2nd WW2 Cumulative History Quiz

[privatehudson]

Ark Royal was smaller in tonnage than Royal Oak by around 7000 tons. She was btw built in my home town

The ship sank was the Empress of India, though to be fair the Uboat (U32) had help from Condors IIRC. I don't know the name of the uboat's commander though. Empress was almost twice the tonnage of Ark Royal at well over 40,000.

We sank U32 soon after though

 

[Adler17]

I think it was Kapitänleutnant (KL) Freiherr von Tiesenhausen´s U 331 meant which sank HMS Barham (31.100 ts). He got the Knights Cross for that action. Although IJS Shinano was indeed bigger.
Empress of Britain was damaged by 2 250 kg bombs of a FW 200 Condor, flown by Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope (he got the Knights Cross (KC) therefore and later the Oak Leves (1944)). The damaged liner was twoed but the small convoy of tugs and escort ships could only make 4 knots. Altough the ship was only 70 miles from land away U 32, KL Jenisch followed the ship and shot 3 eels on it. 2 of them hit the ship and sank it finally. Nevertheless it is amazing that such a big ship is sunk by only 2 bombs and two torpedoes. KL Jenisch had already recieved the KC before the sinking of the Empress of Britain. He became British prisoner. After the war he joined the German Navy again and was commander of the frigate Hipper for a while. He died in 1982.

Adler

P.S.: PH, a Uboat for such a liner is not a bad business .

 

[privatehudson]

Meh we won the atlantic war in the end

 

[dgfred]

Adler is correct of course ! Your turn.


Freiherr Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen's U331 sunk the battleship
HMS Barham on Nov.25,1941.

 

[Adler17]

I am a ship of the German Kriegsmarine. I was no real fighting unit. After the war I was scuttled but raised to serve in the navy of one of the winners of ww2. However because of certain reasons I had to stay in Germany after a visit. Last year I was bought back to Germany having back my old name. Who am I?

Adler

P.S.: A ship with the same name is also still in service in the German Navy.

 

[Adler17]

A remark on von Tiesenhausen: He was later the war captured and was POW in Canada. In 1951 he left Germany to become an interior architect in Vancuver and a quiet known nature photographer. Hand- Diedrich Freiherr von Tiesenhausen died in 2000.

Adler

 

[cidknee]

I am a ship of the German Kriegsmarine. I was no real fighting unit. After the war I was scuttled but raised to serve in the navy of one of the winners of ww2. However because of certain reasons I had to stay in Germany after a visit. Last year I was bought back to Germany having back my old name. Who am I?

Adler

P.S.: A ship with the same name is also still in service in the German Navy.

Well I don tknow for sure but this is the closest guess i got without googling it. I know that U18 was scuttled and then the russkies raised it and used it again.. know nothing about it being returned though.
now that i read it it couldnt have been a u boat, " no real fighting ship" im gonna think ita a mine sweeper or something.

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Do you really think someone would be stupid enough to buy back a 60+ year old minesweeper?

(Obviously this q is a bit easy for Germans, so I won't answer it.)

 

[privatehudson]

Gonna be pretty hard to find for non-germans given that I don't recall anything in the British or US news from last year.

 

[cidknee]

Do you really think someone would be stupid enough to buy back a 60+ year old minesweeper?

(Obviously this q is a bit easy for Germans, so I won't answer it.)

well soooororry mr smarty pants. But the canadian navy bought rotten subs from the british,., and according to many many many places on the web, Russia, Argentina and a few other countries bought lots of them, One even turned it into a presidential yacht, i think it was somewhere in south america,

 

[privatehudson]

Do you really think someone would be stupid enough to buy back a 60+ year old minesweeper?

(Obviously this q is a bit easy for Germans, so I won't answer it.)

Don't see why not, there's still pleanty of other types of warship knocking about like carriers and cruisers from WW2.

However, one clue gave me an idea. "I was no real fighting unit". Sounds like a training ship to me, and that got me thinking about Tall Ships. I'd sailed on a British Tall Ship when I was younger, so I knew a bit about them and did some digging. My guess would be you're refferring to the Gorch Fock I as it's now known. It was scuttled, raised by the Russians and used by them until the Soviet Empire collapsed when she was given to the Ukraine. She was later sold and was to be repaired in Newcastle Upon Tyne but later was moved to Germany once more, rebaptised and is now a museum ship.

 

[YNCS]

The Gorch Fock is a sister ship of the U.S. Coast Guard's bark USCGC Eagle (née Horst Wessel).

 

[privatehudson]

Indeed. I've served on a ship similar in style to her for an 11 day trip

 

[Adler17]

PH is right, it is the Gorch Fock I, which is now under repair to become a museum ship. In 1945 the ship was scuttled near Swinemünde but later raised by the Soviets. The ship got the new name Towarischtsch and was serving in the Soviet navy. After the collaps it became an Ukrainian ship. During repairs it become obvious that extended repairs had to be done, so the ship was brought to Germany, but later the costs exploded. Last year the Germans bought the ship back. It will be now restored and later it will be a museums ship.
Today the sailing training ship of the German Navy is the Gorch Fock II. The name is from the pseudonym of the low German poet Johann Kienau, a maritime enthusiastic, who died on the SMS Wiesbaden at Jutland where the ship was sunk by the British in 1916.

PH, your turn.

Adler

P.S.: A site about the Gorch Fock I as museums ship in Stralsund: http://www.gorch-fock-stralsund.de/

 

[privatehudson]

Ok, here goes one.

In the summer of 1942 Alexandria Harbour in Egypt was defended by in effect just 4 light cruisers, and the entire British battleship force in the med had been either sunk (Barham) or disabled (Queen Elizabeth and Valliant). The Italian fleet had at least 4 battleships to hand, and yet were afraid to attack, why?

 

[steviejay]

cause they Italians were getting a kicking on land and they didn't want to risk another dent to their nation's pride by going up against the renound Royal Navy?

 

[Adler17]

You know the Italian battle flag of this time, white cross on white bottom?

Adler

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

I thought 3 white fasces on white ground?

 

[CruddyLeper]

Ok, here goes one.

In the summer of 1942 Alexandria Harbour in Egypt was defended by in effect just 4 light cruisers, and the entire British battleship force in the med had been either sunk (Barham) or disabled (Queen Elizabeth and Valliant). The Italian fleet had at least 4 battleships to hand, and yet were afraid to attack, why?

I would guess air power - although they had more capital surface vessels, they would not have had air cover if the surface vessels attacked Alexandria. Bearing in mind what Swordifish torpedo bombers did at Taranto (?) they could have lost all 4 battleships for no gain.

 

[steviejay]

oh yeah I never thought of that. doh