Q 01/05

Which RAF fighter caused most German losses in the Battle of Britain, despite the Spitfire's fame?

A) Typhoon

B) Hurricane

C) Defiant

D) Gladiator

Answer · why

B) Hurricane

The Hurricane inflicted about 60% of the Luftwaffe's losses in the campaign. It was also much cheaper to build than its glamorous rival, taking roughl...

Q 02/05

Which fast British bomber, nicknamed the Wooden Wonder, was partly built by furniture companies?

A) Mosquito

B) Beaufighter

C) Whirlwind

D) Blenheim

Answer · why

A) Mosquito

The Mosquito was conceived as an unarmed bomber that would rely on speed alone, and in 1941 it was one of the fastest operational aircraft in the worl...

Q 03/05

What name did pilot Paul Tibbets give the B-29 that bombed Hiroshima, in honour of his mother?

A) Bockscar

B) Necessary Evil

C) Enola Gay

D) Memphis Belle

Answer · why

C) Enola Gay

Enola Gay was the name of Tibbets's mother, who had herself been named after the heroine of a novel. He chose it the day before the mission.

Q 04/05

Which future children's author crash-landed his RAF Gladiator biplane in the North African desert?

A) Ian Fleming

B) T. H. White

C) C. S. Lewis

D) Roald Dahl

Answer · why

D) Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl fractured his skull in the crash and was temporarily blinded. He later wrote about the accident in his first published work.

Q 05/05

Which future US president was shot down in an Avenger torpedo bomber near the island of Chichijima?

A) George H. W. Bush

B) John F. Kennedy

C) Ronald Reagan

D) Lyndon B. Johnson

Answer · why

A) George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush bailed out and was rescued by the submarine USS Finback, though both of his crewmates died. He had enlisted as a naval aviator on hi...