British Troops Gunned Down by US Army Apache NEARLY 3 YEARS AGO!! - Page 4

Lonewolf_50 · 25th Sep 2012, 18:36

Not quite right, oh myopic and insularly minded Beagle.

Quote:

(For Spams, that's the one which started in 1939.)

It started in 1937, when the Japanese invaded Manchuria.
Your insular PoV is noted, as it was noted by one Admiral Ernest King when the whinging Poms cried for a Germany first strat ...

Just a thought: if you are going to post like a cnut, standby for return fire.

From this side of the pond, in the years of, say, 1937 to 1939, a great many Americans would have been more than happy to watch the Old World kill one another off in yet another bit of intramural homicide. You should thank your lucky stars that our President, FDR, was not one of them, and that he took a longer view.

Instead, you piss and moan. This helps us Yanks understand where the Australians coined a term something like "Whinging Pom."

EDIT:
SAS:
"Has not communication been the weak point of all military operations since time began?"
Yes. As Napoleon is said to have hollered ... "Where is Grouchy?"

Insofar as JTIDS ... well, when I was in theater a few years back, it worked pretty well providing you had the kit and crypto at hand. Let's say it helped put a bit of iron on target.

It ain't perfect, but it has been improving a bit.

Blue on blue is still a risk.

lj101 · 25th Sep 2012, 19:53

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September 1st, 1939. For Poland, Great Britain, Canada, and France this was the start of the War. For those who resided in Czechoslovakia, WW 2 began in March of that year (1939) when Germany attacked the country. For the Chinese, the war began in 1931 with the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, although those in the west believed it to be a regional conflict at the time. Russia counts the start of World War 2 in June of 1941, while in the United States, active involvement in WW 2 begins with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The first official declaration of war involving western countries was on September 3rd, 1939 when France and Great Britain declared war on Germany due to treaty obligations with Poland.

Lone wolf

Different history source - difference dates:

Pontius Navigator · 25th Sep 2012, 20:37

Though to be fair the US Navy was actively involved in the Atlantic before Dec 1941.

Quote:

Either the casualties inflicted on USS Kearny by U-boat U-568 on October 17, 1941, or the sinking of the USS Reuben James by U-552 on October 31, 1941 might be considered the first American naval losses of World War II. The United States was neither officially involved in the war at the time nor did the incidents cause them to declare war.

And of course Brazil in Aug 1942, Argentina in 1944 and Chile, against Japan in 1945.

GreenKnight121 · 26th Sep 2012, 00:14

The attack on (and sinking of) USS Panay (which had US flags painted on its deckhouse & deck), along with the sinking of 3 US-flagged tankers evacuating civilians from Nanking, by Japanese Navy aircraft on 12 December 1937?

The Japanese insisted it had been a mistake and paid reparations, but U.S. Navy cryptographers had intercepted and decrypted traffic relating to the attacking planes which clearly indicated that they were under orders during the attack, and that it had not been a mistake of any kind.

This information, along with the movie film footage which showed the US flags painted on Panay, were suppressed by the US government to avoid a public outcry that might lead to being forced into military action against the Japanese.

SASless · 26th Sep 2012, 00:35

Quote:

As Napoleon is said to have hollered ... "Where is Grouchy?"

I knew Beags wuz old....but Crikey....I never guessed!

Archimedes · 26th Sep 2012, 00:52

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Originally Posted by Pontius Navigator

Interestingly Blind Pru's list of blue on blue from wikipedia missed one that was in today's obit for Commander Bill King. Some time in 1939, before December, his submarine was attacked and suffered a direct hit from RAF aircraft off Harwich.

Was that the one which saw the sub (Snapper) suffer damage to the tune of four smashed plates/broken lightbulbs in the wardroom? IIRC, this confirmed Coastal Command's suspicions that the 100lb AS bomb was useless - although one did bring down an Anson when exploding prematurely - and began the process which led to the acquisition of depth charges which were a tad better at the job.

Pontius Navigator · 26th Sep 2012, 08:27

Archimedes, that was the one although the detail was not in the obituary

Commander Bill King - Telegraph

Lonewolf_50 · 26th Sep 2012, 13:43

GreenKnight, Liberty was a similar "mistake" in about 1967, but it wasn't "JAPs" attacking: it was the IAF. The investigation found an utter lack of fingernail polish residue on Liberty ...

(JAP was once an epithet for "Jewish American Princess" and I could not resist the chance for a horrible pun ... )

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