Am I opening a can of worms here? I think I am...M113...

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

To me, accounts of the Battle of Long Tan should be required reading for anyone who even dreams about leading more than two men in battle. What they achieved against such overwhelming odds, and how the entire task force pulled together to do exactly what was needed of them is just inspiring.
And to have lost only 18 dead, all of which were recovered in the morning with most still in their firing positions looking over their rifles is just mind boggling considering the numbers ranged against them.

It is impossible to express the admiration and respect I have for those men, many of which were only 21 year old conscripts at the time.

Long Tan is included in the Vietnam series of monographs available through the Army's Center of Military History.

And a well earned salute to some damned tough Aussie bastards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HorseSoldier]

As we've sidetracked into Australian military history, was wondering if anyone has read Kokoda by Peter FitzSimmons? Next military title in my two read list.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by HorseSoldier

As we've sidetracked into Australian military history, was wondering if anyone has read Kokoda by Peter FitzSimmons? Next military title in my two read list.

Haven't read it yet but I intend to buy a copy. I have another of his books, Tobruk (my father's father was one of the Rats of Tobruk, a New Zealand Army infantry captain). The ISBN of Tobruk, if you're interested, is 978 0 7322 8954 6 (hbk.).

[bobcat]

since we've wander into the aussy military history i might as well post this little ditty i found

We are the Anzac army,
The A.N.Z.A.C.,
We cannot shoot, we don't salute,
what good are we?
And when we go to ber-lin
The Kaiser he will say,
"Hoch, Hoch! Mein Gott; what a odd lot
To get six bob a day.

yes it was censored when i found it please don't send a kangaroo assassin after me (though one would make an awesome pet)

[Legbreaker]

Besides the fact it's very offensive and somewhat insulting, it's also inaccurate.
Most of the soldiers I've served with were damn fine shots (you've only got to look at Long Tan for combat evidence of that), and even the support troops know how to hit the target consistently.

I'm guessing that was WWI era German propaganda?

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I've always thought that ditty was amusing rather than insulting.
By the accounts I've read it was composed by some Aussie or Kiwi wag during the early years of WW1 and it was sung to the tune of "The Church's One Foundation", a Christian hymn from the late 1800s.

It seems to have originated in the Dardanelles campaign although I've also seen articles that state it was during the Middle East campaign and another that claims it was from the Western Front.
In particular, the reference to "six bob a day" is peculiarly Brit/Aussi/Kiwi and is unlikely to have been understood by the Germans at the time.
Variations include "We are the ragtime army"

This piece is a typical Aussie/Kiwi case of self-mockery to mock the British attitude that the ANZACs were not good soldiers because they had little respect for military formality (and particularly the rigid British attitudes towards class/social standing). The British changed their attitudes towards the "damned colonials" by the end of that war.
As for the censoring, the removed words are that great Australian adjective 'bloody' (and no it doesn't refer to that red liquid sloshing around in your veins!)

[Targan]

SSC is right. It's a song about ANZACs, by ANZACs. Nothing to get upset about. And the censorship is a waste of time. Very mild profanity there, not even all that offensive at the time (unless you were in the presence of ladies ).

[B.T.]

Originally Posted by StainlessSteelCynic

In particular, the reference to "six bob a day" is peculiarly Brit/Aussi/Kiwi and is unlikely to have been understood by the Germans at the time.
Variations include "We are the ragtime army"

Nice to mention that fact. To be honest: I have no clue what this means. Maybe it's just me, or we Germans don't understand it after all these years.

So, anybody can help me out?