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Quiz about UBoats Germanys Underwater Menace

U-Boats: Germany's Underwater Menace Quiz

The U-Boat almost turned the tide for Germany during WWII. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by beterave. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
beterave

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
335,811

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
438

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The Athenia was the first British ship sunk in WWII. What kind of vessel was the Athenia? Hint

a troopship

a battleship

a passenger ship

a carrier

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Which was the first British warship lost to a U-boat during WWII? Hint

HMS Ark Royal

HMS Warspite

HMS Courageous

HMS Resolute

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which British warship was sank at Scapa Flow by U-47? Hint

HMS Lion

HMS Royal Oak

HMS Victory

HMS Rodney

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Who was the first U boat skipper to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross? Hint

Gunther Prien

Erich Topp

Wolfgang Luth

Wilhelm Lurch

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Question 5 of 10

5. U-331 torpedoed the battleship HMS Barham. What happened to U-331 that day? Hint

she was scuttled

she escaped

she was sunk

she was captured

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Question 6 of 10

6. What does a snorkel allow a U boat to do? Hint

to transmit a radio signal

to fire torpedoes

to operate on main engines while submerged

to avoid radar and sonar

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which device allowed the Allies to detect a U boat while it was submerged? Hint

freq finders

radar

sonar

depth charges

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Question 8 of 10

8. What vital piece of equipment was recovered from U-110? Hint

an enigma machine

a homing torpedo

a high speed snorkel

secret radar equipment

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Question 9 of 10

9. When a U-boat wished to avoid passive sonar, what would the skipper do? Hint

run silent

blow all ballast tanks

dive deeper

come to periscope depth

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. When did 'wolf packs' usually attack a convoy? Hint

daytime only

at night

before dawn

anytime

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Athenia was the first British ship sunk in WWII. What kind of vessel was the Athenia?

Answer: a passenger ship

The SS Athenia was a passenger ship. She was torpedoed by U-30 on 3 September 1939.

2. Which was the first British warship lost to a U-boat during WWII?

Answer: HMS Courageous

HMS Courageous was the first British warship sunk by a U boat. U-29 sank her on the evening of 17 September 1939. She capsized and sank in 20 minutes.

3. Which British warship was sank at Scapa Flow by U-47?

Answer: HMS Royal Oak

HMS Royal Oak was sunk by U-47 on the evening of 14 October 1939. U-47, commanded by Gunther Prien, escaped and returned to Germany to receive a hero's welcome. The Royal Oak was a battleship and was sunk in the naval base at Scapa Flow. The sinking was a significant blow to British prestige.

4. Who was the first U boat skipper to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross?

Answer: Gunther Prien

Gunther Prien was the first U boat skipper to receive the Knight's Cross for sinking the Royal Oak and returning safely to Germany.

5. U-331 torpedoed the battleship HMS Barham. What happened to U-331 that day?

Answer: she escaped

Like all the other U-boats that successfully torpedoed British capital warships, she eluded the destroyers and managed to escape.

6. What does a snorkel allow a U boat to do?

Answer: to operate on main engines while submerged

A snorkel allows the U boat to operate its diesel engine while submerged and while charging its batteries. It allowed the boat to stay submerged and henceforth undetected.

7. Which device allowed the Allies to detect a U boat while it was submerged?

Answer: sonar

The Allies used sonar to detect submerged U boats while they were submerged. The technology was called ASDIC in the Royal Navy.

8. What vital piece of equipment was recovered from U-110?

Answer: an enigma machine

When the U-110 was boarded by the crew of HMS Bulldog, they recovered an enigma machine as well as code books. The movie U571 is partially based on this event.

9. When a U-boat wished to avoid passive sonar, what would the skipper do?

Answer: run silent

Silent running was recommended to avoid sonar. This meant the elimination of all unnecessary noise and required the crew to whisper orders and remain calm.

10. When did 'wolf packs' usually attack a convoy?

Answer: at night

U-boats generally stood a better chance of success attacking a convoy at night. Sonar and ASDIC were able to locate a submerged U-boat but a surfaced U boat at night was generally virtually invisible.

Source: Author beterave

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