Yeah, that's one of the things that got the Russkies all riled up. They wanted them as independent buffer nations against the West after they withdrew but they all wanted to join NATO for protection. When Ukraine wanted in, they finally decided that they had to do something.
[ on the Spanish Civil War, which both sides deserved to lose.
bullshit
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
[ on the Spanish Civil War, which both sides deserved to lose.
bullshit
Well, you had the republicans who were a bunch of communists and you had the nationalists, who were the rich, oppressing landlords, their church lackies and fascist generals. They killed neighbors as efficiently as they do in the Balkans. Neither group deserved to win.
[ on the Spanish Civil War, which both sides deserved to lose.
bullshit
Well, you had the republicans who were a bunch of communists and you had the nationalists, who were the rich, oppressing landlords, their church lackies and fascist generals. They killed neighbors as efficiently as they do in the Balkans. Neither group deserved to win.
You sound like a democrat or a commie....
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
[ on the Spanish Civil War, which both sides deserved to lose.
bullshit
Well, you had the republicans who were a bunch of communists and you had the nationalists, who were the rich, oppressing landlords, their church lackies and fascist generals. They killed neighbors as efficiently as they do in the Balkans. Neither group deserved to win.
You sound like a democrat or a commie....
No kidding. WTF koolaid is that?
Slaves get what they need. Free men get what they want.
[ on the Spanish Civil War, which both sides deserved to lose.
bullshit
Well, you had the republicans who were a bunch of communists and you had the nationalists, who were the rich, oppressing landlords, their church lackies and fascist generals. They killed neighbors as efficiently as they do in the Balkans. Neither group deserved to win.
You sound like a democrat or a commie....
Nice rebuttal...I gave facts, you call names. Maybe you should try an adult conversation sometime? The problem is that there wasn't any centrist or moderate party in Spain.
Facts you say? "rich oppressing landlords and church lackies (sic) your idea of "facts"? (ergo, the democrat/commie comment).
OF COURSE General Franco was a "fascist", but let's look at the FACTS. Spain was being taken over by Soviet financed and inspired communists, not only intimidating the population, but murdering priests, burning churches and terrorizing citizens, not to mention bleeding the country dry by among other things sending all Spanish Gold Reserves to Moscow (ostensibly destroying what was left of their financial infrastructure). Franco destroyed communism in Spain and protected the church. When WWII broke out, Hitler asked him if he could attack Gibraltar through Spain (which would have been catastrophic for the Brits) and pretty much turned a blind eye to Allied operations in his AOR. After WWII ended, he became a STAUNCH ally, opening up Spain to us for bases and continued to be a staunch enemy of communism. He protected the Monarchy and when the time was right, like Pinochet in Chile, VOLUNTARILY gave up power and turned the country into a democracy. Now tell me again why they were the bad guys? do yourself a favor and read Un Millon De Muertos (One Million Dead) about the Spanish Civil War then get back to me.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
I didn't say they were the bad guys, just that both sides sucked. The Church in Spain was as crooked as the one in Ireland. They meddled in politics and were supported by the state.
That is YOUR opinion. Personally, I hold both Generals Franco and Pinochet in higher esteem than just about ANY politician. Bottom line is in the end, Franco saved his country, so if that is SUCKING, we have different measures of effectiveness.
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
Fascinating...... Thanks for posting that. The Eastern Front is the side of WW2 history I know the least about, but stuff like that ignites my interest.
At almost the exact time (Oct '44) the Americans were engaged in a bogged-down and equally bloody slugfest in the Huertgen Forest just west of Duren, Germany. Densely-forested, hilly terrain, mired in mud, with the Germans mounting a fierce defense. In that battle, though, armor was of little use.
"Keep your mouth shut, work hard. Life is tough. Work through it.” -- Stetson Bennett, Quarterback, Georgia Bulldogs
downloaded and have half read that book mentioned on stalingrad, inexpensive on kindle, and quite good. also there is a movie out there on stalingrad, called stalingrad 1993, on you tube, watched it this morning. The movie was done by germans, english subtitles. Quite good. I am a fan of the battlefield digups on the eastern front, and several on digs around stalingrad, something to see. they are still finding and will continue to find the skeleton's of combatants around the area. Mass graves. I don't know who has seen the pictures of the stacks of german frozen soldiers above ground mainly because of not being able to bury them. there was an area that for years after the war near stalingrad just full of skeletons laying on the ground. It mentioned after the surrender only about 6000 of the 100k plus men sent to siberia came back. My ex son in law's father was a machine gunner in the central command. he was taken prisoner later in the war and was in a cattle car aimed at siberia, when they came to a crossing. Him and a few others jumped off the train thinking it was better to be shot than a slower death in siberia. The 18 year old guard did not shoot them, and he made his way back to austria. He had a phot album too. One picture i have always kept in my mind. A bunch of his ten year old school mates, sitting on a fence prior to the war. He named them by name, and the place they were killed in russia. The movie stalingrad 1993 brings out the inhumanity on both sides, and both sides executing their own soldiers. In the book, it references the soviets shooting about 15000 of their own troops. No wonder they didn't like the book.
i might mention another WWII story, a k98 mauser i could not buy. A german soldier was home on leave, due to be shipped to africa. Forgot his rifle at his mothers house, got on the troop ship and remembered he left the gun at home. He could have been shot for that. Anyway they hit the beach were immediately hit by the british, and he picked up a rifle, and then captured by the british. He was sent to the german pow camp in phoenix where he spent the war. later he went back to germany, but eventually moved back to arizona because he liked it so much. he gave the rifle to a younger man, who had a yard full of german military vehicles. I was there to see him as i am into american military vehicles. He wouldn't sell the rifle of course, but i tried. I have several k98's one of which was manufactured at konisberg. That's important to me given a german general born there, with my last name, and killed during the retreat out of the baltics. There is a you tube video of that long straight road through the forest from the east going to berlin. I have seen pictures of the bombed out equipment on it. Battlefield diggers finding little piles of stuff, military I.D, etc. that had been buried. If you were in the S.S. you ditched your stuff. To get caught with it, was an automatic execution.
Ever see an old western where the bad guy is getting it about to get his ass kicked by one protagonist and another dude walks in the back door and stands in front of it so that the bad guy can’t get away? That was the role of the US in Europe. Russia did all the heavy lifting but the war in the west was important because the distances were so short and it also put pressure on Hitler from that side.
Hitler couldn’t ignore the west because a breakthrough there could see Americans in Berlin in a couple of weeks, but all the while after Operation Bagration, the Russians were pummeling them.
another story, we were shooting a m.g.42 on a tripod mount, with a hensolt optic on it, when a kid in the shooting area came over reconizing what he thought it was from the sound. He was an exchange student from germany. Wanted to shoot it, which he was allowed to do. Seems he had one. His grampa had been in russia, walked back to germany with the mg42. it was greased up along with ammo, and buried in a barn. Still there it seemed. not practical to disturb it these days, but they did know where it was. I am sure there are guns buried all over europe, for a rainy day.
I've been to Poland a couple of times & Czech Republic a lot since we have a plant there near Prague, going again next month.
Really a lot of interesting history & things to see there.
MM
When I think of the Czech Republic I often think of another famous general in an earlier war. The battle of Grunwald when the Jan Zizka defended against the Teutonic Order. Jan Zizka is also famous for the Hussite rebellion against the pope. Many say he was one of the top military minds of all time. I think that many would say he had a huge impact on the Czech people to this day. Certainly he steered the religious tone. A very famous man for many reasons. On of the largest equestrian statues in the world that depicts Jan is on Vitkov Hill in Prague. Military Slav brigades were named after him in WW2, so a lot of linkage after 500 years.
Ron, a couple of years ago I read and article about a contractor in Germany was making alterations in home when he pulled out a wall and found a MP40 fully loaded and in as new condition. Said probably every house in Germany had similar weapons hidden away.
another story, we were shooting a m.g.42 on a tripod mount, with a hensolt optic on it, when a kid in the shooting area came over reconizing what he thought it was from the sound. He was an exchange student from germany. Wanted to shoot it, which he was allowed to do. Seems he had one. His grampa had been in russia, walked back to germany with the mg42. it was greased up along with ammo, and buried in a barn. Still there it seemed. not practical to disturb it these days, but they did know where it was. I am sure there are guns buried all over europe, for a rainy day.
For anyone interested in the MG42 there's a good article on it in the current issue of Dillon's "Blue Press." The article says it was a heckuva lot better than allied machine guns. The rate of fire was higher and you could quick change out the barrels. Later machine guns, including the US M60, copied some of its features.
Don't blame me. I voted for Trump.
Democrats would burn this country to the ground, if they could rule over the ashes.
another story, we were shooting a m.g.42 on a tripod mount, with a hensolt optic on it, when a kid in the shooting area came over reconizing what he thought it was from the sound. He was an exchange student from germany. Wanted to shoot it, which he was allowed to do. Seems he had one. His grampa had been in russia, walked back to germany with the mg42. it was greased up along with ammo, and buried in a barn. Still there it seemed. not practical to disturb it these days, but they did know where it was. I am sure there are guns buried all over europe, for a rainy day.
For anyone interested in the MG42 there's a good article on it in the current issue of Dillon's "Blue Press." The article says it was a heckuva lot better than allied machine guns. The rate of fire was higher and you could quick change out the barrels. Later machine guns, including the US M60, copied some of its features.
Well, it’s still in use in some countries and in use as the lightly modified MG-3 in a lot more.
