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WW2 British Weapons Trivia Quiz

This quiz may be hard to some, but I guarentee you will love this quiz and learn something new.

A multiple-choice quiz by Currahee. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
Currahee

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
210,699

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Very Difficult

Avg Score
3 / 10

Plays
1940

Last 3 plays: Guest 115 (2/10), Guest 1 (6/10), hellobion (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Early in WW2 (1939-41), the British had only this weapon as a machine carbine. Hint

Sten

Lancaster

Lanchester

Thompson

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Question 2 of 10

2. What was the official designation of the Vickers .303 HMG? Hint

Gun, Machine. Vickers, calibre .303 Mark1 (Class C)

Vickers Heavy Machine Gun, .303

Machine Gun, Type: Vickers .303 British

Vickers Watercooled .303 Heavy Machine Gun Mark 1

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Question 3 of 10

3. Who originally designed the Vickers Class K MG? (Hint he designed a French weapon). Hint

Chauchat

St Etienne

Hotchkiss

Berthier

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Question 4 of 10

4. Why was the Lee Enfield Mark 5 ("Jungle Carbine") taken out of service? Hint

Desire for self loading weapons.

It was too inaccurate.

The British bought the SLR.

Desire for self loading rifles, poor accuracy and hard recoil.

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Question 5 of 10

5. The British Army adopted the ZB vz26 as the Bren in 1935. Which other country used it? Hint

Germany

France

Austria

Italy

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Question 6 of 10

6. How many pints of water did the Vickers HMG hold in its water jacket? Hint

7.5

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Question 7 of 10

7. When was the Lee Enfield No.4 Mk1 .303 rifle released? Hint

1937

1936

1939

1942

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Question 8 of 10

8. What model of the Thompson did the British buy from the United States? Hint

M1a1

M1921

M1928a1

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Question 9 of 10

9. The Boyes .55 anti-tank rifle was hated by the infantry. What was its nickname? Hint

Big kicker

Armour Bouncing Gun

Bloody Useless

Charley the Bastard

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Question 10 of 10

10. The Sten was a cheaply manufactured machine carbine and therefore was made up of very few parts. How many parts did the gun have in its Mark 2 form? Hint

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Dec 16 2024 : Guest 115: 2/10
Dec 11 2024 : Guest 1: 6/10
Nov 08 2024 : hellobion: 10/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Early in WW2 (1939-41), the British had only this weapon as a machine carbine.

Answer: Thompson

The Lanchester Machine Carbine, which was produced from May 1941 on became the main weapon of the Royal Navy and of such 'irregular' groups as the SAS and Home Guard.

2. What was the official designation of the Vickers .303 HMG?

Answer: Gun, Machine. Vickers, calibre .303 Mark1 (Class C)

The Vickers HMG was first used in 1912, replacing the heavier and more complex Maxim. The Vickers was used until 1968 when replaced by the lighter FN MAG, or GMPG.

3. Who originally designed the Vickers Class K MG? (Hint he designed a French weapon).

Answer: Berthier

The Vickers Class K or VB/VGO was originally an aircraft gun, although the SAS often employed them on their jeeps.

4. Why was the Lee Enfield Mark 5 ("Jungle Carbine") taken out of service?

Answer: Desire for self loading rifles, poor accuracy and hard recoil.

The Jungle Carbine was first used in 1944 and was used untill 1947. It suffered from inaccuracy, hard recoil and wasn't semi-automatic.

5. The British Army adopted the ZB vz26 as the Bren in 1935. Which other country used it?

Answer: Germany

The Wehrmacht used the ZB vz26 as the MG26 in the original 7.92mm round it was chambered for.

6. How many pints of water did the Vickers HMG hold in its water jacket?

Answer: 7.5

When the barrel heated the water turned to steam and was fed down the tube into the water canister. The soldiers would refill it this way by tipping it back. The British would often drink the water and then urinate into the jacket.

7. When was the Lee Enfield No.4 Mk1 .303 rifle released?

Answer: 1936

The No. 4 rifle was released in 1936 but was not used until 1942, just as the army was phasing out the No. 3 rifle.

8. What model of the Thompson did the British buy from the United States?

Answer: M1928a1

The British had a bias against machine carbines but when they ran into the MP38/40 they were desperate to get some.

9. The Boyes .55 anti-tank rifle was hated by the infantry. What was its nickname?

Answer: Charley the Bastard

The Boyes rifle could penetrate 1 inch of armour at 100m, although at the time tanks usually had an armour thickness of about 1.5-2 inches, and infantry hardly ever got within 100m of tanks. It was called "Charley the Bastard" due to its enourmous recoil that was hated by infantry.

10. The Sten was a cheaply manufactured machine carbine and therefore was made up of very few parts. How many parts did the gun have in its Mark 2 form?

Answer: 47

The Sten was a terrible weapon, and was often called the "Woolworth's Special". It replaced the Lanchester as the British Army's machine carbine, but was a very poor performer.

Source: Author Currahee

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