Cold Warrior Quiz | Cold War

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What type of aircraft was the Badger?

Answer: A Soviet jet bomber

The "Badger" was in fact the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 medium jet bomber. All Soviet aircraft were given a NATO codename. Broadly, the initial letter of the name gave the aircraft's role (F - fighter, B-bomber, C-commercial, H - helicopter, M- Miscellaneous) and the number of syllables gave its means of propulsion (one syllable for propeller-driven, two syllables for jet-propelled, although this does not apply to helicopters).
Hence the "Bear" (Tupolev Tu-95) is obviously a prop-driven bomber, while the "Foxbat" (Mig-25) is a jet fighter.

2. Who coined the phrase "The Iron Curtain"?

Answer: Winston Churchill

In a speech at Fulton, Missouri (March 5, 1946), Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during WWII, said "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent."

3. During the '50s and '60s a chain of radar stations was built throughout Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Iceland to give early warning of a Soviet air or missile attack. How were these radar stations collectively known?

Answer: The DEW Line

The DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line of Radars was commenced in 1954 and, at its peak had some 70 radar stations, following approximately the 70th parallel from the Aleutian Islands in the West to Iceland in the East. It was upgraded and incorporated into the larger BMEWS (Ballistic Missile Early Warning System) in 1963. NORAD is the generic term for NOrth American Air Defence, of which DEW was a part. Chain Home was an early series of radar stations along the south coast of England during the Battle of Britain.

The Maginot Line was the impregnable series of French fortifications that the Germans circumvented by simply going round them through the Netherlands and Belgium in WWII.

4. In 1948-49, the city of Berlin was blockaded by Soviet forces. How were the French, US and British sectors of the city supplied?

Answer: By Air

Post-WWII, the city of Berlin was divided into 4 sectors, Soviet, British, French and American. Since the city was surrounded by Soviet forces, it was relatively easy for them to instigate a land-blockade. This blockade is seen by many as the beginning of the Cold War, when a former close ally became a potential enemy.

The Soviets, did, however allow an air corridor to remain open, so a huge air operation (the Berlin Airlift) mainly comprising US and UK aircraft and crews, was mounted between June 1948 and September 1949, initially to supply the occupying garrisons, and then the people of Berlin itself.

At its peak, one aircraft was landing in Berlin every minute.

5. For much of the Cold War, the British nuclear deterrent force comprised of a land-based bomber fleet. These bombers were collectively known as the V-Force. The three types of bomber used were the Avro Vulcan, the Handley-Page Victor and a third type. Which was it?

Answer: The Vickers Valiant

The Vickers Valiant was the first of the trio of V-bombers. It is not so well-known as the other two, since it was prematurely retired in 1965 due to fatigue cracking of the main spar in the wings. The Valkyrie was the name given to the North American XB-70, the prototype for a supersonic bomber, which never entered production.

The Vultee Vengeance was a US-made WWII dive-bomber, renowned for its outstanding accuracy. The Vildebeest was indeed made by Vickers in the UK, but it was a biplane light bomber used between the Wars.

6. For much of the Cold War, The US Strategic Air Command's mainstay was the mighty Boeing B-52. How was this aircraft also known?

Answer: Stratofortress

Some 744 B-52s were built in Wichita and Seattle, of which 95 remain in operational service. Astonishingly, it is planned to extended her life until 2040, when the grand old warrior lady will be 88! The Stratocruiser was Boeing's first foray back into commercial aviation after WWII, and was largely based on the B-29 bomber, which was, of course, the Superfortress.

The Stratojet was an earlier mainstay of SAC, the Boeing B-47. This was the first swept-wing jet bomber, and it is claimed that every large jet aircraft today is descended from it.

7. In late 1962, American U2 spy aircraft found that Soviet medium-range nuclear missile installations were being built in the US' "back yard". Where were they?

Answer: San Cristobal, Cuba

An easy one, this. The Cuban Missile Crisis, at its peak, lasted from 14-28 October 1962. The US alert state went to DEFCON 2, the highest ever, and churches were open 24/7. For nearly a fortnight, the world hovered on the brink of all-out nuclear war, until a face-saving compromise for both sides was found. A close one.

8. In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon initiated a series of summit-level talks with the Eastern Bloc in an attempt slow down the ruinously expensive and dangerous nuclear arms race. How were these talks known?

Answer: The SALT talks

The START (Strategic Arms Reduction Talks) came later, during President Reagan's administration. The STALK talks are fictional, and the term "Geneva Accords" relates to a number of peace proposals (eg French/Viet Minh, PLO/Israeli, etc).

9. In 1962, the British Prime Minister, Harold MacMillan, and the US President, John F. Kennedy, agreed that Britain should adopt a US nuclear delivery system, which would ultimately replace the V-Bomber force in the nuclear role. What was its name?

Answer: The Polaris submarine-launched BM

The UK did indeed purchase a number of Phantoms to plug a gap in its inventory and it briefly fulfilled the nuclear QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) role in Germany in the early 70's, but this was simply as a stop-gap until the Sepecat Jaguar became operational in this role.

The UK also purchased a number of Tomahawk cruise missiles in the late 90's, but only for use in a conventional role. The UK Royal Navy now deploys the Trident SLBM system, which replaced the aging Polaris fleet.

10. In the late '80s a new Soviet leader embarked on a series of reforms (of which "perestroika" (restructuring) and "glasnost" (openness) were but two), which ultimately saw the dissolution of the USSR and an effective ending of the Cold War. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Who was he?

Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev

Unfortunately, Mikhail Gorbachev is not held in the same esteem in his own country as he is in the West, and many of the problems besetting the former Soviet states are blamed on his administration.

Source: Author frankmcvey

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

Cold Warrior Trivia Quiz

Like many young people of my generation, I was a Cold Warrior and thanked God it never became a Hot War. I hope this quiz will be a challenging and thought-provoking reminder of those tense times.

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