Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

VIP theatres - adults only AFAIK - lisc probably means licensed to serve alcohol. Meant to attract people who don't want to have a restaurant date.

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

ORIGINAL: sprior

It's not widely-known but the man who was in command of the Dunkirk evacuation, Admiral Ramsay, was also in command for operation Neptune. sadly he was killed in a plane crash in 1944

Interesting. Is that the role played by Kenneth Branaugh in the trailers?

warspite1

Ramsay, as Vice-Admiral Dover, wouldn't have been at Dunkirk, he was orchestrating the operation from Dover.

I assume that Branagh is William Tennant (he of HMS Repulse - Force Z fame) or a similar character. Tennant directed evacuation operations from the beaches as Senior Naval Officer Dunkirk.

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Panther Bait

I believe for all the talk of the mighty German armored/mechanized divisions, that they were largest users of horse-drawn equipment/transports in WW2. The UK highly mechanized/motorized before the war, and the US was as well. The Russians less so, but I think still more than the Germans (one of the top lend-lease items to the Soviets was trucks IIRC). The Japanese probably had the least mechanization, but I don't think they had a lot of horses either. They designed a lot of their equipment to be man-portable (probably often by non-soldiers).

Mike

P.S. When I say highly mechanized/motorized, I don't mean to say everyone rode instead of walked. I am really talking about the use of horse transport vs. motorized/mechanized transport where it was necessary (heavy weapon platoons, artillery/ATGs, etc.). I fully understand that most infantry troops, at least outside the armored/mech divisions, walked into battle.

warspite1

The problem was realised before the war, but in Hitler's mad rush to take over Europe there was not the time or the resources to fix the problem. Fact was in 1935 there was 1 vehicle for every 65 Germans, and on the outbreak of war that had only increased to 1 in 47. In Britain those numbers were 1 in 23 and 1 in 14 and even higher in France. For the US it was 1 in 5 and 1 in 3.

Why was this a problem? Well the fewer cars per populace, the fewer drivers, the fewer mechanics, the fewer factories and assembly lines, spare parts and workshops. The factories needed to pump out the motor vehicles required by the army took time to build up and so did all the ancillary items that were needed to go with them. And of course there was the added complication that the air force and the navy were also competing for the limited resources.

Oberst Adolf von Schell was made Plenipotentiary for Motor Vehicles and he spent time in Detroit seeing how Ford worked and what Germany needed if they were to bring the army into the 20th Century. The German motor industry had too many companies making too many different types of vehicle with the result that the precious few resources to go round were not being used to best effect. Outside of the panzer and motorised divisions an over reliance upon horses was the result.

Figures from James Holland War In The West

ORIGINAL: JeffK

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy




Interesting. Is that the role played by Kenneth Branaugh in the trailers?

warspite1

Ramsay, as Vice-Admiral Dover, wouldn't have been at Dunkirk, he was orchestrating the operation from Dover.

I assume that Branagh is William Tennant (he of HMS Repulse - Force Z fame) or a similar character. Tennant directed evacuation operations from the beaches as Senior Naval Officer Dunkirk.

In the 1958 movie, the room where Ramsay runs the operation from is the actual room used IRL.
This rates as one of the best war movies made, with a few small mistakes the equipment used is from the right period (prolly still first line gear fro the British Army at that point), despite a few chances for "German atrocities, ie wounded left behind, this doesnt happen. I would assume that the British Army provided troops for the beach scenes, it really looks like there are thousands on the beach.

As for the BoB movie, they couldnt make it better now. Not mentioned is the closing "credits" listing the Nationalities of the Allied pilots who died, truly the Empire defending the United Kingdom.

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Panther Bait

I believe for all the talk of the mighty German armored/mechanized divisions, that they were largest users of horse-drawn equipment/transports in WW2. The UK highly mechanized/motorized before the war, and the US was as well. The Russians less so, but I think still more than the Germans (one of the top lend-lease items to the Soviets was trucks IIRC). The Japanese probably had the least mechanization, but I don't think they had a lot of horses either. They designed a lot of their equipment to be man-portable (probably often by non-soldiers).

Mike

P.S. When I say highly mechanized/motorized, I don't mean to say everyone rode instead of walked. I am really talking about the use of horse transport vs. motorized/mechanized transport where it was necessary (heavy weapon platoons, artillery/ATGs, etc.). I fully understand that most infantry troops, at least outside the armored/mech divisions, walked into battle.

warspite1

The problem was realised before the war, but in Hitler's mad rush to take over Europe there was not the time or the resources to fix the problem. Fact was in 1935 there was 1 vehicle for every 65 Germans, and on the outbreak of war that had only increased to 1 in 47. In Britain those numbers were 1 in 23 and 1 in 14 and even higher in France. For the US it was 1 in 5 and 1 in 3.

Why was this a problem? Well the fewer cars per populace, the fewer drivers, the fewer mechanics, the fewer factories and assembly lines, spare parts and workshops. The factories needed to pump out the motor vehicles required by the army took time to build up and so did all the ancillary items that were needed to go with them. And of course there was the added complication that the air force and the navy were also competing for the limited resources.

Oberst Adolf von Schell was made Plenipotentiary for Motor Vehicles and he spent time in Detroit seeing how Ford worked and what Germany needed if they were to bring the army into the 20th Century. The German motor industry had too many companies making too many different types of vehicle with the result that the precious few resources to go round were not being used to best effect. Outside of the panzer and motorised divisions an over reliance upon horses was the result.

Figures from James Holland War In The West

Also also let us not forget the German usage of numerous foreign trucks (French, Czech etc.) that were also used until they broke down due to overuse and lack of spare parts and maintenance...


Leo "Apollo11"

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: JeffK

ORIGINAL: warspite1

warspite1

Ramsay, as Vice-Admiral Dover, wouldn't have been at Dunkirk, he was orchestrating the operation from Dover.

I assume that Branagh is William Tennant (he of HMS Repulse - Force Z fame) or a similar character. Tennant directed evacuation operations from the beaches as Senior Naval Officer Dunkirk.

In the 1958 movie, the room where Ramsay runs the operation from is the actual room used IRL.
This rates as one of the best war movies made, with a few small mistakes the equipment used is from the right period (prolly still first line gear fro the British Army at that point), despite a few chances for "German atrocities, ie wounded left behind, this doesnt happen. I would assume that the British Army provided troops for the beach scenes, it really looks like there are thousands on the beach.

As for the BoB movie, they couldnt make it better now. Not mentioned is the closing "credits" listing the Nationalities of the Allied pilots who died, truly the Empire defending the United Kingdom.

warspite1

Not to forget the other nationalities, of which the Polish and Czech contribution stands out.

The end credits for the Battle of Britain contains as fine piece of music as you will find anywhere in cinema history. Kleenex at the ready....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLDZkypBHnw

ORIGINAL: Skyros

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: JeffK



In the 1958 movie, the room where Ramsay runs the operation from is the actual room used IRL.
This rates as one of the best war movies made, with a few small mistakes the equipment used is from the right period (prolly still first line gear fro the British Army at that point), despite a few chances for "German atrocities, ie wounded left behind, this doesnt happen. I would assume that the British Army provided troops for the beach scenes, it really looks like there are thousands on the beach.

As for the BoB movie, they couldnt make it better now. Not mentioned is the closing "credits" listing the Nationalities of the Allied pilots who died, truly the Empire defending the United Kingdom.

warspite1

Not to forget the other nationalities, of which the Polish and Czech contribution stands out.

The end credits for the Battle of Britain contains as fine piece of music as you will find anywhere in cinema history. Kleenex at the ready....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLDZkypBHnw

Repeat Please.

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Skyros

ORIGINAL: warspite1


warspite1

Not to forget the other nationalities, of which the Polish and Czech contribution stands out.

The end credits for the Battle of Britain contains as fine piece of music as you will find anywhere in cinema history. Kleenex at the ready....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLDZkypBHnw

Repeat Please.

warspite1

Sure.

Not to forget the other nationalities, of which the Polish and Czech contribution stands out.

The end credits for the Battle of Britain contains as fine piece of music as you will find anywhere in cinema history. Kleenex at the ready....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLDZkypBHnw

[:D]

warspite1

Not to forget the other nationalities, of which the Polish and Czech contribution stands out.

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

warspite1

Not to forget the other nationalities, of which the Polish and Czech contribution stands out.

To me, the nationality that most stands out is the Australian contingent. 21 participants with 14 fatalities? That's a pretty high ratio. Vagaries of war, training, unit issues, being outnumbered, what? [:(]

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy

warspite1

Not to forget the other nationalities, of which the Polish and Czech contribution stands out.

To me, the nationality that most stands out is the Australian contingent. 21 participants with 14 fatalities? That's a pretty high ratio. Vagaries of war, training, unit issues, being outnumbered, what? [:(]

....and the tanks too. How many divisions relied upon Czech tanks? and French tanks were also used (although I don't know if the latter equipped panzer divisions.

ORIGINAL: rustysi

....and the tanks too. How many divisions relied upon Czech tanks? and French tanks were also used (although I don't know if the latter equipped panzer divisions.

(...) French tanks were used later on, but from what I know it looks like most were supplied to Germany's allies. One exception IIRC was the reconstitution of the 21st (Africa Corps) Panzer division. Some veterans of North Africa requested the division be reconstituted. They were allowed to do so, but they were told no German assets were available, so they used French tanks. I think this outfit was the one German armored unit to engage on D-Day. The one that split the British beaches and nearly made it to the coast. Withdrew due to lack of support, or so the story goes. That is if my memory doesn't fail me... Again.[:D]