Weapons of the Great War Trivia Quiz

Answer: bayonet

Originally developed in Bayonne in France in the early 17th century, the bayonet was used throughout the Great War by all sides. It was issued in World War 2 and continues to be used.

Answer: German

The first major use of the flamethrower (Flammenwerfer) was by the Germans in a surprise attack on the British at Hooge in Flanders.

Answer: grenade

Probably better known for his design and manufacture of golf clubs, William Mills designed this grenade in 1915.

Answer: machine gun

The machine gun was regarded by many British officers as an improper form of warfare, despite its previous use in colonial wars. However, the German army rapidly produced a version of Maxim's invention in large quantities and already had 12,000 at the onset of the war. In comparison the British and French had a mere few hundred between them. That soon changed, however.

Answer: pistol

The pistol was used by a variety of personnel in WWI although it was traditionally issued to officers of all armies. It was originally designed as a cavalry weapon.

Answer: Second Battle of Ypres

It is a common misconception that the German Army was first to use gas as a weapon, however the French had already used tear gas. However the Germans took gas warfare a step further and used chlorine gas, which is lethal. Initially, this led to worldwide condemnation for the German Army, but other armies soon followed suit with various kinds of lethal.

As the use of poison gas continued soldiers on all sides became better prepared for gas attacks.

Answer: Lee Enfield 0.303

The Lee Enfield got its name from a combination of its designer James Lee (an American) and its place of manufacture, the Royal Small Arms Factory based in Enfield, London. (It was also manufactured in other factories).

Answer: the tank

In February 1915, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill sponsored the Landships Committe to investigate a mechanical solution to trench warfare, based on a demonstration of the Killen-Strait armoured tractor which had impressed him with its ability to cut through barbed wire entanglement.

The initial development of the resulting "tank" was overseen by the Royal Navy, who already had experience in the use of armoured cars.

Answer: trench mortar

The Stokes mortar was a weapon of brilliant simplicity. From the sorry position of lagging far behind the Germans in mortar preparedness, this new mortar took British forces to the forefront in trench mortar warfare. The majority of mortars used today are direct descendants of the Stokes mortar.

Answer: fighter pilot

They were in fact all the top aces for their particular countries. Rene Fonck (France), Edward Mannock (UK), William Bishop (Canada), Eddie Rickenbacker (USA), although by far the best remembered and No 1 flying ace, was Manfred von Richthofen (Germany), commonly known as the 'Red Baron'.