Most pathetic military unit ever?

[TheStinger]

The military types chasing the A-team were rubbish

[Capt Dizle]

Originally posted by johncmcleod
Who attacked Fort Sumter? Who seceded? Who started the whole war? I have never heard of anyone to call an attempt to preserve their country an aggression. What a stupid thing to say. A country isn't going to say, "Oh, it looks like the country is breaking in half. I better let it be because I don't want to start a fight."

The United States government refused to surrender the fort at Sumter and indeed was making haste to reinforce the facility for agressive action against the sovereign state of South Carolina. Many southern states seceded as was their right. The War itself was started by the Federalists. The South was conquered and occupied in a brutally oppressive, illegal, and cruel war.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The United States government refused to surrender the fort at Sumter

Why should they? It was a Federal fort, owned by the US Government.

Many southern states seceded as was their right.

No it wasn't. Show me in the Constitution where it says you can leave. The Federal government was merely beginning an action for Breach of Contract... with arms .

The South was conquered and occupied in a brutally oppressive, illegal, and cruel war.

... which conquered a brutal and oppressive part of the country.

[Chris 62]

Worst formation Boshko?

Easy, SS Dirlewanger Brigade, commanded by SS Colonel Oscar Dirlewanger, a notorious drunkard and liar said to be convicted of rape, robbery, and other crimes.
The brigade was recruited from the concentration camps, the Col at first selected poachers because he thought them good shots, but by 44 common criminals predominated, and a few Communists and political prisoners thrown in.

Used in the Warsaw uprising at a strength of 900, it required 2,500 replacements

[Arrian]

Good one!

-The Russian Fleet sunk by Japan in 1905 (?)
-Just about any Italian unit during WWII
-The French knights at Agincourt
-The French knights at Crecy
-The French knights at Poitiers
-The Persians at Thermopolye
-The Persians at Marathon
-The Persians at ? (the sea battle Athens won that forced them to pull back most of their army from Greece)
-The Crusaders who went and sacked Constantinople before going anywhere near the Holy Land
-The English army defeated at Stirling Bridge
-The Scots army defeated under "Bonney Prince Charlie" (I forget the name of the battle)*
-The Federal forces at Bull Run

* - I'm not sure if this one really counts, as the Scots were really poorly armed and pitted against a well armed (and well trained) opponent.

I would include more USA forces from the Civil War, but most of that was leadership, or rather the lack thereof. The North started doing just fine once the incompetants were weeded out. I mean honestly, Ambrose Burnside in command of the Army of the Potomac?

-Arrian

[Ned]

Originally posted by jimmytrick


The United States government refused to surrender the fort at Sumter and indeed was making haste to reinforce the facility for agressive action against the sovereign state of South Carolina. Many southern states seceded as was their right. The War itself was started by the Federalists. The South was conquered and occupied in a brutally oppressive, illegal, and cruel war.

jimmy, Since the war, the constitution remains unamended on the right to secede. If it existed then, it exists now. I presume your position is that the South has a present right to secede.

This position is easily tested without the need to resort to arms. We have a Supreme Court, after all.

If this is the correct non violnet course of action now, it was correct course of action then.

[uh Clem]

Third Platoon, Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, Fort Lost-In-The-Woods, MO, Summer 1969.

I have that on the authority of Drill Sergeants Sanderson and Dread (I'm not making that name up).

[Urban Ranger]

The bunch of kids in Children's Crusade.

[Rogan Josh]

Originally posted by Ethelred
For a good fictionalized account of some of the action at Balaclava I recommend George McDonald Fraser's Flashman at the Charge. It has Hero, dastard and coward Harry Flashmen at all the major battles of that day, The Thing Red Line, The Charge of the Heavy Brigade and the Charge of the Light Brigade at which point Harry is captured and the rest of the books deals with Harry in Russia.

I love the Flashman books. They are really funny but historically interesting at the same time

[Ethelred]

Royal Flash has been made as a movie. Fraser did the screenplay as he did for the Three and Four Musketeers plus the Return of the Musketeers all of which were directed by Richard Lester.

IMDB link for Royal Flash

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0073639

Unfortunatly it doesn't seem to be available even on VHS. Maybe in Britain.

[Rogan Josh]

I have seen the movie. It is on TV over here occasionally. I didn't think it lived up to the books though.

[Capt Dizle]

Originally posted by Ned


jimmy, Since the war, the constitution remains unamended on the right to secede. If it existed then, it exists now. I presume your position is that the South has a present right to secede.

This position is easily tested without the need to resort to arms. We have a Supreme Court, after all.

If this is the correct non violnet course of action now, it was correct course of action then.

The issue of secession is moot at this time, as there does not exist any significant infringement of states rights that might justify such action. Of course the rights of the individual states has been eroded in so many ways that it is unlikely to ever become an issue again. Currently the differences in the various geographical regions of the US are not sufficient to cause any political crisis.

Insofar as the legality goes, of course, there would never be any agreement by opposing sides. When the American colonies entered into a state of rebellion against England I doubt gave a damn about the opinions of the English courts.

Of course that war ended in independence for the aggrieved party, whereas in the War of North Aggression the aggrieved party was enslaved and subjugated by force of arms.

[Ned]

But my point, jimmy, is that the resort to arms would have been necessary only if the Supreme Court said the South did not have a right to secede. The proper response to the buildup at Sumpter was a lawsuit at the Supreme Court seeking a restraining order against Lincoln. That would have set up the issue of South Carolina's right to secede.

I suspect, though, that part of the South's problem may have been that it did not recognize the right of the Supreme Court to decide the issue.

As to aggrievances, again we did have a Supreme Court that could have invalidated any unconstitutional legislation or executive action. In the case of the Colonists against the Crown, there was no such animal. The resort to arms was the only means to stop the abuses.

[Giancarlo]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
yet kicked the German's asses

Jon Miller

You really don't understand war at all. The Germans had an superbly trained military but attacked a major city and exhausted its resources. Plus it was overextended. The Russian just burned down their fields leaving the Germans with nothing to take on their way to Stalingrad... also the Russians couldn't fight for crap. They finally defeated the Germans because of the overwhelming numbers (not better training) and the mistake the German high command made of attacking a city like Stalingrad. The only redeeming quality the Russians had were the snipers they had in Stalingrad.

[Lefty Scaevola]

The Russian anti tank cannine special unit, the only tanks they got were russian.