WWII Forums Quiz Part V

The Defiant in night-fighter role??

 

ALMOST, Framert... you said too much.

 

I believe it was a Defiant squadron in the BoB. It was one of the first encounters by the Luftwaffe with the type. As I recall, it was a Me 110 squadron that though they had caught a gaggle of Hurricanes (the two look similar at a distance) and attempted to bounce them from above and behind.
Of course, this was not a good move and the Defiant gunners decimated the attacking aircraft. As one would suspect this quickly changed and the Germans learned to make head on passes against them ending their "winning streak" and daytime service in short order.

 

Well, now I have two persons who stated the correct answer (Defiant), but yet the occasion is incorrect. Try to find out when this did happen.

 

After they had 'new' radar installed?

 

No.

 

I got it!!!!!!!! http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/Defiant.htm

I guess I get to ask 1/3 of a question now.

Excellent question though, I never knew they got that many kills. I thought they were just targets and target tugs during the war.

 

Rats! You can have 'my 1/3 question' 152 if you know 1 lyric of Bridge over Troubled Water. Just kidding

 

Now it's indeed a tough question whose turn it is...

FramerT was the first one to give the right answer (Defiant), but he wrongly attributed it to the night fighter role.
T. A. Gardner was quite right, but wrongly thought this to have happened during BoB.
TA152 has the source stating the correct answer (over Dunkirk)... well, at least, you could have been diligent enough to copy it in here.

I guess T. A. Gardner deserves it the most.

 

Hey, cut me a little slack. I did my answer off the cuff at work.
The full version is on 29 May 1940 No. 264 Squadron out of Manston was ambushed over Dunkirk resulting in 38 German losses as previously described. 264 Squadron was not so lucky in future encounters as they were soon decimated once the nature of the Defiant was known to German pilots. 141 Squadron, also flying Defiants, briefly participated in the BoB but, both squadrons were withdrawn from service shortly after that.

 

To be fair, it should be noted that 38 were claimed ....subsequent researchers have put actual losses somewhat lower.

 

No new question at hand, T. A.?

 

What was the first American parachute unit to see combat in WW II?

 

2d Battalion of the 503d Parachute Infantry

 

No. Hint: They didn't necessarily parachute into combat....

 

I'm thinking something in Pacific theater; getting warm or cold??

 

North Africa, 'Operation Torch', November 8th 1942?

 

It most certainly is an airborne unit, stationed at a Japanese target in the early Pacific War, thus forced into combat. This is why I look for a list of Pearl Harbor units...

 

Pacific. And, before Torch.

 

The United States Marine Corps 1st Parachute Battalion. Landed on Gavutu during Operation Watchtower (Guadacanal) in August of '42.