March 25th, 2012, 12:00 PM | #81 |
Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 21
Thanks: 683
Thanked 189 Times in 21 Posts
|
"Black Jack" Pershing wanted the fresh American troops to totally decimated the Germans. He didn't want them to be afford the "easy" surrender they were afforded, he wanted them to surrender on their knees, thoroughly beaten. Otherwise, "we'll just be doing this again in twenty years."
He was almost exactly right.
__________________
"Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats." -H.L. Mencken |
The Following 15 Users Say Thank You to Cap'n Zippy For This Useful Post: |
March 25th, 2012, 01:32 PM | #82 |
El Super Moderador
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Adoptive Monkey Hanger
Posts: 58,144
Thanks: 772,791
Thanked 855,880 Times in 57,575 Posts
|
As was Marshal Foch,He was only a few days out.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. If in doubt, Just ask Yourself What Would Max Do ? It is a porn site,But its a Classy porn site. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. |
The Following 13 Users Say Thank You to Mal Hombre For This Useful Post: |
March 25th, 2012, 04:28 PM | #83 |
Former Staff
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 16,579
Thanks: 452,836
Thanked 222,658 Times in 16,567 Posts
|
|
The Following 12 Users Say Thank You to palo5 For This Useful Post: |
March 25th, 2012, 06:56 PM | #84 |
緑の男
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Jockistan, UK.
Posts: 8,316
Thanks: 39,023
Thanked 122,415 Times in 8,316 Posts
|
|
March 25th, 2012, 07:18 PM | #85 |
Former Staff
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 16,579
Thanks: 452,836
Thanked 222,658 Times in 16,567 Posts
|
|
The Following 12 Users Say Thank You to palo5 For This Useful Post: |
March 25th, 2012, 10:58 PM | #86 |
緑の男
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Jockistan, UK.
Posts: 8,316
Thanks: 39,023
Thanked 122,415 Times in 8,316 Posts
|
|
The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to otokonomidori For This Useful Post: |
March 26th, 2012, 02:13 AM | #87 |
Long Suffering Bills Fan
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: The City of Good Neighbors
Posts: 9,669
Thanks: 304,243
Thanked 152,631 Times in 9,629 Posts
|
True, the definition of decimation is to kill one in ten, but in American English it has become a metaphor for total destruction.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. |
The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to tygrkhat40 For This Useful Post: |
March 26th, 2012, 05:07 AM | #88 |
Vintage Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,736
Thanks: 144
Thanked 14,338 Times in 1,702 Posts
|
|
The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to knobby109 For This Useful Post: |
March 26th, 2012, 11:26 AM | #89 |
Vintage Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 6,814
Thanks: 26,904
Thanked 80,771 Times in 6,813 Posts
|
March 26, 1898
Germany The Reichstag passes Admiral Tirpitz’s First Navy Bill. Germany begins building a powerful fleet of battleships. Further bills will increase the size of the battle fleet, making the German Navy second in the world, trailing only Britain. To gain public support for such a program, an enemy at sea needs to be created. Anti-British sentiment grows in pro-naval circles. Britain responds to the building program by laying down more battleships of its own. March 26, 1915 Western Front The French gain the summit of Hartmannsweilerkopf. Eastern Front The Russian advance in the Carpathians continues. 2500 more prisoners are taken. Lupkow Pass falls. March 26, 1916 Libya British aircraft wreck a Turkish base at Bir-el-Hassa. Eastern Front The Russians continue to attack at Lake Naroch, with little success. By now the entire battle area has become a virtual lake. General Ragoza begins withdrawing troops. March 26, 1917 Western Front The British take Lagnicourt, 6 miles northeast of Bapaume. The French repulse several attacks near St. Quentin. Eastern Front The Russians are attacked at Baranovichi and forced back over the Shchara River. Palestine Sir Archibald Murray, now headquartered at El Arish, has assigned Sir Charles Dobell, commander of the Eastern Force, the task of taking Gaza after first securing Wadi Ghazze, a ravine and water source 6 miles southeast of Gaza. Camel and cavalry units, grouped in a force known as the Desert Column, under Sir Philip Chetwode, spearhead the attack, along with units of 2 infantry divisions. Although the natural obstacles, including huge cactus hedges, are formidable, by the end of the day, the attack succeeds in forcing the Turks back into the city, which should fall readily the following day. But at their headquarters, Dobell and Chetwode misapprehend the real situation and order the mounted troops to withdraw to Wadi Ghazze. The withdrawal allows the desperate Turks a chance to reinforce the Gaza garrison. Arabia After meeting with Abdullah and failing to persuade him to pursue more aggressive tactics, Lawrence himself leads an attack at Aba el Na’am on the Hejaz Railway. He and his men take 30 prisoners. March 26, 1918 Western Front Hutier’s troops advance another 5 miles, Below’s another 6. British troops are driven from Albert and Bray. A gap at Colin camps is closed by elements of the New Zealand Division. South of the Somme, the Germans take Chaulnes, Roye, and Noyon. Allied Command Allied leaders meet at Doullens, already menaced by the Germans. Milner, Poincaré, Clemenceau, and Generals Wilson, Haig, Petain, Foch, and a few others attend. When Haig enters, Petain whispers to Clemenceau “There is a man who will be obliged to capitulate in open field within a fortnight, and very lucky if we are not obliged to do the same.” It is clear to Clemenceau and Poincaré that the ever-pessimistic Petain is losing his nerve. As British troops retreat through the streets of the town, the conferees confirm Haig’s and Petain’s decision of the Somme River boundary, decide that Petain can free 24 divisions to bolster Haig, and agree that a unified command is needed. Foch is named Allied Commander in Chief. Wilson’s and Milner’s candidate, he is given authority to coordinate the actions of the Allied armies on the Western Front, working closely with generals in chief who are to supply him with “all necessary information.” Clemenceau snorts at Foch “Well, you’ve got what you wanted.” The general’s riposte – “A fine present. You give me a lost battle and tell me to win it.” Russia The Soviet government grants the Czech Legion permission to travel across Siberia to Vladivostok, to which Tomas Masaryk is already en route. The Legion will board the trans-Siberian Railway for the journey. Palestine British cavalry probes toward Amman. Mesopotamia The British have sent cavalry and 3 armored cars secretly by night well around the Turkish positions at Khan Baghdadi to a site on the Aleppo Road 6 miles beyond the town. Marching upriver from Hit in the early morning darkness, the British main column attacks just after sunrise. Throughout the day, they relentlessly drive the Turks from their defensive positions, taking 1000 prisoners. As the retreating Turks move up the Aleppo Road, they encounter the British cavalry and another 1000 surrender as the rest flee. |
The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to Ennath For This Useful Post: |
March 26th, 2012, 11:28 AM | #90 | ||
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: England
Posts: 26,242
Thanks: 162,409
Thanked 278,561 Times in 26,187 Posts
|
Quote:
For example: the heroine, Rayna Petkoff hears the news that her side, the Bulgarian Army, has trounced a Serbian invading force, broken it up and sent the remnants fleeing in panic. She is delighted and hopes they will wipe out the lot. But that night, a fleeing Serbian Army officer (a Swiss mercenary called Captain Blutschli) breaks into her bedroom and hides there, holding her at gunpoint to make her hide him. But he isn't what she expected; he is scrupulously gentlemanly (she thought she would at least have to make him look the other way); he is courteous and apologetic about his treatment of her, which he can only excuse because he is in a desperate situation; he is politely but firmly dismissive of the notion that his conduct is cowardly. Quote:
The other point Shaw made in his play is a point TE Lawrence repeatedly made in his excellent book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, an account of the Arab revolt of 1916-18. Rayna's intended bridegroom, Captain Sergius Saranoff, committed a grave error and led a cavalry charge against the Serbian machine gun emplacements, in which battle Captain Bluntschli participated. The charge was successful only because the Serbian ammunition turned out to be defective. Saranoff basks in this success with mixed feelings; he feels a bit cheated because there was no actual victory of arms, the Serbs being forced to run for it. Bluntschli is scathing about the tactical naivity of a cavalry charge against a machine gun position, but wonders wistfully if the Bulgarian cavalry had been tipped off; if they were, he would frankly admire the excellence of their tactics. Rayna is horrified by Bluntschli's attitude; she would think it disgraceful to be only willing to charge if the enemy cannot fight, whereas Bluntschli thinks that's just common sense. Bluntschli is clearly right. Saranoff didn't kill that many Serbs; his success is that he broke their formation and forced them to leave his country. The number killed is not and never was the point of a battle; success is measured by who has the ground when it is all over, and the fewer men killed, the greater the success. TE Lawrence was clear that even a Turkish life was worth something, and merely killing Turkish soldiers was pointless. Defeating them and taking the ground was the object; provided this was achieved, Lawrence would just as soon have prisoners as have corpses (though he was not in favour of them escaping to fight him again another day). Lawrence did not believe in "glory" at all. Like Shaw's captain Bluntschli, Lawrence believed in getting the job done.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. |
||
The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to scoundrel For This Useful Post: |
|
|