy bomber used by RAF. During the war the "Lanc", as it became affectionately known, delivered more than 618,000 tons of bombs onto the Axis in 156,000 sorties.

3. In 1936 Focke Wulff introduced the Fw-61. It was one of the world's first practical and functional _______ .

Answer: Helicopters

Historically Paul Corna is credited with inventing and flying the first helicopter in 1907. Later Etienne Oehmichen also flew a dubious design for 1km. The Focke Wulff design also known as the Fa-61, quickly went on to set new altitude, speed and flight duration records.

It could reach a max speed of 112km/h and could climb to 3,427 meters. Only two of these craft were built but none survived the war. The honor of the first successful design, produced on large scale, belongs to Igor Sikorsky. His VS300 design became the blueprint for all modern single rotor helicopters, and such he is known as the "father of the helicopter".

4. The first American jet fighter flew in October 1942, but was not well received by the US forces and as such never saw combat. This aircraft was the ...?

Answer: Bell P-59 Airacomet

The Airacomet was not much more than an experimental, jet powered pioneer. It performed below average being left behind by most piston driven aircraft in the US arsenal. Despite this, the P-59 was the foundation for jet powered aviation in America.

5. On 10 December 1941 the HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales were hit and sunk by torpedoes released from a Japanese aircraft. Amongst the attackers was Type 1, "Betty" aircraft.

Answer: True

The Mitsubishi G4M was the Japanese Navy's main, land based bomber. Its exceptional long range capabilities was mostly due to her light weight construction, which meant no armor plating whatsoever and no self-sealing fuel tanks. In this the "Betty's" main attribute became her biggest weakness as well.

The HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales became the first two capital ships to be sunk solely by air.

6. Due to the nature of the conflict, the Soviets relied heavily on light bombers. One aircraft in their staple became the best Soviet build light tactical bomber of the war with production exceeding 11,400 units. It was the?

Answer: Petlyakov PE-2

The twin engined ground attack aircraft could deliver between 1,330 and 1,800kg of ordnance, depending on the variant. It had a maximum speed of 540kmh and service ceiling of 8,800 meters.

7. This twin engined aircraft became one of the most versatile of the war, earning the nickname "M�dchen fur alles" (Maid of all work). It served as a dive bomber, tactical bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, heavy fighter and even as a flying bomb. Which of these am I referring to?

Answer: Junkers Ju-88

Between 1936 and 1945 more than 16,000 Junker Ju-88's were built, more than any other twin engined aircraft in Germany. It was powered by two Junkers Jumo 211 inverted V12 engines and could reach altitudes of 29,500 feet carrying a bomb load up to 3,100 lbs. The last Ju-88 was retired in 1951.

8. Which twin engined light bomber, designed by Frank Barnwell, had an association with Sir Winston Churchill?

Answer: Bristol Blenheim

The Blenheim bomber shares its name with the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough, the Churchills. Blenheim Palace had been the home of the Churchill family for more than 300 years and was also the birthplace of Sir Winston.

9. The B-29 that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima was the "Enola Gay". What was the name of the plane that dropped "Fat Man" on Nagasaki?

Answer: Bockscar

There is a widely believed view that the "Enola Gay" ended the war when "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima. In fact it was on 9 August, three days after Hiroshima that "Bockscar" dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki that ended the war. "Bockscar" was normally commanded by Captain Frederick Bock, but on the Nagasaki mission by Major Charles W. Sweeney, who belonged to the same squadron as the "Enola Gay" - the 393rd Bombardment Squadro n.

10. To end, one of those unbelievable truths from the battlefield. A B-17 bomber was involved in a mid-air collision with a enemy fighter on 1 February 1943 over Tunisia. An historic photograph was taken of the stricken plane as it limped home. The name of this legendary aircraft was the ...?

Answer: All American

The amazing story of the "All American" piloted by Lt Kendrick Bragg is the stuff of legends. The B-17 was attacked by an enemy fighter, it is thought that defensive fire killed the pilot of the fighter who then crashed into "All American" nearly cutting off the rear fuselage, ripping of the left horizontal stabilizer and the left elevator. Both right-hand engines were knocked out and one on the left had a serious oil leak. Miraculously, the plane kept on flying, it dropped its bombs and still made it home. Lt Bragg managed to land the critically damaged bomber without any injuries to the crew.

Some say as the last crewman exited the plane, it collapsed. This is a testimony to the tough and rugged B-17.

Source: Author MrRadt

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

This is the third episode of Aircraft of World War Two. Aircraft that made and became legends and continue to fascinate and inspire nearly seventy years after they played their part. Enjoy.

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