WWII Quiz

The funny thing about this is that he also moved Alexandria a few miles up the coast using similar techniques and he was nearly killed testing the lights he used to hide the Suez Canal, as the pilot of the test plane flew into the lights the rotating beams disorientated him and he lost control of the aircraft.
 
Partisan said:
At last 1 that I think I can answer:

1. He was called Jasper Maskelyne.
2. He was a stage magician before the war.
3. To hide the Suez Canal be constructed a rotating cone of mirrors, creating a wheel of spinning light, some 9 miles long. The intent was to dazzle German pilots so that they dropped their bombs off target. (Interestingly enough, the British Army were still looking at the use of light for camouflage in the early 90's.)
4. The unit were nicknamed the Magic gang, not too sure what their official designation was.

Great question, certainly had me plumbing the depths, need to go back and reread by Boys Own comics!
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Spot on.

The device was fitted to seach lights. Your comment about the British Army were looking at light for camouflage is interesting, as the device is still classified as top secret.

He also played a huge part during the battle of El Alamein with his dummy tanks, trucks and fuel pipe line.
 
Gumph, wasn't aware that it had been uprated, best keep shtum.

Anyway here is my question.

A commando attack on Singapore Harbour in 1943 led to the sinking / damaging of 7 Japanese ships.

1. Who led the unit?
2. What was it called?
3. Name the Operation.
4. What craft were used?
 
Partisan said:
Gumph, wasn't aware that it had been uprated, best keep shtum.

Anyway here is my question.

A commando attack on Singapore Harbour in 1943 led to the sinking / damaging of 7 Japanese ships.

1. Who led the unit?
2. What was it called?
3. Name the Operation.
4. What craft were used?
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(1) Major Ivan Lyon

(2) Z Special Unit, more commonly but also incorrectly referred to as 'Z Force', in fact these were two entirely different units. The raiders comprised 4 British and 10 Australians.

(3) Operation Jaywick

(4) MV Krait a Japanese fishing boat to transport the group, then collapsible canoes to transport the raiders from their LUP to Keppel Harbour and back again.

The second raid, Operation Rimau ended in failure with the capture and execution of all those who took part.

I found this question interesting as I was stationed in Singapore and knew Keppel Harbour quite well.

Good question Partisan.

Although the device used to hide the Suez Canal is still classified as top secret, the device is actually well know around the world. What is generally unknown (or secret) is the actual design, construction and method of use.

The story and the device was shown on TV here recently, but the majority of the device was blanked out.
 
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BritinAfrica you're up.

For anyone else who didn't get the answer please read up on it. This is a fantastic story, showing true courage & commitment even though it has a tragic ending.
 
Here's a simple one.

During WW2, which American weapon did the SAS adopt in place of the Lee Enfield?

Give the two main reasons why the rifle was adopted over the Lee Enfield.
 
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I'll give you that.

It was the M1 carbine.
The two main reasons why it was chosen was because it was far lighter and troops could carry more ammunition for a given weight.

Your turn TOG
 
What was the designation of the version of the V1 Flying Bomb that had a cockpit, and how many of said piloted missiles were produced?
 
Sneaky!! Was it the Oka, made by the Japanese, nearly 900 produced? Or have I over complicated things again?
 
My book says about 175, but that's close enough.


V1_V4_500.jpg

There you have it, the standard Fi-103 (V-1) at the top, and the Fi-103R at the bottom.

Your turn, monty.
 
There were only a handful of V1 made with a cockpit on it, these were manned by test pilot trying to find out what made them crash just launch. The problem was solved by a woman test pilot
 
LeEnfield said:
There were only a handful of V1 made with a cockpit on it, these were manned by test pilot trying to find out what made them crash just launch. The problem was solved by a woman test pilot
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Her name was Hanna Reitsch.

The Fieseler Fi 103R manned missile was one of the many desperate projects conceived as the German situation became more hopeless. Basically the Fi 103R was a piloted version of the V-1 flying bomb powered by the same Argus pulsejet engine.

By mid-1944 preparations had been made for mass production, in time for the operation to attack the Allied forces amassed in southern England. The Fi 103R was to be carried by a parent aircraft and released near the target.

The pilot would then take over and guide the bomb to a dive toward the target, and he was to detach the canopy and bale out just before impact.

The canopy, however, would very likely block the pulsejet inlet and reduce the chance of pilot survival to almost zero. Nevertheless the Germans went to great lengths to distinguish their Selbstopfermänner (self-sacrifice men) from the Japanese Kamikaze pilots, whose cockpits were sealed close before take-off.

The Fi 103R's operation was codenamed Reichenberg and a total of about 175 Fi 103Rs (R for Reichenberg) were made. The R-I, R-II and R-III were used for testing and training, and R-IV was to be the production model.

Two Rechlin test-pilots crashed while flying the Fi 103R; afterwards trial flights were transferred to DFR test-pilots Hanna Reitsch and Heinz Kensche. Flying the Fi 103R was quite simple, since the Fi 103R's unmanned version could fly without direct control.

Landing on the other hand was very difficult due to the primitive control system, absence of landing gear and high landing speed. This should not have mattered much because the Fi 103R was not designed to return anyway!

The project never took off, due to the German high command's apathy, even though some 70 pilots volunteered for training.
 
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Ok here is a quick question, in early 1943 the Russians had an opportunity to kill or capture Hitler.
A. Where did this opportunity take place.
B. Why was Hitler there.
C. When did the incident take place.
 
Mar 13, 1943
visiting army headquarters at Smolensk
During Hitler's return trip by air, a bomb in a package fails to explode.
 
Mayser said:
Mar 13, 1943
visiting army headquarters at Smolensk
During Hitler's return trip by air, a bomb in a package fails to explode.
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Oddly enough this is not the answer I am looking for but I am going to give it to you because I can't verify the answer I was looking for.
 
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