Challenge #15

7 October 2026

These are the ten questions from War Dossier daily challenge #15, of 7 October 2026, with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Today's challenge is a different one and it is free to play.

Challenge answers

1 / 10

The photograph shows Spitfire fighters flying in a tight three-aircraft formation. What was this formation known as in the RAF?

• 'Vic' formation
• Finger-four
• Line astern formation
• Echelon formation

The 'vic' formation, with three fighters flying tightly together in a V shape, was the RAF standard at the start of the battle, inherited from 1930s doctrine and designed more for visual order than for scanning the sky.

2 / 10

In what year was the Battle of Medenine, the last German offensive attempt in North Africa, fought?

• 1943
• 1942
• 1944
• 1941

The battle was fought on 6 March 1943, in the final phase of the Tunisia campaign.

3 / 10

What was the actual (unsloped) thickness of the T14's frontal glacis plate, the Anglo-American assault tank project?

• About 50 mm
• 76 mm
• 305 mm
• About 127 mm

The T14's frontal glacis plate was actually about 50 mm thick, but its steep slope of around 60 degrees raised its effective line-of-sight protection to around 127 mm, similar to a Tiger I.

4 / 10

What was to happen to the French fleet under the terms of the June 1940 Franco-German armistice?

• It had to be demobilised in its ports under supervision
• It had to be handed over entirely to the Kriegsmarine
• It had to sail to British ports
• It had to be scuttled immediately at sea

The text provided for demobilisation under German or Italian supervision, without formal transfer of the ships.

5 / 10

Unlike the siege of Odessa, which lasted more than two months, what distinguishes the Battle of Uman in terms of duration?

• It was resolved within a few weeks of maneuvering and fighting
• It dragged on for more than a year without resolution
• It ended within hours of beginning
• It was never fully closed

The Uman pocket developed and was resolved within a few weeks, far faster than Odessa's prolonged resistance against the Axis siege.

6 / 10

In what year did construction of the Siegfried Line begin?

• 1936
• 1929
• 1940
• 1933

The first works began in 1936, with a major reinforcement push known as the 1938 'Limes Program' shortly before the outbreak of war.

7 / 10

How many 5-inch guns did an Essex-class carrier carry as its main surface/anti-aircraft armament?

• 12
• 4
• 24
• 2

An Essex carried 12 five-inch guns, complemented by dozens of 40mm Bofors and 20mm Oerlikon pieces, forming a layered anti-aircraft defense against Japanese air attacks and kamikazes.

8 / 10

Which branch of the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) mainly brought together foreign-born fighters resident in France?

• The Immigrant Labour branch
• The French Foreign Legion
• The Special Organisation (OS)
• The Youth Battalions

The Immigrant Labour branch brought together foreign-born fighters resident in France within this organisation.

9 / 10

Comparing the fascine to the Churchill ARK as solutions for crossing a ditch, what is the key difference?

• The fascine permanently fills the ditch; the ARK serves as a reusable bridge
• Both do exactly the same thing in the same way
• The fascine is a whole vehicle and the ARK is just an accessory
• The ARK is only used in water and the fascine only on land

The fascine is a one-time bundle that ends up buried in the ditch, filling it; the Churchill ARK, by contrast, is a whole vehicle that positions itself inside the obstacle and deploys ramps, itself becoming the bridge structure that other vehicles drive over, and it can in theory be recovered.

10 / 10

Approximately how many Hetzers were built between March 1944 and May 1945?

• About 2,827
• About 300
• About 15,000
• About 50

About 2,827 units were built, making it the Wehrmacht's most numerous light tank destroyer in the war's final months.