WWII Forums Quiz Part VII

Sergeant “Wagger” Thornton , PIAT, Pegasus bridge, a little after 01h00 ..(?)

 

OK. Thanx!

Now a RN question: How many British destroyers took part in the WW2 and how many were lost?

As this also is source dependent I accept if you get ( just) the lost destroyers number close to what I have got in my source book.

 

Any ideas??

 

No clue, I would guess about 4500?

 

I give you a hint , 456 destroyers took part in the war....

 

That's it? Well then I suppose the British share would be something around 23 only.

 

Sorry. Clearly more than that....

 

ok this is probably the best I can do on this question as I am absolutely not a navy specialist. If I take the different classes and get 8 x 25 classes ranging from A to Z (except X and Y to which I added the Tribal class = I get 200 destroyers). To this I could add 6 destroyers acquired from the French + 6 from the Dutch and I have not included the vessels acquired from the U.S.

 

That´s better!

The figure I got is 164 lost. Your guess was so much closer that

it´s your turn next Skipper. Congratulations!

 

Ok who grew up in Alsace, London, Switserland and lived in the USA before returning to Germany in 1914 and was a Champagne dealer before joining the NSDAP where he had an important career? He was sentenced to death at Nurenberg.

 

Ribbentrop..? If I´m correct it was the champagne that revealed him....

 

That was a fast one! . He pretended to be noble and even added the "Von" , but many of his Kamaraden called him sarcastically the "Champagne merchant". Well done , you are the quiz leader once again.

 

Thanx. Ok next question:

How many brilliants Galland got altogether? He was given "better" ones by several high ranking nazis is the hint.

 

I believe he got three. The first one was not good enough for Göring , but then Hitler claimed he should be the one awarding these. If I remember correctly he was confiscated all but one set he had managed to hide.

 

Sorry no. Unfortunately I cannot say anything more or I give away too much info..

 

he got the Brillianten on Jan 28 1942, the sets he got later were in fact so called better ones of the same set, so I would make a second guess and say one set.

 

The three sets was my original guess the first time around a long time ago but as I read then what Galland said:

From Galland´s " Die ersten und die letzten"

" On 28 January 1942 I was awarded as the second soldier in Wehrmacht the Brilliants to my Knight´s cross. I was happily surprised. Mölders had his after his 100th air victory, and I was still missing six. Hitler thought that my new position should not give me the expression that it had stopped me from getting the highest possible honour in the German army. Besides my 94 victories were all from the Western front so they were thought as more valuable.

My first brilliants I received in the usual ceremony by Hitler. A bit later I was travelling with Goering in his special train as he wanted to see my brilliants. " Are those the brilliants that Fuhrer gave you? Let me see!"
"No" he said. "These are not brilliants! These are pieces of glassa! Totally useless! The Fuhrer has been fooled by these. He knows on tanks and planes but nothing on brilliants. I have a little stock myself, you´ll be surprised, Galland! "
Later on I was asked to Karinhall, where Goering was happy like a child. Goering took the Fuhrer´s brilliants to his other, then his brilliants to his other hand and asked me to comapre: "Look-notice the difference? Who is the one who understands on brilliants?" I must say the Goering´s brilliants were absolutely fabulous. They were big and shone beautifully. Compared to these the Fuhrer´s brilliants were nothing.So now I had two sets of brilliants.
Goering also mentione dthat he´s going to talk with Fuhrer about this matter.
I guess he did because soon I was asked to Wolfsschanze. In the presence of Milch, Keitel and Jeschonnek Fuhrer told me " Galland, you are about to receive the highest honours in the German military, but so far you only had the temporary brilliants with you..."
I was truly schocked and frightened, because I had taken Goering´s brilliants to this occasion. Goering had not told Hitler about this. The situation became even worse as Hitler wanted to have the brilliants I had on.he must have noticed they were not the brilliants he had given, but he kept it in his hand and said:" Well, see the difference! These are pure glass while these are true brilliants!" Anyhow the Goering´s brilliants were much bigger and looked better-Fuhrer had no idea of what brilliants looked like?? But now I had the brilliants in three sets.

As the war was coming towards its end, my office in Berlin was bombed and I lost my brilliants. As Hitler heard of this, he gave me a new set of brilliants-the fourth ones."

As you were closest, Skipper, with the guess three times, I am willing to give you the position of the quiz leader!