The Somme on channel 4

[UKRobT309]

Bloody brilliant. Its about bloody time Hollywood celebrated those poor blokes though. Not bloody likely mind cause there werent any yanks so the war didnt happen.
I also think putting bloody commercials and the likes on in programs like that is vulgar and disgusting. I know they make the money to make the programs from advertising but they could leave the adds to before and after, especially the ones advertising their own feckin programs.
Anyway, still a brilliant program. Not as stirring as actually visiting the place though, now that really put a lump in my throat.

[defarter]

Bollocks forgot that was on, :(

[johnr]

Bloody brilliant. Its about bloody time Hollywood celebrated those poor blokes though. Not bloody likely mind cause there werent any yanks so the war didnt happen.
I also think putting bloody commercials and the likes on in programs like that is vulgar and disgusting. I know they make the money to make the programs from advertising but they could leave the adds to before and after, especially the ones advertising their own feckin programs.
Anyway, still a brilliant program. Not as stirring as actually visiting the place though, now that really put a lump in my throat.

doh! missed it, are you sure there were no yanks in ww1 rob? im not after a big debate, i just seem to recall that there were more than a few americans that came over voluntarily to battle the bosche, perhaps abb would fill in any details, he seems expert on all things military history wise.

[Dougie]

The Shermans turned up en masse in 1917,but before that there was an American squadron flying for the French,Lafayette Escadrille (Excuse spelling) with at least one 'ace',Capt Eddie Rickenbacker.

[UKRobT309]

Oh yeah, the Yanks did eventually join WW1 in late 1917 for training then joined a battle in early 1918 (cant remember which one). They would not serve under the British and being green and all got a very bloody nose apparently. They even refused to go into the trenches.
Dont get me wrong, the ones that were there deserve our respect but i think you may see what im getting at.
There were a lot of Canadians there, especially the New Foundlanders (The memorial is fantastic) but if you read a lot of the names and where they had come from (the NewFoundlanders that is) they were British lads who had emigrated and come back to serve for the home country.
It dont matter where any were from i suppose, they all died and suffered the same if they were there. Bless em all. Just wish as i said before that Hollywood would chuck some of their money to celebrate the likes of the battle of the Somme.

[Friar Tuck]

The Shermans turned up en masse in 1917.....
Erm! Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the Huns win the toss and started the whole thing off in 1914? or did they bring on a few substitutes later on?

The yanks joined in, in late 1916 or 1917, as did the canadians, Indian, New Zealanders, Aussies, and just about every country going at the time!

The death rate was horrendous! I cannot imagine some 20,000 blokes being wiped out in 8 hours fighting and shelling!

there was that documentary on the Beeb last week about the last WW1 survivors. One chap said that a light bulb or something blew in his room, only a few months previously and it brought it all back to him! Poor bugger! and that was some 80 years later!

[Shaun the Fatman]

Oh yeah, the Yanks did eventually join WW1 in late 1917 for training then joined a battle in early 1918 (cant remember which one). They would not serve under the British and being green and all got a very bloody nose apparently. They even refused to go into the trenches.
Dont get me wrong, the ones that were there deserve our respect but i think you may see what im getting at..
Well the Yanks had their own share of uncaring/incompetent commanders.. it wasn't just the Tommies who were "Lions Led by Donkeys". But as for not joining the trenches.... if I was a yank general and saw how the "Sir Douglas Haigs" were spending their men, I'd want to see if I could do it another way. Half a million men to win a 25mile long x6 mile deep patch of land? What a horrible waste of life.

[greg]

slightly different tack but did you see the prog about the german who stayed at his post during d day i think omaha beach and only mised 5 shots out of 50 with a carbine, fired off over 1500 rounds of m/c gun ammo had the highest kill rate .
poor sod hit one yank and it haunted him to this day he eventualy traced him to a american army base in germany and thay got to corisponding with each other then the program arranged a meeting on the beach very moveing.
the 2 blokes are now mates and hold no grudges.
kind of shows what war can do to people and what time can heal/help.
maybe we can all learn from this.

[Abb]

kind of shows what war can do to people and what time can heal/help.
maybe we can all learn from this.

It's been said by guys on here, and by most veterans I have ever met - they did not hate the enemy, they are soldiers, doing what they are told to do.

The only time soldiers tend to hate other soldiers is when they mistreat captured soldiers - the Japs for example.

The Nazis did not, with few exceptions, mistreat POW's.

Better to hate the politicians who send our young men off to die.

[Mad Liz]

Just wish as i said before that Hollywood would chuck some of their money to celebrate the likes of the battle of the Somme.

Is there some reason why you want Hollywood to do it, instead of the British film industry?

[UKRobT309]

Is there some reason why you want Hollywood to do it, instead of the British film industry?
No reason at all, just thinking of the money aspect and the broader audience. I could be wrong but i get the impression the USA well only accept things made in the USA.
Oh, did you send them pics off to yer mate?

[Dougie]

It's been said by guys on here, and by most veterans I have ever met - they did not hate the enemy, they are soldiers, doing what they are told to do.

The only time soldiers tend to hate other soldiers is when they mistreat captured soldiers - the Japs for example.

The Nazis did not, with few exceptions, mistreat POW's.

Better to hate the politicians who send our young men off to die.
I hated,and STILL hate,the Provos,INLA,UVF,Red Hand Commandos and their ilk.They weren't soldiers no matter how much they bleat about it,they weren't Prisoners of War or Political Prisoners,they were criminals,cowards and bullies,no more,no less. :mad:
Sorry,rant over,normal service is now resumed......

[Abb]

The US declared war on Germany on 6th April 1917 after receiving an intercepted telegram sent to Mexico asking them to declare war on the US. Willhelm II had previously appeased the US by not targeting their ships after the sinking of the Lusitania on May 7th 1915.

The American Expeditionary Force landed in France on July 3rd 1917 and fired their first shots in trench warfare during the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele).

It is a moot point whether US intervention saved the Allies from losing. In all likelyhood they never, but what they did do was speed up the end of the war, and that in itself probably saved over 1 million lives.

[Dougie]

BTW I was wrong this morning about Eddie Rickenbacker,he did not fly with Lafayette Escadrille,but with US squadron known as "Hat in Ring".I was half asleep when I posted,that's my excuse! :rolleyes:

[Parky]

I am with you 100% dougie, it is not just the Irish terrorists that get my goat and but the latest ones coming out of the woodwork attacking the innocent, not even legitimate targets.

As for the docudrama on the Somme last night a bloody brilliant piece of work, probably as close to the truth of what happened in all the areas both at the front and at the HQ as we may get. A great and moving tribute to those who gave thier all in the trenches.

[Abb]

Rickenbacher enlisted with the US in 1917, transfered to the 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron in March 1918. He had 26 confirmed kills including 4 observation balloons.

[Dougie]

I am with you 100% dougie, it is not just the Irish terrorists that get my goat and but the latest ones coming out of the woodwork attacking the innocent, not even legitimate targets.
These scum are beneath contempt.They deserve no mercy.I saw that the do-gooders were more concerned about the methods the Jordanian police used to get info from that failed suicide bomber than they were about the victims. :mad:

[Mad Liz]

Oh, did you send them pics off to yer mate?

Yes, thanks! He was chuffed! Best ever turn out, apparently! :)

[Abb]

Erm! Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't the Huns win the toss and started the whole thing off in 1914?

Actually, the Serbs started it by assasinating Arch Duke Ferdinand.

This effectively prompted Austria to present an Ultimatum to Serbia. This in turn caused Russia to back up the Serbs. Germany declared that they would declare war on Russia should she start on Austria/Hungary.

So, when Austria/Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia responded likewise. Germany decalred war on Russia, which caused France to declare war on Germany and Austria as they were bound by treaty to support Russia.

Only when Germany invaded NEUTRAL Belgium to effect a pincer attack on France, did Great Britain enter the fray - as we were in treaty with Belgium.

The yanks joined in, in late 1916 or 1917, as did the canadians, Indian, New Zealanders, Aussies, and just about every country going at the time! 1917 say the US enter the war. The rest entered earlier as either official units called by the Empire/Commonwealth or as volunteers.