Question of the Hour

[Spr.Earl]

They did initially transport the SAS to their objectives which were hit and runs on enemy airflields.

Wrong the LRDG in the begining were just a Recce Group first made up of N.Z,then Brits and Aussies.
Thier mian job was just Recce with out contact,if came into contact they had F' off quick.
They watched main MSR's noted traffic etc in ther beginning.
It was later on that they made the decision too group and arm with lewis' and go deep in the desert attacking Air Fields.

The LRDG is what gave David Sterling the idea of the SAS but he thought of Air Borne Troops and he asked and got the help from the LRDG.

The first SAS job was a flop,it was a learining curve, as they missed the L.Z, had to march what x miles in and marched x miles out and failed badly, it was the LRDG that picked them up,after that the SAS adopted the LRDG tactics,vehicles etc and all was amalgamated making what we know as the SAS in the Desert in WWII

http://www.lrdg.org/

 

[Spr.Earl]

Yup, both right. Sorry for the delay in posting. Ironic as the Chindits were officially drawn from the 17th Indian Division of 14th Army.

Earl, found an interesting piece of trivia re that Liverpool Regiment and the Chindits. I'll give you first crack at it and delay posting for a day or two.

Yes,the 14th was also known as the forgotten Army.
Danjanou still waiting,is it that Battle Honours are hanging in the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool?
Re the Kings?

 

[Danjanou]

Sorry, totally forgot about that one. :-[

The 13th Bn King's Liverpool were part of the first Chindit operation. The Bn was made up of men initially considered unfit for various reasons for frontline service. Most were over 30 years old and the Bn initially had been raised for garrison and home defence duties in England before being shipped first to the Middle East and then to India for a similar role.

After the initial Japanese success in Burma, infantry units, any infantry units were at a premium and the 13th were tasked as Chindits. It's posssible high command thought the whole idea was doomed and didn't want to waste a better Bn.

Naturally they performed exceptionally well, although the high casualty rate through disease etc meant that they were finished as a fighting unit. I believe many were used as instructors later on in the war.

Wingate was able to argue that if he could take over aged garrison troops and turn them into adept jungle fighters, then he could do it with anyone.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Thanks Dan.
Heres the next question.

When and why was "Outward Bound" created?

 

[old medic]

"Outward Bound was founded in the tumultuous waters of the North Sea during World War II,
to provide young sailors with the experiences and skills necessary to survive at sea." (http://www.outwardbound.com/history.html)

The first Outward Bound program was inspired by Dr. Kurt Hahn, a German educator, who responded to the needs of Lawrence Holt, head of the Blue Funnel Shipping Line, a merchant shipping company.

Holt's problem was this -- during World War II, young merchant seaman were not surviving as well as their older counterparts in lifeboat situations, after their ships had been torpedoed by German U-boats.

 

[Spr.Earl]

Correct,they put it down to lack of life experience as they were still young and had not had the life experience's of their older shipmates which resulted in lack of confidence and self doubt.

 

[Danjanou]

Ok this one should get a few dragging battered books off of the shelf.

Starship Troopers has more than it's share of fans here on the site. Let's see how much you really know. In the book, not the movie, what is the nationality of the main character Rico?

 

[stukirkpatrick]

I remember he spoke tagalog and WASNT from Buenos Aires, so was he from the Phillipines?  i havent read it in a while  :-\

 

[Michael OLeary]

My Google is slow tonight:

STUDLYPINOY: You are correct about Johnny Rico's nationality being Filipino. Although the author never says directly that Johnny Rico is Filipino.

Johnny is quoted in the original novel as saying to Bernardo: "Tagalog, My native language." There you have it.

http://www.robotech.com/community/forum/read.php?id=1091279&forumid=12

 

[Danjanou]

Well that lasted about as long as I expected it would. ;D

 

[stukirkpatrick]

exactly 10 minutes to the second?  ;D

time to put my history class knowledge to good use - which governmental act during the 19th century first created the first paid volunteer force that was recognizable as the canadian militia?

 

[Spr.Earl]

You bugger!!
I can't find it yet!!

 

[Bill Smy]

time to put my history class knowledge to good use - which governmental act during the 19th century first created the first paid volunteer force that was recognizable as the canadian militia?

I believe it was an act passed in 1813 by the Upper Canada Legislature to create the Incorporated Militia

 

[stukirkpatrick]

I believe it was an act passed in 1813 by the Upper Canada Legislature to create the Incorporated Militia

Oops I should have specified - I was thinking of a more permanent act, as I believe the Incorporated Militia were disbanded after the war ended - the one im thinking of is more towards the mid-19th century 

 

[pbi]

My guess is that it was the Militia Act of 1855? Cheers

 

[stukirkpatrick]

My guess is that it was the Militia Act of 1855? Cheers

correct!

http://www.archives.mcgill.ca/resources/guide/vol2_3/gen06.htm

In 1838 the regular garrison of British North America numbered over 13,000 men, but fell off to only about 3,000 in 1855 because of the high cost of maintaining such a force. The Militia Act of 1855 set up a new force of volunteers, not more than 5000 strong, which would be uniformed and armed and would undergo a short period of annual training. This volunteer force is the origin of the modern Canadian Army (Militia).

 

[pbi]

Heh Heh. Who said all this stuff in my head is useless? Ok....my wife did, but never mind about that.

If I am not mistaken, it is this act that also represents the "official" start point for regimental lineages in the Canadian Army: no unit is actually alllowed to claim official descent or battle honours from any unit that pre-existed this date, even though units like the Queen's York Rangers and The Loyal Company (RCA) do. Is this correct?

Cheers

 

[old medic]

Name the first Canadian Infantry unit to land in France in WW2.

 

[pbi]

We're talking about the aborted operation in 1940, right?
Cheers

 

[Danjanou]

IIRC only 1st Brigade of 1st Div made it ashore (after Dunkirk) so that would be either RCR, 48th or Hasty Ps. Of them I'm going to guess the Plough Jockeys, don't know why (at work and no books to check) just a gut feeling.