Warbirds of WW2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Supermarine Spitfire

The Spitfire was the brainchild of British engineer Reginald Mitchell, who developed it from a series of floatplanes he had built to compete in the Schneider Trophy in the 1920s. Mitchell's aircraft won the trophy three years in a row.

In the early 1930s, the British Air Ministry asked for a single-engined monoplane with a specific armament capability.

Mitchell allied his airframe to a new Rolls Royce engine - ultimately named the Merlin.

The Spitfire first flew in 1935 and was to play a key role through many variants in all theatres of WW2. It remained in service with the RAF until 1950.

Answer: Lockheed B-26-Marauder

Design and development of the P38 began in 1939. It was introduced to the US forces in 1940 and immediately made just about any other fighter aircraft look old-fashioned. The B-26 could hit 300mph due to its short low-drag wings. But this required higher takeoff and landing speeds (higher than pilots were accustomed to).

This created a lot of accidents and the plane was given the nickname "the widowmaker". Later versions had longer wings, which reduced the speed of the plane.

Answer: Focke-Wulf FW-190

The Focke-Wulf FW-190 first flew in aerial combat in 1941. Had it seen action a year earlier, then the outcome of the Battle of Britain might have had a different outcome.

The FW-190 was faster and more agile than its RAF opponents.

Continuous development during the war kept the 190 a deadly opponent. It could also perform many roles, including night-and-day fighter.

The 190 inflicted huge losses on British and American bombers and its threat remained unchecked until the arrival of the P-51 Mustang in 1944.

But the 190 was also to be inspiration for the Allies. When an intact 190 was inadvertently landed on an Allied airstrip in 1942, it allowed British and American engineers to develop their own rival aircraft.

Answer: Hawker Hurricane

The Battle of Britain was fought in the skies over southern England between July 10 and October 31, 1940. It was the precursor for Hitler's planned invasion of Britain, an invasion that depended on air supremacy.

In those summer days, it is estimated that 1,700 Luftwaffe aircraft were destroyed to the RAF's 1,250.

Although developed at the same time as the Supermarine Spitfire and with a similar engine and armament, the Hurricane was, in the words of one writer "more clunky".

But the Hurricane could take more punishment, and by attacking bombers while the Spitfires dealt with fighters, the "Hurry" shot down three enemy planes for every two by Spitfires. [Air Ministry figures].

Answer: Mosquito

With a speed of 380mph, when introduced, the Mosquito was much faster than any other British or German aircraft.

It had been designed as a bomber but became what in later years would be known as a "multi-role aircraft".

The Mossie could do just about anything it was asked. It was a fighter, bomber, and reconnaissance plane. It could attack anything from enemy aircraft to their ships and trains.

In some ways the Mossie was a throwback to earlier times with its stressed skin of thin laminated plywood over a balsa core - when other aircraft designs were all-metal. Lightness was to be its advantage when allied to two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.

In all, some 7,781 Mosquitos were built before production ended in 1947. The RAF continued to use the Mosquito as a reconnaissance plane until 1955.

Answer: Grumman F6F Hellcat

The Hellcat was developed out of an earlier fighter, the Wildcat ,and entered service in August 1943. It could climb high and quickly to a ceiling of around 37,000. It was also fast, topping out at 386mph.

It was also considered "viceless" and easy to fly on and off carrier decks. In the Pacific theatre, Hellcats shot down 19 enemy planes for each one of their own lost.

For dogfights the Hellcat carried six wing-mounted machine guns. It could also carry a bomb load of 200lbs.

The Hellcat also saw service in Europe when operated by the British Fleet Air Arm.

Around 12,000 Hellcats were built during WW2. Perhaps ignobly, some of the remaining American Hellcats were packed with explosives and used as drones during the Korean War to attack ground targets.

Answer: Messerschmitt Bf 109

Developed by Willy Messerschmitt in 1934, eventually around 33,000 109s were built, making it the most produced fighter of WW2.

The plane first saw service during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. During the world conflict that followed, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 shot down more Allied aircraft than any other.

With continued development and upgrading during the war, the 109 remained a formidable opponent in a dogfight.

During the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Bf 109 was arguably the best fighter in action.

Most dogfights were against RAF Spitfires. The Bf 109 was faster, could climb higher and had better armaments. However, it had a reduced range, even when flown from airfields on the coast of France. The Spitfire, also, was more agile and could turn quicker.

At the start of the battle, about 1,100 Bf 109s were serving. Many of the pilots had experience gained during the Spanish Civil War. By the end of the Battle of Britain, around 650 109s had been shot down.

Answer: Messerschmitt Me 262

Work to develop the 262 began in 1932, but the engineers had many problems to overcome with jet propulsion. The plane did not fly until July 1942 and, as the RAF Museum has noted, its appearance came as a complete shock to the allies.

Critically for the Germans, supplies were tight and the potential may well have been curtailed by Hitler's order that the 262 be used as a fighter bomber from 1943.

The allies also adapted new tactics to combat the threat. The 262 was fast, but P-51 Mustangs were more manoeuvrable and their pilots learnt to attack the 262 on the turn. In addition, the allies bombed the concrete runways from which the 262 operated.

The role of the 262 in ushering in jet flight should not be underestimated, and, frankly, the allies got lucky. Had the 262 entered service earlier and had Hitler not interfered, it might have changed the face of the war in the air. As it was, the Me 262 claimed 509 Allied kills against the loss of only 100 aircraft.

Answer: Avro Lancaster

Work on the Lancaster began in 1938 as a development of the Avro Manchester.

Powered by four Rolls Royce Merlin engines, by the end of WW2, 7,377 had been built.

The Lancaster had a range of 4,000km and could carry bomb-loads of up to 14,000lbs.

The Lanc could fly high, but was no match for Luftwaffe fighters in daylight, even with a eight machine guns in the nose, tail and upper fuselage. (Some later variants added belly guns.)

After the war, the Lanc continued as a patrol bomber into the 1950s. By 2020 when this quiz was written, 17 Lancasters were still in existence, although only three were airworthy.

At that time the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) operated six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, one Lancaster, and a C47 Dakota.

The Lancaster pictured is from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) and is accompanied by a Hawker Hurricane during an air show in England in 2018.

Answer: Short Sunderland

The Short Sunderland flying boat was a patrol bomber that made a huge impact for the Allies during the Battle of the Atlantic.

The bomber was an upgrade of civilian aircraft that were developed during the 1930s for long-range passenger carrying, particularly on the North Atlantic route. The Sunderland was designed to meet the requirements of the British post office for carrying mail.

At about this time, the Air Ministry was looking for a long range flying boat for reconnaissance use. What became known as the Sunderland Mark I first flew in 1938. By September 1939, RAF Coastal Command had 40 Sunderlands in use.

The early Sunderlands had a range of 2,800km, 1,740 miles, and could carry a payload of bombs and/or depth charges for attacking submarines. They also had an array of machine gun positions in the nose, tail upper fuselage and side fuselage. This meant they could defend themselves well against fighters. Luftwaffe pilots nicknamed it "Fliegendes Stachelschwein", the Flying Porcupine.

During the war, Sunderlands were involved in the sinking of at least 26 U-Boats.