Thread: WW2 qusetions

Originally Posted by Numpty's Missus

Whatever you do....don't mention the war

I did once...but I think I got away with it..
(Apologies to Basil)
What a great episode, my other fav was the Rat.

Tommies old term for British troops pre-dates Tom and Jerry cartoons

I think for some reason it can be traced back to Napoelanic Wars to the iberian campaign but cant remember why l am thinking that at the moment

prehaps google or wikepdia will help

1815 a War Office publication showing how the Soldier's Pocket Book should be filled out gave as its example one Private Thomas Atkins, No. 6 Troop, 6th Dragoons. Atkins became a sergeant in the 1837 version, and was now able to sign his name rather than merely make his mark."

So my vague recollection was right its origin comes from generic name for filling in soldier paybook from early 18th century

Originally Posted by Numpty's Missus

Whatever you do....don't mention the war

You'll have to excuse him - he's from Barcelona!

Originally Posted by cartm58

1815 a War Office publication showing how the Soldier's Pocket Book should be filled out gave as its example one Private Thomas Atkins, No. 6 Troop, 6th Dragoons. Atkins became a sergeant in the 1837 version, and was now able to sign his name rather than merely make his mark."

See the Army is a valuable educational institution in only 22 years the Illiterate Thomas Atkins learned to sign his name. This feat so impressed his superiors that they made him a sergeant.

Diana

Yes the Austrians did fight with the Germans, Hitler was Austrian apparently, Had Germany stayed out of Russia I am sure the out come of the war may have been very different, The Russian front accounted for the majority of Nazi deaths in WW2, troop numbers were much more then the Commonwealth prior to the Yanks coming into the show.

There are so many "what if's" * in the WW2 conflict that there is little point in debating the issue more than it was horrible and too many people died because of an evil regime that would never have come to power had it not been for the Treaty of Versailles and the reparations the Weimar government was forced to repay the western powers.

Diana

* What if:

• There were no war reparations on Germany
• Chamberlain had not appeased Hitler over the Sudetenland
• France and Britain had sent troops to Poland
• The Magenot Line continued along the Belgian Border.
• The Whermacht had continued to close off Dunkirk instead of leaving it to the Lufftwaffe. Therefore preventing a quarter million Allied troops escaping from France.
• The Luftwaffe had continued to raid the RAF airfields during the battle of Brittain.
• Hitler didn't delay Operation Barbarossa, for the Balkans campaign.
• Operation Barbarossa was succesful in taking Moscow in spring 1941. Allowing the Germans to destroy places like "Tankograd" east of the Caucas Mountains. - No T34
• Hitler bypassed and isolated Stalingrad.
• The ME262 came into service earlier.
• The V weapons were available earlier than 1944.
• The Waffen SS Armoured Divisions east of Caen were released as soon as the D-Day invasion commenced.
• The armoured divisions around the Par-de-Calais were released to Normandy on D-Day.
• The Germans didn't run out of fuel during the Battle of the Bulge.
• The Germans didn't launch the Battle of the Bulge.

Should I go on?

Leons back!