Military Trivia - PT-109, the Crimean War, Carrier Pigeon, USS Triton, World War II, General John J. Pershing, D-Day invasion, Pearl Harbor, John F. Kennedy

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Free military trivia questions and answers. Topics: World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, General Pershing, PT-109, John F. Kennedy,

Fun trivia questions and answers - Military subjects include World War I, PT-109, Pearl Harbor, General Pershing, the Light Brigade, and more.

What was the only U.S. battleship to be present at both the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, and at the D-Day invasion, on June6, 1944?
A: The U.S.S. Nevada.

How were the height and width of modern American battleships originally determined?
A: The ships had to be able to go beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and through the Panama Canal.

What was the first U.S. Navy ship named in honor of a black person?
A: The U.S.S. Harmon, named after Leonard Roy Harmon, a mess attendant who was killed at Guadalcanal on July 25, 1943.

What was the name of the Japanese destroyer that sank PT-109, commanded by Lt. John F. Kennedy, on August 2, 1943?
A: Amigiri.

The 7th Earl of Cardigan led the charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean war. What was the name of the British commander who ordered the ill-fated attack?
A: Lord Raglan.  Both men are better remembered for fashions they introduced during the war--Cardigan for the woolen jacket he designed for his troops, and Raglan for the unique sleeves on the coat he wore.

After German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen was ki8lled in action in World War I, who became commander of his "Flying circus" fighter squadron?
A: Hermann Goering, who went on to become one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates.

What is the meaning of the Comanche phrase posah-tai-vo, the term Indian code-talkers in the Army Signal Corps used on the battlefield during World War II to refer to Adolf Hitler?
A: Crazy white man.

What type of aircraft was used to drop bombs in the first German air raids on London in 1915?
A: A Zeppelin.

In 1996, which country's army became the last in the world to disband its carrier pigeon service?
A: Switzerland's.

What were the code names for the five beachheads invaded by the Allies on D-"Day, June 6, 1944?
A: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

What message was transmitted to the French resistance during World War II with the first line of the Paul Verlaine poem Autumn Song?
A: That the D-Day landings were about to begin.  The line from Verlaine was: "The long sobs/Of the violins of  autumnO"

In World War II American army slang, what was a GI Moe?
A: An army mule.

Which of the U.S. service academies was the first to admit women?
A: The Coast Guard Academy, in July 1976.

How many times did the nuclear submarine USS Triton surface during its historic 1960 underwater circumnavigation of the globe?
A: Twice--once to remove a sick crew member, and once to pay tribute to  Ferdinand Magellan on the island of Mactan in the Philippines, where the explorer was killed in 1521 during his circumnavigation of the globe.

In what war was the color khaki first used for uniforms?
A: The Afghan War in 1880--the color was considered good camouflage.

Who was issued ID number 01 when the U.S. military started issuing dog tags in 1918?
A: General John J. Pershing.

What animal did the Carthaginians use to defeat the Romans at sea during the third century B.C.?
A: Snakes.  The Carthaginians catapulted earthenware pots of poisonous snakes onto the decks of the Roman ships.