Have a bit of respect as we invade your homes 😂😂
TheAceOfMace on
Context: the British like standing in boxes with a couple hundred of their closest friends, getting close enough for some volley fire and then charge with bayonets.
The Boers in South Africa, armed with smokeless powder and Mauser rifles didn’t care for those rules and would consistently pick off officers in their skirmishes.
Some British officers kept their shiny epaulets, swords and insignia while other officers eventually either dressed like their men or even ditched their uniforms completely and wore civilian clothes that would camouflage them in the same way the Boers did.
Skitterleap on
Didn’t the British army kickstart that method of fighting with their green jackets in the napoleonic wars, or was this beforehand? I remember reading about them being one of the first ‘marksmen’ divisions, but I might be mixing things up.
BioShocker1960 on
As an American, I always love hearing about the Brits getting spanked because they couldn’t pull their heads out of their asses.
Rodby on
During the East African campaign of WW1 the British consistently threw their men in frontal attacks that were easily repulsed by well-entrenched defenders. At one point, a British officer recommended flanking the Germans’ positions on a hill. His plan was disregarded by the British commanding officer who said something along the lines of “The idea of wide-flanking attacks is similar to the Boer way of fighting, which is not of a gentlemanly nature”. They then launched a frontal assault that was easily repulsed with huge casualties.
MazigaGoesToMarkarth on
They conquered the world through diplomacy, economics, and trade. Armies were always the last resort, and I don’t think they really cared if they were behind the times.
AncientYard3473 on
‘Course, for much of that time period you could only be an officer if you were rich enough to not have a salary and still self-fund a mandatory, witheringly expensive cigar habit.
Willy Robertson, the only guy who’s ever gone from Private to Field Marshal, practically bankrupted his own father paying for cigars.
Why the eff can’t officers chain smoke pipes like normal Victorians?
8 Comments
Rude.
Have a bit of respect as we invade your homes 😂😂
Context: the British like standing in boxes with a couple hundred of their closest friends, getting close enough for some volley fire and then charge with bayonets.
The Boers in South Africa, armed with smokeless powder and Mauser rifles didn’t care for those rules and would consistently pick off officers in their skirmishes.
Some British officers kept their shiny epaulets, swords and insignia while other officers eventually either dressed like their men or even ditched their uniforms completely and wore civilian clothes that would camouflage them in the same way the Boers did.
Didn’t the British army kickstart that method of fighting with their green jackets in the napoleonic wars, or was this beforehand? I remember reading about them being one of the first ‘marksmen’ divisions, but I might be mixing things up.
As an American, I always love hearing about the Brits getting spanked because they couldn’t pull their heads out of their asses.
During the East African campaign of WW1 the British consistently threw their men in frontal attacks that were easily repulsed by well-entrenched defenders. At one point, a British officer recommended flanking the Germans’ positions on a hill. His plan was disregarded by the British commanding officer who said something along the lines of “The idea of wide-flanking attacks is similar to the Boer way of fighting, which is not of a gentlemanly nature”. They then launched a frontal assault that was easily repulsed with huge casualties.
They conquered the world through diplomacy, economics, and trade. Armies were always the last resort, and I don’t think they really cared if they were behind the times.
‘Course, for much of that time period you could only be an officer if you were rich enough to not have a salary and still self-fund a mandatory, witheringly expensive cigar habit.
Willy Robertson, the only guy who’s ever gone from Private to Field Marshal, practically bankrupted his own father paying for cigars.
Why the eff can’t officers chain smoke pipes like normal Victorians?