Question of the Hour

[larry Strong]

Regretably  I do not own the work dress example, though I am always looking.

 

[geo]

hehe.....the "career Corporal"
haven't seen any of those in 30 some years.

 

[armchair]

Early in the war, when France was a major combatant, they did not appear to have their own anti-tank rifle. Perhaps Italy as well? 

The US does not appear to have its own dedicated anti tank rifle in WW2, but they do appear to have some doctrine contemplating the use of the .50cal in the anti armour role- perhaps with special rounds?


Your Right about the U.S.Army they were going rely on there M2 .50 cal machine gun with armor piecing rounds
The Italians used th 2cm Panzerbuchse S 18-1000 as well as other German anti-tank rifles.
Can not find any thing on the French army before 1940. But the Free France in the Western desert many have used the Boys
As they were supply by the British.

 

[armchair]

How did I do on the uniform?

 

[armchair]

Okay then, next question.

In which battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry did the following incident occur:

On an occasion when an entire formation was ordered to parade in full kit, individuals of several units refused to muster, including an entire  company of the PPCLI.  The event was actually labelled a "mutiny" in some quarters and the company commander was relieved.  In which battalion did this take place?



Well I could find the answer to question but there regmental song do?

The Princess Pat's Battalion
They sailed across the Herring Pond,
They sailed across the Channel too,
And landed there with the Ric-A-Dam-Doo
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.
The Bombers of the Princess Pat's
Are scared of naught, excepting rats,
They're full of pep and dynamite too,
They'd never lose the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.
Old Hammy Gault, our first PP,
He led this band across the sea,
He'd lose an arm, or leg or two
Before he'd lose the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.
And then we came to Sicily.
We leapt ashore with vim and glee.
The Colonel said the Wops are through
Let's chase the Hun with the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.
The Ric-A-Dam-Doo, pray what is that?
'Twas made at home by Princess Pat,
It's Red and Gold and Royal Blue,
That's what we call the Ric-A-Dam-Doo,
Dam-Doo, Dam-Doo.

 

[reccecrewman]

MD, I'd have to say the 1st Battalion. This incident occured at the end of WWI.  Members of the PPCLI were getting antsy to get home and there was much boozing and recklessness going on and they were ordered to march with full kit from one ville in France (names escape me now) to another.  When they arrived, there were no billets available to them, so it was decided to march on.  Several men said "#@!* it, we're staying here" and the rest of the Battalion carried on. Pte. Knight (one of the mutineers) got them to go to the ville the rest of the Battalion was at and a CSM came running up the street telling them to go back because they were going to be shot.  The men were so hungry and exhausted they didn't care and went into billets for the night.  Next day, Hammie Gault himself ordered the Battalion to kit up and they went on a 20 mi. route march for no reason whatsoever.  They all did so and the mutiny was over.  This incident had it gone any further could have prevented the PPCLI from being perpetuated into a Reg Force Battalion.

 

[reccecrewman]

The mutiny began 13 Dec. 1918 at Nivelles. The men were angry at having been made to undertake a 2 day route march under full pack with no information about their destination. On the afternoon of 14 Dec. BGen. Clark ordered the Patricias to march north to Genval.  As many as half the Battalion stayed in Nivelles, refusing to march any further.  The remainder decided to follow the Battalion and arrived at Genval at about 2100, then the CSM came running down the street............. see my above post.

 

[reccecrewman]

What is the only Regiment & Battalion to ever receive a new colours in an operational theatre? Where did the ceremony take place?

 

[dangerboy]

3 PPCLI  received new colours on OP Harmony in Croatia in 1993. The parade took place in Pakrac.  I do not have a source, just my memory. I was on the parade in B Coy's guard.

 

[larry Strong]

The Awards ceremony and changing of the Colors took place at Pakrac Hospital in Feb of 1993(what was left of it), an was attended by Lady Patricia.

Top: Awaiting the arrival of

Bottom: The arrival of Lady Patricia.

I have more photo's of the ceremony if anyone is interested. I was driving Capt Rechner around at the time and missed the parade.....damn...... ;D

 

[geo]

What is the only Regiment & Battalion to ever receive a new colours in an operational theatre? Where did the ceremony take place?

Have doubts that they are the only ones......
Royal Montreal Regiment were presented a new stand of colours in Germany at the end of WW1 and in Holland at the end of WW2

 

[armchair]

Janacek was Czech gun designer who escaped at the time of the German occupation.What gun system did work on?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

The mutiny began 13 Dec. 1918 at Nivelles. The men were angry at having been made to undertake a 2 day route march under full pack with no information about their destination. On the afternoon of 14 Dec. BGen. Clark ordered the Patricias to march north to Genval.  As many as half the Battalion stayed in Nivelles, refusing to march any further.  The remainder decided to follow the Battalion and arrived at Genval at about 2100, then the CSM came running down the street............. see my above post.

Technically I'd call them the "CEF" Battalion, but I guess if the 1st pepetuates them...

Good answer.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

What is the only Regiment & Battalion to ever receive a new colours in an operational theatre? Where did the ceremony take place?

The South Saskatchewan Regiment was awarded new colours in the UK, which was considered "overseas" for the Canadian Army - hell, you got the Defence Medal for being there....

 

[larry Strong]

Janacek was Czech gun designer who escaped at the time of the German occupation.What gun system did work on?

....In late 1940 - a similar idea had been forwarded by a Mr Janacek, a Czechoslovakian weapons designer working in England......The British version was in the form of a taper-bore adapter to be fitted to the existing 2-pounder gun, together with a special tungsten-core shot, known under the code name "Littlejohn" an Anglicised version of Janacek....The Littlejohn attachment and it's shot were not used in towed artillery, since by the time they were ready for service the AT units were equipped with the 6-pounder, but it was used on 2-pounder and US 37mm guns in Armoured Cars......


Source:
Weapons and War Machines.
Andrew Kershaw and Ian Close.
Phobeous Publishing Company

 

[armchair]

Kromuskit was the name given to the American recoilless guns developed during WWII. It was made in 57mm and 75mm
Designed by William J. Kroger and C.Walton Musser both employed by Frankford Arsenal.
What is the Canadian connection to this gun system

 

[Cloud Cover]

I'd agree with you Micheal - It was the Germans whose flamethrowers were used exclusively by Engineers. 

Scroll down to para 5.

http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/portft/index.html

Sorry for the delay. According to Alan Clark in Barbarossa, German army flamethrower operators were reclassified to engineer 1st class after the invasion of Russia in 1941 - after the German army discovered how captured flamethrower operators were put to death by the Russians. The obvious benefits would be 1) increased pay for increased risk and 2) a notation in a pay book of engineer 1st class was sufficiently amorphous to perhaps stave off certain death shortly [but not immediately] after capture.

 

 

[redleafjumper]

Kromuskit?  Are these the recoiless rifles, some of which, those with "C" serial numbers, were made by Firestone in Canada?

 

[armchair]

Kromuskit?  Are these the recoiless rifles, some of which, those with "C" serial numbers, were made by Firestone in Canada?

The source I have give Dominion Engineering Works of Canada building 1,238 57mm recoilless guns,
as there was no production facilities available in the USA.

 

[redleafjumper]

Thanks armchair, what is the source for the manufacturer of those recoiless rifles?  I remember reading somewhere that it was Firestone, but the aluminum in the old mess tins is helping me forget where!

Here is another question:

In WW2, a device called "porpoise" played a small part in winning the war.  What was porpoise?