Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Greatest white elephants of military history

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #46
    Originally posted by American Empire View Post
    The Soviet T-35:
    In the same vein :

    FCM 2C :



    FCM F1 :

    Comment


    • #47
      Originally posted by Shipwreck View Post
      In the same vein :

      FCM 2C :

      FCM F1 :
      Those look French. Were those French? I'm trying real hard to hold back on a French joke right about now.
      "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

      Comment


      • #48
        Originally posted by gunnut View Post
        Those look French. Were those French?
        If it quacks like a duck...

        Originally posted by gunnut View Post
        I'm trying real hard to hold back on a French joke right about now.
        Don't hold back, let it go.

        Comment


        • #49
          Originally posted by gunnut View Post
          Those look French. Were those French? I'm trying real hard to hold back on a French joke right about now.
          Wots the matter ..a frog in your throat??:))

          Comment


          • #50
            Originally posted by Shipwreck View Post
            In the same vein :

            FCM 2C :



            FCM F1 :

            Ah, formidable, magnifique!
            Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

            Comment


            • #51
              Originally posted by gunnut View Post
              Those look French. Were those French? I'm trying real hard to hold back on a French joke right about now.
              Hop on forra ride , and this tank only goes at a snails pace :)

              Comment


              • #52
                In its defense the Char 2C was devloped for a specific kind of foght and would have prevailed in that fight being imune to anything the Germans had short of heavy artillery. Its armor should have been heavy enough at least from the front to stop 75mm HE rounds. Its great weight is a product of its leangth and armor. The leangth of the tank meant it could crawl across no-mans land as good as or better than the British rhomboids. The slow pace meant it also could not outpace its infantry. If you need to go 1000 yrds over shellhole hell and break into an enemy trench works with WW1 era technology the Char 2C is about as good as it gets. Had the war gone into 1919 or 1920 the Char 2C would probalby have outperformed the similar sized (dimensions) but much lighter Mk VIII Liberty tanks. It was also a damn sight better than the Schnieder(sp?) tank.

                Comment


                • #53
                  I know I'll probably get gutted for saying this, but the DDX Zumwalt. The cost overruns make it ridiculously overpriced, even if it does live up to everything that the designers and Navy promises it will do. It's so bad that it's only having a production run of two ships. I hope that so its technology will find its way onto future Arleigh Burkes, though.

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Han Wudi is credited with driving the Xiong Nu off their land. troung [sic] claims that Han Wudi's expeditions were a failure, but he didn't cite sources for his assertation, which is contrary to the received wisdom.
                    Perilous Frontiers by Barfield takes them apart, his actions were hugely unpopular at the time in court and failed to defeat the nomads. Wasted money and lives all for having the Xiongnu back on the attack before Wudi died.

                    The Great Wall is questionable. It failed the against the Mongols, but the sections around Beijing successfully held off the Manchus, see Battle of Ningyuan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . The Manchus only got into China once the Ming Dynasty fell to peasant rebels; the Ming general in charge of Shanhai gate got pissed off because the rebels seized his concubine so he decided to let the Manchus deal with the rebels.
                    Which is why the Manchus had raided south of the wall for years before hand.
                    Last edited by troung; 23 Jul 08,, 19:15.
                    To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      My vote goes for the abortive M247 Sgt. York DIVAD; how the US was unable to sucessfully design and build a self-propelled anti-aircraft platform, when the Soviets had already had the successful ZSU-23/4 in operation for 20 years, defies understanding.
                      "There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, you're not there any more." -Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge

                      Comment


                      • #56
                        Originally posted by Stitch View Post
                        My vote goes for the abortive M247 Sgt. York DIVAD; how the US was unable to sucessfully design and build a self-propelled anti-aircraft platform, when the Soviets had already had the successful ZSU-23/4 in operation for 20 years, defies understanding.
                        It was a political decision. 20-20 had a segment on it in contest with another company's design. The other design had 3D Radar tracking and used 32mm cannons. It shot down about 85% of the targets it engaged going from helicopters to jet airplanes.

                        The Sergeant York was supposedly picked because it had better guns (40mm) but it could only score 50% kills if that much. In a public demonstration, with an untrained civilian gunner, it scored a perfect ZERO.

                        Another case where certain people in high political positions can order the military to buy junk in return for political favors.
                        Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

                        Comment


                        • #57
                          The Sgt York also had commonality of parts with the Patton family and would have come with a huge supply of ready to use parts as National Guard M48 units were upgunned to M60's and M1's. The Bofors 40mm were also widely respected having been on the Duster until it was replaced by the Vulcan carrying M113.

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Originally posted by Shipwreck View Post
                            Don't hold back, let it go.
                            Originally posted by dave lukins View Post
                            Wots the matter ..a frog in your throat??:))
                            Originally posted by tankie View Post
                            Hop on forra ride , and this tank only goes at a snails pace :)
                            By popular demand:
                            Attached Files
                            "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Originally posted by zraver View Post
                              The Bofors 40mm were also widely respected having been on the Duster until it was replaced by the Vulcan carrying M113.
                              The Bofors 40mm used on Duster and the Bofors 40mm used on Sgt. York were NOT the same guns : the former had the L56/60, the latter had the L70.

                              They DON'T shoot the same ammo : the L56/60 uses the 40mm x 311R (rim diameter = 61.8mm; body diameter = 55.8mm), the L70 uses the 40mm x 364R (rim diameter = 65.0mm; body diameter = 57.9mm).
                              Last edited by Shipwreck; 24 Jul 08,, 10:10.

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                The other guns that Rusty mentions - were they 35mm. as in Oerlikon 35mm.? The guns on Gepard SPAAG are still considered as top of the line .
                                If i only was so smart yesterday as my wife is today

                                Minding your own biz is great virtue, but situation awareness saves lives - Dok

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X