Minor point, Gott was already in theatre. The Germans found out about his appointment and movements, and sent fighters to kill him.
Needing 1700 2pdrs so that Covenanters would have guns to fire occasionally on training(crew would get to fire that on a range a couple times only)People bemoan the delay to things like the 6 pounder and Griffon engine development but maximising production by minimising the disruption to the current systems they would bring was the right choice.
This kind of thread just lends itself to the simplistic “great men of history” view, devoid of context for the most part. Sure the generals get the plaudits when victorious and the blame when defeated, but there’s so much more going on, and of course we have the benefit of hindsight and the lack of any of the pressures they were working under.
My Uncle used to tell similar stories about the USAAF's ability to airdrop supplies.My Grandfather was a marine in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War.
He use to say that there was a special circle of Hell for Logistics Officers and Sergeants.
He use to tell the story of his unit when they were on Peleliu.
His Lieutenant send a Sergeant back to get more ammo.
The Sergeant returned to tell the Lieutenant that the Supply Officer would not give the unit more ammo till the Lieutenant came there and fill out forms in triplicate .
This is while the Company is actively fighting the Japanese.
My Grandfather big issue about Supplies was with the US Navy.My Uncle used to tell similar stories about the USAAF's ability to airdrop supplies.
They seemed to be very good at delivering them to the Japanese!
To be fair Savo Island and Fletcher pulling out to replenish his fuel and fighters had left the transports pretty much naked in terms of cover.My Grandfather big issue about Supplies was with the US Navy.
Granddad was first on Guadalcanal and saw the Navy pull away it ships with all the Supplies on them, leaving the Marines alone on the island with few supplies.
As Granddad once told a Navy Admiral who was giving a lecture on the Navy during World War Two, "The US Navy behaved like Cowards at Guadalcanal because they did not want get the paint scratched on their Ships".
But to the Marines who were already on Guadalcanal , all they knew was the ships were leaving without first dropping off their supplies.To be fair Savo Island and Fletcher pulling out to replenish his fuel and fighters had left the transports pretty much naked in terms of cover.
But to the Marines who were already on Guadalcanal , all they knew was the ships were leaving without first dropping off their supplies.
To be fair Savo Island and Fletcher pulling out to replenish his fuel and fighters had left the transports pretty much naked in terms of cover.
Which suggests both the Marines and the US Navy were poorly organised. The failure to drop off supplies was compounded by the withdrawl. However the US Navy was right to withdraw the vulnerable ships in the face of possible Japanese attack.
Also the sun is warm.Not exactly a shining, irrefutable source...
Well, apart from the post-Alamein pursuit where he advanced faster than Rommel had in the other direction, the advance from the Seine to Brussels/Antwerp (largest single day advance in combat until the Gulf War), and the post Rhine crossing campaign (including the rapid capture of Bremen, Hamburg etc).There's cause to criticize Monty on other episodes, and (Lord knows) reason to dislike him. But on the whole, as senior British commanders go, he was reasonably able. Just confine him to set piece or defensive battles,
Part of Montgomery's problem was that due to Ultra he was getting the messages that Rommel was sending to Hitler "No retreat, we will fight here to the last man", while at the same time air reconnaissance was showing Rommel moving troops to the rear.Contrariwse, if you are looking at Montgomery in North Africa he doesn't know what his opponent is doing. It would be quite a jump to assume he is planning to retreat as fast as possible to Tunisia. Strategic logic is that he would make a stand for it, and at the very least defend Tripoli and try to make a bloodbath of it.
no using some definitions of the word Twats have a use.I think you mean twat.
Not sure all of the above are really equal.......organizing rationing might even be good in times of critical shortages!Obviously the people who helped organized conscription/rationing/genocide/"strategic" bombing.
I agree they could have been done better but I think just building 1700 2pdr Valentine tanks. They would at least be useful and using the lights as training tanks would be far better?Needing 1700 2pdrs so that Covenanters would have guns to fire occasionally on training(crew would get to fire that on a range a couple times only)
Was totally a waste for a vehicle that only a handful ever left the UK, that crews would never fight in, with a main gun that was already obsolescent -- did no one any favors.
They would have been better served rebuilding the Mk Light 'Tank' into an open topped SPG, using the old Naval 3pdrs, that had been made last in 1936
into something like this
for SeaLion fears, while getting ready to build 6 pdrs and decent tanks to put them in
Better sure.I agree they could have been done better but I think just building 1700 2pdr Valentine tanks. They would at least be useful and using the lights as training tanks would be far better?
I don't get how they missed the 4 burning allied cruisers, but to be fair I suppose they were rather busy and its not like the bulk of them were trained to recognize ships(and the ships were fairly mangled, still if Canberra had managed to reactivate her engines and Astoria got her fires under control(the failure of which to do so is widely considered the fault of not stripping out enough flammable stuff when the war started, this changed fleet wide within a month)they probably would spent months in dockyard hands but they would have survived)and thus most them suposed they were Japanese ships having not been told otherwise. And yes I imagine to the troops on the ground having the fleet run away without fully offloading the supplies and personnel for the invasion would have been a nasty shock and felt like a betrayal...but considering way more Americans would die at sea protecting the beachhead and getting supplies and reinforcements (not to mention the losses in ships) to Guadalcanal than on the Island I can safely say that the navy did its partBut to the Marines who were already on Guadalcanal , all they knew was the ships were leaving without first dropping off their supplies.
Main probkem with the Covenanter, too damn many for a training tank, they built enough for multiple armored divisions, and the UK never trained enough tankers at one time to warrant that many training tanks at any time in the war.
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Not only a terrible human being, but a terrible officer.
Fascinating interview with one of the Americans who had to contend with the man while Goring was in custody. Incredible how out of touch with reality Goring really was. Murphy love that American sergeant who appears to have measured Goring to the finest degree. Not fooled at all by the fraud was he, that sergeant.