Artillery of the World Online Trivia | Military Matters

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This weapon was the only artillery piece not outlawed (for Germany) by the Versailles Treaty. Both Germany and Russia invested heavily in them.

Answer: Rockets

Rockets weren't very effective when it came to accuracy but they were cheap and easy to make. The German Nebelwerfer was 15cm in diameter and so if it landed near you, you were toasted. The Russian Kaytuska Rockets were smaller and varied in size from anywhere to 3cm to 10cm. They were produced in huge numbers and more advanced variants are still in use in China today.

2. This howitzer mounted on the Sherman tank chassis was the best piece of self propelled artillery that the Western Allies had. Its nickname was the Priest because of the pulpit-shaped .50cal machinegun mount, what was it's designation?

Answer: M7

The Allies weren't as big on self propelled guns as the Germans or Russians were. The Allies could fall back on massive command of the air as well as domination of the seas.

3. This British artillery piece was reliable and just the replacement the British were looking for after replacing their aging 12 pounders. Some Tommies had a knack for using it against German tanks at close range.

Answer: 25 Pounder

The 25 Pounder was loved by almost all the troops. It was easy to set up, very reliable, accurate at ranges that mattered and relatively mobile thanks to its well thought out undercarriage and rubber tires.

4. During World War I the Germans were desperately short of medium artillery pieces, had even less ammo, so they developed a gun that would fire enemy ammo but the enemy couldn't fire its ammo. What was the caliber of the gun?

Answer: 77mm

The Germans in both wars were quite resourceful when the need arose. In the case of the 77mm at the front they would often pack blankets around the enemy ammo when more useful tools weren't available. Also, captured Allied weapons could be bored out to accept German ammo, but the allies could not use German 77s.

5. The largest artillery piece ever fired in anger was the German 800mm gun known as "Dora". This weapon was fired only around 80 times, 50 of them practice shots. What target was this weapon designed for?

Answer: The Maginot Line

Though the weapon was designed for the destruction of the Maginot Line, it was not completed in time for Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), the invasion of France and the Low Countries. Not ones to let something so cool sit around and rust, the Germans sent the weapon in constituent parts where the Soviet city of Sevastopol was being ruthlessly bombarded.

The gun began its deadly work two months after its arrival. It destroyed the immense Soviet gun battery known as Maxim Gorky with two shots as well as an ammunition storage bunker.

The bunker was not only underground but also under 90ft water as well as 6 feet under concrete. The shell from the Gustav plowed through all of them and detonated inside rocking the surrounding area.

6. The Russians used this gun for everything. It was a tank gun, artillery piece, and an anti-tank gun. What was the caliber of the gun?

Answer: 76.2mm

The 76.2mm was an incredible gun rivalled only in versatility by the German 88mm. The 76.2mm had a high muzzle velocity which made it great for tanks, light weight which made it ideal for anti-tank gunners to set up, and great mobility thanks to its simple design and oversized tires.

7. This piece of anti-aircraft artillery made an even better artillery piece. With a 128mm caliber, high muzzle velocity and incredible range this gun could take out anything within 4 km of it. What was it known as in Germany?

Answer: FlaK 44

These guns were mounted on the immense FlaK towers surrounding major cities such as Berlin. The shells they fired weighed so much that the guns had to be fitted with hydraulic loaders rather than be loaded by hand.

8. The Paris Gun of World War I fame was possibly the longest ranging artillery piece ever (with the possible exception of the K12E). Though famous, few know it's real name, do you?

Answer: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesch�tz

The Paris gun fired many shells in its service but the effect that it had on Paris was negligible. Accuracy was impossible at such ranges and even when a hit was scored, the French citizens did not think it more than a stray German bomb, however when they finally realized that it was a gun and not a plane shooting at them then they demanded action.

The French and British Flying Corps flew quite a few sorties and though the gun was not damaged, the Germans were scared enough to dismantle the gun and transport it to a new location, and it was never reassembled.

9. One of the major combatants in WWII built very sturdy but heavy pieces of artillery, one of the main causes of the guns' weight was their metal wheels. Which of the combatants used metal wheels on nearly all of their traditional artillery pieces?

Answer: Germany

The fact that the Germans had less than mobile artillery is quite interesting. Their heavy guns did not fit into their offensive doctrine of short powerful artillery bombardments with Panzers in force thrusting through any breaks in the enemy line. However, the German guns had a reputation for reliability, sturdiness, and accuracy.

10. During WWII the Japanese soldier often had what Americans called a knee mortar thanks to an incorrect translation by an American translator. What was this weapon really called?

Answer: Leg Mortar

The Leg Mortar was held against the leg with two leather straps. The Mortar was operated with a large T-screw that when screwed down would fire the weapon. It was reusable. Consequently many American troops picked them up and tried to fire them as the translator said, with their knees. After this many Americans hobbled into the field hospitals with broken knees and legs!

Source: Author experten45

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Artillery of the World Trivia Quiz

The big guns that Stalin called "the gods of war".

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