D-Day 60th Aniversary Quiz

Mark Conley

Active member
In Honor of the 60th anniversary of D-day, I’m putting this simple 15 question quiz on line. No buck for the winners...just honor and glory!
Enjoy!

The answers will be posted on 7 Jun 2004, so you had better get cracking!

1. Other than D-Day, what was the Operation Officially Called?

2. The allies , knowing that port facilities were too heavily guarded by the Germans to take, brought their very own port facilities with them. What were these port facilities called?

3. There were five beachheads assigned for the landings: What were the names of these beachheads?

4. The US Rangers were assigned to neutralize the German Gun Bunker and Artillery battery at Pointe du Hoe or Pointe Du Hoc, as it is spelled both ways. What was unusual about the battery at Pointe du Hoe or Hoc?

5. Sherman Tanks were modified to do many other tasks other than tank to tank warfare for the landings. What was the nickname given to these modified tanks?

6. Many types of munitions were specially designed to penetrate the German defenses. What was a bangalore torpedo specifically used for?

7. The USS Texas was one of the US Battleships that provided fire support for the Normandy landings. What is the USS Texas's present main claim to fame in the entire world?

8. What was the task assigned to the First United States Army Group (FUSAG)?

9, The troops in the pacific had their Navajo Code Talkers for communication security: what did the D-Day Troops use for communication security at Normandy?

10. Rommel had literally thousands of tall, telephone pole obstacles planted anywhere and every where a boat or a plane might come to land. What was the nickname given to these poles by the allied troops?

11. The British had a tank, called the Light Tank Mark VII - The Tetrarch. What was so unusual about its use at Normandy?

12. What was the official name and letter designation of the landing craft that brought men to the beach from the off shore transports?

13. What was the name of the first General Officer that landed on the beaches at Normandy?

14. What was the name of the Paratrooper that accidentally landed on the Steeple of the Church in St Mere Eglise, and was immortalized by Red Buttons in the Movie " The Longest Day"?

15. The German steel defense structures on the beaches actually served the Allies during the breakout from Normandy. How did the Americans put these beach obstructions to good use?

:D
 
1) Operation Overlord

2)Mulberries

3) Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword

4)German guns were missing, but found a short distance away

6) to clear away sand banks so they could advance through the barbed wire

7)On March 9, 1919, the USS Texas became the first American battleship to carry an airplane.

11)it was borne into action

12) The Higgens Boat LCVP

15) Used them as cover
 
5. Funnies, or rather Hobarts Funnies, after the inventor. Should also be mentioned that the British Churchill tank was widely converted as well.

8. Capture Cherbourg and the corentin peninsular. Think the capture of St. Lo was an objective as well.

11. It was an airborne tank, flown in to the LZ's by gliders. Later replaced by US M22 Locusts, which ironically the US lacked gliders big enough to carry.

13. General Theodore Roosevelt, landed on Utah beach, leading the first troops inland. He died of an heart attack a couple days later IIRC.

One comment on quiestion 4, its Point du Hoc :P

puzzling: I found it spelled both ways. Heres the info:

What is the correct name of the 2d Ranger Battalion's landing point at D-Day, Pointe du Hoe or Pointe du Hoc?

Both place names appear in print and are in a sense correct. The confusion arises because the local name for the area, Pointe du Hoc, is an old Norman name while the Parisian French spelling is Pointe du Hoe

:P
 
Just a reminder...just because what a persons posts look about right may not be the answer im looking for.

Check them answers good! :D
 
1. Operation Overlord

2.

3. Sword, Juno, Gold, Utah, Omaha

4. Won't there?

5. Tiger tanks lol. no idea.

6. To blow up barb wire while on the beaches. They could slid it down a hill of sand or into it rather and blow up the barb wire so the Allies could get through easier.

7.

8. Take Omaha beach?

9. Radios :P

12. Higgins Boats made by Andrew Higgins

13. O' davis i think

14.
 
I have learned that I will not be on-line at all for the next few days, so I have decided to post the answers early. Thanks to the people who have taken the time to do the test on-line.

1. Other than D-Day, what was the Operation Officially Called?

Answer: Operation Overlord

2. The allies , knowing that port facilities were too heavily guarded by the Germans to take, brought their very own port facilities with them. What were these port facilities called?

Answer: Mulberry’s. There were two complete harbors.

3. There were five beachheads assigned for the landings: What were the names of these beachheads?

Omaha, Utah, Sword, Juno, Gold

4. The US Rangers were assigned to neutralize the German Gun Bunker and Artillery battery at Pointe du Hoe or Pointe Du Hoc, as it is spelled both ways. What was unusual about the battery at Pointe du Hoe or Hoc?

Answer: The battery never had the guns mounted in place, and was no threat to the invasion. They were later found at a point inland, and destroyed.

5. Sherman Tanks were modified to do many other tasks other than tank to tank warfare for the landings. What was the nickname given to these modified tanks?

Answer: Hobarts Funnies.

6. Many types of munitions were specially designed to penetrate the German defenses. What was a bangalore torpedo specifically used for?

Answer: This long assembled detonated charge was used to blow gaps through barbed wire entanglements.

7. The USS Texas was one of the US Battleships that provided fire support for the Normandy landings. What is the USS Texas's present main claim to fame in the entire world?

Answer: This battleship is the only floating example of a pre-1914 style dreadnought class warship in the whole world. The rest have been scrapped or sunk. Yes, she was the first US Navy Capital ship to launch an aircraft from a catapult, but its not a world wide claim to fame.

8. What was the task assigned to the First United States Army Group (FUSAG)?

Answer: Deception that an attack was to occur at Pas de Calais, France. To keep the Germans preoccupied with Pas de Calais, the Allies created the mythical 1st United States Army Group (FUSAG). It was "placed" opposite the Germans in Dover, and "commanded" by US General George C. Patton

9, The troops in the pacific had their Navajo Code Talkers for communication security: what did the D-Day Troops use for communication security at Normandy?

Answer: They had Comanche Code Talkers.

10. Rommel had literally thousands of tall, telephone pole obstacles planted anywhere and every where a boat or a plane might come to land. What was the nickname given to these poles by the allied troops?

Answer: Rommel's Asparagus.

11. The British had a tank, called the Light Tank Mark VII - The Tetrarch. What was so unusual about its use at Normandy?

Answer: This was the first tank operationally delivered by air to the battlefield. This tank was delivered to the battle area by gliders.

12. What was the official name and letter designation of the landing craft that brought men to the beach from the off shore transports?

Answer: The Higgens Boat, LCVP. This has been referred to as the boat that won the war.

13. What was the name of the first General Officer that landed on the beaches at Normandy?

Answer: General Theodore Roosevelt. Yep he got the Medal of Honor for the event. Yep he died of a heart Attack in July of that year.

14. What was the name of the Paratrooper that accidentally landed on the Steeple of the Church in St Mere Eglise, and was immortalized by Red Buttons in the Movie " The Longest Day"?

Answer: Pvt. John Steele. Yes, he really existed. The church still hangs a dummy in a parachute from the roof to commemerate the event.

15. The German steel defense structures on the beaches actually served the Allies during the breakout from Normandy. How did the Americans put these beach obstructions to good use?

Answer: During the Normandy breakout fighting, tanks were being killed when they attempted to pierce natural barriers called hedgerows. The obstructions became raw material used to manufacture a device on the front of the Sherman that allowed it to cut through the hedgerows.

Thanks for taking the test!
 
I have to protest on number 7. USS Texas was not the only pre-1914 dreadnought still in service by then.

Both her older sister USS New York(name ship of the class) and the even older USS Arkansas from the Wyoming class that predated the New York class where still in service as battleships. USS Wyoming was also still in service, but as a gunner training ship, with her main guns replaced by 5 inch guns.

The USS Arkansas also took part in the bombardment together with the USS Texas, so she was not the oldest ship taking part.

Wyoming class
New York class
 
7. The USS Texas was one of the US Battleships that provided fire support for the Normandy landings. What is the USS Texas's present main claim to fame in the entire world?

Read the whole question. Then tell me what is wrong with your post.

:D
 
Mark Conley said:
7. The USS Texas was one of the US Battleships that provided fire support for the Normandy landings. What is the USS Texas's present main claim to fame in the entire world?

Read the whole question. Then tell me what is wrong with your post.

:D

:oops:

Reading too fast again

:oops:
 
Yep.

However, you are completely right with your ship assesment. Good work there!

BTW, I love old battleships. When I went to see the Texas for the first time in Houston, I made the mistake of visiting the park at one oclock in the morning, I was so eager to see her. The Texas Highway Patrol thought I was completely nuts, but at least they didnt arrest me when they found all the Battleship literature in the front seat.

:D
 
dday

1.operation overlord
2.Mulberry
3.Juno,gold,sword,utah,omaha
4.They were not manned when the rangers destroyed them
5.duplex drive "dd" it had extendable and retractible skirts to make it float and had propeller
6.used to get blow hole in barbed wire.
7.first ship to carry an airplane march 9,1919
8.land at omaha beach
9.Comanhe code talkers
10Rommels aspheras
11.they put a system of chains and rotors called flails
12.lCM
13.James galvin
14.John steel
15 used as cover
 
shermen tank

Perhaps the most famous variation was the "Duplex Drive," or DD, tank, a Sherman equipped with extendable and collapsible skirts that made it buoyant enough to be launched from a landing craft and make its way to shore under propeller power


here is some more regarding awsner #5
 
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