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British To Adopt Tactics That Beat Rommel
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 8-24-2006 | Oliver Poole

Posted on 08/23/2006 6:45:57 PM PDT by blam

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To: chadwimc
Rat Patrol?

Yep! Loved that TV series...

41 posted on 08/23/2006 7:54:51 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
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To: John Lenin

Let's hope those Land Rovers don't have Lucas Electric.


42 posted on 08/23/2006 7:56:37 PM PDT by Parley Baer
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To: blam
Ah, since the Brits are not up against armor, or even uniformed combatants, the lessons applied might better be from Yeman - no wait, they lost that one...

OK, Malaysia then -- well, that was Chinese Communists, so not a good fit - plus the Brits fielded some 35,000 military, call it sorta like Vietnam for the Crown, just fewer players. They did finally reach a political settlement.

The Boers? Not so good.

Third phase: Guerrilla war of September 1900 to May 1902 By September 1900 the British were in control of both Republics, except for the northern part of Transvaal. They however found that they only controlled the ground their columns physically occupied. As soon as the columns left a town or district, British control of that area faded away.

The huge territory of the Republics made it impossible for the 250,000 British troops to control it effectively. The vast distances between the columns allowed the Boer commandos considerable freedom to move about. The Boer commanders decided to adopt a guerrilla style of warfare.

The commandos were sent to their own districts with the order to act against the British there whenever possible. Their strategy was to do as much damage to the enemy as possible, and then to move off and vanish when enemy reinforcements arrived.

What to do? Small forces with access to airpower? Pacification? Time will tell - as will politics to a great extent.

Interesting footnote, due to the losses seen by Baden-Powell, he started a uniformed paramilitary youth organization focused on training young men in needed military skills - like map reading, marksmanship, camping and the like. It almost exists today.

43 posted on 08/23/2006 8:00:35 PM PDT by ASOC (The phrase "What if" or "If only" are for children.)
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To: tet68
Why would a crop-duster have any influence over who was on the B-25 crews during the Bay of Pigs?

Did I miss something?

44 posted on 08/23/2006 8:01:06 PM PDT by perfect stranger (I need new glasses.)
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To: DuncanWaring

Bad -- if you're not a Texan, that is... ;-)


45 posted on 08/23/2006 8:01:22 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
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To: perfect stranger
Modern day Rat Patrol


46 posted on 08/23/2006 8:19:54 PM PDT by AFreeBird (... Burn the land and boil the sea's, but you can't take the skies from me.)
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To: ABG(anybody but Gore)
Didn't Monty win just one battle without Patton running interference for him? Let's see: El Alamein.... Hang on, I'm thinking.... Try "D-Day". Patton was the decoy for that one.
47 posted on 08/23/2006 8:40:00 PM PDT by Pikachu_Dad
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To: perfect stranger

I think he means B-26 invader built by douglas aircraft at long beach. The b-25 mitchell was built by north american at the hathorne plant.


48 posted on 08/23/2006 8:40:37 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Defeat liberalism, its the right thing to do for America.)
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To: blam

great idea loose the landrovers and use hum-vs.


49 posted on 08/23/2006 8:41:33 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Defeat liberalism, its the right thing to do for America.)
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To: imahawk

ok


50 posted on 08/23/2006 8:48:36 PM PDT by perfect stranger (I need new glasses.)
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To: blam
These people are a little like Texans - armed and against anyone who is not one of them.

Seen too many westerns.

51 posted on 08/23/2006 11:58:49 PM PDT by jordan8
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To: ASOC

How about small forces with nukes? That'll stop muzzie.


52 posted on 08/24/2006 3:32:52 AM PDT by gotribe (It's not a religion.)
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To: ASOC

You need to read a bit more about the hit-and-run tactics that the Brits *very* successfully used to stall the Nazis in North Africa during WW2. They did very well in heavily armed Jeeps against heavy armor - by raiding rear areas and setting ambushes and then disappearing before the enemy could bring their strength to bear.

Basically, it's turning the terrorists' tactics against them. Let's face it, conventional tactics tend to be a bit ponderous.


53 posted on 08/24/2006 3:40:13 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: gotribe

LOL

How small?


54 posted on 08/24/2006 9:09:43 AM PDT by ASOC (The phrase "What if" or "If only" are for children.)
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To: Spktyr
I guess I missed the part where the muzzi terrs started using Panzers.

Terrs have no fixed bases, they have no real supply lines (rat lines, yes) they do have some weapons caches, small ones if that, I don't how guys driving around in Land Rovers will do anything other than making themselves a smaller target.

Active patrolling in the city and villages - on foot, is a start....but we don't have the troops to do the job by ourselves - Iraqis will have to step up to the plate, and quick.
55 posted on 08/24/2006 9:17:25 AM PDT by ASOC (The phrase "What if" or "If only" are for children.)
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To: Types_with_Fist

You ARE joking,yes?.

If not,you show an appalling ignorance of history.

Firstly,it was Monty and the British(helped by the Canadians and Poles) who 'ran interference' in Europe.

It was the BRITISH who took on:

75% of all German armour in Normandy...
90% of all SS,SS Panzer or SS Panzer Grenadier units(not to mention crack Wehrmacht units such as the 21st PZ Div and the 'Panzer Lehr')...
ALMOST ALL armoured reserves sent to Normandy by Hitler in the summer of 1944(the Brit-Can-Polish forces even faced troops taken by the Germans FROM THE AMERICAN SECTOR!)

How ANYONE can,then or now,criticise the Anglo-Canadian-Polish forces for being 'slow' is beyond me.And shows utter ungratitude on the American part,then and now....

The Anglo-Canadian-Polish forces SOLE JOB was to tie down the Germans in the east,so as to allow US troops an easier job in the west.

And those forces under Monty did a FANTASTIC JOB under incredible pressure.They DID it.They DID what was asked of them and DEFEATED the cream of German armour in the summer of 1944...

And lets not forget Monty's actions at the Rhine in February during the battle for the Reichswald Forest either:

It was the British AGAIN who took on the reserves meant for the US 9th Army.

Hitler and Von Runstedt withdrew SEVEN inf divisions and THREE Panzer divisions to send north againast the Angko-Canadian forces who were ALREADY facing NINE crack Panzer and Paratroop divisions!....

And lets also remember Sicily shall we?...

AGAIN,Monty and the British and Canucks were the ones who drew the Panzer and the Hermann Goering Luftwaffe Panzer division to their sector,whilst Patton faced mainly Italian troops...


56 posted on 08/24/2006 12:31:31 PM PDT by the scotsman
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To: Altair333

SActually we 'kicked Rommel's arse' in Op Crusader in late 41.

And Auchinleck defeated Rommel in the 'first battle' of Alamein in the summer of 42...


57 posted on 08/24/2006 12:33:02 PM PDT by the scotsman
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To: blam

"they will live, camp and fight on the move."

The Mongols practiced this 1200 years before Rommel.


58 posted on 08/24/2006 12:34:17 PM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0
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To: blam

"These people are a little like Texans - armed and against anyone who is not one of them. They do not like foreigners and we are a foreign tribe in their midst."

Thank your lucky starts they AREN'T Texans.


59 posted on 08/24/2006 12:35:29 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: perfect stranger

That was my favorite TV series (short lived as it was) when I was a kid. After that it was Time Tunnel.


60 posted on 08/24/2006 12:36:28 PM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0
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