Useful

**björn** · 02-02-2010, 14:13

Weren't they reporting back the prisoner count in acres, divided between officers and other ranks?

**Bouillabaisse** · 02-02-2010, 14:24

Originally Posted by tangosix

Originally Posted by Bouillabaisse

Against the Italians, so it doesn't count :D

Hello Bouillabaisse,

how can you not count a battle that (supposedly) ended with the words "Please send help,I am surrounded by prisoners."?
That comment alone puts it in the top ten with maximum points for style.
You can't have a great victory without a great line,it's just not media friendly.

tangosix.

Whoever sent that was definitely a Chap and I recind my objection

**björn** · 02-02-2010, 14:29

Originally Posted by bjÃ¶rn

Weren't they reporting back the prisoner count in acres, divided between officers and other ranks?

et voilÃ* (from the wiki) :
Anonymous Coldstream Guards officer: "We have [taken prisoner] about 5 acres (20,000 m2) of officers and 200 acres (810,000 m2) of other ranks."

**seaweed** · 02-02-2010, 14:32

'Saving the Guns at Maiwand':

**Bubbles_Barker** · 02-02-2010, 14:34

Originally Posted by sneeky_turd

Originally Posted by bjÃ¶rn

I had assumed as much. All in all the article appears pretty lmited in scope. No mention of British India (except WW2 and Afghanistan 1842) as far as victories are concerned, which seems a bit short sighted, except if you consider it was the East India Company and after it the Indian Army...
Also, in the c*** ups section, the beginning of the Boer War springs to mind or Maiwand.

Places like Mujuba Hill in the first Boar war and Spion Kop in the 2nd were big fcuk ups, embarrassingly so. They could have easily been on the shiit list. I don't think Maiwand should be on the list though, we were outnumbered big time in that scrap.

Ever been to Spioen Kop? I have. Whilst it was a pretty dramatic defeat, it was also a very near run thing. Had the magnificent Thorneycroft just been able to decide to stay on the summit overnight he would have been master of the field at dawn the next day. As it was both sides withdrew and the Boers were first back up.

If you want 'Hell in a very small place' though, I think it may take the biscuit. It also has my favourite quote of the Boer War, as Thorneycroft (20 stone "including binoculars and map case") was rallying troops about to surrender to the Burghers: "Take your men back to hell Sir! I command here and I allow no surrender!"

**llech** · 02-02-2010, 21:11

Twas mentioned before but found an old book on the subject Beda Fomm, blurb on the back of the book says :-

For a loss of only 500 dead, 55 missing and 1,373 wounded they advanced 500 miles in two months, destroyed an army of ten divisions and captured more than 130,000 prisoners, 180 medium and over 200 light tanks and 845 guns. ' Ithink this may be termed a complete victory...'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Compass

**dog_eatin_ot_chips** · 02-02-2010, 21:26

Originally Posted by seaweed

'Saving the Guns at Maiwand':

I cant access the link, but I`d be suprised if Maiwand was not included in the list.

**cdo_gunner** · 02-02-2010, 21:41

Overshadowed by having our arrses handed to us in France and the low countries. The Norwegian debacle of 1940 was also a good example of a right royal cluster f**k, much of it of our own making too.

See Gallipoli hasn't been mentioned either, now that really was a sorry mess.

**Dumb1** · 02-02-2010, 22:34

No NI.......All fought away from home.... what makes me worry that the next one?

**Spanny** · 02-02-2010, 22:53

Originally Posted by cdo_gunner

Overshadowed by having our arrses handed to us in France and the low countries. The Norwegian debacle of 1940 was also a good example of a right royal cluster f**k, much of it of our own making too.

See Gallipoli hasn't been mentioned either, now that really was a sorry mess.

I'm actually shocked no one thought of Gallipoli until you mentioned it