SSgt-TSgt PDG UPDATED ACTUAL Exam
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Air - CORRECT ANSWER - WWII proved that ___ superiority was a required component
for the success of land,sea and air operations.
The Luftwaffe - CORRECT ANSWER - What is the name of Germany's Air Force, which
emphasized speed and concentration of forces to crush their enemies and spawned the term
"Blitzkrieg" or "lightning war"
Radar - CORRECT ANSWER - British Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding's Fighter
Command had been preparing for a German onslaught since 1937 and used Sir Robert Watson-
Watt's ___ innovation to create an effective, integrated air defense system.
The machine deciphered codes providing information (known as ULTRA) that forewarned
British intelligence of major attacks. It also provided invaluable insight into the status of German
maintenance and logistics. - CORRECT ANSWER - The Enigma machine was Britain's
top-secret advantage over the Germans in WWII. What did it do?
Britain - CORRECT ANSWER - In September 1940, Hitler abandoned his invasion of ___
General Henry "Hap" Arnold - CORRECT ANSWER - To manage growing American air
power, a major reorganization created the US Army Air Forces. Who was appointed as its
Commanding General?
The Air War Planning Document 1. - CORRECT ANSWER - What document was created
in August 1941, providing a blueprint for the strategic air campaign against the Axis?
American precision daylight bombing and British night area bombing. - CORRECT
ANSWER - The Casablanca Directive of January 1943 inaugurated the Combined Bomber
Offensive, codenamed Operation PointBlank. What two bombing styles did it combine?
,Superior numbers. - CORRECT ANSWER - By D-Day, 6 June 1944, the Allied Air Forces
dominated the skies of Europe with new aircraft, tactics and ___
16 April 1945 - CORRECT ANSWER - When did General Spaatz declare the end of the
strategic air war against Germany, as all significant targets were considered destroyed?
Sgt Sandy Sanchez - CORRECT ANSWER - Who was one of the enlisted force's most
decorated Airmen of WWII and was the only enlisted Airmen to have a B-17 named after him?
TSgt Paul Airey. (Also received the first Air Force POW medal in 1988.) - CORRECT
ANSWER - Name the TSgt who was liberated by the British army as a POW in Germany
in 1945 and later became the first CMSAF in 1967.
99th Fighter Squadron - CORRECT ANSWER - The first Tuskegee Airmen to fight in
WWII were members of the ___ Squadron.
Col Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. - CORRECT ANSWER - Which Tuskegee Airman
commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron and later became an Air Force general officer?
Cpl John D. Foley, nicknamed "Johnny Zero." - CORRECT ANSWER - Who became a
popular hero as a gunner in both Europe and the Pacific during WWII and was decorated eight
times for heroism, including personal recognition by Generals MacArthur, Eisenhower and
Doolittle?
True. - CORRECT ANSWER - US carrier-based aviation proved the value of air power at
sea with Naval aviation playing a vital role in the Pacific War T/F
The Battle of Midway. - CORRECT ANSWER - At what battle on 4 June 1942 did US
Navy pilots sink four Japanese carriers and turn the tide of war in the Pacific
Maj. Gen George C. Kenney. - CORRECT ANSWER - Who assumed command of the
Fifth Air Force in 1942 and maximized the resource-poor command's combat power?
,That airpower can support unconventional warfare any time, any place. - CORRECT
ANSWER - What air power capability did the 1st Air Commando Group demonstrate
while helping British "Chindit" forces conduct long-range penetration missions against the
Japanese?
He ordered low-altitude night attacks with bombers stripped of defensive machine guns, reduced
fuel loads and increased bomb loads. - CORRECT ANSWER - How did Maj Gen Curtis
E. LeMay alter the B-29 tactics when he assumed command of the XX Bomber Command crews
in the Pacific?
Col Paul Tibbets - CORRECT ANSWER - The Enola Gay, piloted by ___, dropped a
uranium bomb (known as "Little Boy") over Hiroshima on 6 Aug 1945, destroying nearly five
square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people.
Maj Charles W. Sweeney - CORRECT ANSWER - Who commanded Bockscar, the WWII
aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki?
18 September 1947 - CORRECT ANSWER - What date did Stuart Symington, the first
Secretary of the Air Force, officially establish the USAF as an independent, coequal service?
To encourage long-term careers for enlisted specialists, as promotion and specialization went
hand-in-hand with training. - CORRECT ANSWER - Why did the newly established Air
Force create an Airman Career Program?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). - CORRECT ANSWER - Operation
Vittles, an expanded cargo support effort against the Soviet blockade, showed the use of
nonviolent airpower to defuse a potentially disastrous confrontation and laid the foundation for
___.
Charles "Chuck" Yeager - CORRECT ANSWER - On 14 October 1947, who became the
first person to break the sound barrier when his Bell X-1 "Glamorous Glennis" reached Mach
1.06 at 43,000 feet?
, The North American F-86 Sabre. - CORRECT ANSWER - During the Korean War, what
aircraft was created to match the MiG's speed?
Sgt Billie Beach. - CORRECT ANSWER - Cpl Harry LaVene, a gunner, scored the first B-
29 victory over a jet when he downed a MiG-15 on 9 November 1950. Who shot down two
MiGs on 12 April 1951, a fear unmatched by any other gunner?
Capt James Jabara - CORRECT ANSWER - Who tallied 15 kills during the Korean War.
Gained recognition as the world's first jet ace?
Long-range missiles and space-based technology - CORRECT ANSWER - What did the
Air Force rapidly begin to develop after the Korean conflict?
The Soviets successfully launched the Sputnik 1 satellite into Earth's orbit on 4 October 1957. -
CORRECT ANSWER - What marked the beginning of the Space Age and sparked the
space race between the Soviets and the US?
Providing space-based reconnaissance, early warning of any missile attack on North America;
and worldwide communications platforms for strategic command and control. - CORRECT
ANSWER - During the Cold War, the Air Force concentrated on unmanned missions to
fulfill national security needs. What did this include?
Cuba. - CORRECT ANSWER - In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the dictator of ___ and
instituted a socialist dictatorship.
Cuban exiles. (They suffered a crushing defeat.) - CORRECT ANSWER - The CIA
planned the 1961 invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in hopes that the Cuban people would
overthrow Castro. Who were used as troops?
Intermediate- and medium-range ballistic missile complexes - CORRECT ANSWER - In
1963, the Soviet Union and Cubans began to build what in Cuba?
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Air - CORRECT ANSWER - WWII proved that ___ superiority was a required component
for the success of land,sea and air operations.
The Luftwaffe - CORRECT ANSWER - What is the name of Germany's Air Force, which
emphasized speed and concentration of forces to crush their enemies and spawned the term
"Blitzkrieg" or "lightning war"
Radar - CORRECT ANSWER - British Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding's Fighter
Command had been preparing for a German onslaught since 1937 and used Sir Robert Watson-
Watt's ___ innovation to create an effective, integrated air defense system.
The machine deciphered codes providing information (known as ULTRA) that forewarned
British intelligence of major attacks. It also provided invaluable insight into the status of German
maintenance and logistics. - CORRECT ANSWER - The Enigma machine was Britain's
top-secret advantage over the Germans in WWII. What did it do?
Britain - CORRECT ANSWER - In September 1940, Hitler abandoned his invasion of ___
General Henry "Hap" Arnold - CORRECT ANSWER - To manage growing American air
power, a major reorganization created the US Army Air Forces. Who was appointed as its
Commanding General?
The Air War Planning Document 1. - CORRECT ANSWER - What document was created
in August 1941, providing a blueprint for the strategic air campaign against the Axis?
American precision daylight bombing and British night area bombing. - CORRECT
ANSWER - The Casablanca Directive of January 1943 inaugurated the Combined Bomber
Offensive, codenamed Operation PointBlank. What two bombing styles did it combine?
,Superior numbers. - CORRECT ANSWER - By D-Day, 6 June 1944, the Allied Air Forces
dominated the skies of Europe with new aircraft, tactics and ___
16 April 1945 - CORRECT ANSWER - When did General Spaatz declare the end of the
strategic air war against Germany, as all significant targets were considered destroyed?
Sgt Sandy Sanchez - CORRECT ANSWER - Who was one of the enlisted force's most
decorated Airmen of WWII and was the only enlisted Airmen to have a B-17 named after him?
TSgt Paul Airey. (Also received the first Air Force POW medal in 1988.) - CORRECT
ANSWER - Name the TSgt who was liberated by the British army as a POW in Germany
in 1945 and later became the first CMSAF in 1967.
99th Fighter Squadron - CORRECT ANSWER - The first Tuskegee Airmen to fight in
WWII were members of the ___ Squadron.
Col Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. - CORRECT ANSWER - Which Tuskegee Airman
commanded the 99th Fighter Squadron and later became an Air Force general officer?
Cpl John D. Foley, nicknamed "Johnny Zero." - CORRECT ANSWER - Who became a
popular hero as a gunner in both Europe and the Pacific during WWII and was decorated eight
times for heroism, including personal recognition by Generals MacArthur, Eisenhower and
Doolittle?
True. - CORRECT ANSWER - US carrier-based aviation proved the value of air power at
sea with Naval aviation playing a vital role in the Pacific War T/F
The Battle of Midway. - CORRECT ANSWER - At what battle on 4 June 1942 did US
Navy pilots sink four Japanese carriers and turn the tide of war in the Pacific
Maj. Gen George C. Kenney. - CORRECT ANSWER - Who assumed command of the
Fifth Air Force in 1942 and maximized the resource-poor command's combat power?
,That airpower can support unconventional warfare any time, any place. - CORRECT
ANSWER - What air power capability did the 1st Air Commando Group demonstrate
while helping British "Chindit" forces conduct long-range penetration missions against the
Japanese?
He ordered low-altitude night attacks with bombers stripped of defensive machine guns, reduced
fuel loads and increased bomb loads. - CORRECT ANSWER - How did Maj Gen Curtis
E. LeMay alter the B-29 tactics when he assumed command of the XX Bomber Command crews
in the Pacific?
Col Paul Tibbets - CORRECT ANSWER - The Enola Gay, piloted by ___, dropped a
uranium bomb (known as "Little Boy") over Hiroshima on 6 Aug 1945, destroying nearly five
square miles of the city and killing 80,000 people.
Maj Charles W. Sweeney - CORRECT ANSWER - Who commanded Bockscar, the WWII
aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki?
18 September 1947 - CORRECT ANSWER - What date did Stuart Symington, the first
Secretary of the Air Force, officially establish the USAF as an independent, coequal service?
To encourage long-term careers for enlisted specialists, as promotion and specialization went
hand-in-hand with training. - CORRECT ANSWER - Why did the newly established Air
Force create an Airman Career Program?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). - CORRECT ANSWER - Operation
Vittles, an expanded cargo support effort against the Soviet blockade, showed the use of
nonviolent airpower to defuse a potentially disastrous confrontation and laid the foundation for
___.
Charles "Chuck" Yeager - CORRECT ANSWER - On 14 October 1947, who became the
first person to break the sound barrier when his Bell X-1 "Glamorous Glennis" reached Mach
1.06 at 43,000 feet?
, The North American F-86 Sabre. - CORRECT ANSWER - During the Korean War, what
aircraft was created to match the MiG's speed?
Sgt Billie Beach. - CORRECT ANSWER - Cpl Harry LaVene, a gunner, scored the first B-
29 victory over a jet when he downed a MiG-15 on 9 November 1950. Who shot down two
MiGs on 12 April 1951, a fear unmatched by any other gunner?
Capt James Jabara - CORRECT ANSWER - Who tallied 15 kills during the Korean War.
Gained recognition as the world's first jet ace?
Long-range missiles and space-based technology - CORRECT ANSWER - What did the
Air Force rapidly begin to develop after the Korean conflict?
The Soviets successfully launched the Sputnik 1 satellite into Earth's orbit on 4 October 1957. -
CORRECT ANSWER - What marked the beginning of the Space Age and sparked the
space race between the Soviets and the US?
Providing space-based reconnaissance, early warning of any missile attack on North America;
and worldwide communications platforms for strategic command and control. - CORRECT
ANSWER - During the Cold War, the Air Force concentrated on unmanned missions to
fulfill national security needs. What did this include?
Cuba. - CORRECT ANSWER - In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the dictator of ___ and
instituted a socialist dictatorship.
Cuban exiles. (They suffered a crushing defeat.) - CORRECT ANSWER - The CIA
planned the 1961 invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in hopes that the Cuban people would
overthrow Castro. Who were used as troops?
Intermediate- and medium-range ballistic missile complexes - CORRECT ANSWER - In
1963, the Soviet Union and Cubans began to build what in Cuba?
