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Did you miss a past month's trivia question? Want to learn interesting facts about cannons and the Field Artillery? You’ve come to the right place. This section allows you to view and reference past trivia questions and answers to keep you sharp. Be sure to check back each month to see if you answered last month’s question correctly. The "Quickest Cannoncockers" list is determined monthly by the number of correct answers and the speed of the responses.

 

June 2010 Trivia Question: During the Civil War, usually one “artificer” was provided in each artillery battery. What was his job?
Answer: The artificer was the man charged with the maintenance of a military unit's equipment (basically a mechanic and repair person).

May 2010 Trivia Question: The Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) howitzer is the next generation in the 155mm M-109 Paladin howitzer family. How many rounds of ammunition can it carry?
Answer: The PIM can hold 43 rounds of ammunition, including up to 17 M982 Excalibur guided artillery shells.

 

April 2010 Trivia Question: What is the U.S. Army’s oldest field artillery battalion, and in what year was it founded?
Answer: The South regiment, 1st Battalion, 101st Field Artillery Regiment was founded December 13, 1636, and is the U.S. Army’s oldest field artillery battalion.

March 2010 Trivia Question: During the U.S. Civil War, some cannons would recoil more strongly than normal. Some were rumored to lift upwards of five feet in the air and were known as “jumping cannons”. What factors led to these stronger-than-usual recoils?
Answer: Strong recoils typically occurred when cannons were fired for extended periods of time and over-heated. The extra heat did not result in bigger explosions, but could lead to the cannon bursting or melting.
 
February 2010 Trivia Question: Name seven of the 12 campaigns the 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery (established in 1776) has participated in.
Answer:
1) Revolutionary War: Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, Yorktown, New Jersey 1776, New Jersey 1777, New Jersey 1780, New York 1776.
2) War of 1812: Louisiana 1814, Louisiana 1815.
3) Indian Wars: Miami, Creeks, Seminoles, Little Big Horn, Pine Ridge.
4) Mexican War: Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Chapultepec.
5) Civil War: Valley, Manassas, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Virginia 1861.
6) War with Spain: Santiago.
7) Philippine Insurrection: Cavite, Luzon 1899, Samar 1900, Samar 1901.
8) World War I: Montdidier-Noyon, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Lorraine 1917, 1918, Picardy 1918.
9) World War II: Algeria-French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily (with arrowhead), Normandy (with arrowhead), Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.
10) Vietnam: Defense, Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive, Phase II, Counteroffensive, Phase III, Tet Counteroffensive, Counteroffensive, Phase IV, Counteroffensive, Phase V, Counteroffensive, Phase VI, Tet 69/Counteroffensive, Summer-Fall 1969, Winter-Spring 1970.
11) Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia, Liberation and Defense of Kuwait, Cease-Fire.
12) War on Terrorism: Campaigns to be determined.

January 2010 Trivia Question: The M109A6 Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) uses the existing Paladin artillery armament and cab structure, but replaces which elements of the original Paladin?
Answer: The M109A6-PIM uses the existing Paladin artillery main armament and cab structure, yet replaces hydraulics with electric gun drives. Outmoded chassis components are replaced with up-to-date components and integrated into a new chassis structure to increase sustainability and commonality across the U.S. Army's Heavy Brigade Combat Teams (HBCT).

Decmber 2009 Trivia Question: Which group of artillerymen became known as “The Lost Battalion” when their ship, the USS Republic was diverted from the Philippines when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941?
Answer: The 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery.

November 2009 Trivia Question: Which retired U.S. Army captain was credited with developing the pneumatic dynamite torpedo-gun, the invention of the electrical fuse and a telescopic sight for artillery in the late 1800s?
Answer: Capt. Edmund Louis Gray Zalinski.

October 2009 Trivia Question: The Excalibur precision munition is a 155-mm GPS-guided round designed for use with the M777 and M777A2 among other firing systems. When and where was the very first fielded Excalibur round fired?
Answer: The first Excalibur round was fired in Kunar Province, Afghanistan on Feb. 25, 2008.

September 2009 Trivia Question: The word howitzer is a word understood by many in the U.S., but derives from a word in the German language. What is the English meaning for the word howitzer?
Answer: Howitzer comes from the word haufen, which translates to “heap.”

August 2009 Trivia Question: Submitted by CannonArtillery.com member Aaron Ertel: Name the major battle and year that Calvary Commander and Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart reached the heights of Evelington (or Evelynton) and began a bombardment on the Union with a single cannon from Captain John Pelham's artillery?
Answer: The Battle of Poindexters Farm, also known as The Battle of Malvern Hill. This battle took place on July 1, 1862, which was the sixth and final day of fighting in the Seven Days campaign of the American Civil War.

July 2009 Trivia Question: The M777, a lightweight version of the M198 howitzer weighs approximately how many pounds less than the M198?
Answer: The M777 weights approximately 9,800 pounds (4,455 kg), or about the same weight as a Forest Elephant, which is about 7,000 pounds less than the M198.

June 2009 Trivia Question: While no longer used in active duty, the M110 howitzer was used by the U.S. Army in the Vietnam conflict and Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. What type of howitzer was the M110 designed after?
Answer: The British 8-inch (203mm) WWI howitzer.

May 2009 Trivia Question: Beehive rounds were artillery projectiles known for their buzzing noise and ability to swarm enemies with 8,000 flechette darts through the thick brush of Vietnam. What are three U.S. weapons systems that were used to fire beehive rounds?
Answer: 105mm howitzers (M101A1; M102; M108; M119), Hydra 70, M79 grenade launcher, Recoilless anti-tank weapons, 90mm, 106mm, Ontos's and M48 tanks.

April 2009 Trivia Question: Submitted by CannonArtillery.com member Dave Lumbrd: If a 39-caliber cannon is 26 feet long, how many inches wide would be the diameter of the shell it fires?
Answer: The shell would be eight inches in diameter, found by using the standard formula: length times 12 (inches in a foot) divided by caliber. Or in this case, (26 x12)/39 = 8.

March 2009 Trivia Question: Tube jump is the transfer of force that occurs when a projectile is launched from a piece of cannon artillery, making the cannon jump in recoil. What early cannon got its insect nickname from the fact that the gun jumped backwards with the recoil?
Answer: The Grasshopper cannon was used in the American Revolution and received its nickname for its ability to travel easily with the flow of battle and the exaggerated claims of its backward recoil leaps.

February 2009 Trivia Question: How old is the oldest American cannon, constructed by American Soldiers and currently housed in Fort Washington, Cambridge, Mass.? Submitted by CannonArtillery.com member Brian Campbell.
Answer: The oldest American cannon was cast in 1781, making it around 227-228 years old (at the time of the question). The cannon is currently housed at Fort Washington.

January 2009 Trivia Question: During World War II, which artillery unit was ordered by an act of Congress to change their unit patch prior to deploying? Bonus points go to anyone who can describe the symbols on the patches. Submitted by Field Artillery Major Michael P. Frank, Operational Test Officer.
Answer: The 45th Infantry Division, now the Oklahoma National Guard, was ordered by Congress to replace a Native American symbol for good luck that resembled a mirror image of a swastika with a different image—the unit chose the thunderbird.

December 2008 Trivia Question: Under the commandment of Lt. Colonel William G. Belknap, Lt. Colonel Thomas Childs was the commander of the 1st U.S. Artillery unit during the Mexican-American War. What is the name of the fort that was originally named in Lt. Colonel Childs’ namesake? Bonus points go to anyone who can name the Colonel the fort is now named after.
Answer: Fort Kearny was first called Fort Childs, after Lt. Daniel Woodbury’s father-in-law, but was renamed by a general order from the War Department in December 1948 in honor of Col. Stephen Watts Kearny.

November 2008 Trivia Question: Black powder (also known as gun powder) has been used for centuries to thrust cannon balls, ammunition and even fireworks. Around what temperature (Fahrenheit) does black powder reach during a propellant charge?
Answer: Black powder burns in excess of around 2000-2135 degrees Celsius, or approximately 3632-3875 degrees Fahrenheit.

October 2008 Trivia Question: The term "Brass Monkey" has been used in pop-culture references like the Beastie Boys' song, but the real meaning comes from which piece of cannon-related equipment?
Answer: A brass monkey refers to a "monkey", a rail or shelf made of "brass" that was used to efficiently store and transport cannon balls.

September 2008 Trivia Question: Who coined this artillery phrase: "It's the fire power, and fire power alone, that arrives at the correct time and place that counts in the modern war..."?
Answer: Capt. Liddel Hart.

August 2008 Trivia Question: Where did the term "pack howitzer" originate?
Answer: The term "pack howitzer" originated in WWII to describe a relatively light howitzer that was designed to be broken down into several pieces, each of which is small enough to be carried by a mule or a packhorse.

July 2008 Trivia Question: What are some distinct advantages of the Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) Cannon features?
Answer: FCS vehicle commonality; a fully-automated ammunition handling system for a U.S. howitzer; a hybrid-electric drive system; highly durable, lightweight band tracks and a two-man howitzer vehicle crew.

June 2008 Trivia Question: Protective vehicles and field howitzers have been incredibly useful for the Soldier, allowing them to fight expansively. Before these were common, however, horses were the Soldier’s best friend. What year were horses officially retired from the U.S. Army as draft animals?
Answer: The last horse cavalry units were disbanded from 1938-39.

May 2008 Trivia Question: What are the four components of artillery ammunition?
Answer: The four components of artillery ammunition are the fuze, projectile, propellant and primer.

April 2008 Trivia Question: Field artillery became exponentially popular during WWI, but was also used increasingly during the Civil War. What is the main reason that smoothbore weapons (primarily guns and howitzers) were so popular during the Civil War?
Answer: Metallurgy and other supporting technologies had just recently evolved and allowed for higher production rates.

March 2008 Trivia Question: In battle, most field artillery situations require the use of indirect fire, as opposed to direct fire. What are four reasons for this?
Answer: Weather, terrain, night-time conditions and distance.

February 2008 Trivia Question: The U.S. Marine Corps first received the new lightweight M777 howitzer in 2005. Since then, the howitzer has been revolutionizing field artillery on the battlefield. Recently, the M777 gained the designation of M777A2. What was the reasoning for the new designation?
Answer: The M777A2 designation was gained when the Excalibur round came on board. The M777A2 incorporates a software update that enables the howitzer to program and fire the Excalibur.

January 2008 Trivia Question: This image is of a M114A1 Howitzer when viewed from the left front. Please identify any four of the 10 numbered parts.
Answer: The ten numbered parts in this photo are: 1-peed jack, 2-firing jack float, 3-firing jack and plunger,4- jack hanger and travel lock, 5-replenisher, 6-recoil cylinders, 7-cylinder yoke, 8-equilibrators, 9-recuperator , 10-shield.