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Quiz about Oh Captain My Captain
Quiz about Oh Captain My Captain

Oh Captain, My Captain! Trivia Quiz


Not to be confused with the naval captain, the rank of army captain is among the oldest military ranks. Here are the insignia of ten captains from around the world - but can you identify the country?

A photo quiz by WesleyCrusher. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Time
4 mins
Type
Photo Quiz
Quiz #
394,726
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
464
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Guest 107 (4/10), PurpleComet (7/10), Guest 73 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The most common and basic pattern for an army captain's insignia features three stars stacked vertically. Here is an example using slightly flowery stars; although given the country of origins you could also see them as little chocolates. Where is it from? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. A variation of the basic design adds a stripe or border to the three basic stars. This design is from a rather young country that has only existed since 1992, but which one? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. This insignia is a bit older - it dates from World War I - but the current one used in the country is still very similar, albeit less beautiful. Where would a mountain infantry captain have worn this? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Some countries certainly put more effort into their designs than others. You wouldn't typically expect a cold country known more for its lakes than its flora to use flowers in their design, but which one of them does? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Not every captain will have to be content with three stars - in one military tradition, he or she will get four of them. The four-star captain was, more or less, used throughout the entire Warsaw Pact, but where is the pictured original from? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. On the other hand, if you had been a captain in a certain European country during World War II, you'd have had to be satisfied with only two stars and the prospect of being on the losing side. Where does this insignia hail from?
Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Enough stars now! This insignia may look like a navy commander, but you'd be hard pressed to find a navy in its country of origin. Which country uses these simple three stripes for their captain rank? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. This design comes from what is probably one of the most difficult officer insignia systems to memorize. You will still probably have no problems identifying the country - which is it? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This design clearly says "air force" and you might mistake it for a United States non-commissioned rank, but it is indeed a captain. Which South American country decorates a "capitao" with this triple bar?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Vertical bars? That's a new one to me. Only one country I know of would have this slightly Aztec-inspired design on its shoulder boards - which one would that be? Hint



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View Image Attributions for This Quiz

Most Recent Scores
Mar 24 2024 : Guest 107: 4/10
Mar 23 2024 : PurpleComet: 7/10
Mar 05 2024 : Guest 73: 6/10
Feb 17 2024 : stevroll: 8/10
Feb 06 2024 : Guest 213: 3/10
Feb 04 2024 : winston1: 7/10
Jan 30 2024 : Guest 193: 10/10

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The most common and basic pattern for an army captain's insignia features three stars stacked vertically. Here is an example using slightly flowery stars; although given the country of origins you could also see them as little chocolates. Where is it from?

Answer: Belgium

Captain is usually the third lowest officer rank with two different lieutenant grades below it, thus most captains' insignia will feature three of the basic "officer" item, most commonly stars. Five point stars are the most common but variations range from triangular pips (used by Philippines) to at least fifteen points (as seen in India).
2. A variation of the basic design adds a stripe or border to the three basic stars. This design is from a rather young country that has only existed since 1992, but which one?

Answer: Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Bosnian officers' insignia as a whole use a pattern seen in many European nations: Company-grade officers have a very simple or no embellishment to go with their stars, field-grade officers have an additional, more elaborate item (in the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a pair of crossed swords) and generals an even more elaborate one (adding a wreath and shield to the swords).
3. This insignia is a bit older - it dates from World War I - but the current one used in the country is still very similar, albeit less beautiful. Where would a mountain infantry captain have worn this?

Answer: Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary traditionally used gorget patches instead of shoulder boards, a custom still seen in the dress uniforms of both armies today. The flower is an Edelweiss and represents mountain infantry. Higher ranks in the country put the stars on a field of silver or gold braid partially (field grade) or completely (generals) covering the gorget area.
4. Some countries certainly put more effort into their designs than others. You wouldn't typically expect a cold country known more for its lakes than its flora to use flowers in their design, but which one of them does?

Answer: Finland

Finnish army insignia are traditionally worn on the collar and have quite elaborate designs, even for non-commissioned ranks. If you move up the ranks from captains, you'd first see a double border around the stars and then, for generals, golden Finnish lions in a golden border on a red base. On the field uniform, standard shoulder boards are used and there are no borders - the only difference between a captain and a colonel is that the colonel's flower pips are larger.
5. Not every captain will have to be content with three stars - in one military tradition, he or she will get four of them. The four-star captain was, more or less, used throughout the entire Warsaw Pact, but where is the pictured original from?

Answer: Russia

Unlike most armed forces, the Soviet army used three lieutenant grades instead of the usual two and that setup was enforced throughout the entire Warsaw pact, even though the actual designs varied. Field grade officers have larger stars and two vertical red stripes on their insignia while generals wear a braided pattern with even larger stars.

Some generals' titles in Russia and former East Bloc states are also off by one step: The direct translation of Major General identifies a one-star rank and Lieutenant General is the two-star rank.
6. On the other hand, if you had been a captain in a certain European country during World War II, you'd have had to be satisfied with only two stars and the prospect of being on the losing side. Where does this insignia hail from?

Answer: Germany

The German Reichswehr and later Wehrmacht used an officer pattern that had one fewer star throughout the entire grade chart than most comparable patterns - second lieutenants, majors and brigadiers had no stars on their respective shoulder boards. Field grade officers replaced the straight silver cords with a braided pattern and generals had silver stars on gold braided cords.

The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) kept using the same basic designs after 1945, but with the Soviet star counts (so this insignia would be a GDR second lieutenant), while West Germany switched to a very plain, basic pattern using simple stars, combined with an oak leaf cluster for the higher ranks.
7. Enough stars now! This insignia may look like a navy commander, but you'd be hard pressed to find a navy in its country of origin. Which country uses these simple three stripes for their captain rank?

Answer: Switzerland

Swiss NCO insignia actually look more impressive than their commissioned counterparts, featuring a wreathed Helvetic cross in addition to bars and chevrons. Most officers just have these basic stripes. Field grade officers have wider but otherwise identical stripes.

The Swiss do not use the term "General" outside war - their highest ranks translate to Brigadier, Divisionary and Corps Commander.
8. This design comes from what is probably one of the most difficult officer insignia systems to memorize. You will still probably have no problems identifying the country - which is it?

Answer: United States of America

To my knowledge, the Unites States insignia system is the only one where a golden symbol is junior to the same symbol in silver. It is also one of very few that uses unique items for most of its officer ranks instead of adding multiples of the same one.

While the army, the air force and the marines all use the same pattern in their commissioned ranks, the actual metal insignia are not freely exchangeable between branches - as an example, this marine captain's insignia has different geometric proportions than her army equivalent's.
9. This design clearly says "air force" and you might mistake it for a United States non-commissioned rank, but it is indeed a captain. Which South American country decorates a "capitao" with this triple bar?

Answer: Brazil

I hope the Portuguese language name of the rank helped you identify the country. Most Brazilian air force officer insignia are composed of the three-bar design shown here and a similar version with just two bars. Field grade officers use two items to achieve a progression of the bar count - 2+2 for major, 3+2 for lieutenant colonel and 3+3 for colonel.

There is no second lieutenant in the Brazilian air force, so no one-bar insignia is required.
10. Vertical bars? That's a new one to me. Only one country I know of would have this slightly Aztec-inspired design on its shoulder boards - which one would that be?

Answer: Mexico

Besides featuring the unusual design, Mexico is one of the few countries that make an actual, visible distinction between two grades of captain (although a pay grade separation exists in many countries). The insignia shown is that of a senior captain (capitán primero) while that of a junior captain (capitán secundo) has a shorter central bar. Higher ranks do not expand on the bar pattern - they just feature stars and, for generals, the Mexican eagle.
Source: Author WesleyCrusher

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