I remember that very episode. Not bad for "cheese eating blah blah".
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The army (toff content)?
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Posted 2 years ago #
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oh dear, all these opinions on good soldiers and bad soldiers.
soldiers are not bikes!
i was a soldier, like wheelz, started in royal signals, finished up a spell with 3rd btln paras and the accent thing is bollocks, maybe years ago maybe perhaps, but not in my time (i came out mid 80s!)and my friend who says...........
ernie_lynch - Member...given that the British Army is generally regarded to be the best in the world
That comment always makes chuckle !
Nothing wrong with believing that the 'British army is the best in the world' of course. It's just that I find this assumption that everyone else in the world agrees really rather quaint
Somehow I can't help thinking that the Americans, Russians, and Chinese, might just for example, prefer to nominate another army.
Although the one which has always impressed me, is the Vietnamese army. Not only did it give the American army a bleedin good spanking, but in Feb 1979 they halted a massive Chinese invasion consisting of a quarter of a million men and hundreds of tanks along the whole of the Sino–Vietnamese border - after it had only penetrated 5 miles into Vietnam. And consequently the Chinese failed in their objectives.
Bearing in mind how poorly equipped the Vietnamese army must have been in comparison, and also the fact that Vietnamese forces only numbered about 70,000 , the Vietnamese army must be one heck of a fighting force.
BTW, China only attack Vietnam because they knew that all of Vietnam's elite troops were in Cambodia after having overthrown Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
last sentence may have some point for discussion but there is a lot lot more around it! the opening bit, emmm yes, i actually (up to mid 80s) would tend to agree in terms of training, equipment,difference, reliability, leadership
but ultimately
strategy, geography, motivation,equipment - largely determine a good or bad fit!!pound for pound and all things even, the british (as long as you can include the great gurka regt)were, without doubt, the best equipped, best trained, and most feared force in the world (of course that changed once i left!!!!)Posted 2 years ago # -
Well ive got to say my dad came from bury joined as boy soldier at 15 and just recently retired a Major so its not all jobs for the boys.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Deadly - with reference to the 'Israelis being quite handy' remember that earlier this year it unbelievably took the Israelis about 3 weeks to enter Gaza City. Despite the fact that Gaza City is only a couple of miles from the Israeli border. And despite the fact that they had carried out relentless bombardment from land sea and air. And despite the fact that the people of Gaza have no army navy or airforce.
However I will accept that this was probably more due to cowardice, than poor fighting skills. Although of course Hezbollah did finally drive out the Israeli army out of South Lebanon on 2000.
Posted 2 years ago # -
With regard to that "best army in the world" statement, I pretty much stand by it, and not just out of a sense of patriotism. The only army that could put forward an equal claim is maybe the IDF.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Good thanks Chris, those singletracks are a bit tundra like at the moment, about 5cms of snow and ice beneath it! My Bonty has ended up being the ice bike (cos I can't get the damned studded tyres off it!) so seeing plenty of use at the moment
Good luck with the rest of your course, we're hitting Bristol in the new year for a few days...
Posted 2 years ago #
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