Quiz on weapons of war

On September 15, 1916, the British army used tanks for the very first time in the Battle of the Somme. This quiz is about weapons of war.

1 Which specific weapon of war, particularly in the hands of the Welsh, is believed to have been instrumental in the English winning the battles of Crécy, Poitiers and Agincourt during the Hundred Years War against the French?

2 Izhmash is the official manufacturer of which specific weapon, of which over a hundred million have been produced to date and which also features on the coat of arms of Zimbabwe and East Timor?

3 Surus (“The Syrian”) was a favourite weapon of war of the great Carthaginian general Hannibal and even featured in coins struck in that period. Who or what was Surus?

4 Biremes and Triremes were the standard warships of the ancient Greeks and were also used by the Phoenicians and Romans. What was the difference between the two?

5 Which weapon, originally with a curved blade and usually used by light cavalry in the Napoleanic era, is now one of the three forms of duelling weapon used in Olympic fencing?

6 Which specific British weapon of war was designed and perfected at the Woolwich a Arsenal after their army had captured a huge stock after the fall of the fort of Srirangapatna in 1799?

7 The de Havilland Mosquito was on the most versatile aircraft of the war, used as a tactical bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, night fighter, pathfinder and maritime strike aircraft. What distinguished the Mosquito from other aircraft of the time?

8 The Merkava is a tank design based on a specific country’s extensive use of armour in combat. It has features that allow it to carry infantry and also an active protection system and other measures for counter-terrorism. Which country designed and deployed the Merkava tank?

9 The M-Gerät guns were first used in 1914, and came into prominence with their role on the Battle of Liège. They got their nickname from the head of which German industrial family?

10 The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is an American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed ‘Skunk Works’ in California. What was special about this aircraft?

Answers

1 The Longbow, a large bow which dominated battlefields till the 16th century

2 The AK-47 Assault rifle, designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. About half the weapons produced are counterfeit

3 Surus was a war elephant, one of the few that survived Hannibal’s epic journey across the Alps

4 The Biremes had two banks of oars and rowers on each side, the trireme was usually larger and had three banks of oars

5 The sabre, the idea is that it also allows cuts as well as thrusts

6 The military rockets, also called Congreves. The British first came across the rockets while fighting Hyder Ali’s army

7 It was primarily made of wood, as opposed to metal

8 Israel

9 Krupp, they were nicknamed ‘Big Bertha’ after Bertha Krupp

10 This was the first operational ‘stealth’ aircraft

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster;

Twitter: @joybhattacharj

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