The many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XIX

[Farm Boy]

I thought shotguns were the go-to for that most of the time?

 

[Cutlass]

Actually, didn't they find spears* quite useful in close quarter stuff in the WW1 trenches? Much lighter and quicker to use than a heavy rifle and bayonet combo.

And then I remember some Russian veteran from Stalingrad saying he favoured slicing Germans with a trenching tool in preference to a firearm.

*They didn't call them spears, though that's what they were. Short stabby things, anyway.

A gun still gives you so many advantages that they would never issue a spear if they could issue a gun.

 

[Borachio]

Hmm. Looks to me like you didn't read my post. I've been trying, and failing, to turn up some links to substantiate this. Never mind.

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

Don't know don't care .


Anyhoot, did anyone miss me ?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

What kind of spear?

A pike, I suppose.

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

Swiss Pikemen anyone ?

 

[say1988]

Hmm. Looks to me like you didn't read my post. I've been trying, and failing, to turn up some links to substantiate this. Never mind.

I am not aware of any government issuing such weapons.

But many soldiers would forgo their rifles while fighting hand-to-hand in trenches or tunnels.
As I recall, entrenching spades were quite popular for use as weapons due to them being shorter and less likely to get stuck in a body.
There were also many improvised clubs, maces, etc. As the war went on, armies started issuing trench knives to serve in this role.

 

[Dachs]

Actually, didn't they find spears* quite useful in close quarter stuff in the WW1 trenches? Much lighter and quicker to use than a heavy rifle and bayonet combo.

And then I remember some Russian veteran from Stalingrad saying he favoured slicing Germans with a trenching tool in preference to a firearm.

*They didn't call them spears, though that's what they were. Short stabby things, anyway.

Trench knife and/or trench gun. Neither of them qualify as "spear" by any reasonable use of the word. There was the French nail, which was sort of a stake, but again, far too short to be a spear.

A pike, I suppose.

I was thinking more in terms of length. Something of sarissa length isn't going to be worth raising every time you want to use your under-weapon attachment, and in order to use it you'd be in formation anyway, so smoke makes sense. Shorter spears could accommodate other attachments more reasonably.

 

[Borachio]

Don't know don't care .


Anyhoot, did anyone miss me ?

Was someone trying to shoot you?

A pike, I suppose.

That's the word!

It's use in WW1, I seem to remember, was confined to trench raiding parties. Quick in, stab a few, grab a prisoner, quick out.

edit: No that isn't it. Too long, is the pike. There's the trench knife, but only issued to those without bayonets - so I suppose, officers.

Trench raiding. Knuckle dusters, raiding clubs, hatchets, blah blah blah.

 

[say1988]

That's the word!

It's use in WW1, I seem to remember, was confined to trench raiding parties. Quick in, stab a few, grab a prisoner, quick out.

edit: No that isn't it. Too long, is the pike. There's the trench knife, but only issued to those without bayonets - so I suppose, officers.

Trench raiding. Knuckle dusters, raiding clubs, hatchets, blah blah blah.

As I understand it, length is a defining characteristic of a pike. As that length was around 15 feet, they wouldn't be useful in the trenches (there were some manufactured and issued to the British Home Guard in WWII due to a lack of weapons).

What you are thinking of would be like the French Nail, that were just crudely manufactured stabbing implements made from whatever they had lying around (from old bayonets to barbed wire stakes). I would find it hard to call it a spear due a lack of length (being the reason ot use them in the first place).

But, yes, various weapons were used in hand-to-hand combat in the trenches due to the length of rifles (over a metre long, plus bayonet) making it unweildly at times and considering that once in the enemy trenches you generally couldn't see very far before the direction changed.

Somilar circumstances led the the use of shotguns, I recall reading about British soldiers buying sporting shotguns and cutting them down for this purpose and the US made effective use of shotguns once their troops arrived.

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

Was someone trying to shoot you?



That's the word!

It's use in WW1, I seem to remember, was confined to trench raiding parties. Quick in, stab a few, grab a prisoner, quick out.

edit: No that isn't it. Too long, is the pike. There's the trench knife, but only issued to those without bayonets - so I suppose, officers.

Trench raiding. Knuckle dusters, raiding clubs, hatchets, blah blah blah.

Nope, not yet.

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

They make an educated guess about where they will make the most money based on both popular opinion and what they themselves think is likely to happen.

Then the odds move as money comes in so they don't get stuck paying too much at the more generous odds.

This is correct. I will also add that a betting firm may choose to offer slightly better odds for an event than a competitor simply to attract new customers.

Also, betting firms can can place large bets with other firms in an attempt to "cover" their bets. So they may take a bet from you at 5 to 1 and then bet that money at 6 to 1 elsewhere, therefore they can't lose.

 

[Borachio]

Is that called "laying the bet off"?

 

[cardgame]

The best attachment to a spear is a gun.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Shorter spears could accommodate other attachments more reasonably.

Ooh, like a laser pointer for dazzling enemy eyes?

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

I should have asked this MONTHS ago, when that Wow! Reply event lured me onto Twitter.

How do I differentiate what is a genuine follower versus a spam follower? And, do robo-followers for legit (or seemingly legit, at least) organizations count as spam followers?

 

[shadowplay]

What the hell is this?

 

[bhsup]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...shbuckler-celebrate-Talk-Lake-Pirate-Day.html

The president tweeted a photo of himself engaged in deep discussion with a costumed buccaneer in the White House on Wednesday to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day.


The pictured seemed to have been taken some time ago, judging by how dark the president's hair is. Obama, like many presidents, has greyed significantly in the three and a half year's he's been in office.

 

[shadowplay]

My favourite part of the picture is they look like they're in a deeply intellectual conversation.

 

[ELITEOFWARMAN8]

Why is there so many rules on this forum that ain't even posted but I should "know"?