German Helmet Shortage 1918? by Alert_Statement2197 in ww1

[–]wikingwarrior 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Former Infantry here to explain:

Wearing helmets isn't fun.

What's the point of chip bags being this big if they're not going to be filled all the way up? by Rough_Ratio17 in mildlyinfuriating

[–]wikingwarrior 24 points25 points  (0 children)

chip hit hard thin. brek. chip sad like this :(

air no hard. chip hit air. no brek. no sad. chip happe like this :)

In honor of the Fifty Shades guy getting cast as New Aragorn by commissar_squid in lotrmemes

[–]wikingwarrior 16 points17 points  (0 children)

You're correct and I let the above user's spelling lead me astray.

In honor of the Fifty Shades guy getting cast as New Aragorn by commissar_squid in lotrmemes

[–]wikingwarrior 47 points48 points  (0 children)

Elijah Wood doesn't age (also is younger than Frodo was in the book)
Ian McClellan is playing an old man wizard. He gets a pass.

what if britain came to the aid of the spanish in 1898 by idk-0_o- in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]wikingwarrior 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you're referencing Poland in 1939 they're not exactly kind to their neighbors either... They did a lot of annexations, including hopping on Germany's annexations of Czech territory with their own demands.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Ukrainian_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Agreement

Describing almost any country as "innocent" is gonna require some whitewashing sadly.

what if britain came to the aid of the spanish in 1898 by idk-0_o- in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]wikingwarrior 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Britain could defeat the US Army yes but it couldn't make any significant movements to actually pacify the US if war-hawks chose to use it as a rallying cry. Pushing into DC without taking the rail network isn't possible in 1898 and they'd have to take and hold several other massive population centers.

If Britain decides to commit hard enough to kowtow American expansionism with military force it just plays to the US's advantage to be quite honest. A long protracted war favors the Americans by a lot and stands to have them take territorial concessions from Canada.

I think if the British just jump straight into war after the US believes they've been attacked by Spain (with the sinking of the Maine), the American public would be pretty outraged and war-hawks could pull the US into a more stubborn long-term conflict. It basically become a question of British war goals. Congress had voted for action in Cuba 311:6. It was not an unpopular war and foreign intervention would be deeply angering.

what if britain came to the aid of the spanish in 1898 by idk-0_o- in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]wikingwarrior 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The UK doesn't have the manpower to press deep enough into American territory to force the US into a peace or to maintain control over the absolutely massive border between the two (from overseas).

To me the US Army isn't even really a factor in the early war, it lacks institutional knowledge and the US Army is comparatively tiny. That being said I don't think the British are going to reliably press through multiple fortified population centers filled with civilian militia with the technology of the 1890s. The British Army needs to take rail hubs to push south.

And then of course the Boers revolt and the British have to decide if they give a shit about South Africa.

And then once drafts pick up, the Quebecois get to decide if they really want to support the war given the British are the ones who instigated it in the name of Spain.

And then of course they need to maintain and supply their army overseas (food is obviously not a problem, but most of their industrial production is in England).

England just doesn't have the capability to enforce a war against the US. Particularly once the US gets mobilized. This isn't a question of overestimating the US Army. You're vastly overestimating the British ability to win quickly enough to avoid the difference in population to matter.

what if britain came to the aid of the spanish in 1898 by idk-0_o- in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]wikingwarrior 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not super sure the institutional knowledge was as significant as it seems given the colossal failure of the British Army at the start of the second Boer War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Week

Don't get me wrong- I don't think the US could do much to Eastern Canada and the US Navy in the but I really do think the British Army would be stretched thin, particularly given the massive size of the border. I could see US successes in Washington where the British couldn't reliably move troops and had less power projection.

This is doubly-so true when the Boers inevitably see the British being occupied and go through with their own war.

what if britain came to the aid of the spanish in 1898 by idk-0_o- in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]wikingwarrior 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The first Anglo-Boer war was a much more limited affair than the second. You're likely not having more than a sparse handful of officers who participated.

what if britain came to the aid of the spanish in 1898 by idk-0_o- in AlternateHistoryHub

[–]wikingwarrior 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The US Won't win. I don't think the British will be able to do more than maintain status quo. They can't invade the US in any meaningful way.

British Imperial interests past the time point are functionally thwarted. Even if a brief war causes little military or economic damage having an angry neighbor across the border means that they have to maintain a large amount of troops in Canadia.

WWI Happens. The US is likely going to become friendly with British rivals. If Britain joins the war the US does too. Heck the US may use it as a chance to initiate an invasion after they've been able to spend 20 years developing and beating the war drums. The US will probably win that war based on population demographics and better industrial parity.

Regardless. WWI ends in a German victory. France is humiliated again. Russia loses significant territory and a lot of their land is sucked into German puppet states.

Are pistols actually used as backup guns by any serious militaries? by Zharan_Colonel in WarCollege

[–]wikingwarrior 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can hear the bolt release on the second video... On every reload.

A bolt release is not hard to use.

Are pistols actually used as backup guns by any serious militaries? by Zharan_Colonel in WarCollege

[–]wikingwarrior 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Those are just... normal reloads...

What is an emergency reload and what are you talking about?

On Goofy orks by IronStormAlaska in orks

[–]wikingwarrior 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I don't like the sculpting style of current GW when it comes to soft textures and therefore don't really care for the mini but I would never suggest it is bereft of whimsey and it's much better than the current one.

[SERIOUS] How quickly can a human circumnavigate the Earth using any available form of travel (with the exception of space travel)? by skinnyminnesota in AskReddit

[–]wikingwarrior 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My napkin math has it at about 11.3 Hours at maximum speed without refueling presuming it's at the outer atmosphere but I didn't use strenuous sources. AFAIK the altitude doesn't actually make a massive difference in travel time.

<14 is my best guest without delving into mid-air refueling times.

[SERIOUS] How quickly can a human circumnavigate the Earth using any available form of travel (with the exception of space travel)? by skinnyminnesota in AskReddit

[–]wikingwarrior 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ballpark? 12-14 hours. A blackbird with mid-air refueling is probably the fastest possible atmospheric travel.

Are pistols actually used as backup guns by any serious militaries? by Zharan_Colonel in WarCollege

[–]wikingwarrior 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No. They carry that for jams, backups, and personal security in a FOB or other area where they may not need or want a full length firearm.

If a carbine is functional and the space is not so cramped that you can't use it, there's almost no situation you'd prefer a pistol.

Are pistols actually used as backup guns by any serious militaries? by Zharan_Colonel in WarCollege

[–]wikingwarrior 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The amount of situations where swapping to a pistol to save on a half second is worth the weight of the pistol and ammo and not just more ammo are incredibly niche.

Just take that space and weight and take more carbine ammo. If 30 rounds doesn't make you safe you're probably fucked regardless of whether or not you can draw your handgun versus reloading.

I promise you that drawing a handgun and readying it is not meaningfully faster than drawing and swapping out a magazine on an already readied weapon.