#wwi military watches

[stricklandvintagewatches]

SVW is delighted to offer this stunning WWI British military pocket watch manufactured for the war effort by Elgin Watch Company. Features correct "Broad Arrow" military markings on a completely original case. Circa 1918.

[daguerreotyping]

WWI real photo postcard depicting a French and a British soldier getting very cordial indeed

[amostexcellentblog]

Finally watched Wings (1927) for the first time, and oh my, it really is that gay, it wasn't just that one kissing scene taken out of context.

The entire film turns on the relationship between the two men, progressing from romantic rivals to ride-or-die comrades under the duress of wartime. The ostensible female romantic lead is entirely unnecessary, tacked on at the behest of studio executives who wanted to boost box office. She appears in only a few scenes, does nothing to drive the main plot, and is absent from large portions of the film and at all the key moments. The actress, Clara Bow, knew the film was beneath her, once saying it was "a man's picture and I'm just the whipped cream on top of the pie."

I guess Top Gun did not, in fact, invent the military-pilot-rivals-to-friends-to-implied-lovers trope after all.

It's literally WWI Icemav. (Maybe an Ice-Lives AU where, freshly retired and bored out of his mind, Ice agrees to go to a museum exhibit with Bradley and Jake on the history of LGBTQ people in the military, where he stumbles on a picture of two unidentified WWI flying aces, standing close with their arms draped around each other in a way that could be friendly but somehow is more than that. Ice knows the pose and he becomes obsessed with finding out who they are.)

Using his contacts and military history knowledge he's eventually able to verify that the men are David Armstrong and Jack Powell. They came from the same town, but different social classes. Jack was impulsive and loved fast cars. David was more reserved. They were described as the closest of friends by their fellow soldiers. David died in the war, Jack returned home and married his childhood sweetheart, they had no children. When Jack died, he was buried next to David. That's all Ice can find, but it's enough. He sends his findings to the museum, then drives to the hanger just so he can hold Mav in his arms, but first he calls Bradley...

"You need to marry that boy."

"...I thought you didn't like him."

"I don't, but... But if he makes you happy then that... Jesus Bradley, you and Jake are the first ones, the first generation who can live your lives openly. Don't waste that chance, so many of us never got that, never even allowed ourselves to imagine what it would be like."

"Well, good news. I proposed a month ago and we've been trying to figure out how to tell you. We actually thought the museum exhibit might soften you up, but you got so fixated on that damn photo you forgot we were even there."

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Israel has published intel retrieved on Dec 18 from Hamas headquarters in Gaza, on how Hamas was using a network of fake Facebook profiles, pretending to be Israelis living abroad, and looking to hire Israeli Jews to make deliveries for them. First, they were meant to be innocent deliveries, in order to "groom" the Israelis for the moment when they will unknowingly be helping Hamas to deliver explosives. This was carried out by, among others, terrorists released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit hostage exchange deal (where Israel exchanged 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for the release of one captured Israeli soldier), who had a better knowledge of Hebrew and of Israeli due to their time in Israeli prisons. The terrorists released in the Gilad Shalit deal include Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza.

Israeli soldiers in Gaza have reached a cemetery for British soldiers who died there during WWI. The Brits usually buried their soldiers where they died. Among the British soldiers who fought and died in Gaza during that war were Jewish ones, too. I've seen people using the good state of their graves to claim that in Gaza, they are very respectful of Judaism itself, that it's evidenced by how they treat Jewish graves well, and it's only Zionists they have an issue with. What they leave out is that this cemetery was so well preserved because it's NOT a Jewish one, it's British. I found a pic where you can specifically see the grave of a Christian soldier, with a cross on the tombstone, buried next to the grave of a Jewish man, with a Star of David engraved. In comparison with this British cemetery, we can talk about the ancient Jewish synagogue in Gaza, that was appropriated and turned into a mosque (that they then used for terrorist activity, leading to its destruction in this war), or the modern synagogues left behind by Israel when it withdrew from Gaza in 2005, which were burned down by the Palestinians.

For several days now, protesters have been headed down south to where aid trucks pass from Israel to Gaza, in an attempt to block them. I wanna emphasize that they are NOT looking to deprive civilian Gazans of aid, they are just saying that humanitarian aid should be given in exchange for humanitarian aid making it to the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. On different days, the protesters have been sometimes more successful, sometimes less, but what's clear is that Israel is doing its best not to allow this, arresting protesters, and temporarily declaring the roads leading to the Gaza crossings as closed military areas.

In Sweden, a suspicious object was found next to the Israeli embassy, meaning they fear it was an attempted bombing. In an interview, the Israeli ambassador said that the staff is sure that's what it was, that the Swedish police is handling it, and they have no further information. The Israeli embassy in Sweden has recently been a target for Hamas' terrorists in Europe.

If you're interested, Reuters has uploaded the House Hearing on the future of US support of UNRWA. You can watch the whole thing here:

Sweden is now the 18th financier suspending their funding of UNRWA. In Germany, there are voices calling for the dismantling of it completely. I'm gonna attach a piece about that in Hebrew, but the Germans being interviewed are speaking in English, so it shouldn't be a problem to understand them. The first speaker is Uwe Becker, an amazing ally to Jews, who has been in charge of fighting antisemitism in the German state of Hessen, the rest belong to the democratic liberal party FDP, which is a part of the coalition.

Meanwhile, Norway, Ireland, Spain, Denmark and Belgium are continuing their funding to UNRWA, despite its ties to Palestinian terrorist organizations. Let it be remembered that Norway, Ireland, Spain, Denmark and Belgium have no issue with their money going to antisemitism and anti-Jewish terrorism.

The amount of pics and vids coming out of Gaza, showing weapons and rockets being hidden inside UNRWA schools, facilities and bags is insane, so I kinda stopped repeating myself with them at some point, but here's another one, fresh from today, explosives and mines found inside a bag with the UNRWA logo.

It only took several decades of people in the music industry knowing Roger Waters is an antisemite, and several very long years of the public starting to see it as well, for Waters to be fired by his music company, BMG. People are now connecting the news to an interview he gave back in November, in which he of course accused Jews for his firing.

This is 24 years old Ran Gevili.

On Oct 7, he was at a hospital, awaiting surgery. When he heard the news, he didn't hesitate and left for the area attacked by Hamas terrorists to help. At 10:50 in the morning, he sent his friends a message on WhatsApp that he's been shot twice in the leg. He was thought to be kidnapped, but today it's been confirmed that he had been murdered that day by Hamas, and his body is being held hostage in Gaza. May his memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[amarriageoftrueminds]

currently confused seeing ppl claiming to like Steve Rogers being angry at his July 4th birthday just being US military propaganda, even tho that's entirely in line with Steve's character and how "Captain America" even came to be

it's like ppl are thinking Steve just put on red white & blue tights and spandex and called himself Cap'n Merica of his own accord after getting serumed... but the Cap persona was entirely a US propaganda creation in and out of universe, and Steve has always expressed discontent at being treated like a propaganda tool. Even when Steve was on the battlefield, he was treated as a tool for shooting biased war press reels. The origins of Cap has a whole thing of Steve being kept out of the way so the US flag uniform wouldn't be caught in more gruesome missions while Bucky is sent to do assassinations. So much of the persona of Cap is based on propaganda being used to sublimate Steve's own identity in favor of generals with agendas. And Steve time and time again showing his distaste at being played like a puppet and rebelling against those agendas and authorities is a repeated thing. It's thematic, and a mirror to Bucky's loss of identity as well

A core part Steve's identity like his birthday getting fabricated makes perfect sense. Idk why people would be upset at Steve not having the American Patriot birthday when it's entirely in line thematically with what Cap even is to the real person who had that persona pushed onto him. it makes perfect sense

Yeah when they say Steve's birthday is July 4th, it's really more like 'Steve's' birthday 'is.' 😅

Interestingly, I don't think we don't know for sure that it's his real birthday in the MCU.

But we do know that's the birthday Steve put down on his last fake enlistment card:

And what appears in his SHIELD file:

So who knows? 🤷‍♀️

Could it be that MCU Steve's official birthday is 4th July because Steve himself was being a little shit on his enlistment form? 🤦‍♀️ (And/or, just really bad at lying??)

I wonder how that would affect his feelings about it, if so.

Would he, at first, be smug that he has managed to bamboozle the authorities? Sheepish that he forgot to correct that detail? Would it take on a bittersweet edge, once the whole 'Captain America' debacle happens? And would it then become relief, when he realises he finally has one thing about himself that actually gets to remain private?

Could it be that it really is MCU!Steve's birthday, and that that itself was part of the inspiration for an 'Uncle Sam' type figure being built around Steve? 🤔 Lots of possibilities, when you think about it!

Myself, I'm partial to the old pre-war trope of kid Steve and Bucky going to watch the fireworks on 4th July, and Bucky telling Steve they're all for him. 🥺

Having that birthday really could've affected his life in little ways. Like, imagine he was born premature and it was his birthday that lit an extra little fire under the doctors, to make sure he makes it?

(Can't you just imagine the newspapers doing a '4th July Baby Makes It Against the Odds!!' type piece? 😭)

Sidenote: When we talk about Steve/Cap being kept squeaky clean, out of the way of anything that might drag 'the flag' into disrepute, while Bucky is sent off to do the real dirty jobs... that's the case in the comics, but not in MCU, where Bucky is not shown doing anything -- ideologically speaking -- that Steve/Cap isn't.

It's also interesting to think of Steve's birth in terms of WWI and when it physically could've fallen, in order to fit with his father's deployment (in the American Army, not the Irish, as per CATFA).

One idea I considered is Steve having been born in December, so he could've been born on the Irish Independence Day. 😊

[thatlittleegyptologist]

I know this probably varies quite a bit over like 3k years but what groups did the Ancient Egyptian military draw from? Obvs you've got the posh ones on their chariots with the driver carefully omitted from all the contemporary artwork. But were the infantry random peasant levies or mercs or professionals or something else entirely?

Okayyy. First of all I'm going to need you to not automatically assume 'posh ones' were on the chariots with 'the driver omitted', because a) HOLY MODERN BIAS BATMAN, and b) this isn't WWI. Like...my god there's some stuff you need to unpack there before you talk about history.

Chariots only arrived in Egypt during the New Kingdom. So there's a good...c.1700-2000 years of history where they didn't use them. A standing army of professional troops didn't emerge until the New Kingdom either. Before that it was just conscripts with Troop Captains and 'Generals'. The Chariots were drawn by elite troops (i.e. trained not always noble) who were assigned to chariots two apiece. Y'know how we know this? The Egyptians tell us:

You can see the chariot teams, two per chariot, behind Tutankhamun

Anyway, talking about the military of Egypt over the course of about 4000 years is tricky because it changes a lot. In the Old and Middle Kingdoms it was mainly conscripts. From the New Kingdom onwards, it was divided into three parts, Chariots, Infantry and Navy, and became a professional standing army where Egyptians entered as a full time job rather than get conscripted when there was a need. This meant that any Egyptian man, from any background, could enter into the Egyptian Army and were trained according to the part of the army they'd chosen to join. Those in charge higher up, like the commander (usually the king's eldest son), and the deputies of the Northern and Southern Troops were often royalty or nobility. We should not, however, make the mistake and assume these men just sat on the sidelines and watched lower ranked men die. This isn't WWI. Pharaohs were in battle alongside all their troops regardless of social status. We're talking about an army of about 20,000 professionally trained men at it's height and they all participated.

Men, depending on skill, could rise in the ranks of the army. If they did well in battles, they'd get rewards that would eventually make them into wealthy men, but it was entirely possible for them to have come from humble beginnings.

[fgfluidity]

pincera (part 4)

Summary: pincera- Latin, ‘cup-bearer, one who mixes drinks’ || When one man goes off to war, a battle may still rage at home.

Pairings: Damien/DA, Celine/Mark, Celine/Will

Tags: Alcohol, Bootlegging, Adultery, WWI, Fights, implied Overserving, Abusive Parents, Autistic!Seer!DA

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3

find it on ao3 | donate to my kofi

@opprose @statictay @volbeast @otterlyinluv @flerpdederp @hapikiou (and if anyone else wants to be tagged lmk!

Wil went off to war early.

They played games as children, when they didn’t each carry so much responsibility; under Wil’s-- rather loud-- command, they’d march up and down the back garden, scramble up the furniture on the back patio to keep watch, take point if Wil’s sweet tooth happened to rear up and he needed some kind of sweet treat from the kitchen without getting caught.

Damien didn’t think much of it, then. The world, as far as he knew of it, was at peace; Wil was playing at something that was better left to their fathers and grandfathers. Fun to play at, yes, but something they’d never really need to see-- did they really need to grow up quite so fast?

Then, they’ve graduated. Wil has a sponsor, and has to go all the way across the country to a military academy while they remain behind in university.

As brothers in all but blood, they were never apart for long before. Even with a friend to create a brand new trio in university, the ache remained; who could really measure up to Wil, boisterous and vibrant?

The papers declare all of Europe is at war, and just as Wil graduates with bars on his jacket and a brand new title, the United States declares itself at war with Germany.

It’s all he’s been waiting for, really, just perfect timing.

The patio has long since turned from war games and the child equivalent of basic training, becoming a central hub for talk of schoolwork and friends and family-- both positive and negative in nature. Now, it’s once again a war room, though not quite as it once was.

“This is exactly what I wanted!” Wil paces back and forth, full of manic energy. He hasn’t sat down from the moment he arrived, buzzing with the news of America’s involvement, fresh newsprint in his hand. “Well, not a war, exactly, but a chance to prove myself.”

“You could have fooled me,” Mark drawls. Sprawled over a bench he may be, long legs crossed, but his fingers tremble as they pick at the wicker.

“I think,” Damien cuts in, before either of them begin to pick a bigger fight over this, “what he means is… this is rather soon after graduating. I suppose we’d thought you’d come back home for a while before you were ever deployed.”

When people grow up together, any separation for longer than a few days is hard; Wil was across the country at the academy for years, and moving from that to a war zone…

“I know what I mean,” Mark snaps, with little heat. He sits up a bit better to finally take part in the conversation. “You’re our brother. I’ve known you all my life, and you’re going off to Europe to fight something we have no stake in, just like that. What did you think we were going to say?”

“That you’d support me, for a start.” Wil turns to him, jaw set. It’s too stiff, too easy to turn on his heel-- military training, Damien suspects, sadly. “It’s not so serious, Mark, really. I’m an officer, I’m hardly going to be on the front lines. You’ll get me back in one piece.”

“And if we don’t?” Damien takes a step between them; coming to blows is not an impossibility, not with these big personalities. “I’m not so angry, but Wil… it’s not a game. It’s not a training exercise. I know you’re called to duty, whether your own feelings or the government is the one calling, but… I can’t find my way to being thrilled. It is serious.”

Wil growls out a breath, throwing his hands up. “This is what you’re willing to fight me on! Not one word of a send off, not a ‘we’ll see you soon’, but a lecture, when neither of you are going, yourselves! I’m going to go, and that’s that. I’ll see you on the other side.”

Damien cries out in protest, in harmony with Mark, finally coming to his feet to defend himself.

“That’s hardly fair!”

“Simply because we’re worried you’re going into a war zone--”

It’s all for naught, however, their efforts swallowed up by the flowers and bushes; they can only watch Wil’s back as he storms out of the back garden, the wrought iron gate clanging behind him.

“Fine, then,” Mark spits, pushing past Damien and heading down the stairs. “If he wants to go off and throw his life away and enjoy doing it--”

“We have the option, while we’re still in school, but he doesn’t have much choice,” Damien replies softly, a sinking feeling in his stomach as Mark marches towards the gate. “At least, not in going. Are you going after him? I don’t know if he’ll want to talk right now.”

“No.” He swings open the gate, yet pauses before he steps through. It’s only a few seconds, but they stretch on before he speaks again. “Are you going to write to him?”

“Probably, yes. He needs someone to tell him to change his socks,” Damien jokes, albeit weakly. “We wouldn’t want him to ward off his fellow officers as well as the Germans.”

It seems to work, though, as Mark’s face softens, the corner of his mouth turning up. “Then you don’t mind if we send our letters together? It’ll save us on postage.”

It’s silly, the idea of saving a penny on a stamp. They both come from means-- some newer than others, but means nonetheless-- but it’s a show of solidarity. His brothers, both of them, thinking of him, whatever they think of his excitement.

“Sounds alright to me.”

He doesn’t exactly feel settled as Mark takes his leave, nerves still waging a war of their own on his insides. Wil’s still headed off to the front in a matter of days, and still upset with them, besides.

Was it really worth it to bring up his concerns? Was Wil right in telling them off? He can’t say for sure. At the very least, when he sits down to write his first letter a couple weeks later, he makes sure to include an apology.

Likely to Wil’s dismay-- and Damien’s and Mark’s combined relief-- the war doesn’t last much longer; their physical involvement was little more than some hardly-needed backup.

Whether or not that was truly the case, the paper gives the same thing: their troops are coming home. Finally, Wil’s on his way home.

There are parties in the streets, of course, celebrating the return of their men, but Damien doesn’t stop to partake in the joy. Rather, he hurries on towards his real goal: find Mark, find Wil, and find the closest bar that will allow them to get as drunk as possible.

He’s back. That calls for a drink.

It’s not hard to find them; Wil’s a tall man, and exuberant, besides, still dressed in his fatigues as if he’d just stepped off the boat from Europe. “Ah, there he is,” Wil exclaims, bright as ever, like it wasn’t a year but a matter of days. “We might have sent someone to track you down if you took any longer.”

“You’d think it was Decoration Day. I had a bit of trouble dodging the crowds,” Damien admits, shooting a glare in Mark’s direction when he smirks. “Don’t.”

“Don’t, what? I’m not saying anything.” The gleam in his eye doesn’t go away as he kicks off from the wall, coming over to grab them with an arm around each neck. “Let’s get a drink before everyone else has the same idea and it’ll be standing room only. How will Damien see anything, then?”

Maybe it isn’t decorous, but Damien squirms out of the hold to shove at him. Mark doesn’t fall, but he stumbles back into Wil, and that’s good enough for him.

As one would expect from such an auspicious day, the bars are full; with Wil still in his fatigues, however, people are a little more amenable to giving up a couple chairs. It still gets them squeezed into a corner, but at least they’re off their feet.

Wil, graciously-- and in the hopes of perhaps getting one on the house-- offers to go and get their drinks. Damien doesn’t bother with a shot, not in public, and not when there’s something worth savoring sober, though it’s funny; different as they may be, they have a trio of brown drinks before them: his Manhattan, Mark’s drink that looks oddly similar, and Wil’s, similarly-garnished but rimmed in sugar.

It seems a bit sweet for him, really, and like it wouldn’t balance out, but to each his own. “I can’t imagine you had anything like this out on the front,” Damien says, gesturing to Wil’s glass.

“No, not at all. You were lucky to get a real brand out there.” Wil shudders. “It was all swill unless you got in very good with an officer. A higher officer, I mean-- though I did get promoted. To Colonel.”

He takes a smug swig while Mark scoffs. “In a few months? No, you didn’t.”

“People were getting promoted left and right,” Wil protests. “With how awful it was out there--”

“Awful? You weren’t even on the front lines! You told us in your letters you stayed behind in your tent most of the time.” Mark gestures towards him with a free hand. “What’d you do to get promoted? Really?”

Wil frowns, eyes growing sharp as flint. “I don’t have to tell you anything of what happened out there. You don’t understand what it was like. Why does it matter?”

“I don’t think real Colonels would appreciate some private--”

It’s odd, really. They’ve always been a bit combative, Mark and Wil, a bit competitive. It’s just in their nature. Damien’s seen plenty of squabbles turn to roughhousing over the years, and it’s usually best to wait until they’ve both tired themselves out.

Wil hauling off and almost leaping over the table so that his fist can connect with Mark’s jaw is a new one, though.

It’s too fast for him to intercept, and soon they roll about on the floor, trading blows and both of them shouting over the surprised murmurs of the crowd.

Thankfully, they give Damien room, shuffling away and pushing back other men with their arms. He’s shorter, yes, but stouter than at least Mark, and he uses that strength to haul him up, pushing his body in between theirs. “That’s enough,” he says, channeling as much of his father into the phrase as he can. “What the hell is the matter with both of you?”

They’re panting too much to explain themselves, glaring at each other over Damien’s shoulder. Wil’s fatigues are mussed, his glasses askew on his face, blood bright on his knuckles. That same blood dribbles from Mark’s nose, perhaps broken from a punch, and his mouth, cut by his teeth.

“This is stupid. Do you really think this is the fight to go ahead and fight?” Damien takes them each by the shoulder, shaking them with his words. “It doesn’t matter. You’ve known each other forever, and this gets you to brawl? Out of everything?”

Wil’s jaw works, and he continues to glare when he tries to speak. “He--”

“I don’t care,” Damien says, firmly. “I don’t care who started or who finished. This is ridiculous. Both of you, apologize, and then we’re all going home. You want to have an argument, get in trouble? Tell your parents why you were fighting out here in front of everybody.”

He’s angry, and he wouldn’t deny it if questioned, but this is not the sort of hill to die on. Wil may be a Colonel, he may not be, but it’s stupid to come to blows over it, and even more so to do it in public.

There are bigger things in the world than a title. Things like your friend going off to war, or your friends turning on each other over something so very small.

Those may need a fight, but not this.

“You sound like my father,” Mark grumbles after a few moments of shamed silence. “Please stop.”

Damien can’t help a short laugh. “He’ll be worse, so I can spare you. Get home and try not to kill each other.”

He can’t chaperone. He’s busy sweeping up and paying the barkeep back for the damage. He minds quite a bit, but… it’s better than another brawl.

---------

Sidecar

--

50ml/2oz brandy

20ml/1oz fresh lemon juice

20ml/1oz Cointreau

sugar, for the glass

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into sugared, chilled martini glass.

Born of a twist of mad joy, a sweet/tart beverage that carries quite the punch. Easily thrown off-balance-- especially with a shot or two.

[dabblingreturns]

Ive never watched the terror but some of my mutuals ate really into it. But anytime I see a post about The Terror (the tv show) i think about my great grandfather.

He was my mother's paternal grandfather, and my mother, who is all of 5'3" told me that by the end of his life, she could tuck him under her arm*. He also took her out on her 21st birthday to drink scotch at the country club at 11am so she would "learn how to drink properly"

Anyways, according to family legend, He was a military clerk for Richard E. Byrd during WWI. Afterwards the war, (again acourding to family legend) Byrd invited my great grandfather to join the polar mission.

But my great grandfather said "no thank you sir, I have a girl I want to marry instead"

My point in telling this story is to let you know that white men do indeed have a choice about going to the artic, and smart but tiny men with tiny hot girlfriend can avoided the poles and still live long and strange lives......

So yes, I'm silently judging all the screen shots I see of the terror going, you could have stayed home!

Not going to the artic is an option.

*I come from a long line of short people.

[notyour-valentine]

Things I found out about Tunnelers in WWI

For all you wonderful writers or just generally curious people here are some things I learnt about tunnelers in WWI that might be interesting or useful

Turns out watching Peaky Blinders with your family is more than just your aunt tearing Cillian Murphy's riding style to shreds, your uncle being disgusted by English beer, your mother thirsting for Campbell and your father, cousin and brother all banding together to tease you - you can actually learn something

DISCLAIMER: This isn't professional at all - these are recollections from things I learnt this from the discussion that came after watching. The most information is from someone who is a military historian HOWEVER also influenced by recollections from family members that served on the Bavarian/German side so there may be differences. If I've made any mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them. I hope you can still find it useful/interesting...

There will be mentions of war and death - please be careful as some things I've written down are absolutely horrid

Summary

They worked for 18 hours a day

Tunnels were upto 20 km long

The largest explosion could be heard in London

Exploding mines would often throw material and men into the air and also bury many alive

Listening for enemy tunnelers was part of the goal

Underground mine warfare stopped a year before the war ended

What follows is a more detailed description, but please take care as it is not a nice read.

1. The Minewar at the West Front ended long before the war

2. Listening to the other side's digging wasn't a terrifying accident- it was literally their job

The mine war at the West Front was from 1914-1917, as opposed to the one in the Alps which was until 1918. Like it was shown in the show, tunnelers from both sides tried to dig under ground to try to plant explosives on the opposite side to either harm military infrastructure, cause explosions under the trenches of the opposing side or prevent advances, but mainly due to the fact that they wanted to stop tunnellers from the other side by making their tunnels collapse.

In 1917 a gentleman's agreement was reached to stop the use of tunnelers, while the fighting above ground continued.

The Tunnelers were then either moved to different fronts or assimilated into the normal trench war. However, British tunnelers weren't involved in the Alps so it is likely they would have stayed at the West Front with other common soldiers.

3. They wouldn't have just been fighting Prussians

To find out where the opposing side was building their own tunnels so that they could locate them, flood them (to destroy the gunpowder) or plant explosives to that they would collapse and kill them, or to face them on a one on one fight, they had to listen constantly, and since the other side was trying to do that too, silence and working as quietly as possible was paramount. Even things like whispering was incredibly dangerous with everyone was constantly afraid of making too much noise.

Each tunneler company had about 500men who worked for 18 hours a day. They would also try to flood the tunnels of enemy forces to render their gunpowder useless.

They tended to draft people already familiar with tunneling and underground words (like in mountains) and so the British didn't just fight Prussian tunnelers but also Bavarians (even if they both fought under the 'unity' of the German Reich) and they wore slightly different uniforms, although I suppose in the tunnels the difference didn't really matter (also: it would be unlikely that an actual Prussian soldier would wear a hat)

4. Important Battles

In the Forest of Argonne (mountain and forest land) there was fighting in late 1914, summer 1915 and late 1918 (when the war ended). In 1914 and 1915, there was mine war.

In 1918, Americans also fought there where they led an offensive right up to the end of the war to pressure the Germans (but it was mostly US and French soldiers). Argonne, just like Vanyuois was a village which was completely destroyed due to the explosions caused by underground mines.

1916 was the Battle of Verdun (early to mid 1916) which was one of the biggest battles and included the use of tunnellers, who were partly responsible for the many explosions that gave it the name "Hell of Verdun" with about 10 000 granades and mines going off hourly which threw material and people into the air, which were partly buried alive and suffocated. It was also called "Bonemill". As many people couldn't be buried as their bodies lay in no-man's land, the stench, especially in the summer was horrible. It was also common that the soldiers went days without food and had to wear their gas masks for hours at a time. They also used a lot of horses but thousands lost their lives (dozens daily).

Mid to late November 1916 was the Battle of the Somme (partly simultaniously to Verdun) and an offensive of the Brits and French against the German troops but didn't achieve anything but killing over a million people. Brits took over because France had been weakened by the Battle of Verdun. It started with a seven-day non stop shooting by the British artillery while the ground of the German forces was to be blewn up by mines. Here was not only Prussian, but Bavarian presence

On one day 19 mines exploded under German troops with with things and dirt being thrown over 1000 meter into the air. These explosions also created the infamous Lochnager- Krater who is over 20 km wide. There was also the explosion of the Hawthorn Ridge Mine near the German command centre called "Schwabenfeste", which despite reinforces from the Bavarian Divisions was lost to the English. Despite that, the Battle of the Somme is regarded as one of the greatest failures in British military history.

Battle of Arras

Arras was a French city, where the allied troops used the already existing tunnel system under the city and expanded on it to prepare for battle. The tunnels of Arras were the largest building project of WWI and were created shortly after the Somme, with tunnels over 20km long. It created almost an entire underground city including a hospital and kitchens. Before the attack, thousands of soldiers waited for days underground.

Battle of Messines

In mid to late 1917 there was the Third Battle of Flanders which included the famous Taking of Passendale.

It began with the Battle of Messines, where British tunnelers caused another gigantic explosion (over 600 t of gunpowder) which killed over 10.000 Bavarian soldiers. Apparently, British, Canadian and Australian tunnellers had dug for nearly a year to plant the mines consisting of over 20 tons of dynamite each, with the tunnels being upto 8 kilometers long. This explosion is regarded as the loudest noise ever created by humans and could apparently be heard in No 10 Downing Street.Messines can be seen as the most successful offence of the Allied Forces. Even today, unexploded mines are still buried that didn't explode although by now nearly all the tunnels must've collapsed or been flooded so that they aren't dangerous anymore.

I'm not going to ask if you enjoyed, because I don't think content like this can be enjoyed, but perhaps it was interesting/useful for some of you.

Take care, Val xx

[darlinggeorgiedear]

Why is George V so underrated? Why isnt he given enough credit? Tired of those Romanov fanatics who make George responsible for what happened to the tsar. It wasnt George's fault that the tsar was a weak incompetent lousy leader! George was a better king, a better leader, a better family man since he saved his family as well as the monarchy, and a better looking man too. But they put the tsar on a pedestal due to his tragic end (for which Im very sorry) and deny George's contributions and try to reduce him. Not fair.

I do agree that Nicholas gets better press these days. I have seen a few documentaries, where both men are featured, that make Nicholas seem like a naive bystander to history while George is ultra conservative tyrant. (There was a British documentary that came out recently calling George "Tyrant King".) I do think Nicholas is tragic (wrong man, wrong time), but his downfall happened because he was arrogant and hard headed. (Instead of him being so traditional and fatalistic that the Empire slipped out of his hands.)

Worth noting that majority of the Romanov family was supportive of reforms and begged him to change. The old excuse that he was following his dad's example is hypothetical since many very conservative family members, who supported Alexander III and was like-minded, supported the reforms. But if you think about past (and current) leaders that Russia tolerates, it does make it clear that Nicholas was very unlucky, since he was not the worst (neither the best), yet suffered immensely. I think his sad ending makes people want to defend him, and ignore his politics, which gives a wrong picture.

Nicholas had horrible press at the end of his rule and throughout most of the 20th century, aided by the Soviet Union of course. In comparison George had amazing press throughout his lifetime that lasted until recently. Basically, I think people are hard on George and easy on Nicholas these days because it creates more sensational journalism. It is much more interesting to defend someone who was unpopular and degrade someone who was revered.

To me, that is the best explanation since it is really ridiculous how people make George V's issues with the modern 20th century into some type of villain story. Compared to George's relatives (Nicholas, Kaiser, Greek cousins), he was open-minded, which is the real reason he was able to maintain his throne. (which is almost never mentioned and is usually said that he sinisterly maintain his throne by neglecting everyone. While simultaneously, everyone forgets that Nicholas' originally solution to calm down St. Petersburg was military intervention, yet George is still remembered as the immoral one who would do anything to maintain his throne.)

I also recently watched a documentary about Lloyd George and why he isn't remembered/praised like Churchill in the UK. One of the best explanations is the public's different attitude towards WWI and WWII. (The doc also makes an interesting point that the negative attitude about WWI, which ruined Lloyd George's legacy, was encouraged by Lloyd George in his novels.) I think this is relevant towards George because he was the WWI King in comparison to his son George Vi, the very popular WWII King.

Also, since Elizabeth II loved and idolized her dad, I think his legacy was amplified during her reign. I also think things will be different now, since she is gone.

I am no means a historian, these are just my thoughts! I also don't want to upset anyone who are grieved by what happened to Nicholas II and his poor family. It's really very sad but people need some real perspective while dealing with the last Tsar, and hopefully in result to a new level-minded outlook, can give George V some grace!!

I also want to add that I understand politics (or standards on how things should be done) are different in Russia. One of Nicholas II most used defenses, while defending the state of Russia with his English cousins, was that things are different in Russia, and the people there like to be guided with an iron fist. My complaints really stand with UK journalists who choose to only focus on negative aspects of George V.

[trash-aged-like-fine-wine]

Watched the latest episode of Puppet History about Bessie Coleman and as a pilot I have some things I noticed.

Bessie is a total badass. They got that right. Pretty much the only people who ever got pilots license before the end of WWI were all military, which had a HUGE influence on how aviation in general is today. (Same shit with astronauts: the first ones were exclusively from the Air Force then they opened it to other people)

Not the prof describing this supposed hell machine and me thinking "yeah it sounds alright." Like, Busch planes still have frames made of stretched cloth, even though the wood frame isn't a thing anymore. It makes them much lighter, so you can carry more stuff like more fuel or camping gear.

The "the plane is controlled by two sticks" thing is like "yeah alright" for me. Having a plane have a joystick instead of a yoke isn't unusual. I've flown one once. The riders were actual pedals, but I'd guess that the rudder bar (the one that controls yaw, which is turning the nose left or right without actually moving left or right) was probably on the floor, and each end was likely connected to a line that ran to the rudder, and you push one end to turn! This is like exactly how modern rudders work, but we have pedals nowadays. And also the top half of the rudders are breaks so we don't have to rely on a spike on the back. Tbh if it weren't for the spike ( and if I were tail wheel endorsed) I'd fly that. I think it'd be fun.

Planes are expensive af yo. I'd kill for a $400 plane but back in the day that was expensive as hell.

Plane people take care of their planes. You don't call a bird old unless it's like WWII era or older. My plane is from 1979 and it's not really considered old even though she ain't new. Therefore the fact that the Jenny's were considered obsolete, not old, obsolete means that it's probably for a reason that WASN'T their age, and had something to do with the fact that Bessie only seemed to crash in Jenny's.

Will is a mechanic. You KNOW he'd do work on that plane before he even dared to get in it, paid or not because of basic self preservation. It's also likely that since he was a mechanic around that plane the entire time Bessie ALSO was around it, if it needed work she'd ask the guy literally right next to her sooooo..... yeah. I am VERY sure that was Will's wrench that made them crash.

Fun fact: there are different names for different spirals. The one that they ended up in was called a "death spiral" and by that point you have greater odds of dying then not, which is why we just don't practice spins. The window to recover before you enter a death spiral is too small to safely teach it. It's like how teaching someone first aid does NOT involve actually injuring people.

Will was fucking lucky surviving the initial crash only to burn to death smh. The odds do that were so slim that it's literally the only reason I don't suspect sabotage bc you just aren't going to kill someone in the singular way that will ALSO kill you. Sparks and heat travel veeeeeey easily and it's actually against FAR's (I think) to smoke within 50 feet of a fuel truck for this exact reason.

[stricklandvintagewatches]

As many of you may know, Patria movements were produced by Omega and marketed under the Patria name. During World War I, Omega made a brilliant marketing decision by entering a still unproven wristlet market created by soldiers in Europe. Their Patria name became synonymous with the trench watch, and by the end the war, every man recognized the advantage of having a watch on his wrist – instantly accessible – versus a pocket watch that one would have to fumble to retrieve. The move proved to be quite profitable for Omega: today they remain one of the finest watch houses in the world.

This 33mm by 40mm lug-to-lug example in a solid silver case with integrated shrapnel guard would have been the pride of some wealthy World War I officer who could afford to purchase a fine timepiece for himself. We have taken the liberty of fitting the watch with a bespoke 2-piece caramel cordovan strap.

If you'd like to see WWI wristwatches showcased in a magnificent way, please treat yourself to the movie "1917" by Sam Mendes. 

[theseventhoffrostfall]

I had written a longer ask as it is a hard idea to communicate but what do you think of the extreme impersonality but also intimacy that we are seeing in Warfare now? Being able to chase someone looney tunes style around a BMP with a suicide drone who is running for their life while you're miles away fucking with them? Or hovering over someone begging for their life while you hover overhead and fuck with them and either let them live or come back afer pretending to gut shot them with a grenade and let them bleed out? It's not unique at all, but I see the rise of this technology making us both detached and also Cronenberg like Voyeuristic without this specifically being about Ukraine or Russia or whatever.

Do you have any thoughts on how this could be explored taken to further extremes for sci fi stuff? Since sci fi is largely a tangential look at current-tech taken to hyper levels of effectiveness, I am wondering what sort of ideas you would have if you wrote a military-based sci fi book today?

I'd argue that impersonal intimacy is a just a culmination/convergence of factors that arose during the world wars (snipers during WWI were hundreds of yards away unseen but looking the enemy in the eyes, WWII was and I think remains the most photographed/publicized war in history)

Good question, though, and I'm not sure I have a definitive answer. It's easy to project it cynically and say that all future wars will involve growing segments of the populace eagerly watching and rooting for 'their' team, with war a twisted form of bloodsport, but it's equally cynical (and, IMO, realistic) for people to conversely grow increasingly detached and uncaring about whatever war is happening so long as it isn't seen to affect them personally (John Millennial had largely forgotten about Ukraine and resumed bitching about trans representation in Japanese fighting games by the start of 2023 and now has completely discarded it as a political cause in favor of Palestine, while John Boomer latched onto it as a mix of "The Deep State wants Ukraine to win because of Covid" and "Biden is making gasoline more expensive because of Ukraine"). I know "good" sci-fi is frequently equated with allegory but I don't think we can realistically project a blanket reaction for future observers of wars.

That said, in the sort of sci-fi future where mercenary warfare is common (a staple of military sci-fi) I could definitely see private military organizations tapping in to the sort of weird cathartic-warfare fuckhead (whether in "amateur military historian" or "watches suspicious amounts of combat footage" flavors) by continuously uploading or even streaming combat footage, just to double-monetize their role in warfare. Considering we've seen military bloggers and twitter video ramblers and tiktok stars already emerging, the Warfluencer very well might be an increasing fixture of future conflicts. And likely as hated by his comrades as his modern counterpart is.

[pollyna]

currently…

thank you @pinkasrenzo 💕 🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧🐧 (sending penguins bc u can never know if they will help with the weather,,)

Current time: started at 15:55 finished at 16:51 (don't ask what happened in the meantime lol)

Current activity: working and drinking red gatorad as if my life depended on it

Currently thinking about: i'm stuck to this fucking chair why it's so hot and why the dude had to call again,, we have a deadline here and my knee just get stucked uhuhuh

Current favorite song: uuurrrg, Superheroes by The Script, found myself sininging along in the metroline because it was passing on the radio in a bar this morning.

Currently reading: boring military stuff about people dividing lands before and after WWI and how society adapt to that.

Currently watching: Jake Rayn more like falling asleep while watching it lol AND cooking shows, as in more than one.

Current favorite character: currently obsessing all over again Callie Halo Shen but shhh, all okay bby💕

Current wips: in my head something about estranged Bradley and Ice, because their saga continues to live on rent free walkig side by side with the prompt about soulmates and that last summer when Mav realised what season they were in, in the middle of july. Actually writing,, was thinking about the stuff with Benji and white hair in like a drabble.

no pressure tag: @redhead-writes, @polar-equinoxx, @mintcaramelhazel, @boringusername3 and whoever wants to do it <3

[deedala]

okay, deanna, you put it on my dash, so i'll throw gallavich!mummy au at you. i have no thoughts beyond this, make of it what you will, i just needed to get it out of my brain, thanksokaybye.

Nosho!!!! thank you for these brain worms!! they have not left me all day!! i watched the mummy while i worked this afternoon and thought really hard about it and i decided this is how i would set up a gallavich!mummy au ...

(i dont actually know shit about the military or admissions at oxford in the 1920s so my apologies to History because i'm about to commit some flagrant disregard lol) Okay so Ian and Mickey are both born in Chicago in the early 1900s. Mickey flee's the US when he's a teenager after the Chicago police begin rounding up members of the Milkovich crime family. His options are severely limited so he ends up in joining the French Foreign Legion. Ian joins the united states military when he turns 18. He serves for a few years stationed in Europe but as the US army downsizes from post-WWI he finds himself discharged from service and, not wanting to go back to Chicago, he ends up in England where he enrolls at Oxford and studies Egyptology. Mickey ends up stationed in Algeria at a garrison that becomes obsessed with tales of treasure in Egypt at a place called Hamunaptra. Mickey isn't terribly convinced but when the men march off to Egypt, he doesn't really have any other choice but to go along with them. This is how he ends up at the battle at Hamunaptra in 1923 where the entirety of his fellow legionaries are killed by an opposing army that was sent to execute them for marching through Libya without orders. (this shit is from the wiki i could not figure out who that opposing army was nor could i have ever pulled this out of my ass, so anyway...) Mickey does manage to escape this massacre along with his dubious legion buddy, Damon. They are the only survivors! After some some years of study Ian moves to Cairo to continue his studies and research working at the Cairo Museum of Antiquities. His older brother, Lip, having burned through all his opportunities back in Chicago, moves to Cairo to be with Ian. Lip spends most of his time drinking a little bit too much while gambling, pick-pocketing, and running random schemes around the city. Mickey decides to stay in Egypt and hires himself out as a sometimes mercenary and sometimes guide. He runs low key scams and robberies to keep himself afloat. One day Lip and Mickey encounter each other in a tavern where they play in the same card game. Lip pick-pockets an artifact off of Mickey, who swiftly realizes his precious box is gone and a large bar-fight breaks out when Mickey starts aggressively accusing the men around him. Lip, however, has already slipped away! Mickey is arrested and put in prison. He is sentenced to death for inciting disorder and probably also fighting the guards who showed up to the tavern to stop the fight. Lip brings the puzzle box artifact to Ian to find out what it is and if it's valuable. They discover the map, they find out its a map to Hamunaptra, they go find Mickey in prison and save him from his death penalty in return for him guiding them to Hamunaptra. When they board the river boat Mickey discovers Damon is, at the same time, guiding a group of American treasure hunters to the same ancient ruins. Etc etc, and there you go you have your Ian and Mickey and Lip and Damon(lol) The Mummy AU.

[dr-dendritic-trees]

I promised myself I would stop posting about Avatar...

Because I can't be normal about it for 10 seconds, but I'm getting a cold and I was watching the show again because I feel sorry for myself so you can all get in this trench with me.

Speaking of trenches...

Nothing I'm about to say is a criticism of the show. A lot of children's shows attenuate consequences so you can have events at scale and still have a show that's emotionally appropriate for children.

But I'm a miserable old crone so when I see an attenuated consequence I immediately want to un-attenuate it.

So my current mood is:

Seriously, the Siege of Ba Sing Se lasted 600 Days!! That is an incomprehensible length of time. I'm not much of a military historian but a quick trip to Google tells me there have been some long-ass sieges in the history of the world. But the Fire Nation has a mechanized army, and the Earth Kingdom's main weapon is Big Rocks... so basically Iroh fought the Battle of Verdun twice.

That's basically my conclusion. General Iroh is in disgrace and definitely can't be Firelord at the end of the series, a little bit because he lost the big battle, but mostly because he invented WWI and literally everyone is still mad about it.

And probably they're still cleaning up. Like, if you want to hop in the realism trench with me, there's probably still trenches/corpses/abandoned artillery/a big fucking mess outside when the characters all get to Ba Sing Se.

This is a horrible thought. I think I shall write some very nasty fanfic about it.