[quote=“stragbasher”]Isn’t there a story about Poland having no tanks to resist Germany’s armour when WWII started, so they sent cavalry instead? Men on horses against tanks! Absurd, futile, maybe not even true, but guaranteed to impress anyone with even an ounce of romance in them.
And sometimes the idiots win. Rourke’s Drift, anyone?[/quote]
That’s a myth… Noone in their right mind riding a horse would attack a tank armed with a rifle only.
Actually, when the polish cavalry were surprised by German tanks, their only hope of surving the meeting would be to get behind the tank(s) as fast as they possibly could.
How do you get behind something fast?
You ride straight towards it, and pass it. Once they passed the tank(s), they would be in the clear, unless there were a few infantry platoons waiting for them.
No one in their right mind would charge against cannon on horseback either, not with cannon on either side of them too. But here we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of people doing exactly that.
No one in their right mind would fly an airliner into a building full of people either, but it happened. No one in their right mind would lead a bunch of men into machine-gun fire armed only with a swagger stick. I put it to Mr He that not everyone involved in warfare is necessarily in their right mind.
Interesting Polish cavalry story, but that wasn’t tanks was it? So the story is a myth after all?
The Poles launched a mounted attack on infantry. If delivered as a surprise attack, where the side under attack are unable to get their defence together, they will be trampled.
Heavy cavalry was the tank from roman times to to World war I.
It does look like there are few former military men/persons or those a military background in this thread.
Not meant as an insult, just an observation.
Most of the incidents mentioned are historic tales of men who put duty before self. In the face of certain, or likely, death, they soldiered on.
This may seem foolish, or completely insane to those of a differing mindset, but this reflected their core of belief.
And something else that is quite interesting.
Most combat soldiers find strength in these closely held values. And in knowing that their fellow soldiers share this.
Again, I do not mean to ridicule or insult those who do not share this set of values. Just to help explain why these incidents in military history occurred.
Of course, sometimes these things occurred because of the ever changing flow of the battlefield. And sometimes because of the ineptitude of the field commanders.
“Spirit” is so underrated. It’s enough to win wars and battles. Another fine example of this would be Rommel and his Afrika Corps. Kicked the British all over the sands before Churchill threw everything they had at him… El Alamein, the beginning of the end.
The Sheriff of Hope, USA was very unwise to enter into battle with J.K. Rambo. At least one person learned a valuable lesson tho. The young red-headed kid from the Sheriff’s posse who tried to talk about the injustice done to John K. left the small-town mind-set of Hope, USA for crime-fighting in the big cities. After a short stint with the “23”'s Homicide Department, he went on to become the leading Crime Scene Investigator in Miami. Good for him.
He was recently quoted as saying
[quote=“Horatio Kane said, not”]
Some horses run better with a bridle. Science is my discipline.[/quote]
Was it not set in the US of A? Generic Pacific North (HA!) West town? May I not then take my own artistic license and embellish the town with the moniker “Hope, USA”?
I hope I can.
BTW, Hope, BC is a tiny town nestled at the foot of the great Coast Mountains. As you come out of the mountains, on your way to Vancouver, Hope will be the sleepy little town on your right. But make sure to stay awake, or there will be no Hope for you.
Of course, once you’ve passed the town, then you are beyond Hope.
Morrell was/is (?) a US college professor, Iowa or some place like that I believe. His novels are some of the best researched and written that are out there. His “Brotherhood of the Rose” series is excellent. Particularly the training it describes. And in particular the training by the older, non-descript Israeli. Very true to life. Chillingly so.
Just so… beautiful… 
:bravo: 
