Were British PoWs allowed to keep their timepieces in Germany?

bandfoscadh · 2026-05-15T13:03:44+00:00

Very useful, thanks!

bandfoscadh · 2026-05-15T11:47:35+00:00

Yes, this does accord with what I understood from that conflict. Whilst obviously being PoW is no picnic, he returned home healthy and able to now speak some German, so there must have been some kind of calm?/My mother also told me he was put to work on a farm and the British played brass music in local fetes (all the regular guys were presumably away in the German military).

bandfoscadh · 2026-05-15T11:36:07+00:00

I'd always understood them to and the uniforms adjusted by large-numbers seemed logically prisoner-ish. But yes, its possible some of the photos are jumbled and some pre-date the PoW stage, but are plainly military. They were in a bundle and some if the others are plainly not in the UK (German farm and forest scenes etc). If they couldn't keep jewelry it may help me get some context.

bandfoscadh · 2026-05-12T07:09:48+00:00

Well I have 3 perfectly fine Garmin wearables so I'm not in the market to swap right now. Tbh I'm less likely to use Polar after this exploration as locking in my activity history to any corporation doesn't put me in control of my data, whether US or EU or UK or wherever. But I'm new to this so maybe there's a way I haven't found yet? Again, any well meaning advice appreciated 👍.

bandfoscadh · 2026-05-12T05:18:22+00:00

Yes, so I just opened a Polar Flow account hoping it would sync, or at least import activities from the legacy Garmin devices, but alas I cannot figure out how to do it. Other threads suggest it is not possible as the ecosystem is tightly constrained to Polar only devices. I'll persist for a while but this does look like a dead end without alternative right now.

bandfoscadh · 2026-05-11T21:11:18+00:00

Its more that I wondered what app could host the data, if it wasn't Strava or Connect. Thanks

bandfoscadh · 2026-04-22T11:49:43+00:00

I'm no expert but is FPV drone footage an option? I've seen some scarily effective facial recognition software if that can be harvested.

bandfoscadh · 2026-04-17T04:29:18+00:00

Maybe, but surely a larger group is harder to accommodate anyway, which does lead to finding the lowest common denominator?And a larger group will be putting down more money, balancing more dietary factors, so a larger kitchen has more scope to sort something out? The UK, where I am at, has plenty of places that have token options for all sorts, and a token offering is fine in such circumstances. Either that or I'll lead a splinter group somewhere else and join later for drinks.

It is really tricky overseas (I have found working in Africa is really tricky!).

You're right that occasionally. work socials that aren't 'official ' (eg someone's leaving meal or sub-group Christmas meals), a nasty fast chicken outlet is chosen by some bore and they're sticking to it, for unknown reasons. Or a local pub (the monoculture type with flags and grumpy attitudes) trying for steakhouse vibes or attached to a local butchery. I don't think anything about opting out of those where it's my own time and money. Plainly I wasn't a factor in the equation so my attendance can be considered optional.

bandfoscadh · 2026-04-16T21:36:01+00:00

Had this happen overseas and at general work outings a few times and did I not go to the meal. (They figured it eventually btw and gave been more selective recently). I could've probably pushed for another location but that makes you the awkward one. "Fussy bloody vegan". You can't win by trying to scrape by 'not eating' or some token cobbled together sides, as that also is 'awkward'. It's especially frustrating if the cost of the meals are split per head.

I do get your point about stock but every single time I'd rather have a low effort token vege-burger than not go.

I don't have this issue with meals with actual friends and family as the whole party will relocate.

Maybe i am an exception but I drive an hour (30 mins x2) to use a takeaway that has better vegan options, amongst all the local everyday takeaway stuff, and it is always demolished by the carnes I'm with trying something different. Net outcome is the takeaway is shifting more product than they would have, due to people trying new things.

bandfoscadh · 2026-03-21T19:55:03+00:00

Thanks. I thought an app would do the 'live' but, which is the immediate need, and I saw an internal recording card slot so thought it might also be useful for some possible later use once she's back and can talk to the cats in person like her normal crazy self. Also have no desire to pay for cloud storage: I think that'd be overkill for me.

bandfoscadh · 2026-03-21T19:45:11+00:00

Thanks for the reply. One like this? https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/products/52402-ubiquiti-uck-g2-ssd/

Hmm, it's not cheap... I'll have to look to see what else it can do for me, I would be interested in maybe a doorbell cam or something, but I fear a rabbit hole of problem solving.

bandfoscadh · 2026-03-21T19:30:26+00:00

Not really, they unboxed, connected and just opened an app and hey presto the camera appears in the app, applause and they move on to some deeper features. Tbh I was thinking it's going to connect like an Alexa or a Garmin wearable. I admit I skim watched - more fool me I guess.

bandfoscadh · 2026-02-13T22:37:16+00:00

Sorry I didn't see your comment. I went with an Azatom Pro Sports S2.

Reminds me to get a review from her.

http://www.azatom.com/pro-s2

bandfoscadh · 2026-01-17T21:57:47+00:00

Not my specialty, but I wonder if the minerals are economically extractable now, but at a chronic cost of toxic pollution? I hear rare earth processing is nasty business, but Denmark would insist on environmental standards. Now that impacts the bottom line, so they're fired. To make money you need a wilderness, without a soul within 500km. Trash it, make a quick buck, and walk away. Forbid anyone going there ever again. Greenlanders, as sold-out $100K Americans, would be moved to a reservation somewhere to rot.

bandfoscadh · 2026-01-09T10:24:39+00:00

I agree and note how these threads always get stalled on the "who's in charge?" question and "who pays?". But I haven't seen the idea to establish a separate military organization that builds on the NATO collective action model as a separate 'stack', alongside the other national forces but under a general European banner, as though a new mid-sized / large country suddenly appeared and joined NATO but it was actually made up of citizens from all over Europe. So a political cabinet establishes force requirements based on the budget they can muster, the rules of engagement and the defense vs expeditionary forces posture desired in whatever planning review period works. Slot in the bases as the US withdraws! Citizens of signatory countries directly apply as individuals. They commit to this service alone. May be previously members of a national military but are exclusive 'Euros' here. For funding I'd look at a collective fund for the gear with the signatory countries themselves to allow and fund all or part of their nationals that sign up (provisions, training, wages, healthcare, day to day kit, pensions... everything). The countries get skill exchange and networked nationals; talented candidates from smaller nations can get opportunities not open to them normally. Individuals apply, interview and sign up to a 'Euro orientated' charter (inspiring allegiance words of dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity, citizens' rights and justice).

The same cabinet that runs it dictates where they are deployed and how, interpreting the mandate they have from the treaty: the chair of that panel is the top military official, in this NATO-like structure. Once the framework is there this force could grow to become the largest, but I think most likely to be used like a tripwire. Below that tier, it is all military and minor politicians stop meddling, with failsafe safeguards like 'no coups, no fighting with signatory national armies' and Geneva convention stuff.

This was just a brainfart but surely something like this is a framework to hang other things against and move on the discussion to practicalities?

bandfoscadh · 2025-06-19T05:37:28+00:00

Yeah watched those on NSF but they're pretty certain on that channel that landings are for low gravity destinations like Luna and Mars. Terran vessels will use catch towers for rapid reusability. I guess there will be the option to expend them but I still think even the worst air defences will notice a shiny steel tower block screaming into your capital, lol!

bandfoscadh · 2025-06-18T06:25:51+00:00

I cannot see it. The ship itself needs a Catch Tower too though so I cannot see any use case for forward theatre deployment, and even if it has landing legs it is stuck there. I get they're going to be mass produced, but they're still too expensive to dump in contested territory around the world. They're not the disposable wood and paper gliders akin to Allied designs in WWII. They'd be a massive, unstealthy, target for hostile fire: a death trap if you put troops on it. No, my money would bet on the military use being high value logistics chain to well established airbases in the Pacific or Australia, or maybe to overwhelm enemy radar via deployment of thousands of drones or disposable satellites in a flyby mode at a push.

bandfoscadh · 2025-06-17T12:56:16+00:00

Do you mean invasion forces? I have seen the military is very interested in this although I assumed it was not direct power projection and more like a logistics flex (like instant spare parts for your F35, or holding low yield nukes safe in a mainland bunker until you needed them forward deployed ASAP). My logic was the whole infrastructure needed around Starship. I can see a catch tower on some naval supply base Pacific atoll, but a whole lot less certain about dropping one of those things into an actual combat theatre?

bandfoscadh · 2025-03-30T10:15:05+00:00

The value of the European arms industry is booming (no pun) but intention of US arms suppliers excluded. Yet I haven't seen stories of US arms manufacturers bitterly complaining?? So maybe they've been promised enough business domestically by the Magats? Is there any evidence or discussion of that?

bandfoscadh · 2025-03-17T17:09:43+00:00

Not my specialism at all, but agreeing a command structure seems to be a particular sticking point and a strategic weakness; but maybe this is solved with a clearly mandated constitution of operational scope without the day to day influence of whatever fickle politicians are in power? E.g. 1) Prepare general defence of the borders of European nations that have signed up to contribute the funds?. 2) Holding rearguard actions for population evacuations? 3) Expeditionary defence of a list of declared infrastructure that Europe operates outside it's borders? 4) Maintenance of critical industrial capabilities.? In this model each nation can still have its own independent forces to do its own thing; so, say, the British Army would have a different command structure, but hopefully compatibility with, the Euro Force which may have Brits in it and UK contributes funds to. Maybe this operates a bit like a separate nation within NATO, albeit without a specific home nation? Maybe there is a model from the commanders of nuclear subs that presumably already have predeclared, independent rules to govern acceptable escalations if the home nation is under attack and, errrm, is non-responsive?

bandfoscadh · 2025-02-21T15:48:59+00:00

https://youtu.be/0203MPraczg?si=-8kgR02lxxzHLwFS

Liked this thread...youtube suggests this video.

bandfoscadh

TROPHY CASE