XTreme Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 21 minutes ago, Saul said: True but looking back at that time, compared to today, things were pretty stable globally by the 1970's. No war in Europe, China weren't in the picture and the middle east was enthral to the two superpowers. Of course we had MAD hanging over us but I would argue that the nuclear threat is greater now. Personally if a superpower nuclear conflict kicked off we would have been vaporised pretty quickly, living 26 miles from Plymouth naval dockyard. Things have changed so much since the WWII era......so I doubt we'd ever see a mass mobilisation and invasion like that again. Now it's just press a few buttons. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 8 minutes ago, XTreme said: Things have changed so much since the WWII era......so I doubt we'd ever see a mass mobilisation and invasion like that again. Now it's just press a few buttons. I hope not, but look at Finland and Sweden, they are making no bones about getting ready for possible conflict. The UK, I dunno, doubt it. Mind you we do have the football Gammons Send in the Gammons. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 10 minutes ago, Saul said: Mind you we do have the football Gammons Send in the Gammons. They said they were willing to die for Brexit after all. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busabeast Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 10 hours ago, Saul said: But also some very spoilt and entitled individuals. So they would be the commissioned officers then I'd guess 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busabeast Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 48 minutes ago, XTreme said: Things have changed so much since the WWII era......so I doubt we'd ever see a mass mobilisation and invasion like that again. Now it's just press a few buttons. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 1 hour ago, Saul said: I hope not, but look at Finland and Sweden, they are making no bones about getting ready for possible conflict. The UK, I dunno, doubt it. Mind you we do have the football Gammons Send in the Gammons. The Finns in particular have always been very conscious of their neighbour to the east. They still have national service and for such a small country they have a very capable military. Once you have done your military service you are rotated back through the system every so often for refresher training. Finland is one of my favourite places to visit, but for bloody Brexit I would have happily retired there. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 30 minutes ago, Nute said: The Finns in particular have always been very conscious of their neighbour to the east. They still have national service and for such a small country they have a very capable military. Once you have done your military service you are rotated back through the system every so often for refresher training. Finland is one of my favourite places to visit, but for bloody Brexit I would have happily retired there. The Finns are a serious outfit in terms of Winter warfare. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boboneleg Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 When I joined the RN a big part of the basic training was the Russian threat. It was drummed into us continuously, that was late 70’s 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 2 hours ago, boboneleg said: When I joined the RN a big part of the basic training was the Russian threat. It was drummed into us continuously, that was late 70’s It might surprise you to know that I actually went to see about joining the RAF after I got my O Level results in 1970. I really wanted to fly planes, but they told me I'd have to get my A Levels first. Then I'd go in at a higher level and be on an Officer training path. And eventually, if selected, I could get on the flight training program. So reluctantly I went back to school to do A Levels, but after 6 months of that monotonous shit the frustration of wanting a bike and having no dosh really got to me! So I left and the rest is history. By a strange coincidence in 1978, the wife wanted to join the RAF as a Military Police dog handler. But her mother put the kybosh on it and made her go to work at WH Smith. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nute Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 I’d love to spend a few days seeing the Normandy beaches, it’s on my list of things to do, though prob not by bike as the boss will want to take the dog. if I had my way looking at the Somme battlefields and commonwealth memorials would be a mandatory part of the school curriculum. Too many kids today have no idea what their great grandparents went through and the utter futility of European wars. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 On 13/01/2024 at 11:34, MooN said: anybody here visited? 80th anniversay this year, and if my Britanny trip doesn't come off ( looking less likely already) my plan B for the 8th may long weekend would be to go visit the landing beaches. I'm looking for info on whether I need 2 days "on site" or if one is sufficient, and what to see and what to not bother with. As the internet is only capable of supplying commercial tour operators advertisements and information pages from conspiracy theorists explaing how, "in fact", none of it ever happened, i thought I'd ask a group of people who's opinions i respect. Obviously I could,t find one, so I'm asking you lot as a last resort... anybody been and done it? We stopped off there a couple of years back @MooN. We spent a couple of days there and didn't really scratch the surface of what's to see there. We stayed in an hotel right on Sword beach in Luc-sur-mer for a few nights. Apparently the hotel was the local Nazi headquarters during WW2. Recommend visiting Arromanches-les-Bains, where there's still remains of the floating docks that the Allies constructed in the days following D-Day. Very interesting. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 51 minutes ago, Tango said: We stopped off there a couple of years back @MooN. We spent a couple of days there and didn't really scratch the surface of what's to see there. We stayed in an hotel right on Sword beach in Luc-sur-mer for a few nights. Apparently the hotel was the local Nazi headquarters during WW2. Recommend visiting Arromanches-les-Bains, where there's still remains of the floating docks that the Allies constructed in the days following D-Day. Very interesting. Superb shots Bob! Do Germans visit those places as well? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busabeast Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 4 minutes ago, XTreme said: Superb shots Bob! Do Germans visit those places as well? Does a side that loses want to go to where they lost 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catteeclan Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Just now, busabeast said: Does a side that loses want to go to where they lost I can confirm there were Germans when we went. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 5 minutes ago, XTreme said: Superb shots Bob! Do Germans visit those places as well? I think so, Pete, but I don't think that they go out of their way to draw attention to themselves! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I had 2 uncles that were in the Royal Navy during WW2, they never really spoke about their experiences. I also met a number of older chaps who had served in various services during WW2 when I was doing my apprenticeship. Very few of them spoke about their experiences. There was a chap in one of the electrical wiring departments who was rumoured to have been in the Long Range Desert Group, but he never spoke about the war. He was a very quiet fellah, very softly spoken and not very tall, but there was something about him that no one ever tried to push him. His foreman was a right arse to everyone else, but tip toed around the old chap! So maybe there was something to the rumours. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTreme Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 20 minutes ago, busabeast said: Does a side that loses want to go to where they lost Evidently they do according to people who've actually been there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six30 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 State of the Uk today... the the poor souls who gave the ultimate sacrifice must be turning in their graves.... those that have a grave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 10 minutes ago, Six30 said: State of the Uk today... the the poor souls who gave the ultimate sacrifice must be turning in their graves.... those that have a grave Definitely. They fought against fascism and here it is again! Not just the UK, it's widespread and very worrying! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 2 hours ago, Six30 said: State of the Uk today... the the poor souls who gave the ultimate sacrifice must be turning in their graves.... those that have a grave When we went to Tyne Cott cemetery in Belgium I didn’t understand why there were graves inscribed here lies two British soldiers or other multiples or something like here’s lies two unknown Germans. That type of thing. I felt a right tit when I asked to discover they were buried like that as it was impossible to separate the remains. That really shocked me, not something I had thought about before. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 On 14/01/2024 at 09:19, Nute said: The Finns in particular have always been very conscious of their neighbour to the east. They still have national service and for such a small country they have a very capable military. Once you have done your military service you are rotated back through the system every so often for refresher training. Finland is one of my favourite places to visit, but for bloody Brexit I would have happily retired there. I know Finland a little, I did an Interail trip around Scandinavia in 1987 and spent some time in Helsinki. Fantastic place and people. I always swore I would go back but haven’t yet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six30 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 22 minutes ago, Saul said: When we went to Tyne Cott cemetery in Belgium I didn’t understand why there were graves inscribed here lies two British soldiers or other multiples or something like here’s lies two unknown Germans. That type of thing. I felt a right tit when I asked to discover they were buried like that as it was impossible to separate the remains. That really shocked me, not something I had thought about before. brings it home to you doesn't it , we went there on our bikes few years back, Menin gate , where they do the ceremony every night as well , think its something like 55,000 solders.... from 1st world war with no known grave... very sobering and to be fair a bit emotional. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 32 minutes ago, Saul said: When we went to Tyne Cott cemetery in Belgium I didn’t understand why there were graves inscribed here lies two British soldiers or other multiples or something like here’s lies two unknown Germans. That type of thing. I felt a right tit when I asked to discover they were buried like that as it was impossible to separate the remains. That really shocked me, not something I had thought about before. One of my relatives on my dad’s side (Great, Great Uncle Albert…..or something like that) was killed in November 1914 and has his name on the Menin Gate along with all the other soldiers that were never found. However, he’s also listed as being buried in White House Cemetery which is a bit odd so I’m going to pay a visit as soon as I get the chance. He was a drummer in the Coldstream Guards. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 I have been to the Menin Gate and sang at the service. Every now and again they have guest bands or choirs take part in the service and that is what we did. Very moving experience. Also been to the Pax (Peace) Monument at Dixmude. The hotel we stayed in was there. I tell you what also effected me more that I thought it would was the monuments to the Empire troops that died above and to the side of the Menin gate. The European troops were named the Empire ones were not, just monuments for the individual regiments.. Different times different values I suppose. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 A choir I used to sing for. You can just see my shiny head about 3 from the right in the middle row. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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