Maggie’s Military Jeopardy
- Thread starter Gunfighter14e2
- Start date
Bringing this back up for a 'refresh' and a 'reminder'. The 11th, Remembrance Day soon approaches and I'm sure somebody has something to say about something.
Q: Why do people today wear poppies?
Q. What was a Pals battalion and why did they stop the practice?
Q. What were the Welsh specifically recruited to do?
Q. What were Canaries?
Q. Why do WW1 tanks and armored cars have ships names?
Q. What company produced half the allied horsepower for the entire war?
That ought to keep you guys busy for an hour... all those off the top of my head. See if you can answer them without Google!
Cheers,
Sirhr
Q. What was a Pals battalion and why did they stop the practice?
Q. What were the Welsh specifically recruited to do?
Q. What were Canaries?
Q. Why do WW1 tanks and armored cars have ships names?
Q. What company produced half the allied horsepower for the entire war?
That ought to keep you guys busy for an hour... all those off the top of my head. See if you can answer them without Google!
Cheers,
Sirhr
1- Because of the poppies noticed growing quickly between the lines, in the heavily disturbed soils. (fast sprouting weed) In Rememberance of those fighters.
2-No Idea
3-Teach everyone to drink and sing! (Welsh heritage here) but No idea.
4-Only thing that comes to mind are the tunnel-diggers for the underground mines, but could be wrong.
5-They were thought of as "land boats".
6-No idea.
I'm not about to throw out random guesses, but had to say something. Prove me wrong.
2-No Idea
3-Teach everyone to drink and sing! (Welsh heritage here) but No idea.
4-Only thing that comes to mind are the tunnel-diggers for the underground mines, but could be wrong.
5-They were thought of as "land boats".
6-No idea.
I'm not about to throw out random guesses, but had to say something. Prove me wrong.
1 Right. They were heavily growing on the fields of Flanders..
3. Nope
4. Yes, Welsh coalminers dug under trenches in order to plant massive mines. They worked great... British did not exploit breaches well enough.
5. Yes, but expand more... involves Churchill... Yes, him. In WW1.
Well done!
Cheers,
Sirhr
3. Nope
4. Yes, Welsh coalminers dug under trenches in order to plant massive mines. They worked great... British did not exploit breaches well enough.
5. Yes, but expand more... involves Churchill... Yes, him. In WW1.
Well done!
Cheers,
Sirhr
The poppy thing I recall, I remember old WW1 vets handing 'em out. When they all died out, it sort of went away. I haven't seen it in forever, even at the Legion.
Pals battalion... A unit full of friends who joined to serve together. They stopped doing it in WW1 because entire units were being wiped out at once and the towns they came from basically lost entire generations of young men. The army today does the "buddy program" where friends can join and be placed in the same unit, but everyone I ever talked to about it including myself says, "that's the last time I ever saw that motherfucker". Yep, ain't seen Scott's ass since 2000.
Welsh miners, right? To undermine and place demo under the German lines?
Tanks were initially developed under the British navy and Churchill was Lord Admiral at the time I think. And that's how they got the nomenclature. "Tank" was also supposed to disguise the true nature of the machine. Germany sorta continued in WW2 when they started designing the land cruiser. It used U boat engines and even had the main gun from the Gisenaut (sp?) destroyer. Never built, but it would've been cool.
Horsepower... I'll guess Rolls Royce? Including the designs built and assembled here by Ford.
Pals battalion... A unit full of friends who joined to serve together. They stopped doing it in WW1 because entire units were being wiped out at once and the towns they came from basically lost entire generations of young men. The army today does the "buddy program" where friends can join and be placed in the same unit, but everyone I ever talked to about it including myself says, "that's the last time I ever saw that motherfucker". Yep, ain't seen Scott's ass since 2000.
Welsh miners, right? To undermine and place demo under the German lines?
Tanks were initially developed under the British navy and Churchill was Lord Admiral at the time I think. And that's how they got the nomenclature. "Tank" was also supposed to disguise the true nature of the machine. Germany sorta continued in WW2 when they started designing the land cruiser. It used U boat engines and even had the main gun from the Gisenaut (sp?) destroyer. Never built, but it would've been cool.
Horsepower... I'll guess Rolls Royce? Including the designs built and assembled here by Ford.
I don't know who, and I don't know where, but here's my stab at the "why":
For boot removal from injured feet. I say this, simply because now that I've got definite differences in the size, shape, and mobility of my feet, when it comes to boots I absolutely look for the ones with zippers. HUGE-ASS'D difference now, than the way things used to be.
For boot removal from injured feet. I say this, simply because now that I've got definite differences in the size, shape, and mobility of my feet, when it comes to boots I absolutely look for the ones with zippers. HUGE-ASS'D difference now, than the way things used to be.
That's not it, good guess though. If you know the who or why everything else kinda falls into place.
My feet are messed up from surgeries and I just got some boots made to fit, tried 'em out yesterday and I'll be damned if my feet still aren't bleeding where the top of the big toe hits the boot. I guess they can modify the insole though, so we'll see. Geez, I hope so. Anyway, they came with zippers and it reminded me of this question.
I'd guess, easy removal of boots when in the water and needing to shed weight to swim/stay afloat.
First I saw zippers was on flight boots, to get them off fast in a fire, then no zippers because they burned in deep and did more damage, back to no zippers.
And, unless I'm way off, regulations dont allow them any more.
And, unless I'm way off, regulations dont allow them any more.
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I'm going to be a smartass and say zippered boots were developed by tankers since they adhere to the "death before dismount" and don't road march anywhere.
They first appeared on flight boots (and I wanna say there were jump boots like that, but I never knew anyone that actually jumped in jump boots).
But it was so they could get 'em on faster. When SAC formed LeMay wanted to reduce alert times to the bombers so he went to Dehner in Omaha and gave 'em the specs. They still make the boots.
Pretty sure specs don't even allow black boots anymore. Unless for dress. I remember scuffing the shit out of old boots to get 'em that way so we could paint 'em. Funny, went to Tactical Tailor years ago with 'em and they asked where I got new ATACS boots from! Told 'em they were ten years old and resoled twice, worn out and painted that way!
Today I think flight boots are just sage green combat boots. And the guy that resoled boots is long gone at Ft. Lewis. I don't recall it costing that much even in 2005 though. It was a really good deal, better than buying new boots for sure. I have to get 'em custom made now that I've thoroughly destroyed my feet (and knees, and back and...). The ones I was able to get have a zipper but I swear I can get 'em on faster with laces, and they have those stupid "speed lacers" I miss half the time. But hey, they fit so far and only need a minimal amount of tweaking, I hope, to be serviceable.
On the poppy thing-- My Grandma, who was a nurse in an Army hospital during WWI, always told me that the poppy was to signify the morphine used on the wounded as it came from poppies. Her stint as a nurse really scarred the old girl and on Poppy Day it was a very somber event at her house.
She would get up early and say some prayers then take my Mom and Aunt to downtown Colorado Springs with a shit ton of poppies and they would be down there all day selling them. She did that until she was too old and unable to do so. It was an 80 mile ride one way for my Mom to be there but she would be there or face the wrath of Grandma for the next year. She only forgot one year as I remember.
It may be that was just her belief but that was what I was told as a youngun.
I get a Poppy every year at the VFW here and Ladies here where I live still sell them at the local Wally World on Poppy Day. FM
She would get up early and say some prayers then take my Mom and Aunt to downtown Colorado Springs with a shit ton of poppies and they would be down there all day selling them. She did that until she was too old and unable to do so. It was an 80 mile ride one way for my Mom to be there but she would be there or face the wrath of Grandma for the next year. She only forgot one year as I remember.
It may be that was just her belief but that was what I was told as a youngun.
I get a Poppy every year at the VFW here and Ladies here where I live still sell them at the local Wally World on Poppy Day. FM
We made this, and it's hanging on our door right now:
We'll be going to the Legion that's only a few blocks away, on Sunday. Remembrance Day. That would be the Legion that one of my Grandfathers helped start when he returned from the War. He helped build it too, after work each evening.
We'll be going to the Legion that's only a few blocks away, on Sunday. Remembrance Day. That would be the Legion that one of my Grandfathers helped start when he returned from the War. He helped build it too, after work each evening.
Rolls Royce... aircraft, vehicle and marine engines... a remarkable feat.
Whoa, I got that one? I really didn't know except that a lot of 'em were made, and made here too.
My second guess would've been the steam engines in the Liberty ships.
Ww2 was liberty ships... and the whole question was about ww1. No rr engines made under license in Ww1. Not sure who the ho winner was in ww2. But probably someone like Fairbanks or Pratt or GM. Well done.
Yeah I know that... Somehow I confused it anyway --lucky guess still! If I would've been thinking on WW1, I'd probably have made the same guess, that or actual horses. But technically I got it wrong because I was thinking of Ford produced RR engines. Oh well.
I've exhausted all my off hand military jeopardy. All that is left is obscure shit that isn't really relevant and I don't feel like googling shit so others have to google shit to come up with an answer. Hopefully a few more will come back and play. I learned some fascinating things in this thread.
That's right.
That was the only thing I could think of to ask, we have covered a lot of subjects and I have learned a lot and really enjoyed this thread. FM
That was the only thing I could think of to ask, we have covered a lot of subjects and I have learned a lot and really enjoyed this thread. FM
Which battle is the costliest in terms of wounded and dead in the history of the United States Army? I clarify US Army because otherwise someone will list the Battle of Stalingrad, the battle of Thymbra, or some obscure Chinese/Mongolian steppes campaign.
1776 to present. There is one battle that stands out in cost of life and wounded. It isn't even close. And most of the public have no idea/forgotten. I am certain many here know since we tend to love the history of the Armed forces.
I fear this one will be too easy, but I just happened to be reading an article regarding this battle.
WW1 Battle of Argonne is it. Article was talking about how the WW1 cemetery is rarely visited compared to the WWII cemetaries
"The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest operations of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I, with over a million American soldiers participating. It was also the deadliest campaign in American history, resulting in over 26,000 soldiers being killed in action (KIA) and over 120,000 total casualties. Indeed, the number of graves in the American military cemetery at Romagne is far larger than those in the more commonly known site at Omaha Beach in Normandy."
"The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest operations of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I, with over a million American soldiers participating. It was also the deadliest campaign in American history, resulting in over 26,000 soldiers being killed in action (KIA) and over 120,000 total casualties. Indeed, the number of graves in the American military cemetery at Romagne is far larger than those in the more commonly known site at Omaha Beach in Normandy."
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What were the basic rations given to Confederate soldiers during the US Civil War? What did they make out of it?
If you know the Union rations too, go ahead and add 'em if you like.
Both sides also made homemade alcohol, but it was pretty nasty. Containing tree bark oil and lamp oil among other nasty substances, the Confederates had the Union beat in spades when it came to nasty ingredients.
What particularly nasty substance did the Confederate troops add to ferment in their version of hooch?
If you know the Union rations too, go ahead and add 'em if you like.
Both sides also made homemade alcohol, but it was pretty nasty. Containing tree bark oil and lamp oil among other nasty substances, the Confederates had the Union beat in spades when it came to nasty ingredients.
What particularly nasty substance did the Confederate troops add to ferment in their version of hooch?
Hardtack biscuit on the ration with weevil infested salt pork ??
No clue on HoppinJohn. Whatever it was, incurable syphilis and clap combined would have been more merciful the following days... jmho..
Several reasons the unCivil War had more non combat troop deaths than combat deaths relating to troop mortality.
No clue on HoppinJohn. Whatever it was, incurable syphilis and clap combined would have been more merciful the following days... jmho..
Several reasons the unCivil War had more non combat troop deaths than combat deaths relating to troop mortality.
Yeah, that was the kind of stuff they'd put in there. Where they got the idea that'd make a good drink, who knows?
Hardtac was the Union army. I've had it, it's like a more tasteless saltine cracker with no salt, hard as a rock, can break teeth. Idea was you soaked it in something though. They also got dehydrated vegetables, dried meat I believe along with some other items. They more or less got a Civil War era "MRE" if you will.
The South, they didn't get much. Their rations consisted of corn meal and bacon/grease. The idea was you cook the pork, then pour the corn meal in and mix it up. It was called "Sloosh". So "Sloosh" is what they referred to their rations as (it's still used in the south, growing up my granny was old school and we made "piss biscuits" out of the same thing when we didn't have much --and she didn't waste anything including skillet grease!)
But what the South put in their alcohol, holy shitballs… How about a big chunk of meat, left to ferment for a month, THEN drink up! Yuck.
Sherman said, "War is hell." Eating and drinking that mess, maggots crawling out of open wounds, and knowing if you got hit arm or leg, it was getting sawed off, and if you lived, it was more of the same....
And for some, life after the war, was no different. The old crackers that survived WERE tough as steel... and the hate they carried lives on today in a lot of their descendants.
And for some, life after the war, was no different. The old crackers that survived WERE tough as steel... and the hate they carried lives on today in a lot of their descendants.
LOL! I always remember thinking, when eating the early Gen 1 MRE crackers, "Why the fuck can't they put some fucking salt on these damned things?" They usually ended up crunched up in the Chicken-A-La-String or Turkey, Diced, with gravy entree's anyways, but it still irritated the shit out of me (especially after having to eat them for four fucking months straight). After awhile, even Tabasco didn't help.
Who's turn? We need some questions. It's okay to have more than one going so don't feel like you're stepping on toes if a question is posted and you post another.
I'll throw one out for the meantime.
This ruck system replaced the ALICE pack and has a plastic frame. What's it commonly called?
I'll throw one out for the meantime.
This ruck system replaced the ALICE pack and has a plastic frame. What's it commonly called?
Molle? Never got to use it myself, we had Alice.
Question for the aviation minded, why did Merlin engines have none consecutive serial numbers?
Question for the aviation minded, why did Merlin engines have none consecutive serial numbers?
Because that way the enemy would never know how many there really were being produced.
Rolls Royce did the same with their cars. Their argument was that you were always buying the best. So it’s position in the production line or year made was irrelevant.
Cheers, sirhr
"Merlin engines were only allocated ODD serial numbers by Rolls-Royce. This practice apparently stemmed from manufacture of the Eagle in WW1, where the Company was required to supply some engines with right-turning propellers and some with left hand airscrew rotation. Odd and even numbers helped to identify the differently set-up engines. Merlin engines had right-hand tractor propellers; therefore, odd serial numbers. (Griffon engines mostly had left-hand tractor props; therefore, even serial numbers.)"
That last is from http://www.enginehistory.org/Piston/Rolls-Royce/RHM/RHM.shtml
Yeah, that was an easy one I guess. It was just called molle. I got the molle when it came out, I was actually happy with it because I could pack more shit in there. But they were bad on your back, reason they changed/changing.
I still prefer a Large Alice to the Molle ruck. I seems like every damn time I did a rucksack flop with the molle I would crack the plastic frame. I hear they finally upgraded the plastic frames to be more resilient, but once you cracked that frame it was a real pain in the ass to hump. A grunt shouldn't have to be delicate with his gear and gently lower a ruck to the ground to keep from breaking the frame. When that pig was fully loaded and you just assed out and flopped back I was always just waiting to hear the "crack". The molle vests weren't the best for weight distribution since the weight was all up on the shoulders and neck. You bet I could pack a bunch of shit on it but the vest was terrible. Just attached everything to the IBA and left the vest since we were were always wearing IBA outside the wire.
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