History Questions Not Worth Their Own Thread VIII

[Cutlass]

IIRC some other variants were also considered - Churchill proposed landing in Greece, but in the end France was chosen.

Greece was no better. You'd still have to fight an army through easily defended mountain passes.

 

[W|M]

The attack through Italy was notoriously difficult and slow, and even if all of it was conquered you then had to cross the Alps

 

[r16]

italy was an epic German victory or so , with every river creating immense difficulties combined with German tactical superiority . On the other hand France offered space to maneouvre armour to decisive results , of which the Allies had more and far bigger potential to replace losses . And the French industry , which could still have been bombed and U-boot bases . There are few articles that suggest unlike the general narrative , the snorkel made submarines a bigger threat , which could have been an utter disaster if Type 21s could make it to combat , series production , only one combat cruise but dozens ready to sail in weeks and hundreds in months . And the German jets and the V weapons and the atom bomb (even if that would be "debateable") and the Red Army advancing in fits and starts , though 1944 saw it advancing even during the Spring thaw period ...

 

[JohannaK]

What was the point of D Day in world war 2?

Which is to say, the allies already had Italy. Why not just march straight through Italy into Germany? Sounds much simpler (not to mention less expensive) than establishing a beachhead in France.

Presuming you opted to go from Italy into Germany, you either go through Slovenia and Hungary to avoid the thickest of the Alps (at which point you're so stretched out and far from ports you're, well, probably not getting anywhere) or face the might of the Alps and die. I mean you still have to go through the Alps through Slovenia but it's thinner and lower.

 

[Serutan]

What was the point of D Day in world war 2?
.

In addition to the previous replies (i.e. Churchill was delusional in thinking that either Italy or the Balkans was a practical invasion route to Germany),
it should be noted that while D-Day had nothing to do with whether or not Germany was defeated (settled the previous year at Kursk), it was the most critical event of the yet to exist Cold War - the success of the landing meant that the Western Allies "shook hands" with the Red Army on the Elbe instead of the Rhine or the Seine.

 

[innonimatu]

In addition to the previous replies (i.e. Churchill was delusional in thinking that either Italy or the Balkans was a practical invasion route to Germany),
it should be noted that while D-Day had nothing to do with whether or not Germany was defeated (settled the previous year at Kursk), it was the most critical event of the yet to exist Cold War - the success of the landing meant that the Western Allies "shook hands" with the Red Army on the Elbe instead of the Rhine or the Seine.

Which means Churchill was not delusional. It was about taking territory there, the Balkans and Italy.

 

[Gelion]

I was wondering if anyone knows where I could find information on the survival rate of the B.E.F. during WW1? There were about 100,000 men in it at the start of the war, I've been trying to find out how many of them made it to the end of the Great War.

 

[Samson]

I was wondering if anyone knows where I could find information on the survival rate of the B.E.F. during WW1? There were about 100,000 men in it at the start of the war, I've been trying to find out how many of them made it to the end of the Great War.

Wikipedia has some numbers;

Over the course of the war 5,399,563 men served with the BEF.

The losses for the period between 4 August 1914, and 30 September 1919, included 573,507 "killed in action, died from wounds and died of other causes" and 254,176 missing (minus 154,308 released prisoners), for a net total of 673,375 dead and missing. Casualty figures also indicated that there were 1,643,469 wounded.

 

[Gelion]

Wikipedia has some numbers;

Over the course of the war 5,399,563 men served with the BEF.

The losses for the period between 4 August 1914, and 30 September 1919, included 573,507 "killed in action, died from wounds and died of other causes" and 254,176 missing (minus 154,308 released prisoners), for a net total of 673,375 dead and missing. Casualty figures also indicated that there were 1,643,469 wounded.

Thank you for looking it up, but sadly, the wiki has no information on the original 100,000 soldiers that arrived in France in 1914. Thats the figure I am looking for. From what I recall there no relevant information on Wikipedia in English, or in any other language that I know, about the original contingent's survival rate.

 

[innonimatu]

This got me curious about another thing.

WW1 lasted 4 years. Does anyone know how long did the enlisted/recruited soldiers serve before being released from the army? In each of the major powers, and excluding career officers of course.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Thank you for looking it up, but sadly, the wiki has no information on the original 100,000 soldiers that arrived in France in 1914. Thats the figure I am looking for. From what I recall there no relevant information on Wikipedia in English, or in any other language that I know, about the original contingent's survival rate.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...many_members_of_the_bef_survived_to_1918_how/

By the end of November 1914, of the 84 battalions originally sent, 75 of them had less than 300 men (supposed to have about 1000 each)
But these are casualty numbers, so it's not known how many were dead, injured, taken out of service or were wounded but later returned to war, etc.

 

[Gelion]

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...many_members_of_the_bef_survived_to_1918_how/

By the end of November 1914, of the 84 battalions originally sent, 75 of them had less than 300 men (supposed to have about 1000 each)
But these are casualty numbers, so it's not known how many were dead, injured, taken out of service or were wounded but later returned to war, etc.

I forgot to check the smartest place on the internet

Thank you! This is exactly the info I was looking for and it also has references ("The British Army and the First World War (2017), pp. 228-9" in particular).

 

[Samson]

When is the last time a head of state died on the front line?

It used to be that the head of state had guts, and would lead his army into combat. That has got a bit more rare, but the recently re-elected for the 6th time President of Chad Idriss Deby got hit on the front line.

When did that last happen?

 

[Gelion]

Um, 2011? Arguably?

 

[Samson]

Um, 2011? Arguably?

Oh yeah, Muammar Gaddafi.

 

[r16]

chad's guy wins elections , visits troops to bolster reputation as a military leader , hence possible he was after some "peace" deal . Too much of a shock would then lead to his people executing him right there ; but his son is apparently taking over . Kaddafi , on the other hand , was betrayed by his own son as he thought he was going to meet some US diplomat or something for a ceasefire and transition . Hence the "l came, l saw, he is dead" from Mrs. Rodham . Cost her the Presidency , too .

 

[Samson]

but his son is apparently taking over

Yeah, interesting take on hereditary democracy.

 

[r16]

a cool phrase , but actually dangerous , this hereditary democracy ; people might press for it , after discovering it exists in the English language ...

 

[r16]

the often mentioned operational superiority of the French Military over its opponents , by the looks of it . So , it appears French supported Haftar of Libya has been desiring regime change in French supported Chad and has sent a Toyota column into Chad . Another Toyota column , this time by the regime chases it in the desert , the Goverment has tanks in it , turns into a massacre . But somehow the Chadian President and 4 of his generals are killed . The son is about 37 years old(?) and a four star general , and he is also reported to be wounded , this time in a firefight inside the palace , against relatives . The silence is deafening is all they can say in that particular forum . Like change of guard , according to who owns stocks of which company in Paris , and they report China has interest in what might be like the biggest deposits of Uranium , though ı can't say the reserves are the biggest in Africa or the world .

 

[Futurist110]

What exactly would it take for a non-Communist Russia to be viewed as a big bad evil country in the Anglosphere in an alternate Great War/World War (similar to how Germany, Italy, and Japan were viewed in the Anglosphere during WWII in real life)?