Tanks in the European Theatre Trivia Quiz

Answer: Panzer II

Though essentially obsolete, 1,000 Panzer IIs participated in the invasions of France and the Low Countries. The superior tactics of the Germans with sub-par tanks proved better than the superior tanks of the French.

Answer: Winston Churchill

The first Churchill tank was plagued with many problems, the most notable being the undersized engine. However, later Churchill tank designs proved to be more effective.

Answer: Tiger

The Tiger was a heavy tank that sacrificed speed for firepower and armor. The Tiger, like most tanks, also faced many mechanical failures in the early stages.

Answer: T-34

The T-34 surprised the Germans during Operation Barbarossa. The revolutionary design features of the T-34, including sloped armor, made it virtually invulnerable to any German tank of the time. The T-34 was one of the main reasons why Germany was unable to conquer the Soviet Union.

Answer: Tiger II

The Tiger II (King Tiger) weighed about 70 tons. (The Tiger I tank was only about 57 tons). It also has an immense 88 millimeter gun. When a Tiger II entered the battlefield, opposing tanks would find an excuse to leave. The best way to destroy a Tiger II was to call for bombers to take it out.

The fuel shortage in Germany as well as some mechanical problems limited the effectiveness of the Tiger II.

Answer: Panther

The Panthers had various mechanical problems during the Battle of Kursk, which contributed to the German defeat there and more Panthers at Kursk were disabled by mechanical problems than by enemy fire. After the initial problems were fixed, the Panther was a very formidable tank being an excellent combination of size and speed.

The Panther tank was so effective that the French used them in their army after World War II!

Answer: M4 Sherman

The British called it this because it "lights up the first time, every time" when hit. Other nicknames included "the burning grave" and "Tommycooker" (Germans referred to British soldiers as "Tommys"). The United States mass produced the cheaper Shermans rather than more expensive tanks.

Answer: Panzer I

The Panzer I was intended as a training tank being very small and lightly armed and armored. Due to the lack of tanks during the invasions of Poland and France, however, the tanks were still used even though they were completely obsolete.

Answer: Cromwell Tank

The Cromwell's suspension could not handle 40 miles per hour over time even though the tank was capable of going 40 mph. Therefore the tanks were not to go over 32 mph.

Answer: Maus

The Maus (Panzer VIII) had an unprecedented 128 millimeter gun (destroyers and some cruisers do not even carry guns this big). However, it was only capable of 8 miles per hour. With its armor being as thick as 240 mm (10 inch) in some places, its only foes would have been bombers - and mud. I am not sure how effective it would have been with its very limited mobility; it would have been excellent for defense I suppose.

The Panther II was also a project that was never completed. The T-54 was an excellent Soviet tank that was not completed until after the war.