ARmy Rumour SErvice

**John Civie** · 20-05-2012, 12:36

Originally Posted by vvaannmmaann

It must be over.We repaid our War Loans back to the septics a good while ago.

So about time we had another big scrap needing us to buy all the yank tanks and F16s we can get while they try to make up their minds on how late they want to be to the party?

If the russians ever decided to go west to call in those unpaid gas bills and turf NATO out of the former warsaw pact shirley we'd just try and get all the volunteers we can get while BAE and Westland fumble around trying to get on to total war production. the first conscripts appeal to the ECHR. the MOD gets out the credit card and goes on an american shopping spree and then everyone gets nuked before the first extra typoon is made or the ECHR rules on the case.

**maguire** · 20-05-2012, 13:32

Originally Posted by llech

As far as barracks are concerned this problem came about in WW2 camps sprouted up everywhere wriggly tin and concrete manufacturers must've cleaned up. Basic training was 6 weeks, it's our lack of manufacturing that'd be a party stopper not that factories couldn't be thrown up it's the knowledge that's died out.

Who are meant to be fighting anyway?

out of spottery interest, I wonder what would be the equipment everyone would end up using on our part? were all the stocks of 'That' rifle flogged off to johnny foreigner years ago? or would a bulk order for M4's be put in? what if we were completely on your own as far as kit goes? would the production lines for the L85 be cobbled back together (if at all possible) or would we go for a cheap and cheerful (and easy to make and use) AK clone in 5.56mm? what about armour and aircraft?
or would we be, as I suspect, completely f**ked and too dependent on other countries to do our manufacturing now?

**llech** · 20-05-2012, 13:35

Originally Posted by maguire

out of spottery interest, I wonder what would be the equipment everyone would end up using on our part? were all the stocks of 'That' rifle flogged off to johnny foreigner years ago? or would a bulk order for M4's be put in? what if we were completely on your own as far as kit goes? would the production lines for the L85 be cobbled back together (if at all possible) or would we go for a cheap and cheerful (and easy to make and use) AK clone in 5.56mm? what about armour and aircraft?
or would we be, as I suspect, completely f**ked and too dependent on other countries to do our manufacturing now?

Whatever was bought, the Guards would fuck it up for everyone as being impossible to drill with!

At a guess unless it was America we were fighting M16 or derivatives thereof.

**Lost_Boy** · 20-05-2012, 13:56

Re-equipping with some form of M16/C8 would probably be the only viable option for rapidly arming a conscript force.

Unlike the SA80, it's still in (high) production abroad, fairly cheap, relatively easy to learn to use and maintain, and of course can use existing ammunition.

Why we aren't making them under license as the in-service IW already, I have no idea.

**wm1965** · 20-05-2012, 14:02

I think in a very protracted (conventional) war the masses would beat the technology.

Think where so much of our kit and its components are sourced from. Supply lines would be cut and unlike WW2 it's not like you can easily rustle up the F35 source code in a few days or even source the steel for our bayonets etc.

You would need to field 50/50 regular/TA so the remaining regs could train up the Reserve and conscripts.

**Mothman** · 20-05-2012, 14:24

Originally Posted by llech

how many javelins do the mod have in stock, would it be worth training everyone on something that has no ammunition? Same question really with sa80, i believe there to be about 250,000 kind of limits your forces to that size.

No problem. The old and bold can rustle up another quarter million SLRs, currently hidden in their sheds.

**wm1965** · 20-05-2012, 14:30

One thing is for sure Britain will be engaged in a war for it's survival in the future. If you disagree with that you disagree with history.

**llech** · 20-05-2012, 15:21

Originally Posted by wm1965

I think in a very protracted (conventional) war the masses would beat the technology.

Think where so much of our kit and its components are sourced from. Supply lines would be cut and unlike WW2 it's not like you can easily rustle up the F35 source code in a few days or even source the steel for our bayonets etc.

You would need to field 50/50 regular/TA so the remaining regs could train up the Reserve and conscripts.

Too be fair peoples ideas of WW2 seems based on 1945, everyone seems to forget that in 1939 the country was wholely unprepared and it took the best part of 6yrs to ramp up.
The idea that everything was made "in house" is also far from the truth. Uniforms from North America to webbing from India etc.

**fu2** · 20-05-2012, 15:40

we would have to combine with the septics or a couple of Nato allies to fight anyone conventional. Who is going to be our threat in the next decade ? Russia has started sabre rattling again but to get to us they have to go through Europe. China is too far away. The Falklands maybe ?

**AT55** · 20-05-2012, 16:28

[QUOTE=grey_man_2;4410066]So, just spitballing - what do you think would happen to the British Army if a big dust-up rolled around again? Apart from the obvious answer that we'd get massacred by somebody who actually spends monies on their forces...

From the bit I read in the papers, I thought we spent a reasonable amount on defence but a lot appears to be mis-spent or just flushed down the drain.