View Full Version : Who Am I...test your knowledge
With A.L. posting that pic in the,"Demand spikes for Special Ops" thread, and knowing where he got it from (right A.L. ;) ), I thought we'd do the same thing over here.
The rules are simple.
Post a pic of someone related to the military, whether in uniform or not. They can be someone who has served, or someone that made a direct impact on the Military.
No posting of pics from your own private collection, as in the example of Pic #2. Although that person is famous in his own right for being a Steely, Eyed, Major League Infidel. ;) They must be pics of people that we can all research.
The more older the photo of the person the better, as in the example of pic #1.
You may give hints.
If no one can name the person in the first photo, post another, with another hint. ect.
So name the person and if you can, where the photo was taken and what they are famous for.
Game On !!!
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 13:16
With A.L. posting that pic in the,"Demand spikes for Special Ops" thread, and knowing where he got it from (right A.L. ;) ), I thought we'd do the same thing over here.
The rules are simple.
Post a pic of someone related to the military, whether in uniform or not. They can be someone who has served, or someone that made a direct impact on the Military.
No posting of pics from your own private collection, as in the example of Pic #2. Although that person is famous in his own right for being a Steely, Eyed, Major League Infidel. ;) They must be pics of people that we can all research.
The more older the photo of the person the better, as in the example of pic #1.
So name the person and if you can, where the photo was taken and what they are famous for.
Game On !!!
George S. Patton. VMI cadet in the photo. Rose to the rank of GEN.
Winner of the DSC in WW I. Commanded Third US Army in the invasion of Germany in WW II, among other things.
TR
George S. Patton. VMI cadet in the photo. Rose to the rank of LTG.
Commanded Third US Army, among other things.
TR
You are correct Sir. :lifter
In honor of this being an SF web site.....Name this person and what he is famous for.
Rumblyguts
04-30-2007, 13:32
George S. Patton. VMI cadet in the photo. Rose to the rank of GEN.
Winner of the DSC in WW I. Commanded Third US Army in the invasion of Germany in WW II, among other things.
TR
I could definitly be wrong, but is the latter picture The Reaper from a long thread about an ODA picture upon a wall at Robin Sage?
Famous for, well, being The Reaper.
My searches failed at findng that thread....
edit: That'd be the picture of the gentleman in the high altitude rig.
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 13:33
COL Elliot P. Sydnor
Started out as a submariner in the USN.
Commanded one of the ground elements at Son Tay on The Raid, for which he was awarded the DSC.
Commanded the RTB when I was at Benning.
Also commanded 1st SFG(A), IIRC.
Ranger Hall of Fame member, though I do not believe he ever served in a line Ranger unit.
TR
I could definitly be wrong, but is the latter picture The Reaper from a long thread about an ODA picture upon a wall at Robin Sage?
Famous for, well, being The Reaper.
My searches failed at findng that thread....
edit: That'd be the picture of the gentleman in the high altitude rig.
Yes it is TR. Taken from this thread.....
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1400
....and NO, it's not about Robin Sage. Read that thread about some serious Man Stuff.
COL Elliot P. Sydnor
Started out as a submariner in the USN.
Commanded one of the ground elements at Son Tay on The Raid, for which he was awarded the DSC.
Commanded the RTB when I was at Benning.
Also commanded 1st SFG(A), IIRC.
Ranger Hall of Fame member, though I do not believe he ever served in a line Ranger unit.
TR
Ding....Ding....Ding......TR is on a roll. :lifter
Hummmm....I see I'm going to have to Kick It Up A Notch
Next one....
Rumblyguts
04-30-2007, 13:51
Yes it is TR. Taken from this thread.....
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1400
....and NO, it's not about Robin Sage. Read that thread about some serious Man Stuff.
LOL, aye. I read the thread a while back.
Got mixed up about Camp Mackall and Robin Sage locations.
Cheers
The photo of the young LT is Arthur MacArthur Jr. Future Lieutenant General. Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the Civil War at the Battle of Chattanooga where he cried out "On Wisconsin"
Father of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and Navy Captain Arthur MacArthur III
The photo of the young LT is Arthur MacArthur Jr. Future Lieutenant General. Awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the Civil War at the Battle of Chattanooga where he cried out "On Wisconsin"
Father of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and Navy Captain Arthur MacArthur III
Ooooooo.....a diamond in the Rough. :D
Yes that is 1st Lt. Arthur Macarthur of the 24th Wisconsin.
Here is couple more of Marcarthur, later on as MG, with his MoH.
Next....
This is of course a profile shot, because if you saw his entire face, you'd get it right away. :D
33rd President of the United States.
Served as a Field Artillery officer in the National Guard during World War I. Its said that he was initially disqualified for service because of his eye sight. He memorized the eye chart in order to pass the screening. He was a CPT during the war and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Guard.
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 14:28
Next....
This is of course a profile shot, because if you saw his entire face, you'd get it right away. :D
Looks like Harry S. Truman to me.
Served as a battery CO in WW I, later President of the US.
TR
33rd President of the United States.
Served as a Field Artillery officer in the National Guard during World War I. Its said that he was initially disqualified for service because of his eye sight. He memorized the eye chart in order to pass the screening. He was a CPT during the war and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Guard.
Looks like Harry S. Truman to me.
Served as a battery CO in WW I, later President of the US.
TR
Yep....that is indeed GM Bro Harry S Truman.
Here he is face on.....see how easy it'd have been to get it if I posted this one. :D
Next....
Even great men had to pull guard duty.
Looking for the name of the soldier on the Left.
Looks like Ike
West Point class of 1915 - The Class that Stars fell on.
General of the Army
Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II
34th President of the United States
Sdiver, thanks for providing some welcome mental exercise....now I got to do some PT
Looks like Ike
West Point class of 1915 - The Class that Stars fell on.
General of the Army
Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II
34th President of the United States
Sdiver, thanks for providing some welcome mental exercise....now I got to do some PT
Looks like Ike ????
Are you sure ????
Here is another photo of him.
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 14:54
Sorry for popping back on and off the thread.
The guard photo was too small to tell. Could have been me, at that size.
The pic you just posted IS Ike.
TR
Sorry for popping back on and off the thread.
The guard photo was too small to tell. Could have been me, at that size.
The pic you just posted IS Ike.
TR
Yes Sir, it IS Ike.
I was trying for a little misdirection with our young NY Lt. :D
Here is Ike with a Renault tank in France (Phrance for NDD :D ) and giving a little pep talk to some boys from the 101st before the Big Dance.
Next.....
This gentleman had an excellent plan.
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 15:15
Next.....
This gentleman had an excellent plan.
General of the Armies George Catlett Marshall.
Chief of Staff, U.S. Army and as Sec State author of the Marshall Plan. 45 years commissioned service.
TR
General of the Armies George Catlett Marshall.
Chief of Staff, U.S. Army and as Sec State author of the Marshall Plan. 45 years commissioned service.
TR
And TR bags another one !!!!!
Gen of the Armies George C Marshall.
...and this gentleman is ???
Next.....
Let's see if you can get this one in 30 seconds.....
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 15:27
On the way out for a bit, but guessing Hap Arnold.
TR
On the way out for a bit, but guessing Hap Arnold.
TR
Yes Sir, the one 2nd above is Gen Henry Hap Arnold..
Well, Billy Mitchell had a cleft chin. but I don't think he was ever accused of smiling. :D
Pat
Well, Billy Mitchell had a cleft chin. but I don't think he was ever accused of smiling. :D
Pat
It is not Billy Mitchell.
Here's another one......30 seconds is almost up.
....and another....
If you don't get it, he could go Spencer Tracy on ya.
Bonus points if you can name the plane and what he just did the 1st of, right before this picture was taken.
Doolittle, but you gave it away.
Pat
Oops! Forgot the bonus points. He did the first outside loop. I had to look up the aircraft: Curtiss P-1B Hawk.
Pat
Doolittle, but you gave it away.
Pat
And just how did I give it away ???
Was it from the "30 seconds" reference or the "Spencer Tracy" reference.....which both come from the same movie......Spencer Tracy played then Col. Jimmy Doolittle in 30 Seconds Over Tokyo. :p :D
And yes indeed....it is Jimmy Doolittle. Architect, and lead plane on the bombing run over Japan in April of 1942. Recipient of the MoH and retired a full General.
....and the bonus point question ???? Anyone....anyone .... ????
Edit....I see PSM got the bonus point question.
Next.....
You could say, he was made out of brick and mortar.
Most know who the Soldier on the right is. But where did the prisoner on the left first meet the Soldier on the right?
Most know who the Soldier on the right is. But where did the prisoner on the left first meet the Soldier on the right?
The soldier on the right is, then Capt. Geroge A. Custer with Then Lt James B. Washington. Picture taken near Fair Oaks Virgina. First meeting, West Point.
Most know who the Soldier on the right is. But where did the prisoner on the left first meet the Soldier on the right?
West Point?
Weat Point? What the heck is Weat Point? WEST - WEST
Most know who the Soldier on the right is. But where did the prisoner on the left first meet the Soldier on the right?
They were roommates at West Point.
Pat
Add: That's James Washington, great grad nephew of George Washington.
They were roommates at West Point.
Pat
Add: That's James Washington, great grad nephew of George Washington.
Show off ..... :rolleyes: :p :D
112thSOLCA
04-30-2007, 17:16
You could say, he was made out of brick and mortar
Perhaps a young Stonewall Jackson...
Perhaps a young Stonewall Jackson...
Perhaps you are right !!!! :D
....and here is an Old Stonewall Jackson.
Gotta love the eyes. :eek:
Next....
This warrior was no Queen.
Alchemist
04-30-2007, 17:55
He looks to me a bit like Fleet Admiral Ernest King, which would fit with your hint. (Not sure what he's doing on land.) King was commander of the Atlantic Fleet as it moved to undeclared hostilities with the German Navy throughout 1941. Appointed Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet in December 1941, and Chief of Naval Operations in March 1942. One of four naval officers promoted to five-star rank in December 1944.
[Edited to add: Hmm, yes, the hat, clothes and collar insignia might have tipped me off that we hadn't moved on to naval officers yet. Oops.]
He looks to me a bit like Fleet Admiral Ernest King, which would fit with your hint. (Not sure what he's doing on land.) King was commander of the Atlantic Fleet as it moved to undeclared hostilities with the German Navy throughout 1941. Appointed Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet in December 1941, and Chief of Naval Operations in March 1942. One of four naval officers promoted to five-star rank in December 1944.
Negative....Not Admiral King.
Next hint....he comes from the land of the little people and he lead the way.
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 18:15
Back on line.
Looks like William O. Darby.
Anzio.
Commander of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions.
BG at age 34.
TR
Back on line.
Looks like William O. Darby.
Anzio.
Commander of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions.
BG at age 34.
TR
Yes Sir....that is indeed William O. Darby
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 18:29
Negative....Not Admiral King.
Next hint....he comes from the land of the little people and he lead the way.
I gotta tell you, your clues are getting pretty thin.:D
TR
Let's go outside of the US for a bit.
Next....
It wasn't only the ladies, who thought he was a fox.
I gotta tell you, your clues are getting pretty thin.:D
TR
LMAO
:D :D :D
Airbornelawyer
04-30-2007, 18:58
Let's go outside of the US for a bit.
Next....
It wasn't only the ladies, who thought he was a fox.
Gee, I think I know that one ;)
OK, three guys in the picture below. On the right is Maj. Gen. (Aviation) Ivan D. Antoshkin. On the left is Jr. Ltnt. Nikolai V. Arkhangelskii. The guy in the middle is not Russian.
Let's go outside of the US for a bit.
Next....
It wasn't only the ladies, who thought he was a fox.
Next photo....
No...it's NOT who you think it is, don't let the moustache fool you, although this pic was taken at about the same time, in the same place, in the same army...
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 19:02
Let's go outside of the US for a bit.
Next....
It wasn't only the ladies, who thought he was a fox.
I believe that would be young Erwin Rommel, late Field Marshal of the Wehrmacht and CO of the Afrika Corps.
TR
I believe that would be young Erwin Rommel, late Field Marshal of the Wehrmacht and CO of the Afrika Corps.
TR
Yes Sir, the old Dessert Fox himself as a young cadet.
112thSOLCA
04-30-2007, 19:22
The guy in the middle is not Russian.
I believe the man in the middle is American.
I believe the man in the middle is American.
Yep.
That is the personal representative of The POTUS, Eddie Rickenbacker.
112thSOLCA
04-30-2007, 19:36
Is it Eddie Rickenbacker?
Okay....no more clues/hints.....:D
Who is this Gentleman ???
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 19:45
Okay....no more clues/hints.....:D
Who is this Gentleman ???
Could that be Billy Mitchell?
TR
Could that be Billy Mitchell?
TR
Why yes...Yes it could be....and it is. BG Billy Mitchell.
Okay...enough ground pounding...let's hit the water...
Looks like Nimitz a decade or two before WWII
112thSOLCA
04-30-2007, 20:03
Looks like Nimitz a decade or two before WWII
I was going to guess William Halsey a decade or two before WWII
The Reaper
04-30-2007, 20:05
Okay...enough ground pounding...let's hit the water...
Looks like ADM Spruance to me.
Commanded TF 16 at the Battle of Midway.
TR
112thSOLCA
04-30-2007, 20:12
Looks like ADM Spruance to me.
I think TR is right.... as usual
Why yes...Yes it could be....and it is. BG Billy Mitchell.
Hey! I got that one before you posted it! :D
Notice that he is unable to smile.
Pat
This Major General looks like my father-in-law when we told him we were getting married:
Pat
Peregrino
04-30-2007, 21:33
This Major General looks like my father-in-law when we told him we were getting married:
Pat
He also bears an uncanny resemblance to LR1947. :munchin Peregrino
Clue 1: Photo was taken in Vienna, 1933
Clue 2: Wiring Diagram from 11 AUG 1942
He also bears an uncanny resemblance to LR1947. :munchin Peregrino
Sorry for the derailment. I was supposed to post a younger picture first. Disregard.
Pat
whoops! My computer is having issues. Applogies...:(
Who is this? :lifter
No one likes a brown noser ;)
well, maybe TS
No one likes a brown noser ;)
well, maybe TS
Ummm:munchin NoHA!
He could eat all our lunch, and still have time to kill the enemy, up one side-and dowm the other!
(How was that for brown-nosing?) :D
Holly
Team Sergeant
05-02-2007, 13:18
Clue 1: Photo was taken in Vienna, 1933
Clue 2: Wiring Diagram from 11 AUG 1942
You can do better than that.............;)
Team Sergeant:lifter
Actress Hedy Lamar
Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)
Ironically, the solution to this single frequency problem is credited not to a hardcore geek, as one may expect, but instead to a woman by the name of Hedy Lamarr. Ms. Lamar built a reputation as a risqué actress, married a technology researcher for the Nazi's, and learned a bit about his field of work. While the timeline is a bit sketchy, Hedy learned a bit about radio technologies and worked out a concept for a new method of secure radio transmission that would come to be known as Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum.
Eventually, Ms. Lamar made her way to America and met up with George Antheil, a music composer. This match up was very important in the development of FHSS because Mr. Antheil understood the mechanics of piano rollers, which provided Hedy with the perfect way to turn her idea into a reality. In fact, if you look at the original patents (in the figure below), you can clearly see how their ideas merged. The end result is that the US ended up with the first secure R/C torpedo.
Figure 7 FHSS Patent
As previously mentioned, Ms. Lamarr's concept became the foundation for FHSS, which basically takes an allotted frequency range and breaks it up into numerous narrow band channels. In the case of early 2.4GHz networks, there were 79 channels. A set of radios would all start on a specific narrowband channel (as defined by an initialization packet), spend a few milliseconds (dwell time) on that channel, then hop to the next predetermined channel. 802.11 standards specify a total of 26 possible hop sequences, which means it was theoretically possible to operate up to 26 independent wireless networks within the 83.5MHz allotted to the 2.4GHz range.
Airbornelawyer
05-02-2007, 14:39
No clues, because it's probably too easy.
rubberneck
05-02-2007, 14:57
General John Abizaid.
Actress Hedy Lamar
THAT'S HEDLY !!!!!
....Oh sorry.....I just got done watching Blazzing Saddles.....Carry on. :D
Airbornelawyer
05-02-2007, 17:06
THAT'S HEDLY !!!!!"What are you worried about? This is the 1890's, you can sue her!"
But what did he do for the firearm?
highspeedmdd
07-03-2007, 15:50
I am sure this one will be easy...
He was a father to us all...
x SF med
07-03-2007, 17:56
I am sure this one will be easy...
He was a father to us all...
Looks like Wild Bill to me.
Clue 2: An indispensable military engineer to Louis XIV, his heart is entombed next to Napoleon I. His contribution to small arms is still standard issue in every army to this date. Though not quite as popular today.
Ret10Echo
07-07-2007, 07:24
Clue 2: An indispensable military engineer to Louis XIV, his heart is entombed next to Napoleon I. His contribution to small arms is still standard issue in every army to this date. Though not quite as popular today.
Taking a SWAG based on the clues.....Jean Martinet....and the bayonet.
Based on my inaccurate clues you are correct sir. However, I meant Marquis de Vauban, a famous Marshal of France and peerless military engineer. His MODIFICATION of the bayonet allowed one to load and fire while the socket bayonet was attached around the barrel. Martinet's version was a plug inserted directly into the barrel. I will supply beer to anyone led astray by my poor entry. Just send me a mailing address.
Airbornelawyer
07-08-2007, 02:22
Famous more for things non-military, mainly getting killed:
Ret10Echo
07-09-2007, 10:52
James Abram Garfield
Farm worker, teacher, lawyer, politician.
War Service August 1861 helped recruit 42nd Ohio - Lt. Col., November 1861 Col., served in Kentucky, January 1862 appointed Brig. Gen. of Volunteers, commanded 20th Bde/6th Divn at Shiloh, advance on Corinth, chief of staff to Rosecrans, Chickamauga, September 1863 promoted Maj. Gen. of Volunteers, elected to Congress.
Post War Career US congressman, US President.
Died September 19 1881, Elberon NJ from infection and internal homorrhage as a result of a bullet wound.....
Interesting that a Airbornelawyerwould post this considering he was shot on July 2, 1881 by a hacked-off lawyer.....
The Reaper
07-09-2007, 11:39
In one of those odd twists of fate, Jesse McNeil, CSA raided a house in Cumberland, Maryland capturing Union Generals George Crook and Benjamin Kelly, but missed Brigadier General Garfield and Major William McKinley, both future Presidents, who were also staying in the same building at that time.
Garfield was decorated for riding through heavy fire at Chickamauga, delivering orders, but was killed by a lone gunman in the end.
Strange how fate works.
TR
Airbornelawyer
07-10-2007, 00:53
OK, maybe a greater degree of difficulty as we cross the Atlantic...
112thSOLCA
07-10-2007, 18:10
First guess would be Monty at Sandhurst
Airbornelawyer
07-10-2007, 18:15
First guess would be Monty at Sandhurst
Well, he might have fought against Monty at some point.
The Reaper
07-10-2007, 18:34
My first thought was Boelke, but now I think it is Rommel.
TR
Airbornelawyer
07-10-2007, 19:30
A rather fat hint: if you saw a picture of this guy as a Field Marshal, he'd look like the sterotype of a Prussian officer (even with a monocle at times), but he is not Prussian.
A rather fat hint: if you saw a picture of this guy as a Field Marshal, he'd look like the sterotype of a Prussian officer (even with a monocle at times), but he is not Prussian.
Hummmm.....I'm gonna say that's, Wilhelm Keitel.
Roguish Lawyer
07-10-2007, 20:50
Hey AL, would like fries with your vichyssoise?
The Reaper
07-10-2007, 20:58
Hey AL, would like fries with your vichyssoise?
I take it from your implication that it is Henri-Philippe Petain, but I have never seen that picture of him.
TR
Roguish Lawyer
07-10-2007, 20:59
I take it from your implication that it is Henri-Philippe Petain, but I have never seen that picture of him.
TR
Him or another Vichy FM -- just a guess that I would like to believe is somewhat educated . . .
112thSOLCA
07-10-2007, 22:09
It seems to me that anything even remotely related to French and Military should only be allowed to be posted in the comedy thread.
Go to Google and type in French Military Victories then hit I'm Feeling Lucky.
Enough said :p
Airbornelawyer
07-11-2007, 01:03
It seems to me that anything even remotely related to French and Military should only be allowed to be posted in the comedy thread.
Go to Google and type in French Military Victories then hit I'm Feeling Lucky.
Enough said :p
Some of us have actually worked with the French Army and know it to be a professional force. Like the US and other armies, it has its shitbags, but its elite units are top-notch.
The French Army inflicted proportionately as many casualties on the Germans in 1940 as the Poles did in 1939, and no one questions Polish valor. The knock on us Poles is that we're stupid - charging Panzers with lances and all that (never happened, BTW; Polish horse cavalry in 1939 either fought as infantry or conducted raids against soft targets like German communications units). The French lost in 1940 because their civilian morale collapsed, and brought military morale with it, under the surprise and shock of German tactics. The French fought well at Monte Cassino in 1943, in southern France in 1944-45, and in the drive from the Rhine to the Danube in 1945. They also fought well at Heartbreak Ridge in Korea.
The French losses in Indochina and Algeria trace more to the incompetence of French politicians and bad decisions by French generals, not the fighting ability of French combat units. And we lost in Vietnam as well. And try to imagine what British losses would be like if they tried to hold on to their colonies as tenaciously as France did.
With me, make real arguments, not stale jokes.
By the way, going back to the photo and clues: (1) that uniform is an early 1920s Reichswehr uniform, (2) the French never fought against Montgomery, and (3) France doesn't have field marshals, it has "Marshals of France".
TR so far is the warmest.
The Reaper
07-11-2007, 08:19
Red herring from your fellow barrister confused me, sorry.:D
I served with a few French officers over the years, I thought that almost to a man, they were arrogant and lacking in professional skills. Maybe I just had the misfortune of getting all bad ones. I have heard that the Legionairre officers are pretty good.
The Polish Army was in no way comparable in numbers or equipment to the French forces. Furthermore, the Poles fought till they were defeated, and the French capitulated and proceeded to collaborate with the Nazis.
IMHO, DeGaulle was pretty arrogant and self-important for a minor ally with so few military forces, considering himself a co-equal with Eisenhower, Montgomery, etc. While the role of the Resistance is a great story, including work with the Jedburghs, and DeGaulle helped ensure the legitimacy of the Allies during the allied invasion of France, the war would not have been jeopardized had the Free French forces sat it out. Until the Vichy army in North Africa changed sides (again), there were only a few thousand of them. They did, as you note, fight well in Italy, and to some degree, on the home soil and in Germany.
Again, IMO, the majority of the French forces sat it out till they saw which way the war was going. The history of the French Army since the First World War is pretty bleak and short on victories.
Lest I be accused of being prejudiced against the French, those who would question the historical valor of French forces need to re-read the story of how the Revolutionary War was won, the story of a little guy named Napoleon, and how many French soldiers died bravely in World War I.
Counselor, I though that the Brits put up a pretty strong fight to keep this colony.
TR
Monsoon65
07-11-2007, 10:37
The knock on us Poles is that we're stupid - charging Panzers with lances and all that (never happened, BTW; Polish horse cavalry in 1939 either fought as infantry or conducted raids against soft targets like German communications units)....
I never thought the Polish Cav was stupid concerning the legend of charging tanks. I only thought, "What guts!"
I thought there was an occasion where they did charge light recon armor/tanks in 1939?
Roguish Lawyer
07-11-2007, 10:56
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Airbornelawyer
07-11-2007, 16:44
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Very good, counselor.
He really didn't change much:
Roguish Lawyer
07-11-2007, 17:07
Very good, counselor.
He really didn't change much:
:lifter :D :lifter
Airbornelawyer
07-11-2007, 17:11
I never thought the Polish Cav was stupid concerning the legend of charging tanks. I only thought, "What guts!"
I thought there was an occasion where they did charge light recon armor/tanks in 1939?
Not that I am aware of. A lancer squadron did charge, and break, a German infantry unit on at least one occasion. But mostly horse cavalry, when horsed, operated against rear areas. German armored columns often left the infantry divisions behind, and the second wave divisions whose job it was to reduce the pockets left by the first wave infantry and armor's cascading envelopments. These second wave divisions were of poorer quality, and the lancers made a number of them pay a price.
I served with a few French officers over the years, I thought that almost to a man, they were arrogant and lacking in professional skills. Maybe I just had the misfortune of getting all bad ones. I have heard that the Legionairre iffciers are pretty good.
Legion officers are regular French officers. Foreign volunteers rarely have the opportunity to get commissioned. They tend to be better than officers in some other units, but that's true here too - the officers in high speed units, especially high-speed units with quality NCOs, tend to be better than officers in lower-speed units.
As far as Europeans go, the only officers I've found to be as arrogant as French were the Swiss. The Swiss officer corps seems to have taken German arrogance and French arrogance and mixed into a higher plane of arrogance. Although even here I have a pretty good friend who is a Swiss captain and not arrogant at all, and the last time I was in Switzerland, people were generally very nice (the last time I was in France, too; Germany is the only place I've been to recently where I got a strong anti-American vibe from the common folk).
French officers, especially the mid- to senior level ones, are a fairly arrogant bunch. And the upper reaches of the French officer corps are pretty bad, although I recall the previous Chief of Staff General Bentegeat being pretty strongly pro-US. If Hack were still alive and writing in France, he'd have no problem finding "perfumed princes" in Paris, especially given how much of the French arms industry is partially state-owned.
By the way, many foreigners I've dealt with consider Americans to be arrogant. I suppose the problem isn't really so much arrogance as a sense that in the French case it's not well-backed up.
But we're way off topic. I haven't a clue where to find a young De Gaulle or Petain picture, and the majority of French generals, even if we know their names - Lafayette, Ney, Foch, Joffre, etc. - aren't familiar faces to Americans.
Airbornelawyer
07-11-2007, 17:13
:lifter :D :lifter
OK, another German. He may have been posted before, and I just forgot.
OK, another German. He may have been posted before, and I just forgot.
Sure looks like heavyweight champion Max Schmeling who was a German Paratrooper at one point in his life.
Airbornelawyer
07-11-2007, 19:03
That would be because it is world famous Coca Cola distributor Max Schmeling, who did other things. It's actually signed, but German script of that period is really hard to read.
Airbornelawyer
07-12-2007, 18:02
A quick recap of who's been posted:
Generals:
George S. Patton
Arthur MacArthur
Dwight D. Eisenhower
George C. Marshall
"Hap" Arnold
Jimmy Doolittle
"Stonewall" Jackson
Billy Mitchell
John Abizaid
Admirals:
Raymond Spruance
SOF Legends:
Elliot Sydnor
William O. Darby
William O. Donovan
TS
Political figures (not covered above):
Harry S Truman
James Garfield
Foreigners:
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Marquis de Vauban
Max Schmeling
Others:
Capt. George A. Custer with Lt. James B. Washington
Eddie Rickenbacker
Hedy Lamarr
Airbornelawyer
07-12-2007, 18:04
What category might this gentleman fit. Hint: not foreigners.
Roguish Lawyer
07-12-2007, 18:43
What category might this gentleman fit. Hint: not foreigners.
Queers? :munchin
Team Sergeant
07-12-2007, 19:34
Queers? :munchin
AL, you want I should hurt RL?
That's a fairly modern garden hose on the ground there. I'm guessing the outfit is Scottish?
I do not have a clue.
TS
Airbornelawyer
07-12-2007, 19:49
AL, you want I should hurt RL?
That's a fairly modern garden hose on the ground there. I'm guessing the outfit is Scottish?
I do not have a clue.
TS
The outfit is Scottish. The kid is American, though of Scottish ancestry. The picture was taken in 1929 or so.
Monsoon65
07-12-2007, 19:58
What category might this gentleman fit. Hint: not foreigners.
Scottish American participating in Highland games?
Roguish Lawyer
07-13-2007, 13:42
The outfit is Scottish. The kid is American, though of Scottish ancestry. The picture was taken in 1929 or so.
I stand by my question. ;)
Yooooouuuuu, GET IN MA BELLLLLLLLLLLI!
Airbornelawyer
07-13-2007, 16:06
Another clue:
Of the categories 7 posts above, besides "foreigners", he also does not belong in "SOF Legends". In fact, I think the SOF community has a rather low opinion of him in certain respects.
The Reaper
07-13-2007, 17:43
Very few rate that comment.
Creighton Abrams.
TR
General William Westmoreland
CoLawman
07-13-2007, 19:46
I would say by his face he is General George Patton. But since he has been used I withdraw my SWAG!
Airbornelawyer
07-13-2007, 21:40
General William Westmoreland
ktek01 got it. The man whose approach to counterinsurgency was to try to draw the enemy into a Clausewitzian battle of decision.
Airbornelawyer
07-13-2007, 21:45
So where to next? How about another American. Love that old style branch insignia with the Mothers!
ktek01 got it. The man whose approach to counterinsurgency was to try to draw the enemy into a Clausewitzian battle of decision.
So now I have to see a psychologist because I imagined LBJ in a kilt. :eek:
Pat
The Reaper
07-13-2007, 22:19
In retrospect, it is good that the picture was close hold.
In Spartanburg, at that age, a kilt would get you an unbelieveable ass-whoopin'!
TR
So where to next? How about another American. Love that old style branch insignia with the Mothers!
This one is Abrams when he was an LTC. The insignia is pre 1950, when the present Armor branch insignia was approved. I believe that shoulder patch was for the 63d Tank BN, a unit he commanded post WWII.
Airbornelawyer
07-14-2007, 20:03
This one is Abrams when he was an LTC. The insignia is pre 1950, when the present Armor branch insignia was approved. I believe that shoulder patch was for the 63d Tank BN, a unit he commanded post WWII.
On the money.
Okay, here's one.
Your hints:
1) He's from across the pond.
2) The Jews liked him.
3) He commanded Lions.
Maj Gen Orde Wingate
You are correct sir.
(I gotta quit giving clues)
You are correct sir.
(I gotta quit giving clues)
LOL, that picture was pretty easy to find.
http://www.worldwartwobooks.com/shopimages/products/thumbnails/coomanders%20&%20heroes%201110.jpg
A lot easier than the one of Westy in the kilt.
This one could be too easy.
He was born in New Jersey, ran for office twice as a Federalist.
Monsoon65
07-14-2007, 22:54
This one could be too easy.
He was born in New Jersey, ran for office twice as a Federalist.
Aaron Burr?
No, though they were both at the Battle of Quebec.
No, though they were both at the Battle of Quebec.
Daniel Morgan, same guy that got 500 lashes for punching out a superior officer.
The Reaper
07-15-2007, 08:25
Daniel Morgan.
TR
Daniel Morgan is correct, famous for The Battle of Cowpens. He was the inspiration for the Mel Gibson character in Patriot. He may have inspired Westmoreland too, since his statue has been in the town square of Spartanburg since 1881. Im planning a trip up to Cowpens sometime next month.
The Reaper
07-15-2007, 11:05
Admiral Canaris.
TR
Admiral Canaris.
TR
Yep, that's him.
**SIGH**
......I gotta start digging deeper here.
Try this one on for size............ definitely known for behind the lines activity....
8944Yep, that's him.
**SIGH**
......I gotta start digging deeper here.
Roguish Lawyer
07-15-2007, 13:15
Try this one on for size............ definitely known for behind the lines activity....
8944
John Singleton Mosby
Roguish Lawyer
07-15-2007, 13:16
How about this guy?
That would be Joe himself!
How about this guy?
Here's a hint: Surprisingly, he never became a Field Marshall.
John Singleton Mosby
You got it...the "Gray Ghost" himself
The Reaper
07-15-2007, 16:18
How about this guy?
Heinz Guderian.
He lost at Kursk, and argued with Hitler too much.
TR
Yep, that's him.
**SIGH**
......I gotta start digging deeper here.
That one took me a long time to find, TR beat me to it by a good half hour and I was searching away the whole time, lol.
Heinz Guderian.
He lost at Kursk, and argued with Hitler too much.
TR
That be him.
Some call him the Father of Blitzkrieg.
How about this: Who is my Avatar?
Monsoon65
07-15-2007, 17:42
How about this: Who is my Avatar?
Can't really see it, but I'd guess Teddy Roosevelt.
Can't really see it, but I'd guess Teddy Roosevelt.
A good guess, but no.
The Reaper
07-15-2007, 20:27
I think you could go blind trying to pick a face up from a pic at that resolution.
Buffalo Bill Cody, perhaps?
TR
Roguish Lawyer
07-15-2007, 20:38
I just hope it's not one of those Brokeback Mountain guys . . . :eek:
I think you could go blind trying to pick a face up from a pic at that resolution.
Buffalo Bill Cody, perhaps?
TR
Sir,
No, but again a good guess.
I don't want to hijack the thread, especially since I'm a guest, so here's the info.
Old Bill
The American artist Frederick Remington drew the image to the left. In 1898 he was visiting the camp of the 3d Cavalry in Tampa, Florida, where the Regiment was preparing for the invasion of Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Remington was a close friend of Captain Francis Hardie, who was the commander of Troop G. During his visit, Remington's attention was drawn to one of the troop's NCOs. Sergeant John Lannen struck the artist as the epitome of the cavalryman, and with Hardie’s approval, the artist made several rough sketches of Lannen in front of the Hardie’s tent. From those rough sketches Remington later executed the now famous drawing portraying a trooper astride hismount with a carbine cradled in his arm. At some point in the past, this drawing became known as "Old Bill", and today it is universally recognized as the symbol of mobile warfare in the United States Army.
This drawing represents a Trooper, a unit and a branch of service.
As was the case with many American soldiers in that conflict, Lannen contracted yellow fever and died in Santiago in 1898 after almost 30 years of faithful service. The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment points with pride to the fact that one of its troopers has bequeathed such a rich legacy to his Regiment, the United States Cavalry, and the United States Army.
Airbornelawyer
07-15-2007, 22:47
Well I had a younger Guderian picture I was holding onto, but that's shot. :cool:
OK, he's more famous standing next to famous people and serving as their messenger. I'm not sure if he ever had a combat command.
OK, he's more famous standing next to famous people and serving as their messenger. I'm not sure if he ever had a combat command.
LTC Sidney L. Huff? If that's a star instead of a silver leaf on his shoulder, then I will retract my guess.
Airbornelawyer
07-16-2007, 18:36
It's a star.
General Walter Bedell Smith, he was wounded in France as a 2LT during WWI.
Airbornelawyer
07-16-2007, 22:43
General Walter Bedell Smith, he was wounded in France as a 2LT during WWI.
Correct.
Airbornelawyer
07-16-2007, 22:48
Name any two in this photo.
Spartan359
07-17-2007, 00:06
Name any two in this photo.
General Marcks and General Dollmann?
Airbornelawyer
07-17-2007, 01:09
General Marcks and General Dollmann?
Not that I'm aware of.
Two hints: the picture was taken in 1935 and one of the men in the picture was killed in action in 1939.
Name any two in this photo.
Third from the left, Generaloberst Werner von Fritsch, KIA in Poland, September 1939. If Wikipedia is to be believed, he is former CINC of the German army, and the first German general to be KIA during WWII.
Third from the right, Reichswehrminister and later Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg.
Both men removed from their positions by scandals engineered by Goering.
The Reaper
07-17-2007, 10:37
I believe that looks like Hermann Goering in the right front.
TR
rubberneck
07-17-2007, 11:21
Add one for the foreigners:
The Reaper
07-17-2007, 12:05
Russian sniper rifle, not Zaitsev, could be Larry Thorne?
TR
x SF med
07-17-2007, 12:07
I was thinking Larry Thorne too.
rubberneck
07-17-2007, 12:38
Russian sniper rifle, not Zaitsev, could be Larry Thorne?
TR
Neither. You are close with Thorne.
The Reaper
07-17-2007, 12:59
Simo Häyhä?
TR
rubberneck
07-17-2007, 13:07
Simo Häyhä?
TR
Yes.
Airbornelawyer
07-17-2007, 19:25
Third from the left, Generaloberst Werner von Fritsch, KIA in Poland, September 1939. If Wikipedia is to be believed, he is former CINC of the German army, and the first German general to be KIA during WWII.
Third from the right, Reichswehrminister and later Generalfeldmarschall Werner von Blomberg.
Both men removed from their positions by scandals engineered by Goering.You got two, so that wins.
I believe that looks like Hermann Goering in the right front.
TR
The Luftwaffe officer on the right front as you look at it? Not Goering, but I'm not sure who he is. He is a Bavarian by his decorations, but doesn't have a pilot's badge, so he wasn't an aviator in WW1 and may not have been one at the time of the photo. Probably a Luftwaffe staff general. The guys in the back I don't know either. I think the jowly one is Friedrich Fromm. The guy in the middle back looks a bit like Franz Halder, the later General Staff Chief, but Halder was far from Berlin when this photo was taken. He also looks a lot like my dad, but dad was even farther from Berlin.
The large gentleman on the left in the Imperial German army rather than Wehrmacht uniform is the main subject of the photo. It was taken on the occasion of his 70th birthday. He's actually the most famous one in the photo: Erich Ludendorff. I am told by German military historians that this may be the only photo of Ludendorff where he's actually smiling.
The woman on the left is philosopher Mathilde Ludendorff, nee Spieß. Ludendorff's second wife.
Airbornelawyer
07-17-2007, 19:28
Easiest clue I can think of: his nemesis was a dog.
The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen?
The Reaper
07-17-2007, 19:36
The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen?
Concur.
Anyone know who replaced him after his death, without looking it up?
TR
Concur.
Anyone know who replaced him after his death, without looking it up?
TR
This is killing me because I know I just read this recently, and now it escapes me. I plead early onset alzheimers.
Airbornelawyer
07-18-2007, 00:47
Concur.
Anyone know who replaced him after his death, without looking it up?
TR
Yes, but it may not be who you're thinking of. Wilhelm Reinhard succeeded to command of JG 1 after Richthofen was killed, and commanded it until July, when he was killed in an accident. His successor is the more well-known successor.
I was just reading up on this particular course of events a week ago in connection with a book project.
Airbornelawyer
07-18-2007, 00:54
I don't know if this one has been posted elsewhere, but we'll give it a try. Another aviator. His first operational flying was in 1916 and in 1947 he achieved another first.
Monsoon65
07-18-2007, 14:29
I don't know if this one has been posted elsewhere, but we'll give it a try. Another aviator. His first operational flying was in 1916 and in 1947 he achieved another first.
General Carl A. Spaatz
Flew with the 1st Aero Squadron assigned to Gen Pershing in Mexico in 1916.
First AF Chief of Staff in 1947.
Airbornelawyer
07-18-2007, 18:21
General Carl A. Spaatz
Flew with the 1st Aero Squadron assigned to Gen Pershing in Mexico in 1916.
First AF Chief of Staff in 1947.
You are correct sir.
Monsoon65
07-18-2007, 18:52
Yes, but it may not be who you're thinking of. Wilhelm Reinhard succeeded to command of JG 1 after Richthofen was killed, and commanded it until July, when he was killed in an accident. His successor is the more well-known successor.
I was just reading up on this particular course of events a week ago in connection with a book project.
I think that's Herman Goering, but I never knew Reinhard commanded after The Red Baron was killed. I thought it went directly to Goering.
The Reaper
07-18-2007, 19:00
I think that's Herman Goering, but I never knew Reinhard commanded after The Red Baron was killed. I thought it went directly to Goering.
That was my understanding as well, but I trust that AL is correct.
TR
Airbornelawyer
07-18-2007, 23:31
Reaching down under...
Spartan359
07-19-2007, 00:22
Reaching down under...
Major-General Michael Jeffery
Airbornelawyer
07-19-2007, 11:01
Major-General Michael Jeffery
Not just a Major General, but a Governor-General. The Military Cross was earned during a tour in Vietnam with 8th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. He also had tours with the RAR in Malaya, with The Pacific Islands Regiment in Papua New Guinea, and with the SASR in Borneo. In 1976 he took command of the SASR.
Airbornelawyer
07-19-2007, 11:04
OK, one more to keep things moving...
OK, one more to keep things moving...
Field Marshal 1st Viscount William Joseph Slim, 13th Governor-General of Australia. Pic was taken at Fort Dufferin, Mandalay, March 1945.
Just read about this Soldier on another forum...it may be too easy for some of you, but what the heck.
I guess I should give a clue, he fought under more than one Country's Flag...
MAJ Lauri Tornii (Larry Thorne). Gypsy, have you read "Soldier Under Three Flags"? That man was a real warrior.
Gee that didn't take long! No I haven't Razor but I'll put it on my reading list. I read his bio on Wikipedia (I know, but that was the link provided) from another post elsewhere and it was impressive to say the least.
Edit: Found the book on Amazon. The reviews were mostly tepid about the writer...but not about the man himself. Since it's in paperback I'll go ahead and pick it up unless someone has an alternative recommendation.
Airbornelawyer
07-19-2007, 21:15
This guy's name is associated with something that didn't exist for most of his Army career.
Spartan359
07-19-2007, 23:43
This guy's name is associated with something that didn't exist for most of his Army career.
General Tasker Howard Bliss. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from September 22, 1917 until May 18, 1918.
aricbcool
07-20-2007, 00:36
General Tasker Howard Bliss. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from September 22, 1917 until May 18, 1918.
Short stint. Got me wondering. According to wikipedia it was mandatory retirement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasker_Howard_Bliss
At the outbreak of World War I Bliss oversaw the mobilization of American forces. In 1917, Bliss was promoted to temporary full (four star) general and appointed as Army Chief of Staff. When Bliss approached mandatory retirement age at the end of 1917, President Woodrow Wilson kept him on active duty in his temporary grade of full general (whereas the usual practice had been to reduce an outgoing Chief of Staff to their permanent grade of major (two-star) general). Wilson ordered Bliss overseas and in 1918, appointed him to the Supreme War Council. Bliss supported Ferdinand Foch as Supreme Allied Commander and also for the independence of the United States forces under the command of General John J. Pershing.
--Aric
This soldier-turned-author knows a thing or two about storms.
rubberneck
07-20-2007, 11:04
General Sir Peter Edgar de la Couer de la Billière.
General Sir Peter Edgar de la Couer de la Billière.
On the money.
Airbornelawyer
07-20-2007, 12:07
This general served in four different armies without ever leaving his home country. He is also probably the only recipient of both the U.S. Legion of Merit and the July 20 Wound Badge, for those wounded alongside Hitler by Graf Schenck von Stauffenberg's bomb.
This general served in four different armies without ever leaving his home country. He is also probably the only recipient of both the U.S. Legion of Merit and the July 20 Wound Badge, for those wounded alongside Hitler by Graf Schenck von Stauffenberg's bomb.
Adolf Heusinger. This man had 49 years of service for both the Reich and the Republic.
Airbornelawyer
07-20-2007, 14:17
Adolf Heusinger. This man had 49 years of service for both the Reich and the Republic.
Reichs and republics. As I said, 4 armies: Imperial German Army, Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic, Wehrmacht, and Bundeswehr.
He's the subject of one of the books I'm currently reading - otherwise I'm totally outclassed by the knowledge on this forum. But I so desparately want to play!
Hints:
1. American, but most of his notoriety came from his time overseas in all kinds of conflict. He had a very profound connection to one country in particular.
2. First photo is of his cadet time at West Point.
3. The name I'm after is the man sitting next to left of the future General of the Army, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. But in the group shot there is definitely a lot of future stars, the one I'm after included. For fun you could rattle those all off I'm sure. :) That photo was taken at Fort Benning in 1932.
Looks like a young MacArthur in the first picture.
Nope.
Here's another one of him and a hint that goes with it. He commanded a walk-out of troops from Burma in 1942 (that is pretty amazing in its own right) but he wasn't thrilled about it despite his success in getting everyone out alive. He faced potential congratulations on his "success" with the following quote:
"I claim we got a hell of a beating," he snapped. "We got run out of Burma, and it is humiliating as hell. I think we ought to find out what caused it, go back and retake it."
This hint prolly gives it away. :D
The Reaper
07-20-2007, 22:53
Vinegar Joe Stilwell?
TR
Exactly right!
General Joseph Stilwell / Vinegar Joe / Uncle Joe. I'm reading through the book "Stilwell and the American Experience in China" by Barbara Tuchman for some other research I'm doing. Very interesting period of time and cast of characters - it's amazing how little things change. General Stilwell seemed to have been very unconventional in the way he did things and operated - I find him very interesting.
ETA - General of the Army (then Maj) Omar Bradley is seated directly behind General (then LTC) Stilwell in the group photo at Fort Benning. He is seated next to General of the Army (then Col) George Marshall.
The Reaper
07-21-2007, 07:47
Yep, I recognized Bradley and Marshall. Bradley's mug is unmistakable.
I was pretty sure that it was not General MacArthur, who was busy as the CSA busting up the Bonus Marchers in DC that year.
TR
Yep, I recognized Bradley and Marshall. Bradley's mug is unmistakable.
I was pretty sure that it was not General MacArthur, who was busy as the CSA busting up the Bonus Marchers in DC that year.
TR
I forgot that was the year of the Bonus Marchers, but didnt think anyone in the second photo looked like him anyway. The first picture did look a little like his cadet picture though.
Airbornelawyer
07-21-2007, 20:34
This is a fairly famous picture, so maybe not too difficult. One of the toughest paratroopers ever, but unfortunately a lion led by lambs given French generalship.
Monsoon65
07-21-2007, 20:48
This is a fairly famous picture, so maybe not too difficult. One of the toughest paratroopers ever, but unfortunately a lion led by lambs given French generalship.
Marcel Bigeard. One of the paratroop commanders at Dien Bien Phu.
Okay, here's one that my be a little tougher.
*This gentleman has a personal connection with my family*
Okay, here's one that my be a little tougher.
*This gentleman has a personal connection with my family*
Oh my goodness.....did I get one....did I get one that stumped the crowd? :eek: :D
Okay let's see, another hint.....
He is/was a Doctor.
The Reaper
07-22-2007, 17:12
Oh my goodness.....did I get one....did I get one that stumped the crowd? :eek: :D
Okay let's see, another hint.....
He is/was a Doctor.
No, but I could put my grandfather's picture up as well and stump the crowd.
I don't know your family, so I had nowhere to begin.
If the clues are weak and the person is not recognizable, I think most people give them a pass.
TR
Airbornelawyer
07-22-2007, 20:48
Heinz Guderian has, I believe, already made an appearance in this thread. You probably won't recognize this guy by face, so here is a clue: he and Guderian were considered the fathers of the Panzer arm.
The Reaper
07-22-2007, 21:05
J. F. C. Fuller?
TR
Oswald Lutz, who was a superior to Guderian in the mid 1930s.
Okay, here's one that my be a little tougher.
*This gentleman has a personal connection with my family*
Oh my goodness.....did I get one....did I get one that stumped the crowd?
Okay let's see, another hint.....
He is/was a Doctor.
Okay, next hint. This one should give it away.
He was the Dr. aboard the ship that was tattooed on the arm, of the fictional Mr. Quinn.
Airbornelawyer
07-22-2007, 23:57
Oswald Lutz, who was a superior to Guderian in the mid 1930s.:lifter
Lutz was named commander of the Inspectorate of Motor Transport Troops in 1931, which became the Inspector of Panzer Troops in 1936. Guderian was his chief of staff. Together, they advocated and developed the Panzer arm.
Airbornelawyer
07-23-2007, 16:49
Another for'ner. The colonel pictured here would rise to the highest ranks and would be considered one of Germany's greatest generals of World War II.
Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein?
Airbornelawyer
07-23-2007, 21:33
I would certainly include Erich von Lewinski genannt Manstein among the best 4-5 German generals of the war. He was a master of the operational art: he was chiefly responsible for the revised battle plan which shifted from a renewed Schlieffen Plan to a penetration through the Ardennes, he demonstrated his leadership in the capture of Crimea, and his recapture of Kharkov after the debacles of the winter of 1942-43 is considered a masterpiece. While Rommel is usually rated a master tactician, Manstein is rated one of the greatest masters of the operational art.
But this is not him. This man is considered one of the greatest overall commanders, the closest the Wehrmacht came to a master strategist (given the German generals' weakness in economics and politics). He held no wartime command below an Army Group and commanded an entire theater of war. Manstein's plan was his to implement in 1940. The main knock against him is that he was too conservative, a product of the old school that did not believe in "Blitzkrieg" but saw armor as allowing for progressive envelopments, a series of pincers on pincers that divided, demoralized and conquered the enemy.
The Reaper
07-23-2007, 21:38
Gerd von Rundstedt.
TR
Airbornelawyer
07-23-2007, 23:09
Gerd von Rundstedt.
TR
You are correct, sir. Oberbefehlshaber West from March 1942 until May 1945, except for a two-month interlude from July 3 to September 4, 1944, when Günther von Kluge and Walter Model tried to fill his shoes. Kluge suffered from Hitler's refusal to allow tactical withdrawals, leading to the losses of the Falaise Gap, and then from Kluge's own complicity in the July 20 plot to kill Hitler.
If I had to rate the top 4-5 German commanders, they would be Rommel, von Manstein, von Rundstedt, Albert Kesselring, and then maybe Gotthard Heinrici. I think Maximilian Reichsfreiherr von Weichs was also a capable commander, a master of armored operations, but sacked after the Soviet breakthrough against his Romanian, Italian and Hungarian armies led to the 6th Army being cut off at Stalingrad.
The Reaper
07-24-2007, 07:46
Why not this guy?
WW I vet, plenty of awards for heroism, excellent commander, looked for opportunities and took advantage of them, always took care of his people, operationally competent, though I do not believe that he was ever tested as a strategist. Hated Himmler, which is rather ironic.
Maybe we should change the title of this thread to "Name that Nazi".:munchin
TR
Airbornelawyer
07-24-2007, 09:23
Why not this guy?
WW I vet, plenty of awards for heroism, excellent commander, looked for opportunities and took advantage of them, always took care of his people, operationally competent, though I do not believe that he was ever tested as a strategist. Hated Himmler, which is rather ironic.
Maybe we should change the title of this thread to "Name that Nazi".:munchin
TR
Ol' Sepp? Also has the distinction, like Patton, of having served in armor in both World Wars. And considering how few tanks the Germans had (a handful of A7V monstrosities and a couple companies of captured Allied models), for Dietrich that's a much rarer accomplishment.
There were a lot of German commanders who could be added to the list based on the above - Walter Model or Ferdinand Schoerner for example - but for the best of the best, I don't think Dietrich makes the cut. It would be like putting N.B. Forrest with Lee and Jackson.
Non-Nazis? How about this guy? He must have done something to get a coffin like that.
The Reaper
07-24-2007, 09:34
There were a lot of German commanders who could be added to the list based on the above - Walter Model or Ferdinand Schoerner for example - but for the best of the best, I don't think Dietrich makes the cut. It would be like putting N.B. Forrest with Lee and Jackson.
I think Forrest was one of the most gifted and talented commanders the Confederacy had. Tactically brilliant, without ever having any formal military training. Enlisted as a Private and operated at all command levels through Corps superbly. Led by example, too.
Shelby Foote called Forrest one of the two greatest military geniuses the war produced.
TR
The Reaper
07-24-2007, 09:42
Marshal Foch.
If we are going to speak of brilliant tacticians, how about this very successful young man who went to school at Tolz?
TR
If we are going to speak of brilliant tacticians, how about this very successful young man who went to school at Tolz?
TR
SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael Wittmann
The Reaper
07-24-2007, 11:47
SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael Wittmann
Correct.
Before being killed in 1944, he destroyed a total of 138 enemy tanks and 132 anti-tank guns and other heavy artillery pieces, as well as hundreds of light vehicles.
In Villers-Bocage, on June 13, 1944, his best day, Wittman and his Tiger I crew took out as many as twenty-one Brit tanks and an unspecified number of half-tracks, troop carriers and Bren gun carriers.
Curiously enough, this individual worked with the Iranian resistance movement.
Who is he?
TR
Okay, here's one that my be a little tougher.
*This gentleman has a personal connection with my family*
Okay another hint...He is/was a Doctor
Okay next hint.
He was the Dr. aboard the ship that was tattooed on the arm of the fictional Mr. Quinn.
Time to reveal who this gentleman is.
He is Cmdr. Lewis Haynes. Chief Medical officer aboard the USS Indianapolis.
He along with 900 other members of the Indy's crew made it into the water, after she was hit by 2 torpedoes from the Japanese sub I-58.
Here is Cmdr Lewis's story, in his own words.
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq30-5.htm
The Reaper
07-29-2007, 22:10
Tough story.
Glad that he made it out alive. I wish more had, and the Captain had been treated fairly.
TR
Correct.
Before being killed in 1944, he destroyed a total of 138 enemy tanks and 132 anti-tank guns and other heavy artillery pieces, as well as hundreds of light vehicles.
In Villers-Bocage, on June 13, 1944, his best day, Wittman and his Tiger I crew took out as many as twenty-one Brit tanks and an unspecified number of half-tracks, troop carriers and Bren gun carriers.
Curiously enough, this individual worked with the Iranian resistance movement.
Who is he?
TR
Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny
Airbornelawyer
08-10-2007, 18:40
OK, maybe a degree of difficulty here (maybe not), but an interesting photo.
OK, maybe a degree of difficulty here (maybe not), but an interesting photo.
It's been two weeks. Any hints?
Been away for awhile...stupid computer problems. :mad: But, got it fixed.
So, let's get back to this.....
Not looking for the names of the men in this pic, but WHO they are.
The Reaper
09-17-2007, 20:20
Been away for awhile...stupid computer problems. :mad: But, got it fixed.
So, let's get back to this.....
Not looking for the names of the men in this pic, but WHO they are.
Bosnian SS, probably SS "Handzar" Division.
TR
Airbornelawyer
09-17-2007, 20:47
It's been two weeks. Any hints?
I forgot about this.
His brother wore a Soviet uniform about the same time he wore a German uniform. Their father wore a Nationalist Chinese uniform.
Bosnian SS, probably SS "Handzar" Division.
TR
You are correct sir !!!
That is indeed 3 members of the "Handzar Divizija (Division). Bosnian Muslims fighting for the Third Reich.
Here's another one.
This gentleman's claim to fame during WW II, came from letting something get away.
OK, maybe a degree of difficulty here (maybe not), but an interesting photo.
I forgot about this.
His brother wore a Soviet uniform about the same time he wore a German uniform. Their father wore a Nationalist Chinese uniform.
Nice one. Had me going for awhile. Last clue gave it away.
That pic above is..... Chiang Wei-Kuo, son of Chiang Kai Shek
Airbornelawyer
09-17-2007, 21:24
Nice one. Had me going for awhile. Last clue gave it away.
That pic above is..... Chiang Wei-Kuo, son of Chiang Kai Shek
Correct, Chiang Wei-Kuo as an officer candidate with the Wehrmacht.
Here's one from the only service not yet mentioned.
He was in the Army from 1912 - 1921.
He joined the Marines in 1923.
The Reaper
09-18-2007, 05:45
Edson?
TR
Very close TR
He earned 3 Navy Crosses in his career: 2 in WWII and 1 in Nicaragua.
Here's one from the only service not yet mentioned.
He was in the Army from 1912 - 1921.
He joined the Marines in 1923.
Very close TR
He earned 3 Navy Crosses in his career: 2 in WWII and 1 in Nicaragua.
Evans Fordyce Carlson.
Leader of "Carlson's Raiders".
Evans Fordyce Carlson.
Leader of "Carlson's Raiders".
Correct
Next one:
He is well remembered for this quote which he said at the Battle of Belleau Wood:
"Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
Correct
Next one:
He is well remembered for this quote which he said at the Battle of Belleau Wood:
"Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
SM Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly.
2 time MoH recipient, for 2 separate acts of heroism.
Here's another one.
This gentleman's claim to fame during WW II, came from letting something get away.
Next clue(s)....
Of that, that he let get away, only 3 of the 76 made it.
SM Daniel Joseph "Dan" Daly.
2 time MoH recipient, for 2 separate acts of heroism.
Correct again
I need to stop giving so many hints.
Pete
I love these threads.
Here's one....clues will come if no one gets this.
Hoepoe
Airbornelawyer
09-18-2007, 11:46
Next clue(s)....
Of that, that he let get away, only 3 of the 76 made it.
Friedrich-Wilhelm Franz Max Erdmann Gustav von Lindeiner genannt von Wildau
Friedrich-Wilhelm Franz Max Erdmann Gustav von Lindeiner genannt von Wildau
You are correct sir !!!! (again)
He was Commandant of Stalag Luft III. The POW camp of The Great Escape fame.
If no one got it after awhile my next clue would have been....
Next clue(s)....
Of that, that he let get away, only 3 of the 76 made it.
Of the 3 that got away, their names were NOT....Tom, Dick, or Harry. :D
Next one.
Clue: This guy had a plan.
Airbornelawyer
09-18-2007, 12:14
Next one.
Clue: This guy had a plan.
Alfred Graf von Schlieffen
Alfred Graf von Schlieffen
Okay.....you can't play anymore.
Don't you have some work to do, like putting thugs, mugs and duds behind bars, or what ever it is you do.....sheeesssseeeee:rolleyes: :D
Yes, that is von Schelieffen.
Okay, next one.
I love these threads.
Here's one....clues will come if no one gets this.
Hoepoe
Ok, clue: A hero to two countries.
H
Ok, clue: A hero to two countries.
H
Warrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne, VC?
The symbol on this ace's fighter plane eventually became the mark of a different kind of high-performance machine.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne, VC?
The symbol on this ace's fighter plane eventually became the mark of a different kind of high-performance machine.
Nope, interesting though, but not him.
Ok, another clue, 1942 (not a reference to WWII) and close to many here......
H