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Buckeye Game Fest will be held May 2-5, 2024, with The War Room opening on 29 April ~~ More Info here

Author Topic: This Day in History  (Read 199833 times)

Sir Slash

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Reply #480 on: June 11, 2020, 11:11:57 PM
There was a great piece on NatGeo's Drain The Ocean show Tuesday I believe about the Alabama. How she was designed to be able to disguise herself as a sailing merchant to get close enough to surprise her targets.  :bigthumb:

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bob48

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Reply #481 on: June 12, 2020, 06:40:47 AM
It met its fate in the English Channel as I recall - and no, before you ask, I didn't see it myself.

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Tolstoi

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Reply #482 on: June 12, 2020, 09:42:18 AM
On June 12th at 1000 the 51st Highland Division, under the command of Major General Victor Fortune, surrendered to the Germans at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Surrounded, General Fortune had considered other options, such as counter attacking, but with little ammunition and the nearby French 9th Corps, (I think?) surrendering just a couple of hours earlier, General Fortune decided to surrender to General Rommel, commanding the German 7th Panzer division.

You can learn the full history from the official 51st Highland Division website: https://51hd.co.uk/history/valery_1940

Two interesting items for your consideration related to this event in history.

The first item: Davy Steele, of Battlefield band, wrote a song about this event in 1998. His father and uncle where in the Seaforth Highlanders and both were present during the Battle of St. Valery. Davy's father escaped, but his uncle did not, which Davy includes in his song. Here is Mr. Steele's song:


The second item: During the latest episode of Pipeline (June 6th, 2020), at BBC Radio Scotland, there is a segment about the Battle of St. Valery. You can find it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000jtbg - Please note: it is only available for about three more weeks.

There were many famous pipers in the 51st Highland Division and Pipeline host Gary West starts a story about how "Wee" Donald Macleod escaped from the Germans on the long march through France at the 22:45 mark. Mr. Macleod's daughter Susan picks up the story starting at the 23:00 mark of how her father managed the escape and finishes at 24:35.

The recording won't be available after three more weeks, so here's rough transcript of the story.

Susan: They were on a forced march, now uncle ? and uncle Angus was on that forced march, so was Pipe Major Donald MacLean of Lewis, not that they were together, but on one of the rests on this march, Dad, being so small rolled into a ditch and wasn't missed. He wandered around France for quite a while, just eating raw turnips from the fields and eventually the resistance picked him up. They grouped him with some other chaps and they were trying, I think he got out at St. Valery eventually, but they were trying to get there without the Germans knowing what their purpose was. They were accosted once or twice by Germans and Dad just spoke Gaelic to them. I hate to think what he was saying...

Unknown male voice humorously says: And the Germans said, "Are you from Stornoway?"

Susan: … and they just thought they were eastern Europeans and they let them go.

Gary West: I've heard a lot of stories about how useful Gaelic can be at times when there's non-speakers around too, so that was clearly a key, a crucial one.

Susan: Yes, indeed.




besilarius

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Reply #483 on: June 12, 2020, 11:13:30 AM
 George McDonald Fraser in one of the Private McAuslan (the durtiest sojer in da wur-rld) stories, noted that the jocks at St Valery sang naughty Glaswegian songs at the Germans before the tanks rolled in.

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


bob48

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Reply #484 on: June 12, 2020, 11:24:46 AM
That would have probably been enough to blister the paint off 'em.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

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besilarius

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Reply #485 on: June 12, 2020, 08:29:12 PM
www.combinedfleet.com/shoksink.htm

This is a few days early, but with my memory...
Here is a study of the torpedoing of the Japanese carrier Shokaku.
Very interesting recreation.

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


besilarius

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Reply #486 on: June 14, 2020, 02:57:35 PM
www.combinedfleet.com/guadoil1.htm

Following the success of the Battle of Midway, Admiral King starts working on the problem of stopping the Japanese in the Solomon's Island chain.
They are beginning to construct an airfield on the Lunga plain of Guadalcanal.
The above article addresses the serious issues facing the Japanese navy.
On the face of it, the Japanese navy should have been able to stop the Americans.
Logistics was one key.

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


Tolstoi

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Reply #487 on: June 17, 2020, 10:41:07 AM
Today marks the 245th anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill. Thomas Williams (@twilliams01301 over in Twitter-land) has a nice essay from 2013 about the battle.

You can find it at the Small Wars Journal: https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/bunker-hill-a-story-of-prudent-risk-and-reckless-irresponsibility

 In Mr. Williams words:

Quote
In this short “staff ride” we explore the decisions General William Howe and others faced in June 1775 to contemplate the line between what is prudent risk and reckless irresponsibility.  For the sake of space, there are many aspects of the battle not discussed, leaders not talked about (Putnam and Warren to name just two) and events ignored or given short shrift.  It’s a risk taken for the sake of a larger point.

At the bottom of the essay is a link to West Points history department with additional info about the American Revolutionary War. There are four pdf files which have nice maps of the battle.



bayonetbrant

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Reply #488 on: June 17, 2020, 10:44:28 AM
very cool!

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mirth

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Reply #489 on: June 21, 2020, 07:32:31 PM

Being able to Google shit better than your clients is a legit career skill.


mirth

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Reply #490 on: June 22, 2020, 11:16:22 AM

Being able to Google shit better than your clients is a legit career skill.


mirth

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Reply #491 on: June 22, 2020, 12:02:28 PM

Being able to Google shit better than your clients is a legit career skill.


Sir Slash

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Reply #492 on: June 22, 2020, 03:55:04 PM
Wasn't the Daniel Boone the sub that killed a Russian Bear with a Bowie Knife?  :hehe:

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mirth

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Reply #493 on: June 23, 2020, 06:53:00 AM

Being able to Google shit better than your clients is a legit career skill.


mirth

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Reply #494 on: June 25, 2020, 08:36:08 AM

Being able to Google shit better than your clients is a legit career skill.