Just been through a really
interesting three weeks which included a dead washing machine, an apparently suicidal
DAB radio, a crunched bumper (self-inflicted), a dead iMac (you won’t believe
the amount of stuff I didn’t get round to backing up!) and, an hour before we
were about to disappear to the airport, a blocked drain. Ah well, it’s not as
bad a time as some of you have been going through, but it’s been a genuine pain
in the nethers. Nevertheless, the good news is that the closing date for the
competition has passed and I can now announce the winner: NOBODY !
I hadn’t expected a tsunami of
entries, given that WWII probably isn’t everyone’s cup of wargaming tea, but
even the ONE I did receive was so wide of the mark I thought it was a wind up.
I didn’t think the questions were that hard. Judicious use of Google and
a bit of imagination should’ve given the answers pretty quickly, particularly
for the WWII buffs. Anyway, the answers are:
a) Although
not everyone’s best friend, this officer’s sense of humour saved many lives on
D-Day. Who was he?
Answer: Major General Richard Hobart GOC 79th
Armoured Division
Originally forced to resign, he became a lance
corporal in the Home Guard, but was later re -commissioned and appointed to the
command of 79th armoured, the division tasked with producing and
operating specialist armoured vehicles capable of performing tasks normally carried
out by combat engineers. He began to refine and further develop specialist vehicles
which became known as ‘Hobart’s Funnies’ or ‘Funnies’ for short: Sherman DD
(Duplex Drive) amphibious tank, Churchill Crocodile flame thrower tank, Sherman
Crab flail tank etc., etc.
b) Appropriate
name for an Airborne commander? Who was he and who did he command?
Answer: Major General Richard ‘Windy’ Gale
GOC 6th Airborne Division – get it?
Optional extra question:
c) How
did England manage to make such an arse of their World Cup effort? Answers
should be kept to a maximum of 200 words.
Trick question – nobody knows and I’m
buggered if I do!
Now, as I mentioned earlier, we’ve just had a holiday
(arranged at the last minute around what Chris could get off work and what was
available/appealed) which was just over a week in Amsterdam. During this (and
following several serious discussions) Chris ordered me to get across to
Arnhem, which I did last Saturday. It was only about 50 miles away and, given
the really good Dutch rail system even I had to admit it would have been silly
not to – considerate husband see? Anyway, more of this in a subsequent post when
I’ve sorted the photos out, so watch this space.
That's a shame. I must say I didn't enter as WWII isn't my field and I didn't want to muddy the water. I did get Hobart though... (Smug git!)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the Arnhem post...
Hmmmm . . . . . that Arnhem one is gong to be a bit of a challenge. I'm not the over-sensitive type, but the short time I was there, particularly at the Hartenstein, has had a profound effect on me.
DeleteWhen I visited the cemetery at Arnhem a few years ago there was group playing The Last Post , and a US Veteran visiting. A memorable day, But did you notice Holland ain't flat...not round Arnhem.. Did you get over to the landing sites?
ReplyDeleteNoticed that even the 'flat' bits in Holland are quite lumpy. However the Oosterbeek perimeter has some relatively high land and there are quite few notable areas when you read about the battle.
DeleteDidn't make the landing/drop zones or the cemetery because of time/transport/that damned ankle. The 'adventure' verged on farce at times.