@ShaunPinnerUA No modern wars are won purely on the battlefield. In fact, the battlefield is only the sharp end of it. It's necessary but not sufficient on its own, which is not to diminish the warriors' role. But it always comes down to money in the end, via logistics and public opinion
@ivanfamil My grandfather was a submarine captain in 2WW. He used to wear goggles with red lenses at night to protect his night vision. He said it made all food look, and therefore taste, like stewed tomatoes
@grok@DefyTL@josrz@defense_civil25 Five deaths and 18 injuries. That's terrible. Of course it is. But in a population of 750 million, it's not the biggest problem. According to Wikipedia, there were 57 mass shootings in the US in Jan and Feb, with 74 dead and 190 injured
@theoldworldshow One of my cousins has put together the letters between him and his mother, and between his mother and his batman after his death. It's heartbreaking on a individual level, and that the same story was repeated so, so many times
@IsthatyouMick@Halcruttenden My grandfather's submarine was hit by an American armed merchantman. He survived, though others didn't and he never walked properly again. He did, however, put it down to a genuine error
This is from the penultimate page of Iron and Blood by Peter Wilson, covering 500 years of German-speaking military history. Heโs talking about the two world wars. But the lessons of history run deep
@leoschulz@DeptfordWife1@sib313@mishtal I think there's a difference between German-speaking people and what we now see as modern Germany, with its roots in Prussia and then the 1871 settlement. At that point, Bohemia was part of Austro-Hungary. Yes, German speaking but no, not Germany
@Jacksial@stats_feed The US system might have the Constitution at its heart but legal precedent plays a huge role. The emphasis here in the UK is more on precedent and interpretation of convention, rather than interpretation of a single document. So not a huge difference, really
@jcartlidgemp James - my father liked you and youโve been kind to my mother. But youโre delusional if you think this is solely Labourโs responsibility: itโs the result of the long-term degradation of defence spending by all governments
@____Foxtrot____ Why is Neville Chamberlain always wheeled out when a political leader does something perceived as weak? He bought the country a precious year to prepare for war
@rangersmil62@____Foxtrot____ Chamberlain was all those things but not a WW1 veteran. He was 45 in 1914 and, for a lot of the War, was Mayor of Birmingham
Al Khamenei was 86. There must have been some succession planning. And all the organs of state must be heavily invested in continuing the regime, whatever that takes, just like in December and all the other rebellions. Or will this time be different?