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Probably the most important anniversary in History
- Thread starter contrarian
- Start date
Just been reading a book called panzer ace, tiger comms set who fought in the months after D-Day. He talks in detail about what it was like when HMS Warspite was shelling them, talks of tiger and panther tanks being literally flipped upside down, they couldn’t even hear the shells until they were landing around them, I’m fking glad I wasn’t around then 
Edit :
That was meant to say a tiger commander.
Edit :
That was meant to say a tiger commander.
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c032745y
Striker
Many academics, including committed atheists, argue that a Christ figure existed...
There are very long odds however on his date of birth being 25th December, given that date has shifted several times in Christian history and custom, is taken from a calendar that was only set up in the Middle Ages and just happens to coincide with the date of the Winter Solstice that was already established as a big feast day and would have been stiff competition otherwise
Burns
Midfield
The year he was born is also debatable
It's almost like it was all just made up
c032745y
Striker
And winter would be long, dark & dismal without that...
...back on track. The men (& women!!!) who fought for freedom deserve our gratitude. I would also say a word for the cruelly misnomered "D-Day Dodgers" still fighting in the Far East & elsewhere, including my dad!!!
Geras
Midfield
15" Naval guns will do that even from a potential 20km, shells approaching 2000lb, so will carpet bombing . My dad was less than a mile off the German armoured formations around Tilley sur Suelles. He said the ground literally bounced under him . The fire power laid down on the Gerrys was immense . All part of the " steel not flesh " approach.Just been reading a book called panzer ace, tiger comms set who fought in the months after D-Day. He talks in detail about what it was like when HMS Warspite was shelling them, talks of tiger and panther tanks being literally flipped upside down, they couldn’t even hear the shells until they were landing around them, I’m fking glad I wasn’t around then
Edit :
That was meant to say a tiger commander.
The amount of armour in Normandy was greater than that at Kursk in a fraction of the space , some but not much of it escaped.
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The term 'D-day dodgers' was used to describe those men fighting in the Italian campaign - based on a comment made by Lady Astor in the House of Commons. They even came up with their own song, to the tune of 'Lili Marlene', mocking the aspersion that they were living the high life in Italy whilst their comrades in Normandy were taking the brunt of the Nazi war machine.
The irony being that the Italian campaign was one of the most hard-fought and brutal theatre of operations of the whole war as Italy was defended by some of Germany's most elite and vicious divisions fighting in terrain that was vastly more suitable for defensive actions than offensive ones.
The irony being that the Italian campaign was one of the most hard-fought and brutal theatre of operations of the whole war as Italy was defended by some of Germany's most elite and vicious divisions fighting in terrain that was vastly more suitable for defensive actions than offensive ones.
Yeah Nancy Astor can go shit a hedgehog. And so can all her living relatives
The problem with the Italian campaign, was the lack of shipping.
Most of the landing ships were diverted to Normandy, if they had more than they could of leaped frogged the German defensive lines by sea.
I have travelled through Northern Italy and the roads are mental, twisting up and down mountains. How anyone could fight through that I don't know.
Ned Land
Winger
We were drinking in Sopot near to Gdansk last week… I didn’t realise until I returned home that the street where the bars are was named after Monte Cassino.
There was also a statue of this chap:
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Yeah, we've been to Sopot, Great place - we were there a couple of days before I spotted the street name - it was the Poles who eventually took Monte Cassino after three previous failed attempts by other allied forces.
PTR
Striker
I can't get my head around it, its a thread about how important that date in history was, and we all know fine well what happened and the unimaginable sacrifices made, yet you have some people who think its fair game to turn it into a modern-day gutter politics point scoring activity.
I'm disgusted by these people. Hang your head in shame.
Iballistic George
Winger
God job we had the Americans who took the hardest beaches and took the most casualties and provided the most ships and men.
Geras
Midfield
The Poles got to the top of the mountain , fought bravely and lost many many men in the process. It was however the French colonials who Clarke credited with turning the tide of the Monte Cassino campaign in the end ( if you can put it down to one outfit in such a long and attritional battle) . They flanked the Germans and forced them to move a lot of defending forces to a new line , using Morrocan mountain troops to attack across ground the Germans neglected as impassable .
When the battered poles finally planted their flag there were allegedly 30 wounded Germans up there
