How Much Do You Know About WWII Tanks?

By: John Miller
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much Do You Know About WWII Tanks?
Image: wikimedia

About This Quiz

During the Great War, generals contended with a unique problem — modern weapons versus outdated battlefield tactics. The massive carnage that resulted forced millions of men into protective trenches, and a stalemate ensued. Engineers began building armored vehicles meant to defeat trenches … and the concept of the tank was born. In the Second World War, tanks got more reliable and much deadlier. In this quiz, do you think you really know the tanks of World War II?

By the end of the war, it was indisputable that the Soviet Union and Germany made the best tanks of the conflict. Furthermore, the Nazis had another major advantage that they put to use in armored combat. Do you recall why some tanks were better than others, how some brilliant generals maximized their capabilities?

There were numerous classes of tanks produced in WWII. Some were meant to provide fast support for infantry units on the move. Others were rolling fortresses, with massive guns and thick armor that made them virtually impervious to regular anti-tank munitions. What do you know about the various types of tanks in the war?

Movies and historical accounts have glorified the tanks of WWII. Tens of thousands of these vehicles prowled battlefields in both the European and Pacific Theaters. Close the hatch, man the 88mm gun and take aim at this dramatic WWII tank quiz now!

During World War II, the Sherman tank was built by which country?
United States
Germany
Japan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The U.S. relied heavily on its Sherman battle tanks during WWII. It built tens of thousands of these tanks hoping to beat back the Nazi blitzkrieg.

Advertisement

The Panzer Mark IV was the most common tank from which nation?
Italy
Ireland
Germany
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Germany gained fame for its variants of Panzer tanks in WWII. The Panzer Mark IV was this Axis country’s most common tank, with about 8,000 produced for battle.

Advertisement

Which country had the most tanks at the beginning of the war?
USSR
Germany
Japan
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Soviet Union had a mighty military at the war’s outset. It had more than 18,000 tanks, more than the rest of the world combined.

Advertisement

What feature, which was lacking in many WWI tanks, became common with WWII tanks?
turrets
flamethrowers
alloy treads
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Turrets, which allowed the main gun to turn, were rarer in WWI. But in WWII, turrets were deemed absolutely necessary on both sides.

Advertisement

What was a key feature of the Panzer Mark V Panther?
radar
guided missiles
sloping armor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Germany’s Panzer Mark V Panther had armor that in some variants sloped up to 55 degrees. The extremely angular design deflected many enemy rounds, even those of a large caliber.

Advertisement

What sort of reputation did the Soviet T-34 have in WWII?
It was the same as any other tank.
It was laughable.
It was renowned.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The T-34 was a fearsome weapon, a reliable and powerful tank. By some standards it was the best tank of the entire war.

Advertisement

The Panzer Mark VI Tiger was equipped with which weapon?
missile launcher
three .50-caliber machine guns
88mm gun
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Panzer Mark VI Tiger wielded an 88mm gun, one of the most feared weapons of the WWII battlefield. If an Allied commander screamed, "88!" you knew that it was time to run for your life.

Advertisement

Many Sherman tanks used gasoline for fuel and had a reputation for doing what?
running out of fuel
catching fire or exploding
driving way too fast
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gasoline-powered Sherman tanks hit by enemy rounds often caught fire or even exploded, or "brewed up." It was a very bad thing for the men inside.

Advertisement

What was a primary trait of the British Churchill tank of WWII?
It featured four wheels.
It had 120mm guns.
It was heavy.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Churchill tank was one of heaviest Allied tanks of the conflict. It weighed about 40 tons and had a 350hp engine that struggled to make the machine go much more than 10 mph.

Advertisement

What was NOT another name for the so-called "cavalry" class of tank?
cruiser tank
fast tank
pony tank
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cavalry tanks were "cruiser" or "fast" tanks, lighter and speedier than heavy tanks. They had less armor, but their quickness made them valuable in high-speed operations.

Advertisement

About how many T-34 tanks did the USSR built during WWII?
about 12,000
about 80,000
about 400,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Soviets were fighting for their very lives in WWII, producing upward of 80,000 T-34 tanks alone. Many rolled off of factory lines and directly into battle.

Advertisement

What was a common nickname for Sherman tanks?
“Patton’s Patrollers"
“Ronson"
“Shermie"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With their notorious explosive potential, Shermans got the derogatory nickname "Ronson," after a popular cigarette lighter that used the slogan, "lights every time." Now imagine you're one of the guys who had to climb into one of these things.

Advertisement

What was a primary advantage of diesel-powered tanks in the war?
They were three times faster.
They had twice the range of gasoline.
They didn’t explode.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gasoline-driven tanks were way, way too combustible in the heat of battle. Diesel tanks didn’t catch fire as often, meaning their crews survived to fight (and die) another day.

Advertisement

True or false, at the beginning of WWII, were German tanks vastly superior to other tanks?
true
false
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

False. In many cases, German tanks were actually inferior to Allied tanks. But German commanders better utilized their armor, coordinating fast blitzkrieg attacks that overran enemy lines.

Advertisement

What technology did the Germans use to coordinate their fast-paced tank attacks?
flags
lights
radio
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Germans tanks were equipped with radios to coordinate attacks. By comparison, many Allied tanks completely lacked radios, depending on other means for their tactics.

Advertisement

About how many tanks did the Allies have at the beginning of the Normandy invasion?
about 900
about 5,300
about 21,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When the time for D-Day arrived, the Allies had about 5,300 tanks. The Germans? Just 1,500.

Advertisement

The Panzer Mark VI Tiger had as much as _____ of armor.
1.5 inches
4 inches
14 inches
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Not only did the Panzer Mark VI Tiger have a big 88mm gun, it had major armor, up to 4 inches thick. Regular anti-tank weapons had virtually no hope against these behemoths.

Advertisement

The M5 was an upgraded version of which tank?
Stuart
T-34
Hellcat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The M3 Stuart was a light tank. The M5 was an updated version with new engines, but with the same 37mm gun as the M3.

Advertisement

What was a nickname for the M5 Stuart?
“Edsel"
"Stu"
“Cadillac"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Because M3 Stuart engines were in such high demand, engineers began using V-8 Cadillac engines in the M5. The M5s were also roomier inside, and thus, they were called "Cadillacs."

Advertisement

As the war progressed, what happened to light tanks?
They didn’t serve on the front lines.
They disappeared altogether.
They were built in ever greater numbers for the worst battlefields.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As WWII dragged on, tanks got bigger and heavier. Light tanks were simply outclassed and so relegated to duties behind the front lines.

Advertisement

In 1943-44, how many tanks did America manufacture?
about 2,900
about 9,200
about 47,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There’s no exaggerating American military production during WWII. From 1943-44 alone, the nation built about 47,000 tanks for the purpose of dismantling the Axis. And dismantle the Axis, they did.

Advertisement

What was one of the biggest advantages of Sherman tanks?
huge numbers
6-inch armor
biggest guns of the war
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No, Sherman tanks were not the best-armored or best-armed tanks in the war. But their sheer numbers — more than 50,000 — made them a force to be reckoned with.

Advertisement

The Crocodile was a variant of the Churchill tank. How was it different?
It had a kerosene engine.
It had nukes.
It had a flamethrower.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Allies cooked up all sorts of ideas to fry Nazis, including the Crocodile tank, which was armed with a huge flamethrower. It even towed hundreds of gallons of fuel just for this single weapon.

Advertisement

What were Panzerjager?
heat-seeking tank munitions
the biggest tanks of the war
tank hunters
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Germans created Panzerjager, tank destroyers which were designed to hunt and kill enemy tanks. Some versions of the Panzerjager resembled small tanks ... with very large guns.

Advertisement

What was special about the Sherman DD?
It had laser guns.
It flew.
It could float in water.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Sherman DD was a modified version that had inflatable rubber tubes and two propellers. It could float on water toward land and then begin the attack anew.

Advertisement

How many Soviet T-34s were lost during WWII?
about 45,000
nearly 9,000
about 3,300
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No wonder the Soviets made so many planes, guns, and tanks during WWII — a lot of their weapons were destroyed in combat. About 45,000 T-34s were lost in one way or another during the conflict. Let that number sink in for a moment. Forty. Five. Thousand. Of a single vehicle type.

Advertisement

The German Tiger I tank was an excellent tank with which drawback?
It needed a huge crew.
It was too expensive.
It was too heavy.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Tiger I was too complicated to manufacture and too expensive to produce. It’s why Germany produced only about 1,300 of them during the war.

Advertisement

Compared to many models, Sherman tanks were relatively ____ to repair on the battlefield.
easy
impossible
difficult
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Shermans were noted as reliable tanks. And when they broke down or suffered damage, they were actually pretty easy to repair on a battlefield.

Advertisement

The Churchill tank had about how much frontal armor?
3 inches
12 inches
6 inches
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Churchill was a very heavy, slow tank. Why? It had about 6 inches of frontal armor that added substantially to the vehicle’s heft.

Advertisement

How many tanks did the U.S. ship to the USSR during the war?
nearly 900
about 8,000
nearly 31,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The U.S. provided the USSR with all sorts of support in its fight against Germany. Notably, America shipped about 8,000 tanks (mostly Sherman M4s) to the Soviets.

Advertisement

You Got:
/30
wikimedia