Well, that and the fact that for several centuries is was the one of the few socially acceptable special interests for autistic men to obsess over…
Pro-tip - as one of said autistic men who knows an awful lot about senior Allied figures and generals (Monty was absolutely one of us) the Italian Invasion of Ethiopia was interesting but the British liberation of it was arguably just as much so. If you aren’t already familiar with him, Orde Wingate is definitely going to become your favourite WW2 figure and is excellent fodder for this stack
Pleasure to be of service sir 🫡 Happy to supply large amounts of inspiration for posts on the endless bitching and incompetence between Allied commanders on demand, given any opportunity to talk about this stuff is pretty much what would make mine.
C’mon though, you can’t just be name dropping Bagdolio and Graziani without giving us who your favourite WW2 generals are…? 😉
I mean, he doesn't even need to read history: Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine is RIGHT THERE, going on year five, a million Russian casualties and counting. It's a pretty good example of what happens when Plan A is "Oh they'll collapse quickly, don't worry about it" and then there is no real Plan B.
Of course, this is the same man who seemingly takes it at face value when Putin tells him Russia is "winning" this war, so maybe it's no use.
Trump didn’t have to read thousand-page histories of the War of Jenkins' Ear to gain the wisdom to avoid this Iranian clusterfuck. All he had to do was reread his speeches from the last ten years. You know, the ones where he laid into his predecessors for getting involved in “stupid” wars. (Of course, that assumes that Trump is consistent and truthful in word and deed, which real estate guys with strings of bankruptcies tend not to be.)
Shoutout to the best WWII podcast, “We have ways of making you talk”.
If you’ve ever listened to The Rest Is History and thought, “This would be better is every episode was about WWII” then this is the podcast for you. In fact, one of the hosts is the brother of one of the Rest Is History hosts
Jeff, can you please do something about your British computer voice please please 🙏? I've heard other computer voices on other Substacks so it's not like you're stuck with a system wide choice. And she's not even the Brit voice we voted for! That lady makes your jokes sound unfunny. Her timing and rushed delivery are all wrong for comedy. If you're one of those bosses who dreads firing people, can you at least talk to her about "doing the work" to get better PLEASE? It would be most appreciated!
Thanks! 😊 I heard a British voice on another Substack (can't remember whose) and he was better. "Letters From An American" has a great U.S. voice. Very clear and saves me from Heather Cox Richardsons's Elizabeth Warren like nagging voice. Her writing is great, lots of politics and history but the voice, nah. Thanks again!
Well, that and the fact that for several centuries is was the one of the few socially acceptable special interests for autistic men to obsess over…
Pro-tip - as one of said autistic men who knows an awful lot about senior Allied figures and generals (Monty was absolutely one of us) the Italian Invasion of Ethiopia was interesting but the British liberation of it was arguably just as much so. If you aren’t already familiar with him, Orde Wingate is definitely going to become your favourite WW2 figure and is excellent fodder for this stack
You, sir, just made my weekend.
Pleasure to be of service sir 🫡 Happy to supply large amounts of inspiration for posts on the endless bitching and incompetence between Allied commanders on demand, given any opportunity to talk about this stuff is pretty much what would make mine.
C’mon though, you can’t just be name dropping Bagdolio and Graziani without giving us who your favourite WW2 generals are…? 😉
If you want to turn this thread into a discussion of WWII generals I will happily assist you in the endeavor.
I mean, he doesn't even need to read history: Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine is RIGHT THERE, going on year five, a million Russian casualties and counting. It's a pretty good example of what happens when Plan A is "Oh they'll collapse quickly, don't worry about it" and then there is no real Plan B.
Of course, this is the same man who seemingly takes it at face value when Putin tells him Russia is "winning" this war, so maybe it's no use.
You listed Britain in Afghanistan once. They should be listed 3x
I just started reading Misha Glenny's tome on The Balkans. I didn't realize it was actually my biological clock what made me do it.
“…we went from Ayatollah H.W. Khamenei to Ayatollah W. Khamenei…” absolutely sent me!
I’m starting to get into history books.. and I’m 31. Oh god. Am I already hitting middle age?
Trump didn’t have to read thousand-page histories of the War of Jenkins' Ear to gain the wisdom to avoid this Iranian clusterfuck. All he had to do was reread his speeches from the last ten years. You know, the ones where he laid into his predecessors for getting involved in “stupid” wars. (Of course, that assumes that Trump is consistent and truthful in word and deed, which real estate guys with strings of bankruptcies tend not to be.)
In fairness, listening to Trump speak is insufferable and I can’t blame him for not wanting to do that.
Shoutout to the best WWII podcast, “We have ways of making you talk”.
If you’ve ever listened to The Rest Is History and thought, “This would be better is every episode was about WWII” then this is the podcast for you. In fact, one of the hosts is the brother of one of the Rest Is History hosts
Thanks for the suggestion RMIII.....
Dear Jeff,
In the history of IMBW, this is one of the better chapters.
Love,
Dad
Not me
A good well written SciFi is my cup of tea.
General Curtis LeMay was always as cranky as he looked.
The only thing that made him smile was "bombing enemies back to the Stone Age."
Jeff, can you please do something about your British computer voice please please 🙏? I've heard other computer voices on other Substacks so it's not like you're stuck with a system wide choice. And she's not even the Brit voice we voted for! That lady makes your jokes sound unfunny. Her timing and rushed delivery are all wrong for comedy. If you're one of those bosses who dreads firing people, can you at least talk to her about "doing the work" to get better PLEASE? It would be most appreciated!
Sure, I’ll look into this — let me see if I can change it to the British guy who was the people’s choice. (Not sure why it changed in the first place)
Thanks! 😊 I heard a British voice on another Substack (can't remember whose) and he was better. "Letters From An American" has a great U.S. voice. Very clear and saves me from Heather Cox Richardsons's Elizabeth Warren like nagging voice. Her writing is great, lots of politics and history but the voice, nah. Thanks again!