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The Unknown Battle of Midway Trivia Quiz

You think you know about the Battle of Midway? Let's see if you can get past these obscure facts about the battle. Trust me, these questions are weird.

A multiple-choice quiz by 8_T_1. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
8_T_1

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
377,039

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
6 / 15

Plays
339

Last 3 plays: Guest 1 (10/15), Guest 185 (6/15), Guest 107 (9/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. While the Japanese were planning the attack on Midway Island, they referred to Midway by a code name. What was the code name for Midway Island? Hint

Objective MI

Objective AG

Objective MD

Objective AF

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Question 2 of 15

2. American code breakers figured out that "Target AF" referred to Midway by sending a message to Midway Island via underwater cable telling them to broadcast a fake uncoded message that something on the island was broken. What did they declare broken? Hint

the RADAR

water distillation plant

runway lights

underwater cable

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Question 3 of 15

3. As defense planes on Midway Island were an assortment of PBY Catalinas, B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-26 Marauders, TBF Avengers, F2A Buffaloes, F4F Wildcats, SBD Dauntlesses, and SB2U Vindicators. What did the pilots of the SB2Us nickname their planes? Hint

Stringbag

Wind Indicator

Flying Cigar

Slow But Deadly

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Question 4 of 15

4. The Battle of Midway was the combat debut of what would become one of America's most fearsome war planes. What was this warplane? Hint

Douglas SBD Dauntless

Grumman F6F Hellcat

Curtis SB2C Helldiver

Grumman TBF Avenger

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Question 5 of 15

5. Only one torpedo bomber from Torpedo Squadron 8 survived the battle and returned home: a TBF Avenger of the detachment on Midway Island. What was this plane's registration number, painted on its side? Hint

T-5-9

6-A-2

8-T-1

8-T-3

NEXT>

Question 6 of 15

6. The only TBF Avenger to survive the battle and make it back to Midway Island was the Avenger crewed by Albert Earnest, J.D. Manning, and Harry Ferrier. One of these men was killed in action. Who was it, and what was his position on the plane? Hint

Herry Ferrier, radioman/belly gunner

JD Manning, radioman/belly gunner

J.D. Manning, turret gunner

Harry Ferrier, turret gunner

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Question 7 of 15

7. Harry Ferrier, the radioman/gunner of a TBF Avenger, suffered a bullet wound to his head. At the time, what was he wearing on his head? Hint

a ground crew's combat helmet

his leather flight helmet

his baseball cap

a chef's hat

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Question 8 of 15

8. A US Navy submarine was on patrol near Midway Island when the battle took place. This submarine sighted a part of the Japanese fleet, but was chased away by a formation of warships. The submarine hastily took a potshot at the Japanese battleship Kirishima, one torpedo missed and the other hit but was a dud. Which submarine was this? Hint

USS Dolphin

USS Argonaut

USS Cuttlefish

USS Nautilus

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Question 9 of 15

9. When the Enterprise air group arrived over the location where the Japanese fleet was expected, the enemy was not there. However, the commander of the group, Wade McClusky, spotted something that led him to the Japanese fleet. What did McClusky spot? Hint

smoke in the distance

an oil slick

a lone Japanese destroyer

a lone Japanese scout plane

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Question 10 of 15

10. At the Battle of Midway, the majority of this American carrier-based plane was shot down. This was because this plane was obsolete, slow, unarmored, and carried unreliable weapons. The Battle of Midway was the last time this plane was used in combat. Which plane was this? Hint

Northrop BT

Grumman F3F

Brewster F2A Buffalo

Douglas TBD Devastator

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Question 11 of 15

11. During the Battle of Midway, how many American dive bombers scored direct hits on the Japanese carrier Akagi? Hint

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Question 12 of 15

12. Early in the battle, specifically at 0710 on June 4, something threatened the lives of Japanese Commander Nagumo and his entire staff on the bridge of the their flagship, the Akagi. What happened that almost killed the entire Japanese staff? Hint

The submarine USS Cuttlefish launched a spread of torpedoes, but they missed or were duds

A bomb dropped from a B-17 narrowly misses the ship

A stray AA shell from a friendly destroyer hit the bridge

A damaged US plane narrowly missed the bridge

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Question 13 of 15

13. During the entirety of Battle of Midway, how many successful torpedo attack(s) on the Japanese fleet were there? (i.e. How many American torpedoes actually hit a target and detonated?) Hint

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Question 14 of 15

14. At the Battle of Midway, how many American aircraft carriers did the Japanese BELIEVE they'd sunk? Hint

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Question 15 of 15

15. Because of his questionable behavior at the Battle of Midway, the commander of which US submarine was relieved of duty and sent to a shore station after the battle? Hint

USS Cuttlefish

USS Tambor

USS Nautilus

USS Trout

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. While the Japanese were planning the attack on Midway Island, they referred to Midway by a code name. What was the code name for Midway Island?

Answer: Objective AF

The Japanese military used "Target AF" as the code name for Midway Island.

Answer: water distillation plant

American code breakers in Pearl Harbor instructed Midway to send out a fake message declaring their water distiller broken. Later, the code breakers intercepted a Japanese message saying "AF is short on water". This way, the Americans knew Objective AF was Midway Island.

Answer: Wind Indicator

SB2U's were already deemed obsolete by the beginning of World War II, but those were among the only available planes on Midway Island, so the pilots had to use them. The obsolete planes were nicknamed "wind indicators" by their Marine pilots who had experience with the newer planes of the military.

4. The Battle of Midway was the combat debut of what would become one of America's most fearsome war planes. What was this warplane?

Answer: Grumman TBF Avenger

There were six TBF Avengers based on Midway Island as a detachment from Torpedo Squadron 8 of the USS Hornet.

Answer: 8-T-1

The only TBF Avenger to survive the battle was 8-T-1. The 8 signifies which squadron it was in (VT-8), T signifies what type of plane it was (torpedo), and 1 signifies the plane number.

Answer: J.D. Manning, turret gunner

Albert Earnest was the pilot who was able to nurse the shot-up plane back to the island after the battle. J.D. Manning was the turret gunner, and was killed in action when a 20mm cannon shell from a Zero wrecked his turret. Harry Ferrier was the radioman/belly gunner. He did suffer a bullet wound to his head, but he survived the battle.

7. Harry Ferrier, the radioman/gunner of a TBF Avenger, suffered a bullet wound to his head. At the time, what was he wearing on his head?

Answer: his baseball cap

Harry Ferrier was wearing a baseball cap when a shell from a Zero penetrated his compartment and hit his head, punching a hole in his cap and his skull. However, he did survive the battle.

Answer: USS Nautilus

The USS Nautilus was a Narwhal class submarine that was on patrol near Midway at the time of the action. It spotted part of the Japanese force, but was forced to dive and run away when she herself was spotted.

Answer: a lone Japanese destroyer

Wade McClusky spotted a Japanese destroyer, the Arashi, steaming at flank speed to the north. The Arashi was returning to the main fleet after it had unsuccessfully depth-charged the submarine USS Nautilus. McClusky led the air group on the Arashi's heading, and found the Japanese fleet.

Answer: Douglas TBD Devastator

Of the 41 Devastators in the battle, only 6 returned to their carriers. The Devastators were unarmored, slow, having a top speed of only 200 mph, defended with a single .30 caliber machine gun, and they fired unreliable Mark XIV torpedoes. These plane made easy kills for the Japanese fighter planes. After the battle, the Devastator was immediately withdrawn from frontline service.

11. During the Battle of Midway, how many American dive bombers scored direct hits on the Japanese carrier Akagi?

Answer: 1

In the heat of battle, no American dive bombers were attacking the Akagi. Lieutenant Commander Richard Best saw this mistake, and he and two other SBDs attacked the Akagi. His two wing men missed, and Best himself scored a direct hit with his bomb. It penetrated the flight deck, and exploded in the hangar where aviation fuel, bombs, and torpedoes were all over the place. Best's sole bomb ended the Akagi.

Answer: A damaged US plane narrowly missed the bridge

At 0710 in the morning of June 4, Midway Island launched its assortment of planes against the Japanese fleet. The air group inflicted no damage whatsoever on the fleet. However, a damaged Martin B-26 Marauder piloted by 1st Lieutenant Herbert Mayes, narrowly missed the Akagi's bridge, and cartwheeled into the water next to the Akagi. Nagumo and his staff were unharmed.

13. During the entirety of Battle of Midway, how many successful torpedo attack(s) on the Japanese fleet were there? (i.e. How many American torpedoes actually hit a target and detonated?)

Answer: 1

In the entire battle, there was only one American torpedo that was launched, hit, and detonated on target. On June 3rd, a torpedo launched from a Consolidated PBY Catalina based on Midway Island damaged the Akebono Maru. All other American launched torpedoes in the battle were either destroyed before reaching the target, missed, or were duds.

14. At the Battle of Midway, how many American aircraft carriers did the Japanese BELIEVE they'd sunk?

Answer: 2

In the 1st Japanese counterattack against the American fleet, planes from the Hiryu damaged the Yorktown. They knocked out her flight deck and boiler. American repair crews quickly went to work, repaired the flight deck and restored the boilers, and Yorktown was sailing under her own power within an hour.

Then, Hiryu's second attack wave closed in on the Yorktown thinking it was a different American carrier because it looked undamaged. This second attack succeeded in mortally wounding the Yorktown. Thus, the Japanese believed they had damaged and sunk two American carriers, when they had just damaged the Yorktown twice.

15. Because of his questionable behavior at the Battle of Midway, the commander of which US submarine was relieved of duty and sent to a shore station after the battle?

Answer: USS Tambor

On the night of June 5, the USS Tambor spotted four Japanese ships, but the the submarine Commander John Murphy could not identify them, so he sent a vague message to Raymond Spruance: "four large ships." The Tambor was then spotted, forcing her to dive.

The Japanese formation executed anti-submarine maneuvers, and in the confusion the cruisers Mogami and Mikuma collided with each other. When the sky was brighter, the Tambor made an unsuccessful torpedo attack, and left the battle scene. The Mogami and Mikuma were reportedly heading on a straight course and at only 12 knots; a perfect submarine target, yet the Tambor still missed.

When the Tambor reached port, Raymond Spruance was "understandably furious" and dismissed Murphy.

Source: Author 8_T_1

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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