Lest we forget. World war one centenary.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

It seems incredible to think that it all started a hundred years ago today. Sadly I don't think there can be many left alive today as I know the last fighting tommy died a couple of years ago, but my thoughts go out to all those whose lives were impacted by this terrible event.

RIP

Sent from the astropathic choir.

[kirk13]

We should all take time to remember how an utterly pointless war started,when it could have been avoided. It's an important lesson for the world we live in today.

Lest we forget

[bigstancwsw]

We should all take time to remember how an utterly pointless war started,when it could have been avoided. It's an important lesson for the world we live in today.

Lest we forget

As with all of history we will not learn a single thing. Greed and religion will always start wars.

[Grathr]

We should all take time to remember how an utterly pointless war started,when it could have been avoided. It's an important lesson for the world we live in today.

Lest we forget

Well said
The more I learn about WW1 the more pointless the war becomes. The lack of respect for human life in that war is just unbelievable.

[Millhouse]

 

[jerseydevil]

Two hours and twenty five minutes from now.  If ever there was a war that could have been avoided, World War I was it.

[kirk13]

Across the the UK last night,the lights went out at 10pm to commemorate the start of the Great War. I was delighted to see just how many London households took part. I often think this country is loosing its soul,but when something important comes along...


My gun club trained over 24000 soldiers in basic musketry during the Great War,and standing in our club house last night,there was an overwhelming sense of their presence. Very spooky indeed!

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

It was heartening to see wasn't it

[jerseydevil]

I saw something about glass poppies in the moat at the Tower of London, one for every Commonwealth serviceman that died during the war.  The number I heard was about 800,000, which sounds low to me.  I thought that Empire casualties were over 900K.  Perhaps the 800K was only UK? 

100 years ago today, the Battle of Liege began, the first derailment of the German timetable set by the Schlieffen Plan.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I seem to remember the Germans were stalled at a railway station by accurate rifle fire from a single platoon of Tommie's

[jerseydevil]

I seem to remember the Germans were stalled at a railway station by accurate rifle fire from a single platoon of Tommie's

Oh sure, credit the Brits why don't you. The BEF came as a rude surprise to the Germans.  At Mons German officers reported that they had run into British companies armed with only machine guns.  What they were facing were battallions of professionals who knew how to work a Lee Enfield better than any other troops in the world could use their rifles.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

14 AIMED shots a minute as a minimum requirement

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Oh and the Lee Enfield is still the greatest bolt action rifle in history in my humble opinion

I certainly miss my old girl

[jerseydevil]

Oh and the Lee Enfield is still the greatest bolt action rifle in history in my humble opinion

I certainly miss my old girl

Amen!   I have three.....

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Lucky git

Every time I see one I want another, but swibo won't let me have one until the kids are all grown up

[Lichtbote]

I´m looking for a deac one - and my metal hacksaw is ready to do the chop-job as soon as i get one. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Nooooooo!!!!

[jerseydevil]

I´m looking for a deac one - and my metal hacksaw is ready to do the chop-job as soon as i get one. 

Hacking into an antique, even a deactivated one, is immoral.  Once I saw at a gun show a Model 95 Chilean Mauser that had been cut up and "sporterized" poorly.  On the side of the reciever ring were stamped the letters OVS- Orange Free State.  This idiot had destroyed an authentic Boer Mauser!

[Lichtbote]

No, not "Noooooooo!" 

More "Utini!" 

[Lichtbote]

Hacking into an antique, even a deactivated one, is immoral.  Once I saw at a gun show a Model 95 Chilean Mauser that had been cut up and "sporterized" poorly.  On the side of the reciever ring were stamped the letters OVS- Orange Free State.  This idiot had destroyed an authentic Boer Mauser!

Oh, i´m highly immoral. 

I already did it to a Sterling SMG, a Margolin, a Webley flaregun, Horton Crossbow, ......
Additional i gave several antique camera flashlights a new live with drilling, machining, ....

Not to count the antique cameras i salvaged, sometimes just for one or two of it´s knobs.


But under the line i would call it a "improvement". 

[ducttapetech]

Oh and the Lee Enfield is still the greatest bolt action rifle in history in my humble opinion

I certainly miss my old girl

Amen!   I have three.....

Love them. I got 2 myself.

That's us mobile.

[kirk13]

I´m looking for a deac one - and my metal hacksaw is ready to do the chop-job as soon as i get one. 

Hacking into an antique, even a deactivated one, is immoral.  Once I saw at a gun show a Model 95 Chilean Mauser that had been cut up and "sporterized" poorly.  On the side of the reciever ring were stamped the letters OVS- Orange Free State.  This idiot had destroyed an authentic Boer Mauser!

NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

[jerseydevil]

BATTLE OF CORONEL

On November 1, 1914, the German Navy's East Asia Squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee was intercepted off the coast of Chile by a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock.  The German squadron included the modern armored cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and three light cruisers.  The British squadron consisted of two obsolete old armored cruisers HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth, along with one light cruiser and an armed merchantman.  Cradock's ships were heavily outgunned, having only two guns larger than 6-inch caliber against the German's 16 8.2" guns.  The German crews were all long-service professionals, while the British seamen on board the two armored cruisers were all reservists who had only been recalled to active duty less than three months before.  Despite the heavy odds against him, Cradock charged straight for the enemy line, his flagship Good Hope taking a horrible pounding from the two German cruisers.  HMS Monmouth was forced out of the line on fire, while Good Hope exploded and sank, taking Admiral Cradock and all 900 crewmen on board with her.  As night fell, the German light cruisers searched for the surviving enemy ships, with SMS Nurnberg finding and sinking Monmouth with all hands.  The other two British ships managed to escape.  Over 1,600 British sailors had died in this, the first time a Royal Navy squadron had been defeated in action since the Battle of Lake Champlain during the War of 1812.  In contrast, only three German sailors were wounded.  The biggest effect the action had on von Spee's squadron was that they had used about half their ammunition.  On December 8, the Germans would encounter a British squadron that included two battlecruisers sent specifically to hunt them down.  Four of the five German ships present at Coronel would be sunk at the Battle of the Falkland Islands. 

[jerseydevil]

December 8, 1914 - The Battle of the Falkland Islands

Over a month after my last post, the German East Asia Squadron attempts an attack on the British base at Port Stanley, in the Falklands.  What they don't know is that two British battlecruisers and a number of cruisers are there coaling preparing for a search for the Germans.  The British come charging out of port, and when all was over only one German ship escapes.  SMS Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are sunk by HMS Invincible and Inflexible, while two other German cruisers are sunk by British armored cruisers.  This decisive victory ends the last threat of German overseas naval units aside from isolated raiders during the First World War. 

[ColoSwiss]

JD (and any others interested),

I'm currently reading "Fighting the Great War at Sea", by Norman Friedman. The book is excellent, and covers a lot of areas not normally dealt with, such as pre-war strategic, tactical, and economic planning.

http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Sea-Technology/dp/1591141885/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418108864&sr=1-1&keywords=fighting+the+great+war+at+sea

[Grathr]

Thanks for the info


Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

[jerseydevil]

JD (and any others interested),

I'm currently reading "Fighting the Great War at Sea", by Norman Friedman. The book is excellent, and covers a lot of areas not normally dealt with, such as pre-war strategic, tactical, and economic planning.

http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Sea-Technology/dp/1591141885/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418108864&sr=1-1&keywords=fighting+the+great+war+at+sea

Very cool!  I'm going to have to get a copy of that for sure.  Have you ever read Castles of Steel by Robert Massie?  Incredible book.  Massie's description of Jutland is first-rate.

[ColoSwiss]

JD (and any others interested),

I'm currently reading "Fighting the Great War at Sea", by Norman Friedman. The book is excellent, and covers a lot of areas not normally dealt with, such as pre-war strategic, tactical, and economic planning.

http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Sea-Technology/dp/1591141885/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418108864&sr=1-1&keywords=fighting+the+great+war+at+sea

Very cool!  I'm going to have to get a copy of that for sure.  Have you ever read Castles of Steel by Robert Massie?  Incredible book.  Massie's description of Jutland is first-rate.

Enjoyed his "Dreadnought". Could not get in to "Castles of Steel"; it struck me as too much of a rehash of other books I had read.

Moving up a few years, check out "Nelson to Vanguard", by D. K. Brown. Brown was a senior RN naval architect post-WWII, and he takes a hard look at British warship design in the inter-war period.

http://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Vanguard-Warship-Development-1923-1945/dp/159114602X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418157754&sr=1-1&keywords=nelson+to+vanguard

[jerseydevil]

JD (and any others interested),

I'm currently reading "Fighting the Great War at Sea", by Norman Friedman. The book is excellent, and covers a lot of areas not normally dealt with, such as pre-war strategic, tactical, and economic planning.

http://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Great-War-Sea-Technology/dp/1591141885/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418108864&sr=1-1&keywords=fighting+the+great+war+at+sea

Very cool!  I'm going to have to get a copy of that for sure.  Have you ever read Castles of Steel by Robert Massie?  Incredible book.  Massie's description of Jutland is first-rate.

Enjoyed his "Dreadnought". Could not get in to "Castles of Steel"; it struck me as too much of a rehash of other books I had read.

Moving up a few years, check out "Nelson to Vanguard", by D. K. Brown. Brown was a senior RN naval architect post-WWII, and he takes a hard look at British warship design in the inter-war period.

http://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Vanguard-Warship-Development-1923-1945/dp/159114602X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418157754&sr=1-1&keywords=nelson+to+vanguard

Short book, unless he went into the designs that the Washington Treaty forced into cancellation.  I actually read Castles of Steel before Dreadnought.  Both were IMO phenomenal.  My great-grandfather was an officer on SMS Von Der Tann at Jutland, he didn't survive the battle.  There's actually a thread on here regarding that.  My great-grandfather was involved in a raid that wounded Grunpy's grandfather during the Scarbourough Raid.

[ColoSwiss]

Its actually an overview of all types, battleships, carriers, cruisers, etc. Points out various strengths and weakness, and discusses how they actually preformed. I found it extremely interesting to have a knowledgeable insider's viewpoint.

Interesting to hear about your ancestors.