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Grand Prize Winner posted:What about last stands? All I can think of are the Alamo, Thermopylae, that one in Gaul where the Celts counter-besieged the Romans and lost anyway. Wake Island.
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Apr 14, 2014 15:22
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PittTheElder posted:On the topic of pikes and such, I'm still impressed that the last known bayonet charge happened as recently as 2004 (by British troops in Basra). HEY GAL posted:God, that's lovely.
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Apr 14, 2014 15:23
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For South America you get the independence wars and it's battles, mostly. Maracaibo, Pinchincha, Suipacha, Cancha Rayada, San Lorenzo, etc. We do get a lot of cities named after either people/saints or places outside our country though; we have cities called Lincoln for example. 
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Apr 14, 2014 15:27
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Hegal, I know you've been asked this like a billion times, but what's a good introduction to the nitty-gritty of the 30 Years War? Bonus points for spergy translation notes and lots of Landsknechte. I might actually get some free time to do some pleasure reading in a bit. CoolCab posted:In a similar way to how we say "blah blah blah" to denote someone talking while you aren't (or aren't able to be) listening, Romans used "bar bar bar". So a barbarian is someone who couldn't speak the language. Nope! http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=barbarian While it's true that it's originally onomatopoeic, you're off by several thousand years ; that's what it was for the Proto-Indo Europeans, a.k.a. back when you were hot poo poo if you had bronze tools. For the Romans it just meant 'foreigner'. If you hear some folksy bullshit, just Google "[word] etymology" and go to etymonline. It's right most of the time, although it can take some finagling if you want to go back too far since it's not perfectly cross-indexed at that actually does require specialized knowledge.
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Apr 14, 2014 15:33
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Would doomed rear guard actions do as Last Stands or not? Or would it need to be a battle not a retreat?
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Apr 14, 2014 16:02
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Siege_of_Malta Does it count as a last stand if you win? 
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Apr 14, 2014 16:21
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The Merry Marauder posted:Southampton is. Southampton is a civilian port, Portsmouth is the RN one.
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Apr 14, 2014 19:06
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While that's entirely true, I was indulging in an ill-advised geographic colon analogy.
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Apr 14, 2014 19:22
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Xiahou Dun posted:Hegal, I know you've been asked this like a billion times, but what's a good introduction to the nitty-gritty of the 30 Years War? Bonus points for spergy translation notes and lots of Landsknechte. Peter Wilson's book is a good introduction, but for both grit and, uh, nits I guess, you should probably check out the diaries. Hell, if you speak German, why not read Golo Mann's biography of Wallenstein? Countdown to you telling us that's not where "nitty gritty"'s really from... HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 22:55 on Apr 14, 2014 |
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Apr 14, 2014 22:38
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JaucheCharly posted:Alesia?!? I don't know where Alesia is! No one knows where Alesia is! Noone was at Alesia!
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Apr 15, 2014 00:38
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the JJ posted:Yeah, I thought one of the more iconic moments of the War in Afghanistan was CIA/Spec Opsy dudes riding around on horses with the Northern Alliance to call in airstrikes from B-2's to dunk on the Taliban. The media got a real kick out of the ancient transport, laser-guided smart munition payload vibe. There was a whole lot of discussion about spec ops and horses on this page, above this post. If anyone has time to kill I would recommend reading this book, its p. great.  Pritzker also has a podcast with the guy who wrote it.
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Apr 15, 2014 01:23
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This is a slightly unfocused question, but I'm wondering if there are any reliable histories of early military (and civil) aviation that focus specifically on pedagogy and pilot training? I find it fascinating that aviation essentially went from nothing to an extremely technical, fairly well-defined field within 40 years, so I'm really curious how it got that way.
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Apr 15, 2014 13:17
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So I finished reading The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, which puts me in a new class of geek. Anyways I want one of you milhis nerds to give me a concise summary on how Cromwell managed to build up an army that whooped rear end, and why this protestant culture was so much better at waging war than their royalist opposition.
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Apr 15, 2014 13:21
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Animal posted:this protestant culture Well I don't think this has much to do with it anyway
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Apr 15, 2014 13:23
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Animal posted:So I finished reading The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, which puts me in a new class of geek. Anyways I want one of you milhis nerds to give me a concise summary on how Cromwell managed to build up an army that whooped rear end, and why this protestant culture was so much better at waging war than their royalist opposition. Really the English Civil War happened at the point where everywhere the old system of feudal armies augmented by mercenaries was being replaced by standing professional armies, the New Model Army was just the point at which it was formally adopted. Parliament also had all of the money and controlled all of the richest parts of the country, which was probably the substantial factor in why they won.
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Apr 15, 2014 13:36
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Alchenar posted:Really the English Civil War happened at the point where everywhere the old system of feudal armies augmented by mercenaries was being replaced by standing professional armies, the New Model Army was just the point at which it was formally adopted. One of my favorite things about the confederate wars era in Ireland was just as Parliament was establishing its hold over England and preparing to invade Ireland the Catholic Confederacy found time to have a civil war among themselves .
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Apr 15, 2014 15:03
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HEY GAL posted:Translation notes? You don't need a translation, do you? Ugh, this is what I get for never learning to read... Maybe this will finally get me to get my poo poo together. Thanks! (And it's etymology-unknown, btw. Don't judge me for calling people out on wrong etymologies. If someone says something wrong about your area, you froth at the mouth to correct them ; I do the same for mine. You study The Best Dressed Murderers Ever, I do words.  )
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Apr 15, 2014 15:10
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Rabhadh posted:Well I don't think this has much to do with it anyway Well, one of the early requirements of the New Model Army was to be Protestant, and the army attracted a disproportionate share of Protestant fanatics. I agree that I'm not sure that Protestantism is a direct cause of the NMA's general success - that probably had more to do with training and professionalism, but it's still a salient feature of the Army.
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Apr 15, 2014 16:46
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It just reminded me of the "protestant work ethic" myth
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Apr 15, 2014 16:55
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Just reading about Napoleon's 1812 Invasion into Russian. Those poor horses and dumb teenage recruits jesus. And we've only just begun.
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Apr 15, 2014 17:46
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There are 2 rules to russian history: Its always bad, and its always about the get worse.
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Apr 15, 2014 18:26
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I can barely imagine how pissed Napoleon was when he got to Vilna and discovered that most of his months of planning out a intricate supply network to make things easier barely made it off the paper. Dude must have ripped many windows from their hinges that night.
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Apr 15, 2014 18:31
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SeanBeansShako posted:I can barely imagine how pissed Napoleon was when he got to Vilna and discovered that most of his months of planning out a intricate supply network to make things easier barely made it off the paper. Alas, his short little arms weren't long enough to reach the windows. yes, I know Napoleon was average height for the era.
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Apr 15, 2014 18:35
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It is a hilarious image, but the dude seriously did tear off some poor Polish guys windows in a fit of temper having a one man arguments with one of Alexanders diplomatic messangers. Napoleon had a pretty violent temper.
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Apr 15, 2014 18:37
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Bacarruda posted:Alas, his short little arms weren't long enough to reach the windows. His abnormally huge left leg made up for his short arms
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Apr 15, 2014 18:51
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Animal posted:So I finished reading The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson, which puts me in a new class of geek. Anyways I want one of you milhis nerds to give me a concise summary on how Cromwell managed to build up an army that whooped rear end, and why this protestant culture was so much better at waging war than their royalist opposition. Most of the royalists were also Protestants (and the ones who weren't kept quiet about it); both sides were English, you know, it's not like they had a separate 'culture' in any real sense and it's also not like culture has much effect on martial proficiency (the Catholics were certainly making hay in the 30 Years War around the same time, after all). In fact both sides in the English Civil War were incompetent as gently caress by Continental standards, especially early on, which is not unusual in a civil war. As for why the New Model whooped rear end, outnumbering the royalists 2:1 by this stage of the war helped quite a bit, oddly enough.
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Apr 15, 2014 20:31
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gradenko_2000 posted:His abnormally huge left leg made up for his short arms True story. If his right leg was that long, he wouldn't have needed a horse at all.
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Apr 15, 2014 20:32
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Yes, it's like a lava lamp.
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SeanBeansShako posted:I can barely imagine how pissed Napoleon was when he got to Vilna and discovered that most of his months of planning out a intricate supply network to make things easier barely made it off the paper. Wait until the partisans show up, that's when it really gets good!
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Apr 15, 2014 20:33
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Ensign Expendable posted:Wait until the partisans show up, that's when it really gets good! Does he drop kick the next Russian messanger through a solid oak door whilst eating his hat? Also, gently caress Murat. Guy must have thought broken in well trained european horses grew on trees.
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Apr 15, 2014 20:41
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SeanBeansShako posted:Just reading about Napoleon's 1812 Invasion into Russian. Those poor horses and dumb teenage recruits jesus. And we've only just begun. The Memoirs of Sergeant Bourgogne is an amazing first-person account of the invasion and retreat. If you're a fast reader with lots of spare time, I recommend War and Peace as well. gradenko_2000 posted:His abnormally huge left leg made up for his short arms What's the joke? Is there a famous ill-proportioned painting of Napoleon? the JJ posted:I'm blanking South and South-East Asia. Dien Bien Phu.
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Apr 15, 2014 21:13
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Oh I've already read Bourgogne memoirs long ago (His wretched experinces!) and I just can't get enough of the 1812 insanity.
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Apr 15, 2014 21:17
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AATREK CURES KIDS posted:What's the joke? Is there a famous ill-proportioned painting of Napoleon? 
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Apr 15, 2014 21:22
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Paradox paintings are the best  
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Apr 15, 2014 23:06
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Xiahou Dun posted:Ugh, this is what I get for never learning to read... Maybe this will finally get me to get my poo poo together. Thanks! 
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Apr 15, 2014 23:32
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SeanBeansShako posted:Just reading about Napoleon's 1812 Invasion into Russian. Those poor horses and dumb teenage recruits jesus. And we've only just begun. Which book are you reading? I'm halfway into Guns of August and would be interested to read a book about Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
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Apr 15, 2014 23:59
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Lord Tywin posted:Which book are you reading? I'm halfway into Guns of August and would be interested to read a book about Napoleon's invasion of Russia. 1812 Napoleon's Fatal March On Moscow!
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Apr 16, 2014 00:26
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I just drove ~4.5 hours each way to visit my parents and I strongly recommend Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast, specifically the first eightish hours about the English Civil War. I think the podcast itself was recommended in this thread. If, like most Americans who have even heard of the English Civil War, you believe that it was led by Oliver Cromwell and the goal was above all to kill Charles I and abolish the monarchy, get ready to listen and learn.
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Apr 16, 2014 01:55
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SeanBeansShako posted:Does he drop kick the next Russian messanger through a solid oak door whilst eating his hat? Probably something like that, they were a pretty big pain in his rear end. The Russian stance on horses was "The women can always birth more men, but we paid for these horses in gold!"
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Apr 16, 2014 02:55
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Raskolnikov38 posted:Paradox paintings are the best I cannot stop bursting into hysterical laughter every time I look at this, is it something that actually got pushed to consumers? E: It's a zombie Bismarck, he gave the command to march forward and now he's spinning his head around like an owl to make sure it's followed.
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Apr 16, 2014 05:59
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It's not a sensible pose, but it's also not impossible. It does seem like he is an action figure though, and rotates perfectly at the waist.
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Apr 16, 2014 06:29
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