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Trin Tragula posted:Meanwhile, even more comedy down in the Indian Ocean, at the Chagos Islands. The remote (and subsequently infamous) British colony of Diego Garcia receives a rare visit from a naval cruiser, and they dutifully give it all the welcome and honours that its station demands. Unfortunately for them, the cruiser is SMS Emden. The colony is so remote that it has no radio, and therefore no means of communication with the outside world. Nobody's dropped by to check on them in the last few months. They have no idea that they're supposed to be at war with the friendly German sailors, and for some strange reason Captain Muller is not in a hurry to correct this impression. Instead, they spend a pleasant week repairing Emden's damage, careening her hull, providing her with coal, and selling odds and sods to the crew. This is fantastic.
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Oct 6, 2014 15:41
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100 Years Ago The Royal Naval Division finally piles off the train at Antwerp. They're welcomed as heroes, and they go straight into the defence. The Belgian garrison is still stubbornly clinging to the last ring of forts before the city proper, but it's soon obvious that the situation is completely hopeless. The ground in front of the forts has been completely cleared by Belgian engineers. Apparently this was done to improve observation and field of fire for the guns, but nobody seems to have considered that now the forts have been completely denuded of any natural cover, and stick out half a mile. The guns themselves are old and spit choking dust at the gunners with every shell they fire. The forts are connected by trenches, but that's 'trenches' in inverted commas. They're barely two feet deep, glorified ditches in the dirt, without reinforcement, without dugouts, without fire-bays, loopholes or sandbags. And even before the Division has come under fire, the Belgians are leaving. There are still west roads open, and one critical railway line. Winston Churchill leaves by one of them. The Belgian Government and the King have already gone, and the field army is perparing to follow. News of the situation is also sent to 7th Division, and though they will still be able to land at Zeebrugge, any thought that they might then be able to help Antwerp is gone. quote:Leading Seaman Tobin, Hood Battalion, RND
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Oct 6, 2014 22:21
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Why does america abbreviate aircraft carriers as cvs? Where does the V even come from?
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Oct 7, 2014 03:28
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gently caress trophy 2k14 posted:Why does america abbreviate aircraft carriers as cvs? Where does the V even come from? Wikipedia posted:Aircraft carriers are ships designed primarily for the purpose of conducting combat operations by aircraft which engage in attacks against airborne, surface, sub-surface and shore targets. Contrary to popular belief, the "CV" hull classification symbol does not stand for "Carrier Vessel". The "CV" designation was originally derived from cruisers, since aircraft carriers were seen as an extension of the sea control and denial mission of cruisers. The "V" designation for heavier-than-air craft comes from the French verb voler (to fly).[7] Since 1935, "CV" has been a two-letter, unitary hull classification symbol meaning "aircraft carrier".
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Oct 7, 2014 03:33
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Two questions that this may or may not be the best place to ask: 1: Does anyone have a link decent pretty maps of the NATO/Warsaw Pact border in the mid-80's suitable for printing for a game? 2: Unrelated, does anyone have any information whatsoever on the BEF's tank marking scheme in 1940? I can find 1944+ out the wazoo for any unit I think to look for, but there's a pile of Matildas here that need fancying up.
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Oct 7, 2014 03:43
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gently caress trophy 2k14 posted:Why does america abbreviate aircraft carriers as cvs? Where does the V even come from? CA was taken by armored cruisers, so they went with the next best thing as noted above.
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Oct 7, 2014 04:44
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Arquinsiel posted:2: Unrelated, does anyone have any information whatsoever on the BEF's tank marking scheme in 1940? I can find 1944+ out the wazoo for any unit I think to look for, but there's a pile of Matildas here that need fancying up. Here's a few sources for wargame painters: http://www.mafva.net/other%20pages/Starmer%20camo.htm http://www.miniatures.de/camouflage-british.html http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/gb/Infantry_Tank_Matilda_II.php http://mojobob.com/roleplay/wargaming/matilda2.html
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Oct 7, 2014 05:27
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Also here http://www.tankmuseum.org/
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Oct 7, 2014 08:24
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1 May, 1626. Northern Italy. The town is called Bostugrande, but I can't find it on the map and these people are really bad at spelling in Italian. Fendrich Hieronymus Sebastian Schutzer, Schützer, or Schütze, whom we last met here, is getting drunk with a bunch of officers and soldiers, including Lieutenant Felix Steter. Because Schütze was "really blazed," (er aber sehr berauschet gewesen), he said "Save your reverence," left, and came back with his horse. He mounted it and jumped over the table, but the horse didn't quite make the jump cleanly and fell with him on its back. (Consider how big the room must be--I always imagine tiny, smoky, dark enclosures or something, but this must be some sort of huge barn-like structure, like the interiors soldiers are always hanging around in in genre paintings.) Neither was hurt, but the horse's hind leg hit Steter in the chest so that he "sank to the earth and lay before death." Schütze has come within a hair of bringing his accidental death count within his own company to 2. (Considering that you can live and die as an experienced soldier without being involved in any pitched battles, he might have hurt more friends than enemies.) But the bystanders revive Steter. Schütze asks him how he's doing. "The horse gave me a good one," he says, and heads back to his own quarters. This is not the problem. Nobody cares, and that isn't why this ended up going to court. This is why: Schütze follows Steter, engaging in a series of fumbling and increasingly hysterical attempts to help. Is it possible that after having accidentally shot a friend of his in the head back in August that he's got some mental problems in this area? He asks to come back to Steter's quarters with him, which Steter refuses, and he asks Steter to get on his horse so he can take him home, which Steter also refuses, saying that he has his own horse and can fetch her if he feels like riding, but he'd rather not. According to Steter, Schütze tries to grab him. According to some witnesses, they come to blows. Then, Steter claims, Schütze insulted him (in at least two languages and possibly three--but if you think these guys spell badly in Italian you should see their Spanish). This is why he's filing an official complaint, because he says he wants his honorable name restored publicly, just as his honor was publicly taken away. Calling a dude a rogue, a dog, a beast, and (possibly) a testicle is far worse than injuring him. Steter also clams that Schütze threatened to shoot another officer in the head once and that he verbally abused the Oberst's Regimentschreiber, so you can see the type of character we're dealing with here. But while the witnesses remember the horse jumping the table, and the scuffle, nobody remembers hearing Schütze insult Steter. Moreover, the guy Schütze was supposed to have threatened said that there had been a quarrel between the two of them back in Bern but the Quartermaster and the Hauptmann resolved it, while the Regimentschreiber says he has nothing against Schütze...but he does have something against Steter, which he won't further specify. In fact, one witness remembers Steter saying that he had enough cause to have Schütze arrested "and take the Fendlein for himself." I don't have this regiment's pay scale. (Their muster roll exists but is currently being microfilmed. No word on when it'll be available.) I do have a pay scale from around the same time, though (1623): in that company, the Fendrich makes 70 gulden/month and is listed second on the Prima Plana (the part of the roll with the officers on it), while the Lieutenant makes 60 and is listed third. Steter wants Schütze's job. Judgement, delivered 29 May 1626. The assembled council decides two things: One, the Fendrich attacked the Lieutenant verbally, injuring his honorable name. Two, and this I'll reproduce verbatim: quote:Because also however Lieutenant Steter sent after his witnesses the next morning and consulted with them about the incident, it is probable that he must have been no less plastered than the Fendrich, and everyone, according to the counsel of our praiseworthy Articles of War, must refrain from drunkenness. Also, in the absence of the Hauptmann both officers and common soldiers must present the best example. Subtext, probably: "We know what's going on but we're too polite to say it, Steter. Shut up before we shut you up. Good day." HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 11:14 on Oct 8, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 16:43
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HEY GAL posted:Schütze and Steter.  Never stop posting.
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Oct 7, 2014 16:53
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Statistically, though, you should probably not drink with that dude if you want to finish out the war in good health.
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Oct 7, 2014 17:02
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Looks like Blackadder (or Baldrick, at the very least) had some adventures in Germany.
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Oct 7, 2014 17:06
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Somebody could make comedy series out of those antics, despite the horrifiying events in the background.my dad posted:Looks like Blackadder (or Baldrick, at the very least) had some adventures in Germany. Well they did do a one off spin off set in the English Civil Wars of the 17th cenury now.
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Oct 7, 2014 17:10
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Actually, considering that the only weapons a Fendrich carries in battle are his personal ones (sword and dagger, pistol/s if he feels like it), Schütze/Schutzer might in fact be more of a danger to the people he hangs out with than to his enemies. Edit: It's interesting that when Steter wants to blacken Schütze's reputation, he chooses to say that he threatened to shoot a guy in the head. All the fights I've read about so far involve daggers or swords, maybe fists once or twice. It's really unusual to shoot a guy in anger. Looks like Schütze's company associates him with shooting people in the head ever since that thing in August. Which is awkward. HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 17:32
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Well, you know what they say. You gently caress one goat...
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Oct 7, 2014 17:57
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HEY GAL posted:Looks like Schütze's company associates him with shooting people in the head ever since that thing in August. Which is awkward. I don't blame them. He's even named 'Shooter'.
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Oct 7, 2014 18:10
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ArchangeI posted:Well, you know what they say. You gently caress one goat... http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=90b_1381707093
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Oct 7, 2014 18:12
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Arquinsiel posted:1: Does anyone have a link decent pretty maps of the NATO/Warsaw Pact border in the mid-80's suitable for printing for a game? Are you thinking of 1:50000 staff maps or something? Because I've seen paper versions of those listed on ebay IIRC and they were definitely not cheap. It's the Militärgeographische Dienststelle/Militärgeographisches Amt/Amt für Militärisches Geowesen M745 series you might want to take a look at:  e: also http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=su%3AGermany+%28West%29+Maps.&qt=hot_subject etc.
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Oct 7, 2014 18:14
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Hogge Wild posted:I don't blame them. He's even named 'Shooter'. (I also came across a troop of horse with two people in it named Hans Schmidt: "Hans Schmidt the shy" and "Hans Schmidt the foul [garstig]." What you have to do for 17th century cavalry to decide that you're a douchebag, I do not know.) Edit: They didn't kick him out though. Just immortalized him as "Yeah that dude? Total jerkass." HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 18:15
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HEY GAL posted:What you have to do for 17th century cavalry to decide that you're a douchebag, I do not know. "Dude, you're completely covered in poo poo!" "Don't worry, it'll fall off once it's dried." (Variation of a russian joke) e: Wasn't there Hans Schmidt the Power Khan fucked around with this message at 18:33 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 18:22
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HEY GAL posted:I'm still not sure how many of these people have picked their own names. In the rolls I have met people with last names like "Desertion," "Hears The Cry" (those two have been friends for years, which I can tell because they keep transferring from one company to another together), "Drink Wine," "Evil," and something kind of like "Ambitious" (Hochgreifer). I've read a bunch about nicknames in the 16th century, but the only secondary source available says that military nicknames are no longer recorded in the 17th, exemplifying the increasing social control imposed upon soldiers. Are they wrong? Maybe he didn't drink alcohol, didn't bathe, collected oriental art and his helmet had a brim. Swedish allotment system also used soldier names. quote:Soldier names: edit: There could probably be some problems in the navy now that I think about it. "Drop the anchor." "Noooo!" Hogge Wild fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 18:41
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JaucheCharly posted:e: Wasn't there Hans Schmidt the Hogge Wild posted:Swedish allotment system also used soldier names [and serial numbers] HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 18:52
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What was considered foul back then? The stories of Till Eulenspiegel might give a hint.
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Oct 7, 2014 18:59
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HEY GAL posted:Fendrich Hieronymus Sebastian Schutzer, Schützer, or Schütze Does Fendrich rhyme with Schmendrick? These are the best stories.
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Oct 7, 2014 19:00
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LordSaturn posted:Does Fendrich rhyme with Schmendrick? These are the best stories.   This is some serious poo poo. It's almost religious as far as his culture is concerned. (Fendriches are also responsible for adjudicating minor disputes among the common soldiers, stuff that isn't important enough to make it into the court documents.) And I have no reason to doubt that while he's on the job he's worthy of his charge. I have three of his regiment's court-books and he doesn't show up (or hasn't yet shown up) for cowardice, slacking, or anything else. Just...homeboy knows how to party. On a related note, it's also really interesting to me that officers and common soldiers hang out either in the same place or actually together. There's none of the forced and stringent distance between officers and men that you see later--nobody seems to wonder if, if you see a dude blazed out of his mind on Sunday night (or if you know that he pouts and ragequits when he loses at dice), you might be less likely to obey him on Monday morning. Maybe you're more likely--this is a person you know more deeply than your 18th century equivalent will know his under-officers. They're more likely to have come from the same social class too--I've seen plenty of common officers (like Schütze and Steter), and there's always a sprinkling of "vons" among the common soldiers. HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 19:34
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I love that Drink Wine is a nickname. I'm going to remember that one.
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Oct 7, 2014 20:50
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HEY GAL posted:1 May, 1626. Northern Italy. The town is called Bostugrande, but I can't find it on the map and these people are really bad at spelling in Italian. What conflict are these guys involved in? I didn't think the 30YW had all that much going on in Italy, but maybe these guys are just garrisoned there? Or is they involved in one of the many squabbles between the Italian states?
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Oct 7, 2014 20:53
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Yes, it's like a lava lamp.
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PittTheElder posted:What conflict are these guys involved in? I didn't think the 30YW had all that much going on in Italy, but maybe these guys are just garrisoned there? Or is they involved in one of the many squabbles between the Italian states? This protects the vital "Spanish Road," a network of places and routes that Spain uses to shuttle men, supplies, food, and cash back and forth between southern Italy, its territories in northern Italy like Milan, and the war in the Netherlands (which didn't originally have anything to do with the 30yw but just started up again back in '21). That is to say, it's a pipe through which Spain shoves money to a place where it will be carefully collected, piled into a pit, and then set on fire. Except for the Oberst Lieutenant, who's either Spanish or Italian (took part in the famous siege of Breda!) and hired for the occasion probably as some sort of liaison between these dudes and the locals, most of these guys are probably Lutheran. Their Articles of War lists every single one of the King of Spain's titles except "Most Catholic Monarch." Edit: There's hardly any squabbles between Italian states any more, because almost all of them are either direct subjects of the king of Spain, client states of the Spainish empire, or clients of France. The 30yw in Italy takes the form of the first two either fighting the second, or France trying to peel them off of Spain. The Papal States want very hard to remain neutral. I forgot what Venice is doing. HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 21:05
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If you're near Hamburg the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe has a special exhibit of WW1 propaganda until Nov 2nd. I went to see it today, it is really good. The entire museum is super interesting actually. The WW1 exhibit has a special website at https://www.propaganda1418.de for more info.
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Oct 7, 2014 21:45
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Around that time Venice was mostly doing its own thing along with some tension with Spain and the HRE. They were sort of involved with the War of Mantuan Succesion which was a peripheral conflict of the 30YW fought mainly between France against the HRE, Spain, and Savoy. Venice was allied with France at the time and they tried to march to aid Mantua which was under siege by German troops. However the Venetians never made it as their army was defeated on the way there. The Germans sacked Mantua though ultimately the war ended on terms favorable to the French due to the HRE needing to focus on their war with the Swedes. The armies during this conflict also happened to bring the plague with them that wiped out roughly a third of the Venetian population. Almost 2 decades later the Venetians were busy fighting the Cretan War against the Ottomans which would last for 25 years and result in the Ottoman conquest of Crete.
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Oct 7, 2014 21:49
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HEY GAL posted:if you see a dude blazed out of his mind on Sunday night When you say blazed, does that refer to being drunk or high on weed? I've always seen it meant as the latter, but I didn't think they smoked marijuana in Europe back then. Have you run into any references to drug use outside of alcohol and tobacco?
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Oct 7, 2014 22:51
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AATREK CURES KIDS posted:When you say blazed, does that refer to being drunk or high on weed? I've always seen it meant as the latter, but I didn't think they smoked marijuana in Europe back then. Have you run into any references to drug use outside of alcohol and tobacco? You can eat opium in early modern Europe, but I haven't personally seen anyone do it yet. Edit: And coffee houses are the chic new thing, but I haven't come across any references to coffee either. It's possible that people do not yet drink it out of the coffee-house setting. Same for chocolate, if you're Spanish (sugar optional  ).
HEY GUNS fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Oct 7, 2014 |
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Oct 7, 2014 22:56
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Actually, come to that, are there any notable uses of combat drugs in history? I know that amphetamines were commonly used in World War 2, but I'm curious about earlier usages.
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Oct 7, 2014 23:09
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Tomn posted:Actually, come to that, are there any notable uses of combat drugs in history? I know that amphetamines were commonly used in World War 2, but I'm curious about earlier usages. Does alcohol count? I know there's a lot out there in pop culture about the brits giving rum (and I think later gin) rations pretty liberally before battles, basically from the American War of Independence through WW1 at least.
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Oct 7, 2014 23:21
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Isn't getting all high the whole basis for Viking and Germanic berserkers too? Or were they not actually a thing.
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Oct 7, 2014 23:25
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Opiates as Victorian campaigning panaceas.
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Oct 7, 2014 23:46
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100 Years Ago Antwerp is a lost cause. The Belgian field army is evacuating as quickly as possible down every west road. The Royal Naval Division remain in their scrapes in the ground and continue to wait. They're not even coming under attack. The Germans have chosen to concentrate their fire on areas held by the local garrison troops, and they've now advanced far enough for their heaviest guns to fire on the city itself. quote:Leading Seaman Tobin, RND Meanwhile, the 7th Division has arrived at Ostend, and then marches towards Bruges. The Channel ports are no longer wide open, although the Allies are still many miles from winning what's often (inaccurately; it completely mischaracterises the nature of the battles) referred to as the Race to the Sea. So, where's everyone else? The RND and Marines are still mouldering in Antwerp. The original BEF is divided many ways as it crawls north; the ones making the best time are just crossing the River Somme at Abbeville. The Germans are still trying to push the French off Vimy Ridge; a line has established itself east of Arras, but the French can't move enough men north quickly enough to stop the Germans installing themselves in Lens, and the line begins to form just west of the city. To the north, a critical Belgian railway line runs from Bruges through Roulers and Mouscron to Lille and then into Lens. From Lille, even in 1914 you can get everywhere; including places like St Quentin, now firmly in German hands, where reserves might be usefully kept for maximum flexibility in travel. If the Allies can seize and hold that railway, they will likewise be able to reinforce the area as needed while keeping their reserves in a more flexible position.
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Oct 8, 2014 00:20
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Bacarruda posted:Here's a few sources for wargame painters: These are mostly just camo colours as far as I can tell, but at least I know where the anti-gas paint flash goes now so that's progress. Thanks! Koesj posted:Are you thinking of 1:50000 staff maps or something? Because I've seen paper versions of those listed on ebay IIRC and they were definitely not cheap.
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Oct 8, 2014 01:17
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AATREK CURES KIDS posted:When you say blazed, does that refer to being drunk or high on weed? I've always seen it meant as the latter, but I didn't think they smoked marijuana in Europe back then. Have you run into any references to drug use outside of alcohol and tobacco? People never ceased smoking or eating it, but it became more popular with the rise of coffee houses, where different forms were traded under the name "Orient".
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Oct 8, 2014 08:11
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Koramei posted:Isn't getting all high the whole basis for Viking and Germanic berserkers too? Or were they not actually a thing. Being a berserker was some kind of cultural/religious thing. They might have used hallucinogenic mushrooms as part of their rites, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they were drugged on the battlefield. I'd think that if you were totally shitfaced or tripping your balls off, you'd be killed quite easily by a sober enemy.
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Oct 8, 2014 09:20
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