The Military History Thread

Discussion in 'The Thunderdome' started by Joseph Brant, Nov 24, 2012.

  1. Joseph Brant

    Joseph Brant Airbrush Aficionado

    For the sake of the thread, let's not discuss Slavery and the American Civil War, because it's always a mess following. Leaders, Tactics, Strategy, and What If's.
     
  2. Joseph Brant

    Joseph Brant Airbrush Aficionado

    Tannenburg : Tsarist Russia was, in effect, Lenny from "Of Mice and Men"
     
  3. PoochPunt3rdDown

    PoochPunt3rdDown Troll Guru

    I've been reading a ton about the War of 1812. The more I read, the more I'm fascinated and would love to hear the perspective of the history buffs/soldiers.
     
  4. Joseph Brant

    Joseph Brant Airbrush Aficionado

    New Orleans steals all the notoriety. The battles on the Great Lakes were the ones that served purpose
     
  5. Dick Huffman

    Dick Huffman Guest

    Patton and MacArthur couldn't make a sandwich for Stonewall Jackson.
     
  6. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    Georgy Zhukov the preeminent general of the last 250 years or the modern age.
     
  7. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    Dont get the hard on for Jackson. He failed as epically as he succeeded.
     
  8. ImTheCrew

    ImTheCrew New Member

    normal white man... forget about Native Americans.
     
  9. ImTheCrew

    ImTheCrew New Member

    what would have happened if Gavrilo Princip didnt pull that trigger?
     
  10. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    I've been reading World at War. Great summary book of WW2. Up through mid-43 and about to start the Invasion of Italy. Good read. Lots of little facts I had forgotten, and pretty grateful Hitler's ego got the best of him.
     
  11. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    Hitler was our biggest Ally. His micro management of the invasion of Russia crippled his armies beyond repair.

    It is amazing that his ego would not let him bypass Stalingrad, Leningrad and Moscow for the natural resources and labor pool that would have indefinite.
     
  12. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    I still don't understand why he didn't try to finish off Britain first and then do basically exactly what you said.
     
  13. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    Also a very interesting question. I am amazed at how much he leaned and trusted Herman Gehring. Gehring made outlandish promises and never delivered. Although you can trace it back to Hitler cutting funding to the German bomber program.

    Of course it is speculation, but I believe Hitler was terrified that Operation Sea Lion would be a disaster due to the Royal Air Force staying in tact. Obvious logistical problems, I mean something as basic as landing craft were no existent in the German Navy. The tugs and cargo ships they retrofitted were laughable.
     
  14. rbroyles

    rbroyles Chieftain

    Often hear that Hitler should have invaded England, but you bring up why he couldn't. How do you get a large enough force across the Channel to gain a permanent foothold without landing craft? Perhaps an unprecedented enormous air drop? But the transport planes would be sitting ducks to the RAF. Perhaps after Dunkirk would have worked if German forces had been prepared for an invasion, but they seemed to be curiously shortsighted in regard to an invasion.
     
  15. PoochPunt3rdDown

    PoochPunt3rdDown Troll Guru

    The Russians are the most resilient victims of invasion in relatively recent history. Most of my knowledge of that comes from multiple readings of War and Peace, but I have so much respect for their ability to cut their losses and let the vastness of the country be their greatest ally.
     
  16. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    Dunkirk is another amazing question. I understand your troops have just moved with lighting speed, ehehehehe, but why in the world you do you stop for maintenance when you literally have an army on the ropes and you can crush them entirely? I mean we are talking battles of annihilation have occured sparingly in world history and the germans sit. Unreal.

    Hitler had to know he would be sending divisions to their death by sending them across the channel. Again, just pure speculation but Hilters arrogance toward his enemy may well have played a part. Perhaps he thought England was beaten, isolated and his u boats would cut their supply line off?
     
  17. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    I have always admired Russia, talk about a tried and true people. When it comes right down to it their surroundings make them hard and ruthless.

    What Zhukov did was utterly amazing but the west never gives him the credit he deserves. I know this will be unpopular but Russia won the war in Europe. Im not saying we didnt have a hand, but Ike sat back and let the Russian steam roller do its job.
     
  18. PoochPunt3rdDown

    PoochPunt3rdDown Troll Guru

    That was the 2nd war they had won in less than a century and a half, due to the ignorance and ineptitude of a delusional, despotic ruler and the vastness of Mother Russia.
     
  19. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    This very well may have played an important part in his thinking.
     
  20. OrangeEmpire

    OrangeEmpire Take a chance, Custer did

    You got me to thinking, neither Hitler or Napoleon could defeat England and decided east was their best option.

    That whole history repeats itself.
     

Share This Page