Our deterrent against foes
- Zhivago
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Our deterrent against foes
You army lot will love this article, about what we're good at on the military side of things.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... iew-russia
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... iew-russia
Все буде Україна!
Смерть ворогам!!
- Stones of granite
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
Part of the misinformation campaign. What the Russians are really afraid of is our soldiers legendary capacity for drinking beer and scrapping with the local civvies after closing time. This is why the 3rd Shock Army never dared take on the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War.Zhivago wrote:You army lot will love this article, about what we're good at on the military side of things.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... iew-russia
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
I'm willing to believe a lot of things, but Russians being afraid of British drinking isn't one of them!
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
Nobody wants to fight a bunch of naked, hairy arsed, pished Jocks.Stones of granite wrote:Part of the misinformation campaign. What the Russians are really afraid of is our soldiers legendary capacity for drinking beer and scrapping with the local civvies after closing time. This is why the 3rd Shock Army never dared take on the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War.Zhivago wrote:You army lot will love this article, about what we're good at on the military side of things.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... iew-russia
Nothing really surprising in the article, the British squaddies has been lauded for centuries.
- Stones of granite
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
The British Army has never been the same since the Lowland Brigade was axed. The fighting abilities of the Giftzwerge von Minden are still legendary amongst our allies.OptimisticJock wrote:Nobody wants to fight a bunch of naked, hairy arsed, pished Jocks.Stones of granite wrote:Part of the misinformation campaign. What the Russians are really afraid of is our soldiers legendary capacity for drinking beer and scrapping with the local civvies after closing time. This is why the 3rd Shock Army never dared take on the British Army of the Rhine during the Cold War.Zhivago wrote:You army lot will love this article, about what we're good at on the military side of things.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... iew-russia
Nothing really surprising in the article, the British squaddies has been lauded for centuries.
- SerjeantWildgoose
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
The real difference that gives us the strategic edge, man-for-man, over any other army on the planet is breakfast. No matter where in the world you may find yourself, give a British Company Quartermaster Sergeant and his corporal half an hour and a couple of yards of cover from the weather and he will conjour-up egg banjos, sausage sankers, buckets of baked beans with bacon grill and enough stewed tomatoes to sate a legion - and all washed down with a torrent of scalding tea strong enough to rot its way through any amount of rolled homogeneous armour the Sovs choose to send our way.
Meanwhile the Russian corps commander is having his major generals shot because his own hot-plate is fuckedski.
Meanwhile the Russian corps commander is having his major generals shot because his own hot-plate is fuckedski.
Idle Feck
- SerjeantWildgoose
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
On further reading, this is bollocks - "... from flag-flying and humanitarian intervention, to heading off Crimea-style landgrabs, where what matters is getting to the battlefield when it counts, rather than too late, the special forces, Royal Marines and paras are hard to beat."
If you tell a Para to find something and kill it, he will find it and kill it - and continue killing it and everything else he finds until he himself is killed or someone he recognises comes along and tells him to stop. This is fine for the Falklands in '82, but feck all use in Derry in '72, Pristina in '99 or any other place where the people you want killed are mingled among others that you most assuredly do not. Paras are magnificent beasts of homicidal burden, but they don't do humanitarian intervention.
The SAS and SBS are inarguably special - but everything else that likes to think it is special is really just ordinary. Now 'ordinary' British Army is a cut above any other (Especially if they've just had breakfast), but lets not pretend that the other Hereford hangers-on are anything other than ordinary types with a few specialist skills. We now have things called Specialist Infantry Battalions; these are not very special at all but rather undermanned infantry battalions capable of sending a handful of training teams into East Africa at the drop of a hat (Something the TA have been doing since the 80s when professional darts overtook them as the nation's favourite excuse for recreational drinking).
If I needed a hard-grafting, determined and professional infantry battalion capable of delivering the full spectrum from war-fighting to peace support and humanitarian operations, I would look no further than the so-called fish and chip mobs, who have always been the back-bone, sinew and muscle of the British Army. Give me a Mercian or a Poacher or a Jock or a Taff over a Para any day of the week.
As an ex-squaddie I am happy to admit that the Booties are fecking awesome, but sadly you could now deploy the entire brigade in a few Wallace Arnold buses.
If you tell a Para to find something and kill it, he will find it and kill it - and continue killing it and everything else he finds until he himself is killed or someone he recognises comes along and tells him to stop. This is fine for the Falklands in '82, but feck all use in Derry in '72, Pristina in '99 or any other place where the people you want killed are mingled among others that you most assuredly do not. Paras are magnificent beasts of homicidal burden, but they don't do humanitarian intervention.
The SAS and SBS are inarguably special - but everything else that likes to think it is special is really just ordinary. Now 'ordinary' British Army is a cut above any other (Especially if they've just had breakfast), but lets not pretend that the other Hereford hangers-on are anything other than ordinary types with a few specialist skills. We now have things called Specialist Infantry Battalions; these are not very special at all but rather undermanned infantry battalions capable of sending a handful of training teams into East Africa at the drop of a hat (Something the TA have been doing since the 80s when professional darts overtook them as the nation's favourite excuse for recreational drinking).
If I needed a hard-grafting, determined and professional infantry battalion capable of delivering the full spectrum from war-fighting to peace support and humanitarian operations, I would look no further than the so-called fish and chip mobs, who have always been the back-bone, sinew and muscle of the British Army. Give me a Mercian or a Poacher or a Jock or a Taff over a Para any day of the week.
As an ex-squaddie I am happy to admit that the Booties are fecking awesome, but sadly you could now deploy the entire brigade in a few Wallace Arnold buses.
Idle Feck
- Stones of granite
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
Well, that’s a bit of a thread killer. Someone who actually knows what he’s talking about posting some serious analysis. Shame on you Sarje.
- SerjeantWildgoose
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
I sometimes feel the need to compensate for knowing feck all about anything else.
Idle Feck
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
Hahaha that was an excellent post.
- BBD
- Site Admin
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
Where do I subscribe to your Vlog?
ps the Grauniad as a credible source of military analysis???? only when they make kevlar cardigans
ps the Grauniad as a credible source of military analysis???? only when they make kevlar cardigans
- Sandydragon
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
Notice he didn’t mention th Guards. Or the RAF Regiment for that matter, 3rd elite and all thatStones of granite wrote:Well, that’s a bit of a thread killer. Someone who actually knows what he’s talking about posting some serious analysis. Shame on you Sarje.

I happen to agree that the paras have their uses. Sometimes. It given the ears we are currently fighting, other units offer more utility.
- SerjeantWildgoose
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
When will these dreadful Wars of the Ears ever end!?!?Sandydragon wrote:Notice he didn’t mention th Guards. Or the RAF Regiment for that matter, 3rd elite and all thatStones of granite wrote:Well, that’s a bit of a thread killer. Someone who actually knows what he’s talking about posting some serious analysis. Shame on you Sarje.![]()
I happen to agree that the paras have their uses. Sometimes. It given the ears we are currently fighting, other units offer more utility.
Idle Feck
- Sandydragon
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
And not a Jenkins in sight!SerjeantWildgoose wrote:When will these dreadful Wars of the Ears ever end!?!?Sandydragon wrote:Notice he didn’t mention th Guards. Or the RAF Regiment for that matter, 3rd elite and all thatStones of granite wrote:Well, that’s a bit of a thread killer. Someone who actually knows what he’s talking about posting some serious analysis. Shame on you Sarje.![]()
I happen to agree that the paras have their uses. Sometimes. It given the ears we are currently fighting, other units offer more utility.
- Mellsblue
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
I hear you.SerjeantWildgoose wrote:When will these dreadful Wars of the Ears ever end!?!?Sandydragon wrote:Notice he didn’t mention th Guards. Or the RAF Regiment for that matter, 3rd elite and all thatStones of granite wrote:Well, that’s a bit of a thread killer. Someone who actually knows what he’s talking about posting some serious analysis. Shame on you Sarje.![]()
I happen to agree that the paras have their uses. Sometimes. It given the ears we are currently fighting, other units offer more utility.
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Re: Our deterrent against foes
Don't tell that to the troops on the frontear.Mellsblue wrote:I hear you.SerjeantWildgoose wrote:When will these dreadful Wars of the Ears ever end!?!?Sandydragon wrote: Notice he didn’t mention th Guards. Or the RAF Regiment for that matter, 3rd elite and all that![]()
I happen to agree that the paras have their uses. Sometimes. It given the ears we are currently fighting, other units offer more utility.