Michael

Plodding off from Troy with old Anchises on my back.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@TheJoeySwoll Love Joey, man. Wish there were more lumps like him out there.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@StevenBridges Yet they took the bet. One wonders if they'd returning wager if you'd lost.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@thinkingwest I'm amazed the Roman Empire isn't making that list? Someone needs to read Gibbon.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@TheCinesthetic I, Claudius.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@SteventheScribe I saw it at the RSC a number of years ago. It was an Angus Jackson production. Have you seen the old BBC TV adaption of JC from the late 70s? It's rather good.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@lwsrk @Max12Morin @dklmarxist "Nearly 20 million Russian civilians died during Operation Barbarossa"

Hmm.. Could you provide a source for this? It's not from the Krivosheev study, I know that much.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@Natexpat @irvingbooks Well I dare say he'll be the last, but he has a palpable advantage on those before him, and whoever comes after. The inner circle are all gone now. The archives remain though. Perhaps Russian archives or some yet discovered German papers might shed more light in the future.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@Natexpat @irvingbooks It takes a certain mindset, and work ethic. Few of us have the minerals for it. His efforts paid off. Kershaw could only dream about the doors that opened for Irving. He managed to breach the surviving inner circle. An Englishman. Unbelievable.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@Natexpat @irvingbooks I found both Kershaw & Ullrich's biographies on Hitler to be highly readable & interesting, but Irving's effort surpasses both of these. Not surprising considersing his dogged, & astute approach as an archivist. The 'notes on sources' after the final chapter are a treasure too.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@EdConwayNZ @lowder3000 @BigAndrew5000 @aussiecossack I'm really not sure what your point is. That the 8% was the difference to Russia destroying the bulk of Germany's war effort or Russia losing in the East? I'd contest the War for Germany was over by late 41 after Operation Typhoon with or without 8% of kit.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@EdConwayNZ @lowder3000 @BigAndrew5000 @aussiecossack The Lend-Lease contributed 8% to the Soviet war effort. Are you seriously questioning whether the bulk of Germany's luftwaffe, and wehrmacht; including the vast majority of its armour, perished at the hands of Soviet-made tanks and planes, and their infantry? Come on.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@MorgothsReview From set design to screenwriting and soundtrack, Boorman's Excalibur is fabulous. Film critic and historian Roger Ebert called it a wondrous vision. I wholly agree.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@irvingbooks I like how this came about, and can see why David seized upon it for himself. It's a wonderful Irving caricature.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@malen_manya @9mmsmg Alfred de Zayas' "A Terrible Revenge" is also a grim read on the plight of the Eastern Germans near the end and after war. Has the effect of leaving the reader numb such was the depravity meted out.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@wayotworld I recall watching him have a discussion with Sir Roger Penrose on quanta, and the universe. It was beyond awful. Jordan digs hole after hole in desperate attempts to get Penrose to concur with him on anything. He was cleary out of his depth. On YT, and worth a watch.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@CraigLuther1 Fascinating.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@BontFaen62 @RebeccaYChan Not allies. It was a non-aggression pact signed in 1939, 9 months before the fall of France. For the majority of time Britain stood alone, Hitler was planning Directive 21. Efforts against Britain were to force her to the table, & on good terms. The war was won/lost in the East.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@hoyer_kat @HistProfDad Perhaps I'm being too cynical, but I can't help seeing an irony in Eisenhower's sentiments above, when contrasted with some of his resulting decisions, culminating with the creation of the Rheinwiesenlager.

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@witnessdecline Was Hitler made aware of the logistic/supply issues presented to Halder on Dec 40 after war games/studies? If he wasn't I'm still not sure it would've made a difference as the primary objective was to encircle/destroy Red Army West of Dnepr/Dvina rivers based on their poor intel

[Michael @Michael53554615]

@astraiaintel @squatsons Also serious problems were developing after mere weeks despite Germany's astounding breakthroughs in their initial encirclements. The number of Soviets caught in those couldrons was staggering. All the same, serious problems were developing in supply, armour, and manpower.