These are the ten questions from War Dossier daily challenge #27, of 19 October 2026, with the correct answer and an explanation for each. Today's challenge is a different one and it is free to play.
Credit: Teniente Horace Bristol (US Navy) · Licence: Dominio público (PD-USGov) · View at original source
Challenge answers
1 / 10
Which aircraft is shown in the photograph?
PBY Catalina
B-29 Superfortress
TBF/TBM Avenger
H8K "Emily"
The Catalina is identified by its high parasol wing mounted on struts and the retractable stabilizing floats at the wingtips, typical of a flying boat. It was essential for maritime patrol, air-sea rescue, and spotting enemy fleets across the Pacific.
2 / 10
What date marks the German shift in target from RAF airfields to London?
7 September 1940
13 August 1940
15 September 1940
4 July 1940
On 7 September 1940 the Luftwaffe launched its first major raid on London, abandoning the systematic attack on airfields.
3 / 10
What main gun, capable of reliably engaging heavy German tanks, did the M36 Jackson mount?
The 90 mm M3 gun
The 76 mm gun
The M10's 3-inch gun
A 105 mm howitzer
The M36 mounted the 90 mm M3 gun, adapted from an anti-aircraft piece, far superior in penetration to earlier American tank destroyer guns.
4 / 10
On what exact date was Tito wounded during the Fifth Offensive?
9 June 1943
25 May 1944
24 September 1941
29 November 1941
The air raid that wounded Tito took place on the morning of 9 June 1943.
5 / 10
How were Wake's 5-inch coastal guns organized?
Six guns divided among three batteries (A, B and L)
Four guns divided among two batteries
Eight guns divided among four batteries
Two guns concentrated in a single battery
The six 5-inch guns were distributed among three separate batteries, sited at key points of the atoll.
6 / 10
The availability of continuous escort for American bombers contrasts with the situation of those that attacked Ploesti in 1943, which...
flew without any fighter escort during the entire mission
had continuous escort from long-range fighters
were escorted by Pathfinder Force aircraft
used the same marking technique as the Pathfinder Force
The Ploesti attack, operating from Libya at very long range, was flown without fighter escort, unlike the missions that later benefited from long-range escort.
7 / 10
Which groups of the civilian population were affected by the German reprisal in the Wola district of Warsaw, according to historians?
Men, women, children and hospital patients
Only captured armed combatants
Only officials of the collaborationist government
Only accredited foreign journalists
Historians document that victims included civilians of all ages, including hospitalized patients unable to flee.
8 / 10
What did the Anderson and Morrison shelters have in common as a British response to bombing?
Both were free or low-cost steel household shelters
Both were compulsorily installed in underground public shelters
Both were garden trenches dug by residents themselves
Both were public brick shelters built out in the street
Both the Anderson (for gardens) and the Morrison (for indoors) were household civil-defence solutions made of steel, distributed free or at low cost depending on family income, to supplement public shelters.
9 / 10
What main gun was planned for the first, roughly 100-ton, version of the Japanese O-I?
A Type 92 105mm gun
A Type 88 75mm gun
A 127mm naval gun
A 150mm howitzer
The 100-ton version of the O-I called for a Type 92 105mm gun as its main weapon.
10 / 10
How did the Japanese army obtain examples of the Bofors gun during the war?
By capturing them when conquering the Dutch East Indies in 1942
By buying them directly from Sweden in 1943
By receiving them from Germany as part of an Axis agreement
By manufacturing them under Swedish license since 1938
Japan obtained captured Bofors guns when it conquered the Dutch East Indies in 1942; it was so satisfied with the design that it attempted to produce a replica (the 'Type 5 anti-aircraft gun'), though it only managed to build three prototypes.
Today's challenge is another ten questions. No sign-up, nothing to install.
