The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: twyacht on July 28, 2011, 08:22:53 PM
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World War I Began Today
The war officially started with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on the 28th of July, 1914.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/slideshow-ww1-began-today-97-years-ago/
Dubbed the Great War, the First World War began on the 28th of July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. Two giant forces, the Allies, which included the United States, United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire took on the Central Powers, made up of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
More than 70 million soldiers fought in the war. 20 million were injured and 9 million were killed.
It was a war that brought about great technological strides at the expense millions of men and women.
(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/twyacht/5505932551_947ca2d298_z-1_original-640x375.jpg)
(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/twyacht/5505937565_e9f1993aff_z-640x375.jpg)
(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/twyacht/5505939459_a58c1b023d_z-640x375.jpg)
(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/twyacht/5506531096_27fee281a2_z-640x375.jpg)
9 MILLION were killed. Truly stunning the slaughter, on both sides.
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Stephen Hunter was fascinating to watch talking about the BAR (GREAT episode BTW - shooting the BAR in full auto is damn near the top of my bucket list) in WWI. The disgust in his voice over the sheer wastage of human life in that war was almost palpable. A combination of 19th Century massed infantry tactics combined with state of the art 20th Century killing technology.
IMHO, the reason Europe is so seriously f..ked these days is the revulsion over the slaughter in both World Wars has emotionally damaged them that they will accept any looney idea that promises to avoid anything even remotely like what happened on their soil, in their neighborhoods, to their families. And that includes accepting a suicidal immigration policy involving the mooslims.
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Stephen Hunter was fascinating to watch talking about the BAR (GREAT episode BTW - shooting the BAR in full auto is damn near the top of my bucket list) in WWI. The disgust in his voice over the sheer wastage of human life in that war was almost palpable. A combination of 19th Century massed infantry tactics combined with state of the art 20th Century killing technology.
IMHO, the reason Europe is so seriously f..ked these days is the revulsion over the slaughter in both World Wars has emotionally damaged them that they will accept any looney idea that promises to avoid anything even remotely like what happened on their soil, in their neighborhoods, to their families. And that includes accepting a suicidal immigration policy involving the mooslims.
Couldn't have said it better myself Path. Twice bitten, thrice shy. Sad thing is, they are sealing their own fate. I weep for the the west.
FQ13
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Allies. :P
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The actual beef was between Austria and Serbia, it was the web of treaty obligations that caused all the trouble.
Serbia was allied with Russia while Germany was committed to assisting Austria, but Russia had treaty with France that committed them to fight whether they wanted to or not. Knowing the quality of their foes Germany had decided that they could knock France out quick then consolidate their forces in the East.
But the Shliefen plan's violation of neutral Belgium dragged in England who had no solid treaty with France, but had signed a treaty guaranteeing Belgian Neutrality.
In the end, Russia and Austria were the first 2 countries knocked out of the war, leaving it to the allies they had each sucked in to decide the matter.
What cost so much blood was that the equipment of the day was far in advance of both the tactics and communications capabilities of the day.
For example every one knows how the Machine gun mowed down ranks of infantry, but very few understand that once an attack was launched there was no way to stop it. Generals launched their divisions into a fog of smoke and dust and then waited to see where the next days morning report would come from.There were no portable radio's, troops had to march in close formation in order for their Officers to be able to direct them.
The saddest part is that the tactics HAD been developed. The Japanese showed the way in their 1905 war against Russia.
England had USED looser formations against the automatic weapons of the Boers in Africa.
But those were Colonial wars, lessons learned there didn't count in civilized warfare.