FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Quiz about UBoats Germanys Underwater Menace

U-Boats: Germany's Underwater Menace Quiz

The U-Boat almost turned the tide for Germany during WWII. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by beterave. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
beterave

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
335,811

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
454

Last 3 plays: Guest 174 (7/10), Shipmate0207 (10/10), hellobion (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The Athenia was the first British ship sunk in WWII. What kind of vessel was the Athenia? Hint

a passenger ship

a carrier

a battleship

a troopship

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Which was the first British warship lost to a U-boat during WWII? Hint

HMS Ark Royal

HMS Warspite

HMS Courageous

HMS Resolute

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Which British warship was sank at Scapa Flow by U-47? Hint

HMS Lion

HMS Royal Oak

HMS Victory

HMS Rodney

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Who was the first U boat skipper to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross? Hint

Wolfgang Luth

Wilhelm Lurch

Erich Topp

Gunther Prien

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. U-331 torpedoed the battleship HMS Barham. What happened to U-331 that day? Hint

she was scuttled

she was captured

she was sunk

she escaped

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What does a snorkel allow a U boat to do? Hint

to fire torpedoes

to operate on main engines while submerged

to avoid radar and sonar

to transmit a radio signal

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Which device allowed the Allies to detect a U boat while it was submerged? Hint

freq finders

radar

sonar

depth charges

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. What vital piece of equipment was recovered from U-110? Hint

a high speed snorkel

an enigma machine

a homing torpedo

secret radar equipment

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. When a U-boat wished to avoid passive sonar, what would the skipper do? Hint

dive deeper

run silent

blow all ballast tanks

come to periscope depth

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. When did 'wolf packs' usually attack a convoy? Hint

at night

before dawn

daytime only

anytime

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Nov 14 2024 : Guest 174: 7/10
Nov 13 2024 : Shipmate0207: 10/10
Nov 08 2024 : hellobion: 10/10
Oct 21 2024 : LooseMoose001: 9/10
Oct 21 2024 : Guest 90: 10/10
Oct 03 2024 : Guest 174: 9/10
Oct 03 2024 : Guest 136: 8/10
Sep 23 2024 : Guest 67: 7/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Athenia was the first British ship sunk in WWII. What kind of vessel was the Athenia?

Answer: a passenger ship

The SS Athenia was a passenger ship. She was torpedoed by U-30 on 3 September 1939.

2. Which was the first British warship lost to a U-boat during WWII?

Answer: HMS Courageous

HMS Courageous was the first British warship sunk by a U boat. U-29 sank her on the evening of 17 September 1939. She capsized and sank in 20 minutes.

3. Which British warship was sank at Scapa Flow by U-47?

Answer: HMS Royal Oak

HMS Royal Oak was sunk by U-47 on the evening of 14 October 1939. U-47, commanded by Gunther Prien, escaped and returned to Germany to receive a hero's welcome. The Royal Oak was a battleship and was sunk in the naval base at Scapa Flow. The sinking was a significant blow to British prestige.

4. Who was the first U boat skipper to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross?

Answer: Gunther Prien

Gunther Prien was the first U boat skipper to receive the Knight's Cross for sinking the Royal Oak and returning safely to Germany.

5. U-331 torpedoed the battleship HMS Barham. What happened to U-331 that day?

Answer: she escaped

Like all the other U-boats that successfully torpedoed British capital warships, she eluded the destroyers and managed to escape.

6. What does a snorkel allow a U boat to do?

Answer: to operate on main engines while submerged

A snorkel allows the U boat to operate its diesel engine while submerged and while charging its batteries. It allowed the boat to stay submerged and henceforth undetected.

7. Which device allowed the Allies to detect a U boat while it was submerged?

Answer: sonar

The Allies used sonar to detect submerged U boats while they were submerged. The technology was called ASDIC in the Royal Navy.

8. What vital piece of equipment was recovered from U-110?

Answer: an enigma machine

When the U-110 was boarded by the crew of HMS Bulldog, they recovered an enigma machine as well as code books. The movie U571 is partially based on this event.

9. When a U-boat wished to avoid passive sonar, what would the skipper do?

Answer: run silent

Silent running was recommended to avoid sonar. This meant the elimination of all unnecessary noise and required the crew to whisper orders and remain calm.

10. When did 'wolf packs' usually attack a convoy?

Answer: at night

U-boats generally stood a better chance of success attacking a convoy at night. Sonar and ASDIC were able to locate a submerged U-boat but a surfaced U boat at night was generally virtually invisible.

Source: Author beterave

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