Magazine: Napoleon's failure: For the want of a winter horseshoe

- DaddyPobbin said...
- User
- 9 Feb 2012, 15:04
Magazine: Napoleon's failure: For the want of a winter horseshoe

BBC

Of all the challenges faced by generals through history, moving armies has been one of the greatest - and Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Russia 200 years ago illustrates just how badly things can go wrong when it is underestimated.

It is not enough just to get your forces from A to B - you have to keep them fed and watered as they go. The art of movement, therefore, is one of the most complex and vital that any commander must master, if he is going to win....

Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16929522

"Or shall I perhaps know, That I was happy oft and oft before, Or must I be content with discontent..." - Edward Thomas, The Glory

[quote][b][user]DaddyPobbin[/user][/b] said: [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16929522]BBC[/url] [quote][b]Of all the challenges faced by generals through history, moving armies has been one of the greatest - and Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Russia 200 years ago illustrates just how badly things can go wrong when it is underestimated.[/b] It is not enough just to get your forces from A to B - you have to keep them fed and watered as they go. The art of movement, therefore, is one of the most complex and vital that any commander must master, if he is going to win....[/quote] [b]Read More[/b]: [i]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16929522[/i][/quote]

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- dankine said...
- User
- 9 Feb 2012, 16:09
Meanwhile the Grand Armee was losing 5,000 men a day thanks to desertion, disease and suicide and horses perished at a rate of 50 per kilometre (80 per mile) most from eating an unhealthy diet of freshly cut green fodder.

wow

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
"I don't want to believe, I want to know"

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[quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: [quote]Meanwhile the Grand Armee was losing 5,000 men a day thanks to desertion, disease and suicide and horses perished at a rate of 50 per kilometre (80 per mile) most from eating an unhealthy diet of freshly cut green fodder.[/quote] wow[/quote]

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- lawynd said...
- User
- 9 Feb 2012, 16:15
This is why I always worked on the assumption that the Nazi generals must have been a bit thick; you'd think that someone might have recalled this snippet of history before they launched Operation Barbarossa.

Official recorder of Schrödinger's Tampon.

Quote of the moment - selfsurprise:
"My rolo yoghurt pots bring 'dem kids to the yard, and i'm like 'its better than ya'lls'
yer damn right its better than ya'lls'
I can teach you but i'll have to charge (+VAT, duty stamp tax, etc et all)"

[quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: This is why I always worked on the assumption that the Nazi generals must have been a bit thick; you'd think that someone might have recalled this snippet of history before they launched Operation Barbarossa.[/quote]

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- DaddyPobbin said...
- User
- 10 Feb 2012, 01:10
lawynd said:
This is why I always worked on the assumption that the Nazi generals must have been a bit thick; you'd think that someone might have recalled this snippet of history before they launched Operation Barbarossa.The Nazi's did much more damage to be fair, while the good weather lasted. The Russians held out, tough bastards but they lost something like 23 million in the end.

The German's needed Stalingrad to continue the war, with the oilfields there so it was necessary. Hitler wouldn't back down, and he lost an entire army.

Moscow was a real folly, I'm not sure what strategic purpose holding Moscow has other than a humiliating defeat for the Russians. Stalin was ready to give them Moscow though, if need be. They almost had it but like Napoleon were too stretched and unprepared for the Russian winter.

Bloody horseshoes eh?

"Or shall I perhaps know, That I was happy oft and oft before, Or must I be content with discontent..." - Edward Thomas, The Glory

[quote][b][user]DaddyPobbin[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: This is why I always worked on the assumption that the Nazi generals must have been a bit thick; you'd think that someone might have recalled this snippet of history before they launched Operation Barbarossa.[/quote]The Nazi's did much more damage to be fair, while the good weather lasted. The Russians held out, tough bastards but they lost something like 23 million in the end. The German's needed Stalingrad to continue the war, with the oilfields there so it was necessary. Hitler wouldn't back down, and he lost an entire army. Moscow was a real folly, I'm not sure what strategic purpose holding Moscow has other than a humiliating defeat for the Russians. Stalin was ready to give them Moscow though, if need be. They almost had it but like Napoleon were too stretched and unprepared for the Russian winter. Bloody horseshoes eh? [/quote]

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- dankine said...
- User
- 10 Feb 2012, 14:58
s - plural
's- possession
s' - plural possession

uni student come on.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
"I don't want to believe, I want to know"

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[quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: s - plural 's- possession s' - plural possession uni student come on.[/quote]

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- lawynd said...
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- 10 Feb 2012, 15:44
dankine said:
[You're a] Uni student, come on.I took the liberty of fixing that for you, old chap. ;)

Official recorder of Schrödinger's Tampon.

Quote of the moment - selfsurprise:
"My rolo yoghurt pots bring 'dem kids to the yard, and i'm like 'its better than ya'lls'
yer damn right its better than ya'lls'
I can teach you but i'll have to charge (+VAT, duty stamp tax, etc et all)"

[quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]dankine[/user][/b] said: [You're a] Uni student, come on.[/quote]I took the liberty of fixing that for you, old chap. ;)[/quote]

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- Noctem-Aeternam said...
- User
- 10 Feb 2012, 16:15
lawynd said:
This is why I always worked on the assumption that the Nazi generals must have been a bit thick; you'd think that someone might have recalled this snippet of history before they launched Operation Barbarossa.

I hardly think you could call the German generals a bit thick, I think you will find the most glaring mistakes made by the Nazi war Machine during Operation Barbarossa could be blamed upon a certain Mr Adolf Hitler

Germany adhered to their non-aggression pact with Russia for the first two years of WWII. Once the Nazis withdrew from the Battle of Britain, however, their attention turned to the East.

At 04:00 hours, on June 22nd 1941, Adolf Hitler launched the greatest land-air attack in the history of war – Operation Barbarossa. The assault comprised of 3 million troops, 3,500 tanks, and 1,800 aircraft.

Hitler’s generals advised him against waging war on two fronts – especially since the Red Army was far superior in number – but Hitler pressed ahead regardless.

The walls of this chamber ,were made to set you free ,So soft, so clean ,My friend, where have you been ,I'm a revolutionary ,A christian fairy tale ,I'm a missionary ,A visionary anarchist ,I'm a full moon fever ,I'm a non-believer ,I have hope and I regret ,I accept and I neglect

[quote][b][user]Noctem-Aeternam[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: This is why I always worked on the assumption that the Nazi generals must have been a bit thick; you'd think that someone might have recalled this snippet of history before they launched Operation Barbarossa.[/quote] I hardly think you could call the German generals a bit thick, I think you will find the most glaring mistakes made by the Nazi war Machine during Operation Barbarossa could be blamed upon a certain Mr Adolf Hitler Germany adhered to their non-aggression pact with Russia for the first two years of WWII. Once the Nazis withdrew from the Battle of Britain, however, their attention turned to the East. At 04:00 hours, on June 22nd 1941, Adolf Hitler launched the greatest land-air attack in the history of war – Operation Barbarossa. The assault comprised of 3 million troops, 3,500 tanks, and 1,800 aircraft. Hitler’s generals advised him against waging war on two fronts – especially since the Red Army was far superior in number – but Hitler pressed ahead regardless.[/quote]

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- lawynd said...
- User
- 10 Feb 2012, 16:23
Cheek. Tongue. Firmly in.

Official recorder of Schrödinger's Tampon.

Quote of the moment - selfsurprise:
"My rolo yoghurt pots bring 'dem kids to the yard, and i'm like 'its better than ya'lls'
yer damn right its better than ya'lls'
I can teach you but i'll have to charge (+VAT, duty stamp tax, etc et all)"

[quote][b][user]lawynd[/user][/b] said: Cheek. Tongue. Firmly in.[/quote]

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- [Deleted user] said...
- User
- 10 Feb 2012, 18:13
What a wally to attempt to pwn the red army; but lucky for us because it decimated hitler's forces and prolly made the war shorter. "...The other is in the albert hall..."

[quote][b][user][/user][/b] said: What a wally to attempt to pwn the red army; but lucky for us because it decimated hitler's forces and prolly made the war shorter. "...The other is in the albert hall..."[/quote]

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