tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post8330422982380263769..comments2023-11-10T04:17:00.492-05:00Comments on View From The Porch: Today In History: Huh?Tamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-14734971369424838142007-11-01T16:55:00.000-04:002007-11-01T16:55:00.000-04:00...and smote the sledded Polack on the ice.And yet......and smote the sledded Polack on the ice.<BR/><BR/>And yet, you sold your Virgins. To us, of all peoples. Whaddup?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-20566321663035596762007-10-31T17:14:00.000-04:002007-10-31T17:14:00.000-04:00As a Danish PartisanI STILL think Germany ought to...As a Danish Partisan<BR/><BR/>I STILL think Germany ought to do the right thing and give it back, and by the way Sweden should give Scania back to Denmark too, and while we're at it there are some important baltic bits and parts of Coastal "Poland" missing too!<BR/><BR/>Hey, the Danes worked hard for their little empire, smiting Heathen in the Baltic east and slavic south, smiting Germans for general principles and generally have the nicest part of what is now southern Sweden to themselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-72952949090957545042007-10-31T13:20:00.000-04:002007-10-31T13:20:00.000-04:00stephens, funny that should come up:http://www.the...stephens, funny that should come up:<BR/><BR/>http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article10240701.aspx<BR/><BR/>Bavarian, hmm.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-91414700317111478042007-10-30T16:12:00.000-04:002007-10-30T16:12:00.000-04:00Two other great statesman war quotes-"All of the B...Two other great statesman war quotes-<BR/><BR/>"All of the Balkans are not worth the bones of a single Pomeranian Grenadier"- Bismarck.<BR/><BR/>(Alright, it would be better without "grenadier".)<BR/><BR/>And, "A Balkan war is like two bald men fighting over a comb"-Churchillstaghoundshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05976667812875074135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-52050289448690177942007-10-30T15:16:00.000-04:002007-10-30T15:16:00.000-04:00I'd expect the Dreyse to leak gas badly. Modern fi...I'd expect the Dreyse to leak gas badly. Modern firearms depend on the cartridge casing to expand under gas pressure and seal the breech. The Dreyse had a paper cartridge that was good only for holding the ball and powder together, and I can't think of any other sealing material available back then that would hold up to more than a few shots. <BR/><BR/>And that was the gas from black powder, not cordite. There were chunks of unburned carbon and sulfur in it, not at all what you'd like in your eyes...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-23819705666229954162007-10-30T13:11:00.000-04:002007-10-30T13:11:00.000-04:00Prussians don't fart. Ever. That's why they all ...Prussians don't fart. Ever. That's why they all have that look on their faces in the old photos.<BR/><BR/>Bavarians on the other hand...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-68077980269903884002007-10-30T12:36:00.001-04:002007-10-30T12:36:00.001-04:00People need a reason to shoot each other?People need a reason to shoot each other?BobGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405172215849046373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-84182710722336698122007-10-30T12:36:00.000-04:002007-10-30T12:36:00.000-04:00My amusement from that period of firearms design c...My amusement from that period of firearms design comes from teh quirk of fate that led me to find the term "needle gun" in sci-fi before I found it in history...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-79144671191788178682007-10-30T12:13:00.000-04:002007-10-30T12:13:00.000-04:00Sorry, can't resist: I've noticed that about Pruss...Sorry, can't resist: I've noticed that about Prussians in general.<BR/><BR/>I'll go away now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-74058996413894213452007-10-30T11:23:00.000-04:002007-10-30T11:23:00.000-04:00Interesting Dreyse factoid: When you see period il...Interesting Dreyse factoid: When you see period illustrations of Prussian troops shooting their rifles from the hip, that's not artistic license; the Dreyse leaked gas like a sumbitch.Tamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285540310465422476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15907727.post-88504023142553901402007-10-30T11:18:00.000-04:002007-10-30T11:18:00.000-04:00You're kidding, right? In the middle of a list to ...You're kidding, right? In the middle of a list to prove that this was one of the more consequential wars of the period, it dawned on me that without the Second Schleswig-Holstein, the superiority of breech-loading rifles would not have been proven (the Prussians used the "needle gun"). That ought to be enough for you right there. But we can come back to the salient points later (it's a "salient," see?) if that turns out to be fun. Let's see, 1864; anybody else having whimsical, just-for-the-hell-of-it wars about then?<BR/><BR/>On Robert Southey and Jenkins' Ear: It's only funny if you're not Jenkins.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com