WWII Quiz

The Cruiser USS Indianapolis delivered the bomb and then proceeded to sail to the Phillipines but was torpedoed by a Jap sub and sank. Because of radio silence in effect nobody knew what had happened It was days before anyone noticed that the Indianapolis was overdue. The captain of the Indianapolis was courtmartialed.
 
Doppleganger

The question refers to the worst disaster at sea in the history of the US Navy, hardly obscure! a film was made on it as well. I also warned that a bit a lateral thinking was required so this hints it might not be an obvious answer relating to the aircraft crew.

I am just trying to post something which causes people too think a little rather than just type something into a search engine, or is so obscure it has little significance outside a specialist arena. Obscure questions are easy to ask, but it takes a bit of time to think of these!

PS Thanks Tom Tom your turn.

The horrendous death refers to that half of the bodies were shark bitten.

(Regarding the bonus I was thinking of the eventual death of the captain by suicide).
 
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perseus said:
Doppleganger

The question refers to the worst disaster at sea in the history of the US Navy, hardly obscure! a film was made on it as well. I also warned that a bit a lateral thinking was required so this hints it might not be an obvious answer relating to the aircraft crew.

I am just trying to post something which causes people too think a little rather than just type something into a search engine, or is so obscure it has little significance outside a specialist arena. Obscure questions are easy to ask, but it takes a bit of time to think of these!

PS Thanks Tom Tom your turn.

The horrendous death refers to that half of the bodies were shark bitten.

(Regarding the bonus I was thinking of the eventual death of the captain by suicide).
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I think you misunderstood me Perseus. I was asking a question, not making a comment on your question!
 
tomtom22 said:
The captain of the Indianapolis was courtmartialed.
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Yes, he was courtmartialled due to the fact that he decided to sail without zig-zaging, against standing orders, in an area known to contain enemy submarines, in order to save time.
 
Doppleganger said:
I'm sure I could ask some challenging questions regarding WW2 but how obscure do they need to be?

For example:

What is the significance of the German Panzer Division 'Kempf'?
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Basically as long as the answer is attainable without a Phd I pretty much think that any question within the WW2 area is acceptable.

I myself tend to prefer easier questions as it encourages more participation and things flow a bit quicker.

Incidently " What is the significance of the German Panzer Division 'Kempf" is an interesting question as "combined" units were unusual at that time.
:)
 
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A formal SS Division did not exist until October 1939, however certain SS-VT units did participate in the Polish Campaign. In July 1939, The Oberkommandoheer [OKH] decided to create a unique unit in preparation for the assault on Poland. This unit was officially designated as the East Prussian Tank Unit and command was given to Generalmajor Werner Kempf. Kempf was the former commander of the 4th Panzer Brigade, and after taking command of the East Prussian Tank Unit, the unit would be referred to as Panzer Division Kempf.
source: http://www.dasreich.ca/kempf.html
 
Ok well done MonytB and Tomtom. The answer I was looking for was that it was the only German Division that had both Heer and Waffen SS components and led directly to the formation of 'Das Reich', which would eventually end up as a full Panzer Division. But you were both close enough.

Next time I will ask a question where the answer might be a little harder to come by. :)
 
I don't have time right at the moment to come up with a good question, so I'll pass my turn over to Doppleganger.
 
perseus said:
My apologies for snapping at you Doppleganger, Ive been getting a few hints that my questions were too specialist or hard, perhaps true in a few cases to be honest!

Did you know the answer to the one at the top of here, just up your street I think!

http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15270&page=86
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No worries Perseus. :) And the answer is Guderian of course.

Wikipedia and the net in general make it kinda easy to find answers. But anyway, an easy question I think.

Q: What was invariably the first thing that Western Allied soldiers did upon reaching the banks of the River Rhine?
 
This reminds me of the incident where Churchill led Brooke, Monty, Simpson and their retrospective staffs for a mass urination on the Siegfried line. That same night Churchill sneaked of by himself to pee in the Rhine as well. He also had to be 'dragged' away from a bridge a few days later in the midst of snipers, in one of his sad childish moments. Perhaps he really wanted to get killed.
 
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Perhaps, we should have a rule that if a question is not asked by the correct answerer within a day, the thread is left open for anybody to ask questions, this may give the opportunity to give a wider audience a chance?

Go for it Dean
 
Sorry, I have not been around, so I did not see that I had been left the question. Actually, I agree with the 24 hour rule as it would allow others to enter the quiz. However, the asker should give the answer if it is not found so that the quiz is more interesting for all.

Here is a question that is a bit subjective. The most famous photo of the war was taken atop Mount Suribachi by war correspondent Joe Rosenthal during the battle of Iwo Jima. What other photograph, courtesy of the US Navy, also became very well known?

Some clues: 1. In the image, there were no enemy soldiers, ships, aircraft or anything else for that matter.

2. For that matter, there were no Allied anythings in it either.

3. The photo became a symbol that the war was almost over.

4.IIRC, it was published first on the cover of Life Magazine, although it was also published later on in other places..
 
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Dean said:
Sorry, I have not been around, so I did not see that I had been left the question. Actually, I agree with the 24 hour rule as it would allow others to enter the quiz. However, the asker should give the answer if it is not found so that the quiz is more interesting for all.

Here is a question that is a bit subjective. The most famous photo of the war was taken atop Mount Suribachi by war correspondent Joe Rosenthal during the battle of Iwo Jima. What other photograph, courtesy of the US Navy, also became very well known?

Some clues: 1. In the image, there were no enemy soldiers, ships, aircraft or anything else for that matter.

2. For that matter, there were no Allied anythings in it either.

3. The photo became a symbol that the war was almost over.

4.IIRC, it was published first on the cover of Life Magazine, although it was also published later on in other places..
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the sailor kissing a girl on the street
 
Good guess, but that was taken after the war, so no, it does not count. Another clue: It was taken from aboard a Navy combat ship, and it showed something very important... to the Japanese!

Dean.
 
Clue time again: It was an image of a place that was (and is) a strong symbol to the Japanese, and there was an aiming reticle superimposed on it.
the reason that it was important to the American punblic is that it showed that the US Navy could approach this place with impunity, heralding the end of the war.

Dean.
 
Dean said:
Clue time again: It was an image of a place that was (and is) a strong symbol to the Japanese, and there was an aiming reticle superimposed on it.
the reason that it was important to the American punblic is that it showed that the US Navy could approach this place with impunity, heralding the end of the war.

Dean.
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Wasnt there a picture that included mount Fujiyama in the background but I dont recall it being a Life magazine cover.
 
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