MWS Quiz Retrospective 16/09/2020 answers

Answers to Peter’s quiz from last year.

Pictures used are public domain or used under Creative Commons licence. Click the image to see attribution and details.

Q01a: Which river in Greek mythology would travellers take to the Underworld

Answer: River Styx

Q01b: What was the name of the Ferryman

Answer: Charon

Q02a: What was the home base of Stingray in the TV series

Answer: Marineville

Q02b: From the same series can you name either the ruler of the undersea city of Titanica, or the code name of his surface agent.

Answer: Mighty Titan OR Agent X20

Q03a : Which river separated Rome from the northern provinces of Italy, over which it was forbidden for a general to bring troops without permission of the Senate?

Answer: Rubicon

Q03b: Which Roman General’s crossing of it precipitated the civil war of 49BC

Answer: Julius Caesar

Q04a: At which major river crossing did Napoleon suffer his greatest losses in the retreat from Moscow in 1812

Answer: Niemen

Q04b: Which French Marshal commanded the crossing operation and covering forces?

Answer: Marshal Ney

Q05a: What is the name of this aircraft?

Question 5a (Credit Tony Hisget. Click image for details)

Answer: Fairy Swordfish

Q05b: What is the name of its successor?Question

5b (Public domain. Click image for details)

Answer: Fairy Abelcore

Q06a: Where did the first major naval battle of WW2 take place?

Answer: River Plate

Q06b: Where did the Graf Spee take refuge after the battle?

Answer: Montevideo, Uraguay

Q07a: Who was the captain of the first submarine Nautilus?

Answer: Nemo (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Q07b: Where or when was the first operational submarine used in combat?

Answer: American War of Independence, Sept 7 1776 the “Turtle” attacked the British flagship HMS Eagle in New York harbour

Q08a: Where was the first major land action of the combined allied armies fought against Imperial Russia in 1854?

Answer: River Alma

Q08b Which river gave its name to the battle in autumn 1914 which stopped the German advance on Paris?

Answer: River Marne

Q09a: Which combat over the river Derwent ended Scandinavian hopes in England?

Answer: Battle of Stamford Bridge, 1066

Q09b: Which battle of ‘Black Week’ in the 2nd Boer War was fought at a river crossing?

Answer: Battle of the Modder River, 1899

Q10a: Which Indiana Jones film starred River Phoenix as young Indy?

Answer: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Q10b: Where was Thoeden’s son Theodred killed?

Answer: At the Fords of Isen

Q11a: Which river did this bridge span?

Question 11a (Public Domain. Click image for details)

Answer: The Rhine (at Remagen)

Q11b: Name any ludicrous attempts to destroy it after its capture by US Forces?

Any of the following answers: V2 rocket, Arado jet, Frogmen, 600mm Karl-Gerät, naval mines

Q12a: Which club show game featured British ‘stay behind’ partisans in a 1940 ‘What If’?

Answer: Bridge on the River Wye (2011-12)

Q12b: Several club games of the 2nd VietNam war featured riverine action. Which river was the primary focus?

Answer: The Mekong

MWS Quiz 24th February 2021 – Answers

Here are the answers to Peter’s latest quiz…

Q1a: “Green Grow The Rushes Oh” was widely sung by American troops in which war?

Answer: 1846 War with Mexico

Q1b: What nickname did the Spanish/Mexican population give these troops?

Answer: “Gringos”

Q2a: What TV series usually ends with a rendition of ‘Over The Hills & Far Away’?

Answer: Sharpe

Q2b: In which century was it first regularly sung by British troops?

Answer: 18th – it was a folk tune in the 17th (at least), but ‘army lyrics’ were 1706.

Q3a: Many regiments in the 19th Century had a band. Apart from signalling & boosting morale, what other key function did they often perform in combat?

Answer: Helping with the wounded.

Q3b: How did the Romans employ musicians in actual combat with Carthage?

Answer: Used to help scare the Carthaginian elephants.

Q4a: For a full orchestral staging, what unusual instruments do you need for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture?

Answer: Cannon!

Q4b: What was the WW2 ‘Red Orchestra’?

Answer: German intelligence name for a loose network of Soviet spy rings across Germany & Europe.

Q5a: The song ‘Lili Marlene’ was already very popular among German troops before WW2. Where did the British army first start to take it up?

Answer: North Africa.

Q5b: “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn is sung during the closing credits of which famous Cold War film?

Answer: Dr Strangelove.

Q6a: Why did Beethoven’s 5th Symphony have such massed appeal in Britain during WW2?

Answer: The opening 4 beats formed the morse letter V (for Victory).

Q6b: Which award-winning Sci-Fi film used five notes as its main theme/signature?

Answer: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Q7a: A special version of ‘Men of Harlech’ is sung in a famous scene from which film?

Answer: Zulu.

Q7b: What is the full title of the British army unit primarily depicted in the film?

Answer: 24th Regt of Foot (2nd Warwickshires). Note – they only became South Wales Borderers in 1881.

Q8a: Hollywood notwithstanding, the song ‘Garryowen’ was most famously adopted by which unit?

Answer: U.S. 7th cavalry

Q8b: ‘The British Grenadiers’ was introduced to the UK by William III, but actually first adopted by which British army unit in 1716?

Answer: Royal Artillery.

Q9a: Hail The Conquering Hero’ was played in the film ‘Waterloo’ on what occasion?

Answer: Duchess of Richmond’s ball in Brussels (entry of the Duke of Wellington)

Q9b: For which victorious British Commander was it originally devised/dedicated?

Answer: Duke of Cumberland, post-Culloden

Q10a: General Grant famously said he could only remember two tunes. Which was his favourite?

Answer: Dixie (he couldn’t remember the name of the other one!)

Q10b: ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ has been the national anthem of the USA since 1931. Which war was it written to commemorate?

Answer: The War of 1812

Q11a: Music has often been used to intimidate the enemy. Which track was played by the 1st / 9th (Air Cavalry) in their Hollywood debut?

Answer: ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ by Wagner; during the air-assault in the film ‘Apocalypse Now’

Q11b: Where was ‘rock music’ actually first used officially as a psyops weapon?

Answer: 1989 assault on Panama (attack on General Noriega’s palace)

Q12a: Which BBC series was one of the first ever to use all-electronic theme music?

Answer: Dr Who

Q12b: Why was ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’ banned by the BBC in 1942?

Answer: Because it was thought that the clapping chorus caused too much production loss by factory workers!

 

MWS Quiz Retrospective – 5th August 2020 Answers

Here’s the answers to the latest of Peter’s quizzes from last year. 

01a         Which unit took the main part of the fight against the Persians at Thermopylae?

Answer: Spartans (plus 1200-odd Thebans)

01b         What is the common name for the Persian Guard troops who eventually broke through?

Answer: The Immortals

02a         Which order of Crusader knights were also part-time doctors?

Answer: Knights (Hospitalers) of St John

02b         When their last HQ in Europe was taken by the Turks, what were the elite Turkish forces called?

Answer: Janissaries

03a         Which units of mainly German mercenaries were raised in the Renaissance era to combat the Swiss?

Answer: Landsknechts

03b         Which renaissance-era unit is still serving in Europe today? Not ‘Beefeaters’ (Yeoman of the Guard?

Answer: The Swiss Guard (1st set-up by Julius 2nd in 1506)

04a         18thC: The American militia units were commonly known as what?

Answer: Minutemen

04b         Which hero of the irregular SYW against the French & Indians on the US/Canadian border fought against the US?

Answer: Colonel Robert Rogers

05a         The 95th Rifles was one of two rifle-armed units of the British Army in the Peninsular. What was the other one?

Answer:  60th (Royal American) Regiment

05b         What was the French Guard equivalent unit commonly called, to distinguish them from general Voltigeur/light infantry?

Answer: Tirailleurs

06a         What is the name of the ‘super-orc’ units created by Saruman (Christopher Lee)

Answer:  Uruk-Hai

06b         What is the common name of the shadowy group of super-humans from the north to which Aragorn initially belongs?

Answer: Dunedain or Rangers of the North

07a         What was unusual about the Union 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regt in the early years of the war?

Answer: They were armed as lancers

07b         What was unusual about the CSA Marine Corps

Answer: They never went to sea; only fought one naval action, as gunners on CSS Virginia.

08a         Which British Army unit only lasted from 1912 to 1918?

Answer: Royal Flying Corps

08b         Which other specialised unit only lasted from 1915 until 1922?

Answer: Machine Gun Corps

09a         What knick-name did the Germans give to WW2 British Parachute forces?

Answer: The Red Devils

09b         What did they call their own parachutists?

Answer: Green Devils (the Fallschirmjager, ‘Hunters From The Sky’)

10a         To which human organisation does the hero belong:  Steve Zodiac (Fireball XL5)

 

Answer: WSP – World Space Patrol

10b         To which human organisation does the hero belong:  Troy Tempest (Stingray)

 

Answer: WASP – World Aquanaut Security Patrol

10c         To which human organisation do the heroes belong:  Tracey family (Thunderbirds)

 

Answer: IR – International Rescue

10d         To which human organisation does the hero belong:  Colonel Straker (UFO)

 

Answer: SHADO – Supreme HQ Alien Defence Organisation

10e         Name any two of the Angels in Captain Scarlet

 

Answer: Destiny, Melody, Rhapsody, Symphony, Harmony

11a         What is the US equivalent unit to our SAS

Answer: 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D) more commonly known as Delta Force

11b         And their not-Soviet-really counterparts

Answer: SPETZNAZ

12a         MWS Game of a famous siege lasting almost 2yrs

Answer: Beds of Jonquils (Masada) AD73