I'm bored, and have decided to look up some military trivia. Here you go if you're intrested.

-The People's Republic of China still has two battalions of horseback cavalry

-80% of men born in the Soviet Union in 1923 didn't survive the war.

-Some of the first men captured on D-Day were two Korean soldiers. The Koreans had been conscripted into the Japanese Army but after being captured by the Russians at the Battle of Nomonhan in the Russo-Japanese War (part II, the 1940′s one, not the 1904-05 one). They were pressed into service in the Russian Army. Captured by the Germans in a battle near Moscow, the Koreans were then pressed into service in the Wehrmacht. They were then captured by the Americans whilst they were engaged working on the Atlantic Wall. The Americans (mercifully) did not press them into service but rather held them as prisoners of war.

-Roman soldiers were required to have their swords and daggers on their person at all times, even while digging trenches - Nero's general Corbulo actually executed legionaries for removing their sidearms during his Armenian Campaign.

-It is believed that the last traditionally-organized Roman legion to fight as a complete unit was the Legio II Parthica during the Persian Wars of 242-244 AD. Afterwards most legionary units operated in smaller detachments (vexillations) of 500 or 1000 men.

-The USMC is the world's largest Marine force in the world. It is larger than the active duty IDF, and British Army

-John Paul Jones, "father" of the US navy had a plan to assemble a joint French/Spanish the invade and conquer the UK. But, the plan failed to make it passed the planning stage, due to the fact that when he launched a raid on the British port of Whitehaven to burn the 200 ships of the British navy. As a way to make the invasion possible. His Marine contingent went to a pub and got drunk.

-The oldest weapon still in military service is the M1911 pistol. Which has been in constant service in one form or other. Ever since it was adopted by the US Navy/US Marine Corp. in 1913. Its still used today (It was phased out by the US Army in the 80s), and in fact the US Marines put into service. http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/07/18/colt-1911-rail-gun-selected-as-the-m45/ Colt will be delivering them 4,000 new 1911s before the year is out.

**Feel free to add your own bits of trivia**

-The average height of Scottish men in 1918 was a full 6 inches shorter (check the number) than the average height of Scottish men in 1914. The reason being that tall Scotts were used as Grenadiers by the British in WWI. So many died in battle that only in the last 20 years has the average height of Scottish men returned roughly to what it was in 1914.

-Russian engineers found the Panzer VI Tiger to be technologically unremarkable.

-The famous Katana sword, was not widely used in Japan until the 19th century.

-Though the 300 Spartans are the most famous, there were actually between 1500 and 3000 Greeks present at Thermopylae. Several hundred Thebans and an unknown number of Thermopylians, also died with the Spartans while the rest of the Greek army retreated.

-Rome's army was composed almost entirely of heavy infantry. Archers, most skirmishers, and cavalry, were provided by various Italian, Greek, Gaulic, and other allies.

-There were only 2 dozen warships in the Spanish Armada. The rest were merchant ships pressed into service. The British navy at the time had at least ten more warships than the Spanish, and just as many merchant ships. Numerically, the British were superior by 50 ships.

-The French have won more wars than they've lost (I know, its shocking).

There once was a war between Florence and Bologna over an old oak bucket.

The USA never lost a war in which mules were used.

Napoleon fought 2 battles in Egypt: the battle of the Pyramids (which wasn't at the pyramids) and the battle of the Nile (which wasn't at the Nile)

The USA never lost a war in which mules were used.

Mules will fustrate soldier. Soldiers take their fustration out on the enemy. Thats a lot fustration

The State of Ohio and the Territory of Michigan were engaged in the Toledo War from 1835-1836. The war was fought over a 2,000 square mile strip of land called the Toledo Strip. The only engagement of the war resulted in firing guns into the air and cursing. Lots of cursing.

Heaviest Tank
The heaviest tank ever built was the German Maus II, which weighed 192 tonnes. However by the end of the war it had never reached an operational state. - source: Guiness Book of Records.

Suicide Dog Bombers
The Soviet Red Army once trained dogs to destroy enemy tanks. The dogs were trained to associate the underside of tanks with food and were fitted with a 26lb explosive device strapped to their backs. Once the dogs crawled under the tanks, the device was triggered and exploded destroying the tank (and of course the dog). Unfortunately this didn't always work as planned as the dogs were trained using Soviet tanks so were more likely to run under these than the German tanks. As many as 25 German tanks were put out of action this way during the battles for Stalingrad and Kursk.

Army Bear
Amongst the methods of transport used by the 2nd Polish Corps fighting the battle of Monte Cassino was a brown bear called Wojtek who helped to move boxes of ammunition.

Luck of the Phoenix
One of the American light cruisers anchored at Pearl Harbour during the Japanese attack of December 1941 was the Phoenix. The Phoenix survived the attack virtually unscathed, however, more than 40 years later she was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine Conqueror in the South Atlantic. The Phoenix, at the time of her demise, was of course known then as the General Belgrano. [this probably only means anything to British readers - ed]

Churchill's Near Miss
On January 17th 1942 Churchill was nearly shot down by the enemy and then his own airforce. During a return trip from the United States, his flying boat veered off course and came close to German anti-aircraft guns in France, after this error was noticed and corrected, his aircraft then appeared to British radar operators to be an enemy bomber. Six RAF fighters were scrambled to shoot him down, but fortunately for Churchill they failed to find him.

Grounded Paratroops
After suffering heavy losses during the airborne assault and capture of Crete, Hitler never again committed his airborne troops to large-scale operations and they were instead used as ground infantry.

Bomber of Nagasaki
Virtually everybody knows the name of the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima - the Enola Gay - but how about the one that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki 3 days later? This B-29 was known as "Bock's Car", and Nagasaki was not its original target - the intended target city was Kokura, which escaped as the bomber was under orders to attack only a clear target and the city was shrouded in smog at the time. Nagasaki was the first alternative target city.

Nazi Salute
Despite what you might see in the movies, the regular German Army (Wehrmacht) did not usually use the Nazi salute. Only after the July 1944 attempt on Hitler's life were they forced to use the Nazi salute as standard.

D Day
Although many people refer to the Allied D-Day landings in Normandy as "Operation Overlord", the naval assault was actually called "Operation Neptune". The landings were originally known as Overlord, but in September 1943 the codename was changed to Neptune, and Overlord from then on was used to refer to the general Allied strategy in northwestern Europe.
And the D in D-Day stands for Day!

Suicide Ships
You've heard of suicide or kamikaze bombers - but how about suicide battleships!? On 7th April 1945 off the island of Okinawa the Japanese battleship Yamato, which had not been given fuel for its return journey home, arrived with several other ships to attack the American fleet. The Yamato, which was one of the two largest battleships ever built, and her accompanying ships, were sunk by American aircraft before they reached their target.

Himmler
Heinrich Himmler, the evil head of the Nazi SS, was once a chicken farmer.

That Himmler one, is oddly, not that surprising to me. I can look at the man and think "You know he could have been a chicken farmer" which is a very weird thought...

Other Germany Trivia:

-Erhard Milch, the man who built, organized, and commanded the Luftwaffe for much of the era of Nazi Germany, was 1/2 Jewish.

-U-Boats attacked most often, on the water's surface, not below it.

-Karl Donitz was convicted at Nuremburg for issuing orders that U-Boats leave survivors of sunken ships in the water. He issued this order after an incident in the south Atlantic, when a British RAF aircraft out of South Africa, bombed a German U-Bot conducting rescue operations for the crew of a ship it had just sank.

-Karl Donitz was convicted but never punished for the charge of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, following a comment by Chester Nimitz noting that the US had engaged in such action the moment the US entered the war.

Facial hair:
From the late 19th century until 1916, the officers and men of the British army were expressly forbidden from shaving their upper lip.

Yarr!:
Submarines of the Royal Navy which have sunk an enemy vessel will fly the jolly roger on their return to port. HMS Conqueror, the sub which sank the USS Phoenix - I mean ARA General Belgrano - remains the only vessel to do so since the second world war, as well as the only nuclear-powered submarine to sink an enemy surface combatant.

More submarines:
HMS Venturer, which sank the German U-864 in February 1945, remains the only submarine to have sunk another submarine in submerged combat. Regrettably the U-boat was carrying, along with experimental jet engine parts and scientists, 60 tonnes of mercury, which is now leaking from her wreck off the Norwegian coast.

Nils Bohr's near miss:
When being evacuated to the UK by plane after the German invasion of Denmark, the Nobel laureate, failing to understand his pilot, failed to don his oxygen mask, and passed-out as the plane began to climb. Fortuitously, the pilot inferred the physicist's mistake, and so flew him all the way to Blighty at sea level.

General Erwin Van Rommel was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944/45 and after it failed was ordered to commit suicide

The Jacobite rebellions were not Scotland v. England but supporters of James (And Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745) versus the Government

The Normans invaded Ireland in 1170 after a deposed Irish King brought them along before they ditched him and conquered the majority of Ireland

Heinz Guderian was the Father of Armored Combat

General Erwin Van Rommel was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944/45 and after it failed was ordered to commit suicide

There's never been any conclusive proof Rommel was involved in the 20 July bomb plot. Some of his staff were involved, but they were no longer under his command, and Von Strauffenburg and many of his supporters had served in the Afrika Korp. While Hitler did kill Rommel for this reason, most Historians do not believe he was actively involved. At most Rommel was only aware of the plot and did nothing to stop it.

That said:

Rommel evaded capture by British forces no less than three times! Once, when his plane was shot down and crashed in British controlled North Africa, and twice when his command vehicle accidentally wandered behind enemy lines. On one occasion, he approached a medical center only to discover it was Australian! He then bluffed his way out, saying he had taken control of the medical center and asked if they needed any medical supplies before running off. On the second occasion, he escaped because British troops were unaware the command vehicle he was traveling in, while British in origin, had been captured and commandeered by Rommel.

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:The Jacobite rebellions were not Scotland v. England but supporters of James (And Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745) versus the Government.

On which note, the fifth verse of the British national anthem, added in 1745, goes thusly:

Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.

Unsurprisingly, it (indeed like verses two, three and four) is seldom sung nowadays, though maybe that's just because it would be difficult to get 'queen' to rhyme properly.

Edit: this is, by the way, a fabulous thread.

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:General Erwin Van Rommel was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler in 1944/45 and after it failed was ordered to commit suicide

The Jacobite rebellions were not Scotland v. England but supporters of James (And Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745) versus the Government

The Normans invaded Ireland in 1170 after a deposed Irish King brought them along before they ditched him and conquered the majority of Ireland

Erwin Rommel had a favorite wiener dog and was an avid photographer.
Kaiser Wilhelm had a favorite wiener dog.
Stalin had no favorite wiener dog.
The Byzantines had a favored crewed automatic crossbow fired by winding it in similar fashion to the first automatic machine gun - the Gatling.
The primary armor for Macedonian infantry at Issus was cloth and glue.
The primary armor for Aztec and Inca warriors was cloth and glue.
During the war to free Mexico from European tyranny, the US cashiered hundreds of soldiers at the border, complete with uniforms and weaponry. The Mexicans even had an "Irish" brigade made up of such that fought against the French.
Mexico is the only country to fight Spanish, French, native central American and native North American troops.

English Assassin wrote:
Edit: this is, by the way, a fabulous thread.

Thank you!

Unusual Customs and Traditions of the Marine Corps

•Marines take the right of the line or head of the column when in formation with elements of the other sea services (i.e., the Navy and the Coast Guard, not to mention NOAA).

•All Marine posts have a bell, usually from a decommissioned ship of the Navy.

•In the US Navy, when "Abandon Ship" is ordered, the last person to leave the vessel before the captain is his Marines orderly.

•On a warship Marines do not man the rail.

•Whatever the regulations say, Marines do not use umbrellas.

•The Marine Hymn is the oldest official anthem of any U.S. military service.

The "Mameluke" Sword, first adopted in 1826, is the weapon with the longest continual service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

What was the only U.S. battleship to be present at both the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, and at the D-Day invasion, on June6, 1944?
A: The U.S.S. Nevada.

After German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen was killed in action in World War I, who became commander of his "Flying circus" fighter squadron?
A: Hermann Goering, who went on to become one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates.

In 1996, which country's army became the last in the world to disband its carrier pigeon service?
A: Switzerland's.

Who was issued ID number 01 when the U.S. military started issuing dog tags in 1918?
A: General John J. Pershing.

Following the British defeat at Dunkirk in June 1940, who made the stirring broadcast vowing that "we shall fight in the fields and in the streets...we shall never surrender"?
A: British actor Norman Shelley. He sounded just like Winston Churchill and read the address so that the prime minister could deal with pressing matters of state.

Where was the Battle of Bunker Hill actually fought in June 1775?
A: On Breed's hill, southeast of Bunker hill.

The shortest war on record was the Anglo-Zanzibar war, which lasted an estimated total time of 38 minutes before the forces of the Zanzibar Sultanate lost.

Total Casualties:
Zanzibar Sultanate - ~500 killed/wounded
British Empire - 1 petty officer was badly wounded.

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Zanzibar_War

Couldn't have gone worse for the Zanzibaris...

Some Ancient World:

-Hannibal Barca is very well known, but his brother Margo is not, in spite of many of Hannibal's victories, including Cannae, hinging on the well timed and effectively led cavalry charges Margo initiated.

-The Romans were masters of fortifications. A well trained and equipped legion could pitch camp in two hours, and could fortify the positions with trenches, walls, and towers as quickly as twelve hours.

-The Last Great War of Antiquity, fought between the Sasanids and the Byzantines, lasted for over 100 years and ended when Emperor Heraclius, in complete ignorance of his flanks, rear, or supply lines, charged straight into Persia from Constantinople and began attacking key settlements in one of the greatest moments of bravado in history. Then the Arabs showed up waving this book called the Quran and it all became kind of pointless

A a throw together with film trivia:

-Braveheart's scottish buddies at the end of the movie of the same name were only free for about 30 years before they were once again under the rule of the English. Consequentially, the film is credited with revitalizing the Scottish independence movement in modern times.

This guy killed a german soldier with a LONGBOW:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill

And did a whole bunch of other crazy gak.

-The Korea war has never officially ended there was no peace treaty signed. It is current the longest war that is still ongoing.

-During the Hundred Years War, captured English Longbowman would have their first two fingers on their right hand cut off so they couldn't shoot their bows anymore. That's how the "V" for victory hand sign started. It was a taunt by the English to show that their fingers were still intact and they were capable of fighting.

-The "tank" got its name while the Brits were developing it in secret during WWI. So as not to raise any curiosity, the cover story for the project was that the construction was for a metal water tank.

-During WW2, the Navy had barges that went with the fleet who's sole purpose was to make Ice Cream. They also had two side wheel aircraft carriers on the Great Lakes for training, Wolverine and Sable. The Army had portable Coca Cola plants to supply the troops with Coke and the 29th Infantry Division had a travelling whorehouse that followed behind it in France (the Blue and Grey Riding Academy) and the girls were cleared "for duty" by the division physicians.

-The post war French 75mm gun was based on that of the German Panther.

-Syria was the last country to use the Pzkw IV. They were dug in as pillboxes before the Six Day War.

-The T-34/85's combat record exceeds the long barrel PzKw IV. They were used in Angola and other African nations (think civil wars).

-John Garand had a hand in designing the M-14.

-Four Civil War Union officers became presidents. They include Grant, Garfield, Cleveland and Hayes.

-Gray Ghost Conf Lt Col John Mosby became a US Ambassador after the Civil War.

-The first US battleships sunk in WW II were by the Germans. OK, they (BB 23 Mississippi/Lemnos & BB 24 Idaho/Kilkis) had been sold to Greece and were flying the Greek flag when sunk.

-The submarine Tang carried as unauthorized equipment an ice cream machine.

-The M-60's locking system was influenced by the German MG-43 which in turn was copied from the Lewis Gun - a design originally rejected by the US Army. how's that for full circle?

-The destroyer escort, USS England (DE-653), sank an unmatched six subs. She wasn't named in honor of the mother country but for a sailor who was killed aboard the Oklahoma during Pearl Harbor.

-Largest active minefield in the western hemisphere is at Gitmo

-South Korea maintains the largest active minefield in the world

-Japan has invaded soil belonging to the US on two islands of Alaska

-Brazil took part in the Italian campaign with combat troops

-Waffen SS had a british unit within its rank

As the Allied Forces advanced on Paris, de Gaulle thought it would be best for French morale if a Free French unit could lead the advance into Paris. Truman thought this was an excellent idea, but agreed on one condition - the French troops liberating the city must be mostly white troops.

This is because most of the Free French troops were from their garrisons in Africa, and therefore not very white at all. These troops went on to fight for France throughout the war, and were eventually recognised for their service by being denied citizenship of France.



In 1944 with Russian troops advanding in all directions and reaching the outskirts of Warsaw, Polish civilians began an uprising that initially pushed all Nazi troops from the city. As the Nazis re-organised and began to destroy the resistance, Stalin refused radio contact, would not advance into the city, and declined to even provide air support, despite having airfields within 5 minutes of the city. In desperation Churchill ordered British supplies dropped into the city, despite it being in Russian airspace and having no clearance from Stalin to do so. It is believed Stalin felt that it would be easier after the war if any Polish nationals were killed by the Nazis, so he wouldn't have to deal with them later.

Warsaw today is basically a city built from 1945 onwards, as the Germans quickly learned that the best way to clear a building of hiding resistance members was just to detonate it. Most city blocks were levelled in the fighting, trapping an unknown number of people.

Makarov wrote:-The People's Republic of China still has two battalions of horseback cavalry

Both the Russian and German forces used large numbers of horseborne troops in WWII. A horse is about as fast as a truck when roads are poor or non-existant, and if there's enough grass and water then a horse needs no supply train.

I could see Chinese horse mounted troops being pretty viable in the more rugged, less populated parts of China.

-80% of men born in the Soviet Union in 1923 didn't survive the war.

A friend of mine went to teach English in South Korea. Being a nerd, while teaching here he'd invented a game for the kids, where they would each roll a die, and then go home and learn about what their ancestor was doing in that year last century and report it back to the class. So if they rolled an 82 they'd find out what one of their relatives was doing in 1982 and tell everyone in class the next day about about it.

He tried this once with his class in South Korea, and a bunch of kids rolled either 10 to 45, and told stories of family members starving to death or being brutalised or forced into prostitution underJapanese rule. A few rolled 45 to 49 and told even worse stories from the Korean War.

The thing was so depressing he doesn't even play the game with kids back here anymore.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

LordofHats wrote:-Karl Donitz was convicted but never punished for the charge of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, following a comment by Chester Nimitz noting that the US had engaged in such action the moment the US entered the war.

It's rarely noted in history, but the US submarine campaign against the Japanese was effective in a way the German Atlantic operation could only dream of. Basically the Japanese continued throughout the war to use their naval forces in direct engagement with the main elements of the US fleet, and never really considered the importance of the protection of their merchant fleet in the long term.

The result was that by 1945 Japanese merchant shipping was almost completely destroyed, and still being given only the most scant of protection.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

LordofHats wrote:-Braveheart's scottish buddies at the end of the movie of the same name were only free for about 30 years before they were once again under the rule of the English.

And spent half of that time trying to conquer the Irish.

English Assassin wrote:

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:The Jacobite rebellions were not Scotland v. England but supporters of James (And Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745) versus the Government.

On which note, the fifth verse of the British national anthem, added in 1745, goes thusly:

Lord, grant that Marshal Wade,
May by thy mighty aid,
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
and like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush,
God save the King.

Unsurprisingly, it (indeed like verses two, three and four) is seldom sung nowadays, though maybe that's just because it would be difficult to get 'queen' to rhyme properly.

Edit: this is, by the way, a fabulous thread.

The majority of the Jacobites were Scots, but there was French Irish and English Jacobites, as well as there being Scots on the side of the Red Coats, I always though that verse was more to do with Edward I "The Hammer of the Scots"

There are a few fabrications in the thread but this is fun.

In 1997 Bob Hope was made an Honorary Veteran by act of Congress, the only person to ever have that title.


Bolivia still boasts a navy despite not bordering any seas

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:The majority of the Jacobites were Scots, but there was French Irish and English Jacobites, as well as there being Scots on the side of the Red Coats, I always though that verse was more to do with Edward I "The Hammer of the Scots"

Of this, I'm well aware, I merely added to your post for the sake of sharing something amusing. Marshal Wade, however, is very definitely an 18th century figure, and commanded British (or Hannoverian, if you want to look at it that way) forces at the opening of the Jacobite uprising. Despite getting a namecheck in the national anthem, Wade failed dismally to prevent the young pretender's forces from advancing south, and was replaced by William, Duke of Cumberland, a no more competent general, but a right bastard.

Makarov wrote:During the Hundred Years War, captured English Longbowman would have their first two fingers on their right hand cut off so they couldn't shoot their bows anymore. That's how the "V" for victory hand sign started. It was a taunt by the English to show that their fingers were still intact and they were capable of fighting.

Though I wish it were true, this one is sadly a myth, attested nowhere before the 19th century. Captured longbowmen, indeed all captured footsoldiers, would in the middle ages in fact have commonly been put summarily to death, having, unlike knights, no ransom value.

sebster wrote:In 1944 with Russian troops advanding in all directions and reaching the outskirts of Warsaw, Polish civilians began an uprising that initially pushed all Nazi troops from the city. As the Nazis re-organised and began to destroy the resistance, Stalin refused radio contact, would not advance into the city, and declined to even provide air support, despite having airfields within 5 minutes of the city. In desperation Churchill ordered British supplies dropped into the city, despite it being in Russian airspace and having no clearance from Stalin to do so. It is believed Stalin felt that it would be easier after the war if any Polish nationals were killed by the Nazis, so he wouldn't have to deal with them later.

Warsaw today is basically a city built from 1945 onwards, as the Germans quickly learned that the best way to clear a building of hiding resistance members was just to detonate it. Most city blocks were levelled in the fighting, trapping an unknown number of people.

-There were in fact two uprisings in the city of Warsaw during WW2. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, which was mostly made of Jews who were in the Warsaw Ghetto. Then the one you are mentioning.

-The nation of Poland was able to hold out for 35 days during its invasion from both the Soviets, and the Germans on opposite fronts.

-The Warsaw Uprising in 1944 took 63 days for the German army made of many experienced Waffenn SS veterans to stop. The Polish home army, and Polish resistance. Said Poles were made up of men, women, and children, many of whom had no combat experience, and had never fired a weapon til the first day of the uprising. They also had mostly through most of the battle with only small arms that they had keep hidden from the Germans.

I look up to these heroes, and they inspire me.To the point where I have about 1,250 points of a Warsaw Uprising Polish Home army for Flames of War.

After Baggett hit the ground, enemy pilots continued to strafe him, but he escaped by hiding behind a tree. Lieutenant Jensen and one of the gunners landed near him. All three were captured by the Burmese and turned over to the Japanese. Sergeant Crostic also survived the bail-out. Baggett and Jensen were flown out of Burma in an enemy bomber and imprisoned near Singapore. In the more than two years he was held prisoner, Owen Baggett’s weight dropped from 180 pounds to ninety. He had ample time to think about his midair dual. He did not at first believe it possible that he could have shot down the enemy while swinging in his chute, but gradually pieces of the puzzle came together. Shortly after he was imprisoned, Baggett, Jensen, and another officer were taken before a Japanese major general who was in charge of all POWs in the area and who subsequently was executed as a war criminal. Baggett appeared to be treated like a celebrity. He was offered the opportunity of and given instructions on how to do the “honorable thing” – commit hara-kiri, a proposal he declined.

A few months later, Col. Harry Melton, commander of the 311th Fighter Group who had been shot down, passed through the POW camp and told Baggett that a Japanese colonel said the pilot Owen Baggett had fired at had been thrown clear of his plane when it crashed and burned. He was found dead of a single bullet in his head. Colonel Melton intended to make an official report of the incident but lost his life when the ship on which he was being taken to Japan was sunk. Two other pieces of evidence support Baggett’s account: First, no friendly fighters were in the area that could have downed the Zero pilot. Second, the incident took place at an altitude of 4,000 to 5,000 feet. The pilot could have recovered from an unintentional stall and spin. Retired Colonel Baggett, now living in San Antonio, Tex., believes he shot down the Japanese pilot, but because that judgment is based on largely indirect and circumstantial evidence, he remains reluctant to talk much about it. We think the jury no longer is out. There appears to be no reasonable doubt that Owen Baggett performed a unique act of valor, unlikely to be repeated in the unfolding annals of air warfare.

Thanks to Colonel Baggett and to Charles V. Duncan, Jr., author of B-24 Over Burma.

AIR FORCE Magazine / July 1996

-The effectiveness of Militia forces during the US war of Independence is often called into question. Even early histories of the Revolution also tended to minimize the contributions of the militia, and one acclaimed account of the war, written as late as 1929, even referred to “the utter failure of the militia system." This is partially true, while a militia man was hardly on par with a Regular of the British/American/German, and couldn't go toe to toe with the British. That was not their point nor their strength. Militia excelled support/reserve rolls, and they were great at insurgency.To the point where their contribution was just as important to the the war effort as the Regulars. Heck, their irregular methods of warfare, is one of the reasons why they are considered one of the fathers of modern guerrilla warfare, and are credited in the lineage of the United States Army Rangers.

John J. Pershing is the only American person to have held the rank of General of the Armies while still breathing.

Denmark and Sweden hold the honour of having fought the most wars with eachother.

The UK planned to build a carrier out of sawdust and ice during WWII.

The guy who created the suspension system of the T-34 first proposed it to the British army. They laughed at him.

Tzar Bomba, the most powerful bomb ever dropped, almost shot down the bomber dropping it.

Swedish king Charles XII is said to have banned the riding of mooses by anyone not in the army, as it (supposedly) allowed outlaws to outrun patrols by fleeing into the woods, where the moose would outpace conventional mounts such as horses.

Mongolian general Subutai holds the world record for most pitched battles won.

The first submarine to sink a surface vessel also sank itself.

The guy who created the suspension system of the T-34 first proposed it to the British army. They laughed at him.

Doubt that, seeing as the Christie Suspension was used in the British Cruiser III, which was designed in 1936-37 by Christie was adopted almost wholesale by the British in 1938.

The T-34 was designed 1938-1939. The BT-2 was the first Christie tank, and is essentially a retooling of Christie's first design from 1928.

I believe you've confused it with the US government, which rejected the Christie suspension of the belief that it was only a marginal improvement over the leaf spring suspension system, and refused to buy the designs, and then found out that Christie's suspension when used in light tanks was vastly superior some years later when Christie had already made prominent contracts with the USSR and the UK and didn't want to sell to the US.

Fortunately though the US eventually began using the Vertical volute spring suspension, which functioned much better than the Christie suspension in heavier vehicles, was more mechanically reliable, and needed less upkeep work.

The More You Know!

AlmightyWalrus wrote:John J. Pershing is the only American person to have held the rank of General of the Armies while still breathing.

I believe Grant was as well.

Frazzled wrote:

AlmightyWalrus wrote:John J. Pershing is the only American person to have held the rank of General of the Armies while still breathing.

I believe Grant was as well.

Grant (along with Sherman, Philip Sheridan, Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Arnold, and Bradley) all recieved the rank of "General of the Army" (basically a 5-star general).

However, "General of the Armies" (plural) is an even higher rank. The only people to get that are John J. Pershing and George Washington. Although, Washington had been dead almost 200 years before he received it.

Marshall
Macauther
Eisenhower
Bradley

wore the five stars to

Jihadin wrote:Marshall
Macauther
Eisenhower
Bradley

wore the five stars to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_of_the_army

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_of_the_armies

LoH
try this one
http://www.history.army.mil/html/faq/5star.html

Jihadin wrote:LoH
try this one
http://www.history.army.mil/html/faq/5star.html

That... agrees completely with the Wikipedia.

Jihadin, General of the Army is a different rank from General of the Armies.

It even says who held it in the first sentence of your link:

The grade of General of the Armies of the United States is associated with two officers in our history, George Washington and John J. Pershing, although only General Pershing actually held it.

The position General of the Army was invented because the position General of the Armies couldn't be bestowed to anyone until an act of Congress in 1919 (though Washington effective held the rank for practical purposes if not formal).

Good Copy

edit
was caught up thinking about taxes from another thread

When allied armies reached the Rhine, the first thing men did was pee in it. This was pretty universal from the lowest private to Winston Churchill (who made a big show of it) and Gen. Patton (who had himself photographed in the act).

German Me-264 bombers were capable of bombing New York City but it wasn't worth the effort.

The Russians destroyed over 500 German aircraft by ramming them in midair (they also sometimes cleared minefields by marching over them). "It takes a brave man not to be a hero in the Red Army". - Joseph Stalin

The MISS ME was an unarmed Piper Cub. While spotting for US artillery her pilot saw a similar German plane doing the same thing. He dove on the German plane and he and his co-pilot fired their pistols damaging the German plane enough that it had to make a forced landing. Whereupon they landed and took the Germans prisoner. It is unknown where they put them since the MISS ME only had two seats.

The only nation that Germany declared war on was the USA.

Amongst the methods of transport used by the 2nd Polish Corps fighting the battle of Monte Cassino was a brown bear called Wojtek who helped to move boxes of ammunition.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of any of these, but they make about as much sense as the rest of WWII

link

Some historians have pointed out the Luftwaffe could have managed to win the Battle of Britain, even after Hitler's interference if they'd developed one crucial but simple technology the rest of the world already had: under wing fuel tanks.

German ME-109 fighter aircraft, did not have the the range to fully escort German bombers from Germany or France into British air and back. This left German bombers unprotected while running sorties.

Additionally, the German Luftwaffe became so obsessed with dive bombing that even the HE-177 was required to be able to dive! The additional structural reinforcement not only failed to make this possible (the plane tore itself apart) but it overloaded the engines, decreasing range and payload.

The pre-mature death of Walther Weaver in 1936 saw the Luftwaffe never develop a strategic bombing force, and Hitler lacked enthusiasm for the development of a naval air wing.

The spitfire was originally a sea racing plane pre war

-Last cavalry charge was conducted by the 1st Warsaw Cavalry Brigade who successfully charged through German lines on March 1, 1945 (Polish Cav)
-2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers. {58,148}

The US Army was one of the first government institutions to desegregate. Though Truman officially ordered desegregation by an Executive Order in 1948, the US Army functionally desegregated by the end of the Korean War, when combat loses among whites mounted to the point that blacks were brought in as replacements.

-The last time US soldiers rode into battle on horseback was in 2001! http://www.indepthinfo.com/afghanistan/horse-soldiers.htm

Alright...this is a copy and paste but.......

Developed by America in the wake of Pearl Harbor, this seemingly ridiculous idea proposed that hundreds of bats should be captured, and a tiny incendiary bomb be attached to the body of each. These bats would be placed in a bat carrier which would subsequently be dropped from a bomber. A parachute would deploy at 1000 feet to slow its descent, and the trays inside the carrier would separate out to allow some 1040 bats inside to escape. Once free of the carrier, the bats would disperse and roost throughout the buildings of the Japanese city beneath. Shortly afterwards, the timer-delayed bombs would detonate, sparking raging fires throughout the mainly wood and paper buildings. During one test drop, a group of bats roosted inside several of the testing facilities’ warehouses and buildings, burning them to the ground. Luckily for thousands of bats, the program was cancelled in 1944, due to the development of the atomic bomb.

and

This was yet another attempt to use an animal to deliver explosives to an enemy target. It was first proposed by American psychologist B.F.Skinner, as a way to delivering a missile accurately against a target, by placing a pigeon inside the missile. An image of the target would be projected in front of it, and the pigeon would be trained to recognize it. It would then peck on one of four levers (up, down, left or right) until the target was dead centre of the screen. They were encouraged to do so by their training, where they were awarded with corn for keeping the target in the centre. They were surprising adept at this, (in training) being able to track a target which jumped 4 or 5 inches a second on the screen. The National Defense Research Committee committed $25,000 to this research, and the army modified several missiles for this purpose before it was decided that electronic guidance would be superior, and the project was scrapped.

from
http://listverse.com/2010/10/08/top-10-bizarre-weapons-of-world-war-ii/

LordofHats wrote:

The guy who created the suspension system of the T-34 first proposed it to the British army. They laughed at him.

Doubt that, seeing as the Christie Suspension was used in the British Cruiser III, which was designed in 1936-37 by Christie was adopted almost wholesale by the British in 1938.

The T-34 was designed 1938-1939. The BT-2 was the first Christie tank, and is essentially a retooling of Christie's first design from 1928.

I believe you've confused it with the US government, which rejected the Christie suspension of the belief that it was only a marginal improvement over the leaf spring suspension system, and refused to buy the designs, and then found out that Christie's suspension when used in light tanks was vastly superior some years later when Christie had already made prominent contracts with the USSR and the UK and didn't want to sell to the US.

Fortunately though the US eventually began using the Vertical volute spring suspension, which functioned much better than the Christie suspension in heavier vehicles, was more mechanically reliable, and needed less upkeep work.

The More You Know!

Damn, right you are.

A couple more spartan ones.

The Hippias at thermopylae was indeed supported by some 2-3000 troops from the other city states but it also brought some 5000 Helot light infantry of their own.

During unarmed sparring it was not uncommon for spartan soldiers to wrestle with the goal of sodomizing the opponent.

An interesting Napoleonic one.

Napoleon's troops were re-issued Coats with tin Buttons before their foray into russia. During this Disatrous campaign it was found they disentegrated in the extreme cold. It left the men having to scavenge for new ones or hold their coats closed with other less reliable methods. Had they been made of another allotrope of Tin it would have never happened.

Grakmar wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

AlmightyWalrus wrote:John J. Pershing is the only American person to have held the rank of General of the Armies while still breathing.

I believe Grant was as well.

Grant (along with Sherman, Philip Sheridan, Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Arnold, and Bradley) all recieved the rank of "General of the Army" (basically a 5-star general).

However, "General of the Armies" (plural) is an even higher rank. The only people to get that are John J. Pershing and George Washington. Although, Washington had been dead almost 200 years before he received it.

No one expects Zombie Washington!

Well, lets be honest. One man expects Zombie Washington:



Cause Burt Gummer is prepared. For everything.

My hero! he's dreamie....

Niels Bohr again:
Bohr, along with fellow Nobel laureate James Franck, left Denmark in a hurry, leaving behind the solid gold medal bestowed for his prize. Aware that the invading Germans were confiscating precious metals, fellow physicist George de Hevesy dropped theirs into a jar of aqua regia (nitro-hydrochloric acid), dissolving them into a dirty brown slush, which he simply sealed and placed unmarked on a shelf. At the end of the war, he simply precipitated the gold back out of the acid, allowing the Nobel prize committee to restrike the medals and return them to their recipients.

(Not strictly military, I know, but World War Two-themed, and amusing.)

That's why they gave them the Nobel prize in the first place i guess...
For being clever dicks...

Indeed.

-The Sherman tank is commonly considered to be markedly inferior to German tanks of WWII. While this is debatable, it is interesting to note that in the Pacific, the Sherman enjoyed such a dominating presence over lightly armored poorly gunned Japanese tanks, that the Japanese resorted to charging Shermans with bombs at the end of long stick to destroy them .

-Japan never developed adequate anti-armor weapons, believing that the use of armor in the pacific would be extremely limited by the weight of the vehicles and the difficulty of landing them. The US considered this problem and laughed.

The Japanese spent loads of money during WWII developing a microwave death ray, dismissing the Atomic Bomb as "unfeasible".

Some survivors of Hiroshima had enough time to get to Nagasaki...

Well the Sherman was arguably more than a match to anything up to the PZIV - which came out at roughly the same time. The German kept developing and the US generally just upgraded the Sherman. While not its equal a Sherman Firefly or 75 long gun equipped Sherman jumbo is not totally outmatched by Panthers.

Had it continued there would have been a lot of Pershings (think early version M-48 Patton) and of course glorious British Centurions running around which would have been better as they didn't break down nearly as much as overengineered Aryan Uber Tanks.

Frazzled wrote:Well the Sherman was arguably more than a match to anything up to the PZIV - which came out at roughly the same time. The German kept developing and the US generally just upgraded the Sherman. While not its equal a Sherman Firefly or 75 long gun equipped Sherman jumbo is not totally outmatched by Panthers.

Had it continued there would have been a lot of Pershings (think early version M-48 Patton) and of course glorious British Centurions running around which would have been better as they didn't break down nearly as much as overengineered Aryan Uber Tanks.

The Centurion is a really tanky looking tank...
Apparently an Aussie Mk.3 Centurion had an atomic bomb dropped on top of it and it still worked...
Though the crew would be turned to jelly by the shockwave...

Uthe U.S. Navy "Blue Jackets' Manual" is essentually unchanged since 1940.

The rankings on TV's Star Trek are based on U.S. Navy ranks with officers divided into "Line" and "Staff". (Dr. McCoy was the third highest ranked officer on the Entreprise.)

Ships of Star Fleet also use the U.S.S designation... For some reason. Canon later adopted this as meaning United Space Ship

The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, at 215 years of age. It is also the only wooden sail power ship still in service to an armed force.

More Tank Trivia!

Between the years of 1919 and 1937, the United States slowly dismantled its military force and radically cut back on the militaries budget. During this time, the United States only operated 13 out of date tanks. The lack of money for development lead to a unique solution: Rather than building tanks, the Army built tank parts. When the war in Europe began the United States took the parts it had designed and rapidly put them together, developing a series of tanks that ultimately became the M4 Sherman in 1940.

The US Cavalry however had its own solution in the interwar years: Build tanks and call them 'combat cars' to avoid violating budgetary limits on the construction of tanks.

The panzershreck is a reverse engineered bazooka.

LordofHats wrote:Ships of Star Fleet also use the U.S.S designation... For some reason. Canon later adopted this as meaning United Space Ship

The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, at 215 years of age. It is also the only wooden sail power ship still in service to an armed force.

HMS Victory says what?

All British Armoured vehicles since the second world war have had a boiling vessel as standard.

This is required for making tea and to a lesser extent meals.

notprop wrote:All British Armoured vehicles since the second world war have had a boiling vessel as standard.

This is required for making tea and to a lesser extent meals.

I believe that's actually in the design mandate issued to anyone designing a British tank...

Don't bother me with details and just get me some tea from a tank!

That may be possible...
There's a guy who refurbishes tanks up the hill somewhere around here...
Has a museum and everything...
I would be worried about attacking it...
Some of them work...

purplefood wrote:

LordofHats wrote:Ships of Star Fleet also use the U.S.S designation... For some reason. Canon later adopted this as meaning United Space Ship

The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, at 215 years of age. It is also the only wooden sail power ship still in service to an armed force.

HMS Victory says what?

He of course meant the oldest warship still capable of sailing under its own power.

AustonT wrote:

purplefood wrote:

LordofHats wrote:Ships of Star Fleet also use the U.S.S designation... For some reason. Canon later adopted this as meaning United Space Ship

The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, at 215 years of age. It is also the only wooden sail power ship still in service to an armed force.

HMS Victory says what?

He of course meant the oldest warship still capable of sailing under its own power.

Fair play...
Though when they're finished repairing it it might be able to manage it...
That said it'd probably fall apart under the stresses of it.

Or blow that crappy USS wasisname to match sticks.

All we need is 3-400 volunteers and some tea.....

I recall there being a South Park episode about that.

Um...facts...shooting anything at .50 caliber is copious amounts of fun.

And snipers creep the hell out of me.

purplefood wrote:

LordofHats wrote:Ships of Star Fleet also use the U.S.S designation... For some reason. Canon later adopted this as meaning United Space Ship

The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, at 215 years of age. It is also the only wooden sail power ship still in service to an armed force.

HMS Victory says what?

It says "Diaper wearing Junior" next to grandpappy Constitution.

Frazzled wrote:

purplefood wrote:

LordofHats wrote:Ships of Star Fleet also use the U.S.S designation... For some reason. Canon later adopted this as meaning United Space Ship

The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, at 215 years of age. It is also the only wooden sail power ship still in service to an armed force.

HMS Victory says what?

It says "Diaper wearing Junior" next to grandpappy Constitution.

The Victory is 30 years older than the Constitution

Per Wikipedia, HMS Victory is indeed the older vessel, having been launched in 1765, against the USS Constitution's 1797.

Edit: Ninja'd.

I stand corrected. I'll reprise my quote. The Constitution would say:
"It says "Diaper wearing Junior" "






Automatically Appended Next Post:

English Assassin wrote:Per Wikipedia, HMS Victory is indeed the older vessel, having been launched in 1765, against the USS Constitution's 1797.

Constitution still sails though.

How does that change the quote?
It's still wrong no matter how you slice it...
I'm confused...

Frazzled wrote:Constitution still sails though.

Indeed. I note with amusement that there exists an exchange programme between the crews of the two vessels, which, I fear must turn out rather disappointing for those on the US side.

Interesting, the Victory was restored to seaworthiness in the 1920s, and is unfit to sail now thanks to decades of neglect after the second world war. Which is indeed a shame.

Being fond of sailing ships, I'll add the Amerigo Vespucci (only a replica, but who's counting) to this short but very cool list of sailing vessels still nominally on active service.

purplefood wrote:How does that change the quote?
It's still wrong no matter how you slice it...
I'm confused...

It means our is a working ship. Your's is a museum.

-Birth of the USMC was in Tun Tavern in Philly PA and started off with two Battalions...same birthday as mine

Frazzled wrote:

purplefood wrote:How does that change the quote?
It's still wrong no matter how you slice it...
I'm confused...

It means our is a working ship. Your's is a museum.

It is for now.
They're working to raise the funds to make it seaworthy for the next 240 years...
As long as we hold onto it we still have the oldest ship in the world...

-Majority of the forest in SOuth Korea were destroyed during the Korean War

- You can still find WWII equipment/weapons/vehicles in the Black Forest

purplefood wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

purplefood wrote:How does that change the quote?
It's still wrong no matter how you slice it...
I'm confused...

It means our is a working ship. Your's is a museum.

It is for now.
They're working to raise the funds to make it seaworthy for the next 240 years...
As long as we hold onto it we still have the oldest ship in the world...

Excellent. Old sailing ships are epic cool.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

English Assassin wrote:

Frazzled wrote:Constitution still sails though.

Indeed. I note with amusement that there exists an exchange programme between the crews of the two vessels, which, I fear must turn out rather disappointing for those on the US side.

Interesting, the Victory was restored to seaworthiness in the 1920s, and is unfit to sail now thanks to decades of neglect after the second world war. Which is indeed a shame.

Being fond of sailing ships, I'll add the Amerigo Vespucci (only a replica, but who's counting) to this short but very cool list of sailing vessels still nominally on active service.

There are also working (sort of) replicas of Columbus''s three ships in the original discovery voyage. Caravels rock in the waves like a top. Scary to think anyone actually sailed in them.

English Assassin wrote:

Frazzled wrote:Constitution still sails though.

Indeed. I note with amusement that there exists an exchange programme between the crews of the two vessels, which, I fear must turn out rather disappointing for those on the US side.

Interesting, the Victory was restored to seaworthiness in the 1920s, and is unfit to sail now thanks to decades of neglect after the second world war. Which is indeed a shame.

Well...as a point of fact. Victory was taken out of the water in 1922 and has not returned since. She was not in sailing condition in the 20's and most of the repairs in the 20's were above the waterline. The cost of making her seaworthy was deemed too high by the end of WW2. There was a survey post war and repairs completed in the 60's. It's possible at that point she was seaworthy. 90 years out of the water is too long even 50 is assuming she was seaworthy in 65. It's a shame really, Constiution being afloat is really more of a fluke.

The German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, which was awarded to the US as war prize after WWII, survived two nuclear blasts without taking structural damage only to sink in port at the Kwajalein Atoll a few years lated due to a lack of maintenance.

In 2004, the Swedish submarine HMS Gotland snapped point-blank pictures of USS Ronald Reagan during an excercise intended to evaluate the US Navy's capability to combat conventional diesel-electric sumbarines.

During the Cold War, the US fielded nuclear torpedoes with a blast area bigger than their operational range.

The German rail cannons (not to be confused with railguns!) Schwerer Gustav and Dora, created during WWII, remain the biggest cannons ever used in combat, with a caliber of 800 millimetres (31").

And finally, for an amusing story that might not be true: During WWII, Swedish AA emplacements would open fire on Allied aircraft violating Swedish airspace, due to us being neutral. When the Allied airmen radioed the message "you aim is rubbish" to the Swedish, they allegedly recieved the response "that's the point".

Jihadin wrote:-Birth of the USMC was in Tun Tavern in Philly PA and started off with two Battalions...same birthday as mine

Whats the difference between a Sailor and a Marine? a few beers.

LordofHats wrote:Ships of Star Fleet also use the U.S.S designation... For some reason. Canon later adopted this as meaning United Space Ship

The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world, at 215 years of age. It is also the only wooden sail power ship still in service to an armed force.

More Tank Trivia!

Between the years of 1919 and 1937, the United States slowly dismantled its military force and radically cut back on the militaries budget. During this time, the United States only operated 13 out of date tanks. The lack of money for development lead to a unique solution: Rather than building tanks, the Army built tank parts. When the war in Europe began the United States took the parts it had designed and rapidly put them together, developing a series of tanks that ultimately became the M4 Sherman in 1940.

The US Cavalry however had its own solution in the interwar years: Build tanks and call them 'combat cars' to avoid violating budgetary limits on the construction of tanks.

IIRC Patton payed out of pocket for the gas of the units under his command, during a training exercise in the US.


http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/military-trivia-facts.html
1. 30 of the 43 Presidents served in the Army, 24 during time of war, two earned the rank of 5-star General (Washington and Eisenhower) and one earned the Medal of Honor (T. Roosevelt)
2. Less than 28 percent of Americans between the ages of 17-23 are qualified for military service, that’s only about 1-in-4.
3. The U.S. Air Force was part of the Army until 1946. It was called the Army Air Corp.
4. Only one President (James Buchanan) served as an enlisted man in the military and did not go on to become an officer.
5. The Department of Defense employs about 1.8 million people on active duty. It is the largest employer in the United States, with more employees than Exxon, Mobil, Ford, General Motors, and GE combined!
6. The Department of Defense owns worldwide owns 29,819,492 acres of land worldwide.
7. The United States has 737 military installations overseas alone.
8. The Navy’s bell-bottom trousers , are commonly believed to be introduced in 1817 to permit men to roll them above the knee when washing down the decks and to make it easier to remove them in a hurry when forced to abandon ship or when washed overboard. In addition the trousers may be used as a life preserver by knotting the legs and swinging them over your head to fill the legs with air.
9. The Coast Guard seizes 169 pounds of marijuana and 306 pounds of cocaine worth $9,589,000.00 everyday.
10. The Coast Guard is smaller than the New York City Police Department.
11. The Marine Corps motto, "Semper Fidelis,” was adopted in 1883 as the official motto. It is Latin for Always Faithful.
12. The nickname “Leatherneck” originates from the stiff leather stock that early Marines wore around their necks, probably to protect their jugular vein against saber blows.
13. The English Bulldog, also known as "Teufel-hunden,” or "Devil Dogs,” is the unofficial mascot that symbolize the ethos of the Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines. The U.S. Marine Corps earned this unofficial mascot during World War I, when many German reports called the attacking Marines "teufel-hunden," meaning Devil-Dogs. “Teufel-hunden” were the vicious, wild and ferocious mountain dogs of German Bavarian folklore.
14. The U.S. Army was in charge of exploring and mapping America. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was an all Army affair. Army officers were the first Americans to see such landmarks as Pike's Peak and the Grand Canyon.
15. The Air Force's F-117 fighter uses aerodynamics discovered during research into how bumblebees fly.


Occasions on which a USMC Amphibious Assault has failed:

1. NONE


Nine Notable places where the Marines have raised the "Old glory":

1. Fortress Derna, North Africa, 24 April 1805.
2. Customs House, Monterey, California, 7 July 1846
3. The Palacio Nacional, Mexico City, 13 September 1847
4. Customs House, Cavite, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 3 May 1989
5. Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, 23 February 1945
6. Shuri Castle, Okinawa, 28 May 1945
7. U.S. Embasy, Soul, Korea, 27 September 1950
8. The Citadel, Hue City, Vietnam, 19 February 1968
9. U.S. Embassy, Kuwait city 28 February 1991


The five Occasions for which Lewis "Chesty" Puller was awarded the Navy Cross:
1. Nicaragua, for actions over several weeks in June and July 1930
2. Nicaragua, for a series of six actions that tok place 20-23 September 1932
3. Guadalcanal, for the night battle of 24-25 October 1942 *
4. Cape Cloucester, 2-3 January 1944.
5. Chosin, Korea, for actions during the breakout from the Chosin Reservoir, November-December 1950 **

* On this occasion MG Alexander M. Vandegrift nominated Puller for the Medal of Honor, which was "reduced" to a Navy Cross.
** On this occasion Puller was also awarded the DSC.

Almost half a million Purple Heart Medals were made near the end of WWII, in the anticipation of the invasion of Japan, which never came. There were enough Purple Hearts made during WWII that many units today in Afghanistan and Iraq have Purple Hearts on hand to give to wounded soldiers immediately.

The Huns never sacked Rome. Atilla the Hun did, however, bring his army very close to the city. He was convinced to turn back after Pope Leo I met with him personally.

CuddlySquig wrote:The Huns never sacked Rome. Atilla the Hun did, however, bring his army very close to the city. He was convinced to turn back after Pope Leo I met with him personally.

But the Vandals did.

The Fairey Swordfish was a metal framed and canvas aircraft that was the primary torpedo bomber of the British Navy during WW2. Despite being outdated during the war, it out lasted it's intended replacement and achieve several spectacular successes, including disabling the Bismark. The Bismark's AA guns could not hit them becasue the Swordfishes was moving so slow that the fire control predictors on the German guns where detonating the flak shells far ahead of the Swordfishes.

In 845 Ragnarr Loðbrók and his merry men captured Paris. They sold it back for 7000 pounds of silver.

The T-38 was originally meant to be a light attack aircraft, but was pushed into a pure training role when the F-16 was developed and took it's place.

The Mad Tanker wrote:
The Fairey Swordfish was a metal framed and canvas aircraft that was the primary torpedo bomber of the British Navy during WW2. Despite being outdated during the war, it out lasted it's intended replacement and achieve several spectacular successes, including disabling the Bismark. The Bismark's AA guns could not hit them becasue the Swordfishes was moving so slow that the fire control predictors on the German guns where detonating the flak shells far ahead of the Swordfishes.

Did they not hole half the Italian fleet at anchor at Taranto as well, encouraging the Japanese to approve Admiral Yamamoto's plan to attack Peal Harbour?

The first German serviceman killed in WWII was killed by the Japanese (China, 1937),
the first American serviceman killed was killed by the Russians (Finland 1940),
the highest ranking American killed was LtGen. Lesley McNair, killed by the US Army Air Corps.

So much for allies.

The second Sino-Japanese war began because during muster a single Japanese private was missing. Naturally, the Japanese assumed the Chinese kidnapped him and declared war.

He was using the bathroom.

I am not joking. This is true. Look up Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun for details... If you have $100 to get your hands on a copy or a local library that has one XD

Colonel in chief and mascot of the norwegian Royal Guard is Sir Nils Olav, not wierd at all....


...exept he's a king penguin and he lives at Edinburgh zoo.

FM Ninja 048 wrote:Colonel in chief and mascot of the norwegian Royal Guard is Sir Nils Olav, not wierd at all....


...exept he's a king penguin and he lives at Edinburgh zoo.

I thought it was odd that he was knighted...

purplefood wrote:

FM Ninja 048 wrote:Colonel in chief and mascot of the norwegian Royal Guard is Sir Nils Olav, not wierd at all....


...exept he's a king penguin and he lives at Edinburgh zoo.

I thought it was odd that he was knighted...

They don't attach so much importance to such things in Scandinavia; Yngwie Malmsteen is a member of Sweden's nobility (by birth, not in recognition of any musical achievement).

English Assassin wrote:

purplefood wrote:

FM Ninja 048 wrote:Colonel in chief and mascot of the norwegian Royal Guard is Sir Nils Olav, not wierd at all....


...exept he's a king penguin and he lives at Edinburgh zoo.

I thought it was odd that he was knighted...

They don't attach so much importance to such things in Scandinavia; Yngwie Malmsteen is a member of Sweden's nobility (by birth, not in recognition of any musical achievement).

At first I thought that was a horribly mangled attempt by a Brit to write a Swedish name.


Then I found out that's actually how he spells his name. The FETH?!

It wasn't his original name, though. He was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck.

4oursword wrote:It wasn't his original name, though. He was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck.

Which is why it's fething annoying. He persumably mangled his name like that on purpouse.

FM Ninja 048 wrote:Colonel in chief and mascot of the norwegian Royal Guard is Sir Nils Olav, not wierd at all....


...exept he's a king penguin and he lives at Edinburgh zoo.

That is Honourable Regimental Sergeant Major Sir Nils Olav to you

German submarine U-120 was sunk by a malfunctioning toilet.

A US sub in the pacific conflict after several attacks on Japanese convoys was poised to go home with one torpedo left, after joking they should keep it as a trophy they can across the remnants of one of the Japanese fleets and fired at a warship, only for one of the torpedoes engines fail and sink the sub that fired it...

Don't say "Jap" say Japanese. It's mildly offensive.

The sister ship of the Titanic and the Britanic, Olypmic, sank U-103 by ramming into its submerged conning tower.

-Infantry weapon of the US Civil War was more advance then the US Infantry tactics being used

-US Military started using Silhouette style targets to help break the mental barrier of shooting another human being after WWII

Sikh's won more per capita Victoria Crosses in ww2 than other groups.

While the Battle of Thermopylae is widely known about, and considered the greatest last stand. Sikhs at the Battle of Saragarhi were outnumbered by a greater ratio, and did more damage to their attackers. 21 Sikhs fought against ~10,000 pashtuns in what is now pakistan while serving in the British Indian Army. The last surviving Sikh fighter signalled to his British comrades everything that happened in the fort. My dad is named after him. And I was born 2 days after the battles 90th anniversary which is celebrated by my family, and Sikh regiments of the Indian army.

Sikhs make up 10–15% of all ranks in the Indian Army and 20% of its officers, while Sikhs form only 1.87% of the Indian population. Making us 10x more likely to be soldiers than the average Indian. Sikhs also come from the wealthiest province in India, meaning we don't join the army because we have nothing else to do, or nowhere else to go.

In 2007, plans for an all Sikh regiment for the British Army were shot down amid concerns that it was racist to exclude others. Sikhs were disappointed, as was Prince Charles, a huge proponent of the plan and admirer of Sikh martial mastery.

In essence, Sikhs are one of the most martial races ever. (And I'm damn proud)

In the trench warfare conditions of World War One, the American shotgun was so effective that it caused Germany to file a diplomatic protest against their use.

helgrenze wrote:In the trench warfare conditions of World War One, the American shotgun was so effective that it caused Germany to file a diplomatic protest against their use.

Is the "American shotgun" of a different genus than the British and German shotgun?

I think we were the only country to issue it in mass to clear the trench lines. In fact its still in use today for use in certain situation

Jihadin wrote:I think we were the only country to issue it in mass to clear the trench lines. In fact its still in use today for use in certain situation

I'm really just being a smart ass J . Plus I recognize the hand of Wikipedia.

I'm really just being a smart ass J . Plus I recognize the hand of Wikipedia.

My bad lol

NBD Jihadin. I've serviced a couple dozen Mossy's for MP's At DOL. never got to see a MASS in service; just at SHOT.
Since this is a Trivia thread BG Ansell's response to the German protest remains the official US position on the use of shotguns in combat.

AustonT wrote:

helgrenze wrote:In the trench warfare conditions of World War One, the American shotgun was so effective that it caused Germany to file a diplomatic protest against their use.

Is the "American shotgun" of a different genus than the British and German shotgun?

The Germans and British didn't issue their troops shotguns. That said it was most likely a M1897.

The "trenchgun" used by Pershings troops were Browning designed pump action. At the time, most other countries used breach-loaders. The pump action guns allowed the Americans to fire more shots at a faster rate. They also were given a bayonet mounting still allowed for the gun to be fired.

helgrenze wrote:In the trench warfare conditions of World War One, the American shotgun was so effective that it caused Germany to file a diplomatic protest against their use.

It was quite literally the real life version of, "shotguns OP bro, you such noob that you need shotgun. Blizz please nerf"

-Majority of european armies train to doctrine and standards and maintain the same in combat. US Military train to doctrine and standards but in combat it goes out the window due to initiative

http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3A27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3A1253fb8a-3b45-4f68-b273-fff9b8f2f73d

The USAF keep about 20+ MiGs for training use.

At the beginning of the German attacks in WW2 the Russian KV tanks were twice as heavy as their largest German counterparts, and nearly impervious to enemy AT fire except at point blank range. However, many of the systems in the tank was more than 20 years old and grossly inadequate for a tank of this weight. In fact, the transmission system was so strained it was common practice among tank crews to change gears by smashing the gear change with a hammer.

In fact, the other Allies and Germans, while impressed with the performance and design standards of Russian tanks, they were all amazed at the generally crude finishing of Russian tanks. The Russians were perfectly accepting of the crude finishing, as they reasoned a tank with a suspension system that's machined enough to last a year or two in service is more than enough, when the life expectancy of a tank was generally less than six months.

I forget exactly when and where it happened, but on one occasion a single Russian KV stopped supplies to the 7th Panzer Division for 72 hours. The KV had rolled up through German lines before breaking down in a swamp, that happened to overlook the road the Germans were using to bring up supplies.

The Germans were unable to penetrate its armor with AT rounds and ultimately resorted to using dynamite to destroy the KV. It took them three attempts to finally destroy the KV, and even then, the crew had been killed by the blast of the explosion bouncing off the tank. The KV itself was fine.

Tank looses during WW2 were staggering.
UK : Around 20,000 tanks
USA: Around 20,000 tanks
Germany: Around 45,000 to 50,000 tanks
Italy: Around 3500 tanks
Japan:Around 3000 tanks

But then there is the Soviets

Soviet Union: Between 96,500 to 100,000 tanks

I always wonder if german forces collect battle loss metal and sent it back to germany to recycle Thats a crap load of steel...and lubricants if one put a mind to collect.

Eastern front I'm referring to

Jihadin wrote:I always wonder if german forces collect battle loss metal and sent it back to germany to recycle Thats a crap load of steel...and lubricants if one put a mind to collect.

Eastern front I'm referring to

Kursk: Hitler's Gamble, 1944 wrote:The Germans did a study of tank and assault gun repairs in October and November 1943. In October 973 tanks were repaired and 450 written off as lost, 652 assault guns were repaired and 208 written off, and 200 self-propelled guns were repaired and only 62 were written off, for a total of 1825 armored vehicles repaired and only 720 lost. In November the numbers were very similar: 911 tanks repaired and 524 lost, 698 assault guns repaired and 243 lost and 195 self-propelled guns repaired and 20 lost, for a total of 1804 repaired compared to 787 lost. Most of the repaired tanks would have been claimed as destroyed by the Soviet gunners that inflicted the damage. However, most of the vehicles were back in action within a few days, and very few were sent back to Germany for complete rebuilding.

This is similar for both sides, commanders claimed a kill if they fired at a tank and it stopped moving, but it's really hard to actually destroy a tank beyond all repair


In addition if found the most usefull Ehow artivle ever http://www.ehow.com/how_8461680_destroy-tiger-tank.html

LOL thanks Youbedead.

Was referring to all the captured "metal"
rifles, tanks, artillery, munition, aircraft aluminum that sort of thing. As in smelt the metal down to build german armor and weapons.

Jihadin wrote:LOL thanks Youbedead.

Was referring to all the captured "metal"
rifles, tanks, artillery, munition, aircraft aluminum that sort of thing. As in smelt the metal down to build german armor and weapons.

Ah, well I know most 'recycled' metal was turned into ammunition, and given the amount of lead and steel that was thrown around during ww2 I doubt it had any significant impact.

There is actually a habit in German logistics to count any tank disabled in battle as "destroyed" regardless of whether it was still functional. As a result, large numbers of German tanks listed as "destroyed" were actually just fixed and put back to service. Even tanks actually destroyed tended to be retrieved from the field, especially early in the war, and repaired back to serviceable condition.

The USSR did it too.

LordofHats wrote:There is actually a habit in German logistics to count any tank disabled in battle as "destroyed" regardless of whether it was still functional. As a result, large numbers of German tanks listed as "destroyed" were actually just fixed and put back to service. Even tanks actually destroyed tended to be retrieved from the field, especially early in the war, and repaired back to serviceable condition.

The USSR did it too.

Not to mention both sides massively inflating the number of tanks killed

Battle Loss vs Battle destroyed

LordofHats wrote:I forget exactly when and where it happened, but on one occasion a single Russian KV stopped supplies to the 7th Panzer Division for 72 hours. The KV had rolled up through German lines before breaking down in a swamp, that happened to overlook the road the Germans were using to bring up supplies.

The Germans were unable to penetrate its armor with AT rounds and ultimately resorted to using dynamite to destroy the KV. It took them three attempts to finally destroy the KV, and even then, the crew had been killed by the blast of the explosion bouncing off the tank. The KV itself was fine.

Great story, thanks for that. Sums up the war perfectly, especially with the KV breaking down and still being a gak to destroy


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youbedead wrote:This is similar for both sides, commanders claimed a kill if they fired at a tank and it stopped moving, but it's really hard to actually destroy a tank beyond all repair


In addition if found the most usefull Ehow artivle ever http://www.ehow.com/how_8461680_destroy-tiger-tank.html

In addition to repairing tanks and putting them back into the field, they would also take apart destroyed tanks and scavenge parts.

There was also a lot of looted tanks, particularly Germans putting T-34s into the field.

It's one reason why possession of the battlefield was so critical after an engagement.


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Jihadin wrote:Battle Loss vs Battle destroyed

The Soviets, much like the Germans had before them, learned that single AT pieces were prone to being isolated and destroyed, so they began to deploy AT guns in groups at the company level.

This concentration of firepower was effective and of itself, but quickly led to a new tactic of its own. It became common that, when first firing on German tanks from an ambushing position, all guns in the unit would be ordered to concentrate on the lead tank, or whichever tank was most likely to be the command unit. They were aiming to hit this one tank over and over again, because they didn't want to just take it out but destroy it utterly or achieve a 'K' kill. This would maximise the chance that the officer would be killed and unable to co-ordinate any retaliation, at which point the guns could reload and begin picking off the other tanks.

This concept is still in use in in modern militaries today. Some things you need to take out of the fight, some things you need to wipe off the face of the Earth.

@seb Of the sources I've read it seem that that practice really wasn't as prevalent as it has been made out to be. There was probably around 1,000 captured tanks that were used against the soviets at most and some sources show even lower numbers. It's possible that as the eastern war progressed and fuel shortages become more common that the german were unwilling to use precious fuel on 'inferior' t-34, or it could be that there simply wasn't that many captured though I find that hard to beleive

youbedead wrote:@seb Of the sources I've read it seem that that practice really wasn't as prevalent as it has been made out to be. There was probably around 1,000 captured tanks that were used against the soviets at most and some sources show even lower numbers. It's possible that as the eastern war progressed and fuel shortages become more common that the german were unwilling to use precious fuel on 'inferior' t-34, or it could be that there simply wasn't that many captured though I find that hard to beleive

I suspect the unwillingness is less to do with using fuel in an inferior tank (considering that Panthers and Tigers made up a relatively small portion of German tanks, and the T-34 was superior to every beneath that, and this recognised widely among German command) and more to do with having to train a crew in a new vehicle, and maintain supplies for a vehicle you don't even manufacture parts for.

Even then 1,000 looted tanks is a significant number. There wasn't much more than a 1,000 Tiger tanks built during the whole war, so for the average soldier you were as likely to see a looted T-34 as you were to see a Tiger. And we all know how much people go on about Tigers.

That said, looted vehicles get stupidly overstated in FoW circles. One club I went to for a few games, this fellow spent the whole time talking to me about how he should be able to have looted Tigers in his Russian army, because there was this one Soviet looted Tiger that blew up some ridiculous amount of stuff. I remember I finished my game, that wasn't even against that guy, and when I came back the next week he picked up exactly where he'd left off, like mid-sentence.

I suppose if you compare the the number of tigers produced to t-34's captured then yeah it does come to a significant amount, but on a grand scale it was fairly inconsequential and really just made for good anecdotes.

As for the FoW guy tell him that you get use the ark of the covenant in your ss army, after-all there was totally some nazi's looking for it.

-In 53 B.C. Marcus Licinius Crassus set out go Parthia with 40,000 men. He frond the Parthin's near Carrhae. The Parthians had 11,000 men, all on horse. 1,000 Cataphrats and 10,000 archers. Crassus was whipped out. He was the richest man in Rome. The Parthians pourd gold down his throat.

-In Guam you can scuba dive and touch a WW1 wreck with one hand and a WW2 wreck with the other. The German-built, Russian-operated SMS Cormoran (formerly the Rjasan) and the Japanese Tokai Maru-both passenger/cargo freighters-lie atop one another in the bay.

-More US servicemen died in the WW2 Army Air Corps than the Marine Corps. While completing the required 25 missions your chance of being killed was 71%.

-A Roman century did not have 100 men as its name suggests. A Roman century was made up of 80 men. Some historians believe various support personnel made up the additional 20, though tied more to the legion than the century. On a similar note, a Roman legion of the late Republican/early empire era was comprised of the following men and units:
Tent Section: Smallest unit consisting of 8 men.
Century: 80 men made up of 10 tent sections.
Cohort: 480 men made up of 6 centuries. The first cohort had approximately twice as many men but one less century (the cohort was considered the smallest 'deployable' unit).
Legion: 10 cohorts numbered I thru X made a legion. With the double strength first cohort and 120 cavalry a legion had 5,240 fighting men. Around 760 officers and support personnel brought the total to 6,000.

-There were 34 sailors who could say they were at both the beginning and the end of the US Pacific theater of war. They were stationed at Pearl when it was attacked, and then they were stationed on the Missouri when the surrender was signed.

Several people have played themselves in "War Movies", Including Audie Murphy (To Hell and Back) and Pancho Villa (Life of Villa)

youbedead wrote:As for the FoW guy tell him that you get use the ark of the covenant in your ss army, after-all there was totally some nazi's looking for it.

My army is Soviet as well. I think maybe he thought I'd be sympathetic to him or something. Or everyone else had already heard his story a dozen times. I don't know, he was just a weird guy.

And yeah, on a grand scale they weren't that big. Because, well, there's really no scale grander than the Eastern Front.

-There is a sunken German battlefleet in Scapa Flow. Some of the metal from the fleet was used to create the chambers to test for levels radioactivity in people. This was necessary because at the time so many nuclear bombs had been set off there was enough added radioactivity in the air to contaminate any steel made after a certain time due to the air cooling used when smelting it. However these days we have developed equipment capable of filtering out the background radiation.

Makarov wrote:-In 53 B.C. Marcus Licinius Crassus set out go Parthia with 40,000 men. He frond the Parthin's near Carrhae. The Parthians had 11,000 men, all on horse. 1,000 Cataphrats and 10,000 archers. Crassus was whipped out. He was the richest man in Rome. The Parthians pourd gold down his throat.

Though a good story, Crassus' golden melty death is not attested outside of the histories of Cassius Dio, who wrote in the 3rd century AD, more than 300 year after the events he described, and who, to put it nicely, wasn't immune to the temptation to invent interesting details. What is interesting to add is that Crassus' second-in-command, who succeeded in salvaging a portion (estimates vary as to its size, ancient writers tended to exaggerate numbers, even of their own sides' defeats) of the Roman army, was none other than Gaius Cassius Longinus, who would go on to lead the conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:

4oursword wrote:It wasn't his original name, though. He was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck.

Which is why it's fething annoying. He persumably mangled his name like that on purpouse.

He did. Besides all that, he's an awesome guitarist.

During the Philippine-American War, US Marines were issued thick, leather collars to combat the high casualty rate due to neck wounds and decapitations...and the nickname "Leathernecks" stuck around.

mega_bassist wrote:During the Philippine-American War, US Marines were issued thick, leather collars to combat the high casualty rate due to neck wounds and decapitations...and the nickname "Leathernecks" stuck around.

Were they fighting Phillapino Ninjas?

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

mega_bassist wrote:During the Philippine-American War, US Marines were issued thick, leather collars to combat the high casualty rate due to neck wounds and decapitations...and the nickname "Leathernecks" stuck around.

Were they fighting Phillapino Ninjas?

The stock predates the Phillipines conflict and was worn by Royal Marines of the period as well. I cut and pasted this from somewhere, but it's factual and I didn't have to type it.
"Leatherneck: The nickname Leatherneck has become a universal moniker for a U.S. Marine. The term originated from the wide and stiff leather neck-piece that was part of the Marine Corps uniform from 1798 until 1872. This leather collar, called The Stock, was roughly four inches high and had two purposes. In combat, it protected the neck and jugular vein from cutlasses slashes. On parade, it kept a Marine's head erect. The term is so widespread that it has become the name of the Marine Corps Association monthly magazine, LEATHERNECK."

Ever seen a highly PO phillapino with a machete?

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

mega_bassist wrote:During the Philippine-American War, US Marines were issued thick, leather collars to combat the high casualty rate due to neck wounds and decapitations...and the nickname "Leathernecks" stuck around.

Were they fighting Phillapino Ninjas?

No but they often used swords, and were often very drugged up. It was one the reasons why the US military switched from .38 to .45 caliber for their pistols.

The Phillipino war was really more of a crime against humanity than a war...

Makarov wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

mega_bassist wrote:During the Philippine-American War, US Marines were issued thick, leather collars to combat the high casualty rate due to neck wounds and decapitations...and the nickname "Leathernecks" stuck around.

Were they fighting Phillapino Ninjas?

No but they often used swords, and were often very drugged up. It was one the reasons why the US military switched from .38 to .45 caliber for their pistols.

You mean switched BACK. The 38 Long Colt in the double action Colt M1892 replaced the 45 Long Colt of the M1873 Single Action Army, which was called back to service for the Phillipines. The Army also commissioned some 4,000 M1902 Colts in 45LC(which was simply a contract production of M1878 New Model Army(Double Action Army) serialzed for inventory). The anemic performance of the M1892 and 38LC led to the Thompson-LaGarde tests in 1904, leading to a minimum caliber restriction of .45. Browning had been developing a .41 caliber round for his automatic pistols but the new requirements cut off the development of a 10mm Browning cartridge. The 45 ACP provided comparable ballastics to the 45LC but a lesser known fact is that until the introduction of the 357 Magnum in 1935 the 45LC was the undisputed king of handgun rounds. 62 years of dominance from an Antebellum round is pretty impressive.

AustonT wrote:

Makarov wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

mega_bassist wrote:During the Philippine-American War, US Marines were issued thick, leather collars to combat the high casualty rate due to neck wounds and decapitations...and the nickname "Leathernecks" stuck around.

Were they fighting Phillapino Ninjas?

No but they often used swords, and were often very drugged up. It was one the reasons why the US military switched from .38 to .45 caliber for their pistols.

You mean switched BACK. The 38 Long Colt in the double action Colt M1892 replaced the 45 Long Colt of the M1873 Single Action Army, which was called back to service for the Phillipines. The Army also commissioned some 4,000 M1902 Colts in 45LC(which was simply a contract production of M1878 New Model Army(Double Action Army) serialzed for inventory). The anemic performance of the M1892 and 38LC led to the Thompson-LaGarde tests in 1904, leading to a minimum caliber restriction of .45. Browning had been developing a .41 caliber round for his automatic pistols but the new requirements cut off the development of a 10mm Browning cartridge. The 45 ACP provided comparable ballastics to the 45LC but a lesser known fact is that until the introduction of the 357 Magnum in 1935 the 45LC was the undisputed king of handgun rounds. 62 years of dominance from an Antebellum round is pretty impressive.

But the 45 ACP has surpassed that, with 101 years of service.

The 45 acp has never been the top of the heap in anything, it is a passable service round and little else. At best it runs second fiddle to the 9x19mm's 110 years of service.
You'll also note I said "dominance" not "service." In the hands of competent reloaders in modern handguns the 45ACP struggles to remain relevant and always has, the 45LC still carries a lot of punch in modern handguns, it comes in somewhat behind the 357 which in turn is out performed by the 10mm (full power) and 41 and 44 Magnums. It still makes it into the top ten most powerful hand gun cartridges in the world; against the likes of the 500SW Mag and 454 Casull (itself little more than a strengthened 45LC).

GalacticDefender wrote:The Phillipino war was really more of a crime against humanity than a war...

Indeed, the whole thing was an atrocity committed for the sake of Imperialism and yet many Phillapinos now name their kids Douglas after a certain famous American soldier. I guess it's a case of what have you done for me lately....

KamikazeCanuck wrote:

GalacticDefender wrote:The Phillipino war was really more of a crime against humanity than a war...

Indeed, the whole thing was an atrocity committed for the sake of Imperialism and yet many Phillapinos now name their kids Douglas after a certain famous American soldier. I guess it's a case of what have you done for me lately....

The Phillapinos hated the Americans for decades, they though conditions could never get worse. Till the Japanese came...

History Fact:

Never say it can't get worse. Cause a decade or so later, it's gonna bite you in the

The German Cruiser Emden during the first World War often fitted a false funnel, giving it four. Freighters would then think she was a British crusier, until the Emden got too close, but then it was too late.

Every surviving officer and crewman of the Emden received a special medal from the Kaiser to commermorate their final cruise.


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LordofHats wrote:History Fact:

Never say it can't get worse. Cause a decade or so later, it's gonna bite you in the

I thought for sure this would be a PROTIP instead of a History fact. I thought I knew you, but you surprised me yet again!

Here's a good one, Mr Matt Taylor (b.1979) from Middlesbrough is easily the toughest man ever to wear the green beret, his deeds are legendary and his allies roar his name with vigour, whilst the enemies of his nation whisper it fearfully to terrify their children.

mattyrm wrote: Here's a good one, Mr Matt Taylor (b.1979) from Middlesbrough is easily the toughest man ever to wear the green beret, his deeds are legendary and his allies roar his name with vigour, whilst the enemies of his nation whisper it fearfully to terrify their children.

I call shenanigans

mattyrm wrote: Here's a good one, Mr Matt Taylor (b.1979) from Middlesbrough is easily the toughest man ever to wear the green beret, his deeds are legendary and his allies roar his name with vigour, whilst the enemies of his nation whisper it fearfully to terrify their children.

I used to get nightmares about that guy.

mattyrm wrote: Here's a good one, Mr Matt Taylor (b.1979) from Middlesbrough is easily the toughest man ever to wear the green beret, his deeds are legendary and his allies roar his name with vigour, whilst the enemies of his nation whisper it fearfully to terrify their children.

Real tough guys don't run around with a poofy hat they stole from some parisienne hooker.

helgrenze wrote:

mattyrm wrote: Here's a good one, Mr Matt Taylor (b.1979) from Middlesbrough is easily the toughest man ever to wear the green beret, his deeds are legendary and his allies roar his name with vigour, whilst the enemies of his nation whisper it fearfully to terrify their children.

Real tough guys don't run around with a poofy hat they stole from some parisienne hooker.

That's right! They buy thier own!

Depending what you consider "American" and invading "power", American has been invaded several times.

1942- 1943 The Imperial Japanese Army occupied the island of Attu. One of the Islands in the Aleutian chain most. It was part of the territory of Alaska.

The US reclaimed the Island after heavy fighting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Attu

The last serious hostile power to invade the mainland US was the Confederate States of America during the US civil war. The CSA was never observed by the US as a state, so they are considered a hostile power.

The last time a hostile power invaded US soil was in 1911. When Panco Villa Mexican revolutionary invaded the US raided a small town.

Canadian troops helped liberate some of the Aleutians I believe.

KamikazeCanuck wrote:Canadian troops helped liberate some of the Aleutians I believe.

I think that was Kiska.