…German reserves have seldom been able to force their way. These and other instances would seem to back up the idea that a barrage is a wall or barrier through which soldiers have to move. BUT, then I found another explanation for barrage, from 8 October 1915, in an account of the French capture of a village named Tahure (emphasis in original): Directly the word is given and the French gunners “lift,” either to bombard a more distant line of Germa…
It’s not often that I happen across a discussion of knock-out blow novels outside specialist literature, so I was interested to see that Gideon Haigh (probably best known as a cricket writer, but also a fine essayist) talks about Nevil Shute’s What Happened to the Corbetts (1939) in the current issue of The Monthly. The article itself (which is not online; a precis of sorts is available from the Sunday Telegraph) is about On the Beach, published…
…about ZoI, thanks! And I’m sure I’m not the only one waiting for your next installment of geek archaeology … Paul Hodges I had a hand-me-down copy of Dover Patrol as a child (probably a 40s or 50s) version – and may still have in unsaleable tatters somewhere. It was a good game – far superior to Battleships – and got plenty of play despite the plethora of 80s alternatives. Is it why I ended up doing a military history PhD? Well, there could be w…
…1912. That could fit the Sheerness incident in October of that year, though an earlier date might fit better (he had last been in Germany in […] The St Eval Incident | Airminded […] St Eval incident reminds me, of course, of the Sheerness Incident. There, too, people near a defence installation saw something strange in the air over Britain which […] Mapping the 1913 phantom airship scare – Airminded […] 1913 phantom airship sightings took place….
…ith varying degrees of success (the disarmament of Germany after WW I, for instance), but I’d offer the counterpoint that the CFC example is *after* there was significant evidence that CFCs were causing the ozone hole. IE – problem, uproar, attempted remediation. Which fits into a grey area between proactive and reactive responses, I guess you could say. *wry grin* And thanks for the site. Interesting stuff… -John Mike Treder Brett, I agree with…
…ok. Wilson’s slant is interesting – it would apply to Messenger’s work for instance, as he concerned with the raising and training of the British Army and the battles are but mentioned only in their effect on that task. I must have words with Professor Wilson when next I meet him – he lives in the same city as me (he moved here on his retirement) and I have run into him at various meetings. His collaborator Robin Prior is also here. Brett Holman I…
…e unit I was concerned with the development of the frame system, and later installed these frameworks Warton (English Electric) and several other airport sites for pilot training. I left this area of manufacture at about the tome that GPS was taken over. I seem to recall that manufacture of the later developments of the system were carried out elsewhere. One man was reponsible for the dreation of the practical aptical system used to gether with th…
…es such as defensive capability from fighter and anti-aircraft attack. For instance, did anyone know if or how much gas the Germans had? If I was in authority in the UK, it would be something I’d be trying very hard to find out – and unlike (say) Japan, there wasn’t such a cultural gulf to stop such critical espionage. Airminded · Tuesday, 27 September 1938 […] Subscribe to feed ‹ Monday, 26 September 1938 […] Brett Holman Yes, the term ARP Su…
…nd Lysander?) the bizarre telescoping structure of the Spitfire’s wing was instantly industrially obsolete. In a perfect world, the Spitfire production run would have been run down in favour of new designs. The question is, what exactly? The Whirlwind and Gloster F.9/37 are based on the Peregrine and Taurus respectively, both brand-new moderate displacement engine designs. Looking back on what their respective developers did with older, heavier en…
…oy – Mickey Mouse cartoons and potter’s wheels and so on. Did the BBC, for instance, do any news or current affairs broadcasting on it? ErrolC An interesting and worthwhile exercise, someone spoiled for me by being on holiday (with limited connectivity) for most of the last 3 weeks. Although I knew of most of the main facts, I certainly learnt plenty. BTW, there was a wargame in a magazine covering a German invasion (published 20-odd years ago). I…
