Quotulatiousness

May 12, 2019

Hitler Strikes in the West – WW2 – 037 – May 11 1940

Filed under: Britain, Europe, France, Germany, History, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published on 11 May 2019

As the Allied troops in central Norway are evacuated and the Norwegian troops there surrender to the Germans, the Allied position around Narvik is still quite strong. With the addition of roughly 5000 Polish soldiers, the French, British and Norwegian force will prove to be a formidable foe for the Germans up North. This week however, the war drastically changes as not three but four Neutral countries are invaded. The Phoney War is ultimately over.

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Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Ben Ollerenshaw and Wieke Kapteijns
Map animations: Eastory

Colorisations by Norman Stewart and Julius Jääskeläinen https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/

Sources: IWM (A 7644), IWM (A 7637), IWM HU 55505, Bundesarchiv, Photos from the Jonatan Myhre Barlien photo collection.

Eastory’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEly…
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
The Phoney War is over. This is the week that many have been anxiously waiting for (how did they know something big was going to happen). We have some great episodes coming up, which are like this one only as great as they are because of the amazing effort that our team puts in creating them. As is very apparent in this episode, Eastory’s maps take these videos to the next level. Every week we’re stunned by his level of detail and the amazing value that is added by these maps. As the war enters a new phase, so do we. Next week will see the first of our roadtrip to France specials going live as well as the longest weekly episode we have written up until now.

Cheers,
Joram

May 11, 2019

Balkans, Bazookas, and Bunkers – WW2 – OOTF 002

Filed under: Europe, Greece, History, Military, Weapons, WW2 — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published on 9 May 2019

Out of the Foxholes is back to answer your questions about the war. In this episode, we take a look at anti-tank weaponry for infantry, the German defensive lines of the Westwall, the never-finished German aircraft-carrier Graf Zeppelin and the Balkans. The Chieftain, who has his own YouTube channel about tanks and armored vehicles, joins us to answer some of your technical questions. Do you have any questions of your own? You can submit them here: https://community.timeghost.tv/c/Out-…

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Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Check out The Chieftain on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheChief…

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/D6D2aYN.
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Research by: Joram Appel
Edited by: Wieke Kapteijns and Spartacus Olsson

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
Out of the Foxholes is back! While we can’t make this into a regular thing yet, releasing one on set days and stuff, we love doing them and will publish one whenever we find some time to make them. In this edition, The Chieftain joins us to tackle some of the technical questions we have received. Did you know that the Chieftain has made several special episodes about tanks and tactics leading up to World War Two on his own channel? You can find that right here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheChieftainWoT
If you want to submit a question of your own, you can do that right here: https://community.timeghost.tv/c/Out-of-the-Foxholes-Qs

Please consider supporting us on Patreon, as this project is almost fully driven by the financial support we receive on there. You can find our Patreon page right here: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory

Cheers,
Joram

May 10, 2019

Operation Pedestal: The Convoy That Saved Malta

Filed under: Britain, History, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Historigraph
Published on 6 Apr 2019

If you enjoyed this video and want to see more made, consider supporting my efforts on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historigraph

Join the Historigraph Discord: https://discord.gg/vAFTK2D

#OperationPedestal #Historigraph

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/historigraph
► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historigraph
► Discord: https://discord.gg/vAFTK2D
► My Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/addaway

Sources:

Jonathan Dimbleby, The Battle of the Atlantic.
Correlli Barnett, Engage the Enemy More Closely
James Holland, The War In the West Volume 2
naval-history.net

Music:

“Rynos Theme” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…

May 6, 2019

Mers El Kebir: When The British Blew Up the French Fleet

Filed under: Britain, France, History, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Historigraph
Published on 4 May 2019

Join us in #WarThunder for free using this link and get a premium tank or aircraft and three days of premium time as a bonus: https://gjn.link/Historigraph/190504

If you enjoyed this video and want to see more made, consider supporting my efforts on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historigraph

To chat history, join my discord: https://discord.gg/vAFTK2D

#WarThunder #MersElKebir #Historigraph

► Twitter: https://twitter.com/historigraph
►Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historigraph
►Discord: https://discord.gg/vAFTK2D

Sources:

Colin Smith, England’s Last War Against France: Fighting Vichy 1940-42

Stephen Roskill, Churchill and the Admirals

Correli Barnett, Engage the enemy more closely

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/frgea…

Music:

Rynos Theme, Incompetech https://incompetech.com

Malicious, Incompetech https://incompetech.com

Crypto, Incompetech https://incompetech.com

May 5, 2019

Retreat in the North, Preparations in the West – WW2 – 036 – May 4 1940

Filed under: China, Europe, History, Japan, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published on 4 May 2019

Allied plans to take Trondheim in Norway to allow for larger reinforcements and even bigger aerial support to come in are disbanded as the troops approaching Trondheim are pulled back from Norway. While the Allied efforts in Norway lose force there, the Allied forces in Western Europe are prepared for a German invasion through the Benelux countries. The Japanese too are determined to continue their campaign in China, and send thousands more young men into the battlefields.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
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Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/D6D2aYN.
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Map animations: Eastory

Colorisations by Norman Stewart and Julius Jääskeläinen https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
Some photos depicting Norway are from the Jonatan Myhre Barlien’s photo collection.

Eastory’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEly…
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
The situation in Norway looks grim for the Allied forces, and the Norwegians are steadily losing faith in the Allied capability to turn things around. And even though all is still quiet on the Western Front, the Allies have a plan ready to counter a German invasion of France and the Benelux countries. This episode is, again, very heavily filled with top notch maps and animations. These are all made by Eastory, who has a YouTube channel on his own as well! Check out and subscribe to his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCElybFZ60Hk1NSjgCf7I2sg

Cheers,
Joram

May 4, 2019

On the Ration | British Pathé

Filed under: Britain, Food, Health, History, WW2 — Tags: — Nicholas @ 02:00

British Pathé
Published on 13 Sep 2016

BON APPETIT – FOOD MONTH ON BRITISH PATHÉ (SEPTEMBER 2016): On the Ration.

A selection of films looking at food rationing during the Second World War.

(Film Ids: 1027.21, 1290.19, 1564.15, 1247.03)

Music:
The Show Must Be Go (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…

A NEW THEME EVERY MONTH!
Each month, a range of new uploads and playlists tell the story of a particular topic through archive footage. Let us know what themes you’d like to see by leaving us a comment or connecting with us on social media.

BRITISH PATHÉ’S STORY
Before television, people came to movie theatres to watch the news. British Pathé was at the forefront of cinematic journalism, blending information with entertainment to popular effect. Over the course of a century, it documented everything from major armed conflicts and seismic political crises to the curious hobbies and eccentric lives of ordinary people. If it happened, British Pathé filmed it.

Now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in the world, British Pathé is a treasure trove of 85,000 films unrivalled in their historical and cultural significance.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

A VIDEO FROM BRITISH PATHÉ. EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. IT’S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES. http://www.britishpathe.tv/

FOR LICENSING ENQUIRIES VISIT http://www.britishpathe.com/

British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 120,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1979. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website.
https://www.britishpathe.com/

May 2, 2019

The French Char B Tank – WORLD WAR TWO Special

Filed under: France, History, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published on 30 Apr 2019

After the Great War was over, the French reconsidered their army’s function and the role that tanks would play in future warfare. On the brink of World War Two, the Char B tank is deeply embedded in the structure of the French armoured defences. David Willey from the Tank Museum in Bovington (UK) tells how French politics influenced how the Char B will be used if the Germans attack. To learn more about the technical details of the Char B, check out the Tank Chat that David Fletcher from the Tank Museum has done about the Char B-1 Bis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz8L1…

Check out the Tank Museum YouTube Channel right here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheTankM…

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: David Willey and Indy Neidell
Produced and Directed by: Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: David Willey
Edited by: Wieke Kapteijns

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
44 minutes ago (edited)
David Willey from the Tank Museum in Bovington (UK) explains brilliantly what impact French politics in the 1920s and 1930s had on the development and use of French tanks leading up to World War Two. On their own channel, the Tank Museums own David Flecher dives into the technical ins and outs of the Char B-1 tank. You can find that right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz8L1FU74Rs Make sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel too, as it perfectly compliments the content that we show here. Cheers!

April 30, 2019

Japan’s monarchy

Filed under: History, Japan, Religion, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 05:00

Colby Cosh looks at the astonishingly successful Japanese monarchy over the last few centuries of change:

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward, Tōkyō Metropolis on April 24, 2014.
US State Department photo by William Ng, via Wikimedia Commons.

Most everybody knows how the office of the Japanese Emperor became “ceremonial” for the better part of 700 years, and how the archipelago was governed in isolation by what we call the shogunate. The first Westerners who established diplomatic relations with Japan in the 19th century did not think of the Emperor as analogous to Queen Victoria at all. For years they thought of the Mikado as primarily a religious functionary, a sort of pope performing funny, tedious rites in seclusion. (As anyone who has been watching Japanese news in the run-up to Golden Week knows, there is some truth to this.)

Even as reality dawned on those foreign barbarians, their presence in Japan led to social breakdown, civil war, and a sharp, sudden revival of the power of their monarchy — the Meiji Restoration. This is still an awe-inspiring event. Japan was confronted by a little-known and hated outer realm, and was able to adapt with inexplicable confidence. It did not descend into psychic and economic malaise, but almost immediately began to compete with obtrusive Western “powers.” After centuries in abeyance, their constitution somehow allowed them to conjure a enlightened despot of enormous ability, the Meiji Emperor, at the precise moment one was required.

This led in time to the war in the Pacific — and to a second miracle of the same kind. If matters had been left up to American public opinion in 1945, or to the allies of the United States, or even to the American executive branch, the Japanese monarchy would have been abolished and the Emperor given a humiliating trial and death. Such a procedure could have easily been justified then, and can be justified in retrospect now. U.S. foreign policy almost always, in practice, seems to follow the country’s republican instincts.

But while Japan was defeated, it had not been invaded. So Gen. Douglas MacArthur and a few foreign-policy brainiacs reached a magnificent, cynical modus vivendi: they would exploit and reshape the Japanese monarchy rather than smashing it. As a soldier, MacArthur, made Supreme Commander of occupied Japan, would have shot the Emperor with his own sidearm and never lost a minute’s sleep. But he and others somehow managed to overcome racial and political prejudices, and perform an act of American “nation-building” that was not a cruel joke.

The Neurology of Hate – WW2 – WaH SPECIAL EPISODE

Filed under: Europe, Germany, History, Science, WW2 — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published on 27 Apr 2019

In this special episode of War Against Humanity, we take a look at the underlying neurological functions that allow us to hate another group of people. Maybe it helps us to understand the ultimate question about WW2; how on earth could all of this happen?

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Written and Hosted by: Spartacus Olsson
Produced and Directed by: Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Spartacus Olsson
Edited by: Spartacus Olsson

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

April 29, 2019

System of a Nazi Terror – WW2 – WaH 002 – April 1940

Filed under: Europe, Germany, History, Russia, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published on 27 Apr 2019

In April 1940 in Poland, if you are on the list of Nazi or Soviet non-desirables, there three options: run for your life, be shipped off to a camp, or face the execution squad… if you happen to be Jewish it’s likely to be the fourth option: the Ghetto.

Neurology of Hate Special: https://youtu.be/yeZ3_OtDa7E

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Spartacus Olsson
Produced and Directed by: Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Spartacus Olsson
Edited by: Wieke Kapteijns

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
4 hours ago
Now… this is a tough episode. It’s also tough to illustrate with images. Many of the events we speak of were, for obvious reasons not documented at the time. As a result we have had to resort to using some imagery that is from later dates when similar events, or the aftereffects of these events were documented on film and photo. We have labeled these images as best we can when it is relevant. Last but not least… do please remember our rules, especially on an episode like this one. Respect the dead and never forget that the only way we can do them justice is to remember their loss and sacrifice.

April 28, 2019

Norway is Burning – WW2 – 035 – April 27 1940

Filed under: Britain, Europe, Germany, History, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published on 27 Apr 2019

The invasion and subsequent Battle of Norway has only just begun when the British decide to pull back. Poor planning and misfortune after misfortune harms the British campaign, which becomes very apparent this week while the fighting continues. Almost everywhere, except for in the far north, the Allied troops pull back under heavy German pressure.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/D6D2aYN.
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Map animations: Eastory

Colorisations by Norman Stewart and Julius Jääskeläinen https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/

Eastory’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEly…
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com

Sources:
© IWM (HU 74922)
© IWM (HU 104678)
© IWM (A 22641)
© IWM (TR 209)
© IWM (N 97)
© IWM (A 1873)
© IWM (N 102)
© IWM (HU 104688)
© IWM (Q 88619)
© IWM (N 107)
© IWM (Q 92253)
© IWM (HU 91803)

National Army Museum (NAM), 1984-10-79-.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

April 26, 2019

“Bismarck” – Battle of the Atlantic – Sabaton History 012

Filed under: Britain, Germany, History, Media, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Sabaton History
Published on 25 Apr 2019

Despite restrictions that were put on the German navy by the Treaty of Versailles, the Kriegsmarine rebuilt in the 1930s with one goal: to be bigger and better than ever. Two powerful Bismarck-class battleships formed the pinnacle of the German naval warship production. When the British caught wind that the Bismarck was out in the open in May 1941, they in turn formulated a goal of their own: to take it down for once and for all. The Sabaton song “Bismarck” is about the chase, the battle in the Atlantic and subsequent fate of the Bismarck.

Support Sabaton History on Patreon (and possibly get a special edition of The Great War): https://www.patreon.com/sabatonhistory
Endless hours of strategy, tactical gameplay and pulse pounding combat! Play World of Warships for FREE: https://wo.ws/sabaton

You can find the official music video for “Bismarck” right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVWEb…
Check out the trailer for Sabaton’s new album The Great War right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCZP1…

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Markus Linke and Indy Neidell
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard and Wieke Kapteijns
Produced by: Pär Sundström, Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Executive Producers: Pär Sundström, Joakim Broden, Tomas Sunmo, Indy Neidell, Astrid Deinhard, and Spartacus Olsson
Maps by: Eastory
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound Editing by: Marek Kaminski

Eastory YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEly…
Archive by: Reuters/Screenocean https://www.screenocean.com
Music by Sabaton.

Sources: © IWM (CS 159), © IWM (A 14840), © IWM (A 178), © IWM (HU 385), © IWM (HU 381), © IWM (HU 384), © IWM (HU 382), © IWM (A 3769), © IWM (A 9798), © IWM (MH 15929), © IWM (A 4386).

An OnLion Entertainment GmbH and Raging Beaver Publishing AB co-Production.

© Raging Beaver Publishing AB, 2019 – all rights reserved.

From the comments:

Sabaton History
1 day ago
I’m sure that many – if not all of you have seen Sabaton’s new single “Bismarck” by now. If not, make sure to check it out after you’re done watching this video – it’s awesome. The link is in the video description. Now, we have already used some of videoclip’s footage in this episode of Sabaton History, because it is incredible and does tremendous job in showing some of the drama of this historical event. Enjoy the episode about one of the most well-known naval battles of World War Two! Cheers and ROCK ON! 🤘🤘🤘

April 25, 2019

British Ration Week Episode 8: Conclusions (with Karl)

Filed under: Britain, Food, History, WW2 — Tags: — Nicholas @ 02:00

InRangeTV
Published on 27 Jan 2018

At the end of British Ration Week, Karl joins Ian for a hearty slice of Woolton Pie and a discussion of everything learned through the project!

Want to know more about rationing and Lord Woolton? We strong recommend William Sitwell’s Eggs or Anarchy: The remarkable story of the man tasked with the impossible: to feed a nation at war: http://amzn.to/2Dpjxph

InRange is entirely viewer supported:
https://www.patreon.com/InRangeTV

April 24, 2019

Vickers Heavy Machine Gun

Filed under: Britain, History, Military, Technology, Weapons, WW1, WW2 — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Forgotten Weapons
Published on 14 Dec 2016

http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons

Cool Forgotten Weapons Merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg…

I may be a bit biased here, but I believe that the Vickers gun is one of the best all-around firearms ever made. It was designed during an era of experimentation and craftsmanship, with a quality and care that would make it today prohibitively expensive. It was exemplary in action, and served in every environment on earth through six decades and in the hands of 50 different nations. It was an infantry gun, an aircraft gun, an armored vehicle gun, and a shipboard gun.

Captain Graham Hutchison recorded this account of the Vickers in action during an attack on High Wood in August 1916 (exerpted from “The Grand old Lady of No Man’s Land by Dolf Goldsmith):

“For this attack, [ten] guns were grouped in the Savoy Trench, from which a magnificent view was obtained of the German line at a range of about 2000 yards. These guns were disposed for barrage. On August 23rd and the night of the 23rd/24th the whole Company was, in addition to the two Companies of Infantry lent for the purpose, employed in carrying water and ammunition to this point. Many factors in barrage work which are now common knowledge had not then been learned or considered. It is amusing today to note that in the orders for the 100th Machine Gun Company’s barrage of 10 guns, Captain Hutchison ordered that rapid fire should be maintained continuously for twelve hours, to cover the attack and consolidation. It is to the credit of the gunners and the Vickers gun itself that this was done! During the attack on the 24th, 250 rounds short of one million were fired by ten guns; at least four petrol tins of water besides all the water bottles of the Company and urine tins form the neighborhood were emptied into the guns for cooling purposes; and a continuous party was employed carrying ammunition. Private Robertshaw and Artificer H. Bartlett between them maintained a belt-filling machine in action without stopping for a single moment, for twelve hours. At the end of this time many of the NCOs and gunners were found asleep from exhaustion at their posts. A prize of five francs to the members of each gun team was offered and was secured by the gun team of Sgt. P. Dean, DCM, with a record of just over 120,000 rounds.”

The attack on the 24th of August was a brilliant success, the operation being difficult and all objectives being taken within a short time. Prisoner examined at Divisional and Corps Headquarters reported that the effect of the Machine Gun barrage was annihilating, and the counterattacks which had attempted to retake the ground lost were broken up whilst being concentrated east of the Flers Ridge and of High Wood.

In 1963 in Yorkshire, a class of British Army armorers put one Vickers gun through probably the most strenuous test ever given to an individual gun. The base had a stockpile of approximately 5 million rounds of Mk VII ammunition which was no longer approved for military use. They took a newly rebuilt Vickers gun, and proceeded to fire the entire stock of ammo through it over the course of seven days. They worked in pairs, switching off at 30 minute intervals, with a third man shoveling away spent brass. The gun was fired in 250-round solid bursts, and the worn out barrels were changed every hour and a half. At the end of the five million rounds, the gun was taken back into the shop for inspection. It was found to be within service spec in every dimension.

During its service life, the Vickers was made in .303 British, .30-06, 0.50 Vickers, .50 High Velocity, 7×57 Mauser, 7.65×53, 8mm Mauser, 8mm Lebel, 7.7 Japanese, 6.5×54 Dutch, 7.9x57R Dutch, 7.62 NATO, 7.62x54R, 8x52R Siamese, 11mm Vickers, and three different 40mm cartridges.

The Vickers was retired from British military service in 1968, having finally become obsolete. Its GPMG role was taken over by the FN MAG, and its long range indirect fire role performed by 3″ mortars. The Vickers was a weapon which required training and dedication to master, but rewarded its users with phenomenal endurance and a wide range of capabilities. Among all contenders, only the Browning machine gun can attempt to compare to the outstanding qualities of the Vickers, and even the Browning fails to match the elegance of the stalwart Brit.

British Ration Week Episode 7: Black Markets and Luxuries

Filed under: Britain, Food, History, WW2 — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 02:00

InRangeTV
Published on 26 Jan 2018

One would expect a strict rationing program like the British instituted to create a massive black market – as indeed happened in France and Germany at the same time. Remarkably, this did not happen. There were of course violations of the rationing and people who either cheated or exploited the system, but no organized substantial black market ever developed. This can be seen as a credit to the British population’s sincere willingness to sacrifice for the war effort, but it is also deeply rooted in the several key decisions and successes by Lord Woolton and his Ministry.

The rationing was enforced across class lines (even the King and Queen legitimately participated), and being seen as truly egalitarian reinforced public willingness to obey the rules. In addition, the Ministry of Food was able to successfully ensure that the rations promised were always available. One did not have to rush to get a share of a shipment of bacon or eggs or sugar – there was always enough to meet the needs of the ration, and the significance of this cannot be underestimated.

Day 7 Menu:

Breakfast: Skillet Biscuits with cheese, tea
Lunch: Fried Vegetable Fritters with leftover gray
Tea: Tea, leftover skillet biscuits
Dinner: Pheasant, sweet potatoes

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