![]() |
![]() |
|
|
Monty.
My own theory is that the romance with the German army is based on the idea of "The lost Cause", the same as the attraction for the Confederate army particularly the Army of Northern Virginia under R.E. Lee. The romantic notion of a doomed fight by great warriors against insurmountable odds has a great pull on the imagination. One needs to look past "the good fight" to see the rotten political system behind the great warriors. |
![]() |
||
![]() |
Quote:
Also this does not explain the continuing animosity towards the Japanese soldier of the period because I am not entirely certain Japanese atrocities were any worse than the corresponding German ones, certainly the war in Russia was just as bad as anything the Japanese managed to do. |
![]() |
|
![]() |
![]() |
||
|
Quote:
Thus,every one is continuing the old and false theories that the victories were due of the generals and the defeats because of Hitler . |
![]() |
||
|
Quote:
|
![]() |
||
|
Quote:
|
![]() |
|||
![]() |
Quote:
I tend to agree with you that capturing Moscow without securing either of its flanks (Army Group North was back at Leningrad and AG South around Kiev) would in all probability led to AG Centres destruction at the end of 1941. However there is also a school of thought that says both Moscow and the drive south (to surround Kiev which would have secured the AG Centres Southern flank) could have been achieved had Guderian not insisted on taking his whole force south but instead split them. Quote:
HMS ALLIANCE (Submarine - Gosport). HMS X24 (X Class Submarine - Gosport). HMS CAVALIER (Destroyer - Chatham). ![]() |
![]() |
|||
![]() |
Quote:
I agree with you totally, it's a damn shame that not one battleship has been preserved. However, there is HMS Belfast moored on the River Thames. Not much I know considering Britain Naval history. Ah the TSR2. She ticked all the right boxes apart from the political one. It can be laid at the feet of Churchill's idiot son in law Duncan Sandy's who stated in a white paper that piloted aircraft are a thing of the past. The TSR2 was scrapped as well as a crap load of other projects on the drawing board. As I have said many times, politicians should stick to what they know, getting drunk, shouting abuse at the opposition and fiddling their expenses. So much of British history has been lost because of idiotic British Governments always pleading poverty, yet can find millions to give to despotic leaders like Mugabe. Quote:
The Battle of Britain flight has at least kept a few WW2 aircraft in the air, but there are still too many omission's, such as the Mosquito, the Wellington, Halifax and Sterling. |
![]() |
||
![]() |
Quote:
There are numerous museums such as Hendon, Cosford, Duxford, Imperial War Museums in London and Manchester, the Cabbinet War Rooms, the National Army Museums, the Mosquito Museum, the Shuttleworth Collection, the Muckleborough Collection etc. HMS Belfast is a Cruiser preserved in the Pool of London and there are numerous other smaller private museums. Nearly every regiment of the British Army have their own museums, all open to the public. The UK was turned into a huge Airbase, Army camp, and Naval base during WWII. Farm land was taken and villages evacuated to build military instalations. When the war ended, people wanted their land and homes back. I live in an area surrounded by old 8th Airforce bomber bases. These were all built on farm land. The airfields may have gone but magnificent memorials stand on the sites and in nearby villages. Glenn Millar was based in my home town, there ar memorials to him there and at the site of the old Twinwoods airfield, where he took off from when he disappeared, there is a fantastic museum: http://www.twinwoodairfield.co.uk/tw...on-museum.html We have a museum to the 306th Bomb Group USAAF nearby too: http://www.306bg.co.uk/history.html Bletchley Park was closed down and Station X's existence hidden for so long because the Soviet forces were using captured Enigma machines and we were reading their messages and as they never knew we had cracked Enigma, we dismantled Station X and shifted it all to a pupose built location that became GCHQ. It would have been daft to advertise we could read their codes by creating a museum to the work and efforts of Bletchley Park. The UK had suffered greatly in WWII and wanted to get back to normal as soon as they could. They weren't thinking of preserving things for prosperity, but of rebuilding and the future, but there are a multitude of Museums, national and private collections, so I would say we are renowned for preserving places and equipment of historical significance. By the way, TSR2 was cancelled by the government on political grounds. Two airframes exist in Duxford and Cosford, and to be honest, they were not that great an aircraft! AND don't forget the only airworthy Vulcan is based in the UK http://www.vulcantothesky.org/ And finally! There is a team building a full size replica of the Short Stirling as none survived intact after the war, while RAF Cosford is fully refurbishing a Wellington and, the privately owned Lancaster "Just Jane" http://www.lincsaviation.co.uk/ is being restored to flying status so there will be three airworthy Lancasters in the world! AND! there is a number of DH Mosquitos being restored to airworthy status. |
![]() |
|
![]() |
The point is Trooper, the Vulcan for example should be kept in the air by government grants, not relying on public donations.
There shouldn't be just replica's of aircraft, there should be airworthy examples. The only Wellington that comes to mind is one that pancaked into a Scottish Loch, yes she was recovered but only being rebuilt to static display standard. I must admit I am highly chuffed that another Lancaster is being made airworthy. Once again though, I firmly believe that all of these projects should be funded by government including the Mosquito's. |
![]() |