Military questions and answers.

Miscellaneous military trivia.

What was the cause of the brief undeclared war that broke out between Honduras and El Salvador in July 1969?
A: El Salvador's victory over Honduras in the three game World Cup soccer play-off. The war is known as the Soccer War.

How long did the Battle of Waterloo last?
A: About nine and a half hours.

What did the famous backstage mother of actress Ginger Rogers do during World War I?
A: Lela Rogers was a Marine sergeant.

When during World War II did Russia declare war on Japan?
A: On August 8, 1945--two days after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima.

How did wartime conservation efforts affect the Oscars handed out at Academy Award ceremonies during World War II?
A: They were made out of wood--gilded wood, of course. After the war, they were replaced by real Oscars.

Soldiers of what nation do not have to salute officers and are paid overtime for KP and other undesirable assignments?
A: The Netherlands, whose army was fully unionized in the 1960s.

How did Napoleon Bonaparte finance his invasion of Russia in 1812?
A: With counterfeit money. After printing it at a factory he set up in Paris, he used it to purchase military supplies.

What bathtub-bathing edict did England's King George VI issue for Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to cut down on the use of fuel during World War II?
A: He decreed that tubs could be filled with no more than five inches of water--and had lines painted at the five-inch level to make the depth of his commitment clear.

When World War II ended in 1945, How many enlisted men and women were in the nation's armed services?
A: Almost eleven million (10,795,775).

What is a military contractor referring to when talking about a "manually powered fastener-driving impact device"?
A: A Hammer.

For what expenditure did the tiny European principality of j Andorra allocate its entire national defense budget of $5 twenty years ago?
A: For bullets (blanks), for ceremonial salutes to guest dignitaries.

What utensil were British sailors forbidden to use until the very late nineteenth century because it was considered both unmanly and harmful to discipline?
A: The fork.

Who beat out Frank Sinatra as the favorite singer of American servicemen in Europe in a poll taken during World War II?
A: Country singer Ray Acuff. During the war, correspondent Ernie Pyle wrote of a Japanese attack that was preceded by the battle cry: "Te hell with Roosevelt! To hell with Babe Ruth! Go hell Roy Acuff!"

As a young naval officer serving in World War II, what famous American set up the only hamburger stand in the South Pacific?
A: President-to-be Richard M. Nixon, who was a Navy lieutenant at the time. At Nixon's Snack Shack, he served free hamburgers and Australian beer to flight crews.

In a military contract, what item is referred to as a "portable, hand-held communications inscriber "?
A:  A Pencil.