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There was both a US and UK consulates in Saigon, according to this document: https://www.afsa.org/sites/default/files/vietnamReflections008.pdf "From December 11, 1941, until July 3, 1942, U.S. and British diplomats and AP correspondent Morin were held at the home of the British consul in Saigon...

Almost none. The 3 invasion ports, Sonkhla, Pattani, and Khota Bharu, were minor ports with little traffic in normal times. Most of it coastal or local fishing vessels, very few (if any) of which would be metal hulled. Larger ships would go to Singapore, Bangkok, or Saigon depending on final...

A tramp steamer or 2 leaving Bangkok on dec 6th (when they knew the japanese were coming), and calling at ports down the coast, could leave calling cards outside each of them. Not many, or any, metal hulled ships at Songkhla or Pattani, so magnetic mines will sit there until they arrive. Mines...

According to "Fleet Air Arm Legends : Supermarine Seafire" by Mathew Willis by February 1940 both Hawker and Supermarine were working on folding wing versions. And their lordships asked the air ministry for 50 seafires. "My Lords of the Admiralty would be grateful if the Air Council could give...

For Naval assets there were several options. Sending Force Z was probably the worst of them all. Big enough to be a significant force, not big enough to win. So pretty well guaranteed to get hammered. Option 1: Don't send anything, then it cant get sunk. (not a great option, could be used in...

Would "technicolour yawn" have worked? Not in common use in the UK, but it is used, and has the merits of being both descriptive, and colloquial. "Calling for god on the great white telephone" isn't quite as good, but would have worked as well.

I was a teenager and young man in England during this period. As I already had an interest in history my views were probably different to most of those around me. As has been said, Ireland is complicated, and its history is very complicated. Easy solutions don't exist. For most of those around...

Kangaroos are a) native to australia, while cows aren't b) kangaroo feet have a much lower ground pressure, and don't churn up the land as much as cattle hooves. c) provide a lean, tasty, higher quality meat than cattle, as well as the leather. Why farming kangaroos isn't more of a thing, I...

The number of different variants of the Oerlikon FF, all with different rates of fire, weights, and cartridges can be confusing. However, the 1935 version, the original FF, also known as the FF F (as opposed to the FF L, FF S, MG FF, MG FF/M) was only 24kg, or 53lbs rather than 150lbs. i.e. one...

Good analysis. In fact the difference in numbers was much less than believed - both sides had about 88,000, although the numerical advantage swung back and forwards as the campaign went on. I looked that up last night, damned if I can find it again. As for the threat not being realised, it was...

I would have Carton de Wiart in charge of training. By the time troops had been through a scheme designed by him, there would be a few less of them, but the rest would scare the Japanese rather than the other way round. Either Auchinleck or Montgomery as Malaya command, with Percival as Chief of...

As for no foresight of Japanese intentions: https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-169/churchill-and-the-fall-of-singapore/ Includes the following (my emphasis): "During the last week in March 1941, as a result of Britain’s capability to read Japanese top-secret...

Warspite + escorts had done some work around Narvik not that long before - were they not about?

Or the T-35s? Thy would look impressive, at least until someone shot at them.

I live and learn every day, although sometimes I wish I could forget it. Thanks. I think.

I admit to being confused - what is a paper bag test?

For a major naval power that holds Crete (and Rhodes) as airbases, island hopping up the aegean is a possibility. Given Hitlers paranoia about Romanian oilfields, that is guaranteed to draw resources, as garrisons to hold every island, and aircraft to contest and defend. If only some of the...

When visiting Stalingrad he made a comment on the lines of "What an amazing achievement." Russian responder: "The Russians, to have held out so long?" De Gaulle: "no, the Germans, to have come so far."

Only if it is a Ram, and merinos can drive Ram Kangaroos.

Rhodes harbour is at the north-east corner of the island. With Crete in allied hands reinforcing the italian garrison is going to be somewhere between difficult, and suicidal. The mediteranean, south-eastern coast, of Rhodes has at least one smallish port (Lindos), and plently of beaches. Unlike...