Comments by "Big Blue" (@bigblue6917) on "Imperial War Museums" channel.

  1. On the 10th anniversary of the battle my late father, being in the Royal Artillery, was present when the British Army restaged the artillery barrage from the start of the battle. Though they only had half the number of guns my father said it was still very impressive.
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  2. Before the start of the 100 Days Campaign the Royal Artillery had used sound location devices to find the positions of the German artillery. So when the artillery opened up on the first day only a few positions of the German artillery were not hit. My paternal grandfather served with the Royal Garrison Artillery 60 pounder guns in WW1. So when I see the film footage of the 60 pounders I often wonder if he is amongst those in the film.
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  3. One of the surprising things about the attack on Pearl Harbor is the fact the general MacArthur in the Philippians saw that and did absolutely nothing. So when the Japanese attacked they were just as unprepared as Hawaii.
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  4. As all the men seem to be from the same unit this would suggest that this man was also from that unit.
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  5. This is true. Before the invasion the average Russian pilot was getting about one third to one half the annual flying hours of his western counterpart. And he could be flying air defence with wild weasel the next. If you are not getting the hours, training or practise you cannot build up the required skills to the levels you need to do what is required.
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  6. The reason for the losses at Christmas during Linebacker II was because the crews were ordered to turn at an angle which greatly reduced the effects of the aircrafts missile jammers. Before they flew these missions the crews warn that this would cause those losses but were told to do it anyway. Once the losses started to build they were told not to turn so tightly.
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  7. True. The engines were longer that Messersmith anticipated so they had to sweep the wings back to move the centre of gravity to its correct position.
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  8. As you will probably know the dummy tanks and trucks were only a small part of the deception. That is a story in itself.
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  9. The Argentinian pilots get 10/10 for courage but were never a match for their British counterparts.
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  10. The success at Taranto would have been even greater if the second carrier had been available.
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  11. Ironically combined arms dates from 1918 when the British 4th Army drove the German army back in the campaign which ended the war.
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  12.  @Kalaswalia  many of them were still in service from WW2. Also the UK still had national service back then so getting the man power was not a problem
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  13.  @joelrodriguez9661  That reminds me of Italy's navy in the Mediterranean in WW2. They could show themselves quite capable of giving excellent performances, especially with their gunnery. But were then let down by such things as poor quality of the ammunition charges which could mean the same gun fires two shots and land a half mile apart.
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  14. The RAF had an agreement with regards to these donated Shakletons that they would sometimes have to remove parts to keep those in service still flying.
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  15. They even had large wedge shaped ramps to get over the sea wall. The ramp would attached to the front of the tank and was to be dropped into place before the tanks climbed up them.
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  16.  @jamesyeh364  I'm pleased someone appreciated them. Our government certainly didn't.
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  17. I share your view that the Electra is a beautiful aircraft, especially in its all aluminium state.
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  18.  @maemorri  Those ideas only work with hindsight.
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  19.  @michaeldunne338  It's more a case that MacArthur knew of the attack on Pearl Harbor and did nothing. So these aircraft in the Philippines were destroyed on the ground just like those in Hawaii. You would think Pearl Harbor had not happened. And none of the defenses were manned either.
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  20.  @AnonNomad  Just a tad.
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  21. Rommel may have caught the British out in North Africa when they thought he would hold his position rather than attack, but they did the same thing to him with Tobruk. He was fooled into thinking the attack was some time off so he went back to Germany, only to have to rush back to North Africa when the attack started. He would misread the Allies again just before D-Day when he thought the Allies would not attack and went home for his wife's birthday, despite the fact that he himself thought that was the best time to attack. Which goes to show how little he knew about the Allies. So for two very important events of the war he was not there.
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  22.  @simonmorris4226  Thanks for the reminder. An interesting character but you have to take many of his claims with a rather large grain of salt.
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  23. The Israelis discovered about the fuel in the doors of the BMP-1 and would let them passed before ambushing them from behind. We should not forget that the Russians have had to bring their T-62 tanks back into service because they have lost so many of their more modern tanks. And if we are talking about old kit still in use both the US Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the Soviet Tupolev Tu-95 are still in service.
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  24. As we know even the geography was against the Germans. They needed to advance north west but the hills, ridges and valleys went north east to south west. Many of the German troops had fought on the Eastern Front which was more open. And they had little or no experience of fighting in the west which had different terrain. And once the likes of the Royal Air Force's Typhoons, USAAF P-47 Thunderbolts got in amongst them all they could do was dive for cover. And even if the Germans had reached Antwerp the Allies would have just crushed them.
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  25. My grandfather, a Kitchener volunteer, was one of those firing one those 60 pounder guns. Unlike the infantry the artillery started firing seven days before the attack and, again unlike the infantry, would spend most if not all of their time at the front line.
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  26. To be fair to the Hurricane though it was a bit slower than the 109 it could out turn it.
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  27. I also get the same feeling when I hear the Merlin engine, Henry Ford did not want to send or sell to any materials foreign power to any involved in a conflict. Ford in Germany worked with the NAZIs. Something he seems to have had no problem with.
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  28.  @arniewilliamson1767  Thanks, Arnie
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  29. You have to wonder what would have happened if Hitler said he came as a liberator rather then a conqueror. Many in the Soviet Union did fight alongside the Germans because they believed that German would liberate them from the Soviet Union.
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  30. My paternal grandfather was with the Royal Garrison Artillery at Passchendeale having already fought at the Somme. He survived the war
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  31. Hitler said the same thing.
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  32. I remember watching Hawker Hunters while on holiday back in the 60s when they were practising firing on ground targets off the Yorkshire coast. Talk of the Black Arrows reminded me that I also say the Red Arrows flying just up the coast. It must have been not long after they were formed.
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  33.  @garpike6382  Well I have been studying war for even longer and the fact that you do not know about the fuel being in the rear doors and the Israelis took advantage of it just shows how poor your knowledge is. And the Russians are now dragging out T-54s proves that they are struggling to keep up with loses. You Russian trolls really need to up your game.
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