tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post1285733847283734297..comments2024-03-29T04:11:03.395-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: Southwest of Mons, September 1944OldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-11297936196523109312020-09-17T10:25:29.560-07:002020-09-17T10:25:29.560-07:00That's certainly motivation to get out!That's certainly motivation to get out!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-22856752938714940032020-09-17T02:25:50.457-07:002020-09-17T02:25:50.457-07:00Not all of us who ended up in a (strongly urine sm...Not all of us who ended up in a (strongly urine smelling) VA hospital were stuck there for life. The motivation to get out was nearly overpowering! Tank Killerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01955019760069183088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-64142382664859957032020-09-10T06:56:00.964-07:002020-09-10T06:56:00.964-07:00Ouch, missed that one!
Fixed it, thanks Patrick!Ouch, missed that one!<br /><br />Fixed it, thanks Patrick!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-21635006856960828502020-09-09T22:31:35.798-07:002020-09-09T22:31:35.798-07:00"...as they worked there way into the village..."...as they worked there way into the village..." Should be ...their way...<br />Just a bit of proof reading for ya, Sarge.Tank Killerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01955019760069183088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-36919809561763888492020-09-03T06:41:48.335-07:002020-09-03T06:41:48.335-07:00Nice to have, but don't count on it!Nice to have, but don't count on it!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-25688847322453252982020-09-03T06:30:52.540-07:002020-09-03T06:30:52.540-07:00regarding technology, just because you can doesn&#...regarding technology, just because you can doesn't mean you should! Tom in NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576958446243001152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-34660496746910513972020-09-03T04:53:00.821-07:002020-09-03T04:53:00.821-07:00Map reading and land navigation is a skill which t...Map reading and land navigation is a skill which the infantry should have without needing to resort to GPS. With a good map and a knowledge of the terrain you can readily fix your position. As the artillery had the same maps, you give them the coordinates and boom, out goes a ranging shot, then the observer adjusts that fire until the round lands where the observer wants it, "fire for effect" is then requested. A laser designator is only good if the gun rounds have a detector, which makes for an expensive gun round. GPS is only as good as the signal you can get and the guns are still firing at a location on a map, unless the gun rounds have a GPS receiver, which again makes for an expensive gun round. Over reliance on technology is a very BAD thing.<br /><br />My son learned how to use a sextant in Navy ROTC, his sisters did not. I understand the Navy reintroduced that skill to their midshipmen.<br /><br />The gun rounds (actually a missile which uses a gunpowder charge to kick it out of the tube) for the Zumwalt AGS were supposed to have all that gee whiz technology, which made them more expensive than a Tomahawk missile. Which is why the Zumwalt class no longer has AGS.<br /><br />The original idea was to use standard 155 mm guns, for which ammo is plentiful and fairly cheap. Some engineer got carried away and screwed the pooch with the ultra-fancy gun system which is useless without its hyper fancy and hyper expensive ammunition.<br /><br />Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-42330532312779440372020-09-03T04:44:10.347-07:002020-09-03T04:44:10.347-07:00I might pick up a copy sooner, rather than later.
...I might pick up a copy sooner, rather than later.<br /><br />If I can find the time...OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-306549567556996512020-09-03T01:01:56.502-07:002020-09-03T01:01:56.502-07:00Something I always wondered - how in the heck did ...Something I always wondered - how in the heck did a mobile squad in the 40s give accurate co-ordinates for arty? I suppose now they have GPS - maybe even a laser sighter that gives the co-ordinates down to the mm - but in the 40s? to a location, say, 200 yards from you? Were the coordinates given on a map - then for the last few 100 yards guesstimate? Or using the SWAG methodology? Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720206407574457665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-81247457232487348032020-09-03T00:55:03.626-07:002020-09-03T00:55:03.626-07:00Tom - I heard Bud speak at our California Aerospac...Tom - I heard Bud speak at our California Aerospace Museum and wrote a blog piece on it - what an interesting day. He lives in Auburn, just 30 miles "up the hill" from Sacramento and his friend Yeager lives just 25 or so miles away in Grass Valley. I generally donate the books I have finished to the library but Anderson's book is a keeper. Particularly memorable for me was his description of manipulating the controls - including the trim wheel - during a dogfight. You are right about Yeager's opinion of him too. <br /><br />Can't recommend that book highly enough. Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720206407574457665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-70904170214164031812020-09-02T19:05:47.426-07:002020-09-02T19:05:47.426-07:00Snipers can have a devastating effect on unit mora...Snipers can have a devastating effect on unit morale.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-74649525052319393402020-09-02T18:56:51.985-07:002020-09-02T18:56:51.985-07:00Sarge - ditto the accolades above - continues to b...Sarge - ditto the accolades above - continues to be a great read.<br />William - Yeager said that Bud Anderson was the best pilot he'd ever seen and included himself in that comparison.<br />Beans - humans can be extremely fragile, dying from what would appear to be minor wounds, yet they can also be extremely tough, refusing to die and even recover from horrific injury - witness many of those losing legs and arms and coming back to live productive lives (recognizing that some with similar injuries are incapacitated forever).<br />Snipers can be great force multipliers, and especially when well trained can be very destructive to morale and forward progress. While the normal response to a sniper was to flatten a building or block of buildings with mortars, artillery or even CAS. Only if the sniper was an expert in camouflage and concealment would another sniper be required to counter them. A great read on WWI snipers is Herman McBride's "A Rifleman Went to War", and lessons learned and described in that book had to be re-learned in WWII.Tom in NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576958446243001152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-35375352680826716442020-09-02T17:00:14.778-07:002020-09-02T17:00:14.778-07:00It often surprises me when I remember some odd tid...It often surprises me when I remember some odd tidbit of knowledge which is suddenly useful.<br /><br />Thanks Don.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-73546543704792451682020-09-02T16:51:42.008-07:002020-09-02T16:51:42.008-07:00(Don McCollor)...Knowledge gained (unless forgotte...(Don McCollor)...Knowledge gained (unless forgotten) is never lost or useless. As a research scientist, in my spare time I would read anything interesting except something related to what I was working on. Amazing how seemingly unrelated information is useful. It is better know a little about many things..(PS, another great post)...Don McCollorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18028324869570493102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-63715898466488499972020-09-02T13:19:46.461-07:002020-09-02T13:19:46.461-07:00Thanks Shaun!Thanks Shaun!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-70917735491588079402020-09-02T13:19:35.975-07:002020-09-02T13:19:35.975-07:00Thanks William.
Yes, if you can survive the first...Thanks William.<br /><br />Yes, if you can survive the first five missions, you've got a good shot at staying alive.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-10461303613594288192020-09-02T13:18:20.421-07:002020-09-02T13:18:20.421-07:00Sgt Brandt certainly deserves better than that! (S...Sgt Brandt certainly deserves better than that! (Sadly though, that would be realistic.)OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-23449162919255072602020-09-02T12:52:56.333-07:002020-09-02T12:52:56.333-07:00On the bandwagon. Great stuff as always Sarge!On the bandwagon. Great stuff as always Sarge!PrairieAdventurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-11999828564276627862020-09-02T12:14:22.532-07:002020-09-02T12:14:22.532-07:00I remember reading somewhere that the Germans were...I remember reading somewhere that the Germans were amazed that the Americans would use expensive artillery shells so freely <br /><br />As for Sergeant Brandt? He was an honorable soldier. <br /><br />Maybe he will be able to meet up with them down the road at a reunion<br /><br />You have to wonder how many died making a simple mistake<br /><br />My great uncle did just that a month before armistice. <br /><br />Sticking his head above the trench Only took a couple of seconds. <br /><br />As for teaching the newbies. If you haven’t read it the memoirs by Colonel bud Anderson are wonderful. He puts you into the cockpit of his P 51 as they are flying a mission. His friend Chuck Yeager said in an interview years later that he was two different people-once he got into that plane he was a killer. <br /><br />And the motto of the Flyboys when taking a newbie on a mission: “do five and stay alive“<br /><br />I’ll add to the chorus and say great writing!Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720206407574457665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-39802608612042224112020-09-02T12:02:33.943-07:002020-09-02T12:02:33.943-07:00I'll buy the book regardless, but it'd be ...I'll buy the book regardless, but it'd be a bummer to find Sgt Brandt in a neglected corner of a VA hospital. It might be realistic, though.<br />Still pulling for him, Wilson all the rest; including Sauer.<br />Boat GuyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-23626454380846627912020-09-02T11:23:26.351-07:002020-09-02T11:23:26.351-07:00Heh, good to know.Heh, good to know.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-55362316060676095342020-09-02T11:13:25.090-07:002020-09-02T11:13:25.090-07:00Some shot through the lungs have a most difficult ...Some shot through the lungs have a most difficult time recovering, especially if they lose a lung-sac or get hit by an expanding or tumbling bullet. While others with supposedly great trauma heal quickly and walk away with no real issues, maybe some issues down, sometimes way down, the line.<br /><br />It's one of those weird things. Like, well, spinal injuries. Some people break their backs multiple times and confound doctors by walking away every time. Others, just a pinch or tad bit of damage wipes them out.<br /><br />Injuries are weird. Like I know people who have been sidelined by a broken toe. Me? Yank that sucker back into place, keep swelling down, keep walking. Meh. Toes getting hurt, woooo.<br /><br />As to reading the playbook? No. Just absorbed way too much 'trivial information' (as one teacher complained about, but who knows when one will need to fix a saddle, build a house from scratch, diagnose bumblefoot in birds or issues with wild animals without actually doing all of those. And, yes, without physically being taught I have repaired a saddle, built some serious structures, and done vet work. It's all about all that trivial information I have stored away.)Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-75456966922584162932020-09-02T09:50:08.471-07:002020-09-02T09:50:08.471-07:00Peeking at the playbook again Beans? Well sure, Br...Peeking at the playbook again Beans? Well sure, Brandt could, in theory, return, it really does depend on the severity of his injuries. But shot through the lung? He's going to have long term problems. DAMHIK.<br /><br />The U.S.Army made lavish use of artillery, expend steel on the enemy, not flesh and bone.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-81251041788197999502020-09-02T09:45:24.995-07:002020-09-02T09:45:24.995-07:00If it was a nick on the spinal bones, Brandt could...If it was a nick on the spinal bones, Brandt could be walking soon and gain full motion once all the swelling is down. He may heal up quickly enough from the chest wound that he'll be back in mid-winter or spring, maybe earlier depending on how quickly he heals. A nick on the spinal cord, on the other hand, at least 3 months rehab, most likely earned a trip to the states and an involuntary discharge. Spinal injuries vs spinal cord injuries, they are tricky that way.<br /><br />Damnit, Ollie. What a fine mess he's gotten himself into this time. <br /><br />Really good writing. Some of the best and most realistic writers out there go through secondary and primary characters like crazy. On the other hand, I read one 'South Pacific War Novel' which was set in the North Pacific (there is a difference. New Zealand, New Hebrides, Australia, that area is South P. Most of the Gilberts, all of the Marshals and the Philippines are North Pacific, I mean, look at a friggin map, people) and the author's 'squad' stayed together from Tarawa, Bloody Tarawa all the way to Saipan. No Friggin Way. At least a 20% loss of personnel just from various diseases or doing stupid stuff like falling asleep leaning up against the southern part of a ship during the middle of the day and thus cooking oneself almost to death (yes, it is a thing, and it still happens today no matter how much the corpsmen and doctors kvetch and moan.)<br /><br />But... Brandt? Aw, man... (really hoping just a spinal cord bruise from a nick on a bone, really really hoping.)<br /><br />As to the American response to snipers... Whatever works. Beats losing another 3-4 guys playing cat-and-mouse. Kinda hard on any civilians that stayed, though, but we weren't overly worried about collateral damage back then, and what newsies were around worked for the US, instead of against it, mostly.Beanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293778848879361153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-68695328190648989332020-09-02T09:12:31.547-07:002020-09-02T09:12:31.547-07:00I will do an "after the war" update for ...I will do an "after the war" update for the characters in the series. Seems like it's warranted!<br /><br />And thanks!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.com