Landships II

vad26 · Captain

It can be interesting...

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Western Front 1918.
"Souvenir of the offensive Bapaume, August 1918, Somme area until stand-still.
Souvenir of the offensive Ardeuil, 6th July 1918, Flanders."

-- Edited by mad zeppelin at 18:36, 2007-06-04

James H · Legend

Waffenstillstand = armistice

Centurion · Legend

Have I missed something? what on earth is this thread about? or is it the forum�version of Mornington Crescent?

James H · Legend

In that case . . . . . Reginald Maudling.

I think that, since Vad is in Ukraine and English is not his mother tongue, he probably meant to entitle his post something like "This might be of interest."

I don't know how many of our non-UK memebers are familiar with the board game in question. A friend of mine was asked by one of his customers to explain the game and why it's funny. The inquisitive client was German. You can imagine what that conversation was like.

And now, cricket . . . .

Mark Hansen · Legend

I had never heard of Mornington Crescent (the game) before.

Don't start mentioning cricket! There are still civilised races in the galaxy that won't talk to us because of that.

Centurion · Legend

Ah I see now it is Mornington Crescent - using Adelaide rules with the Pinke-Brassington variation (allowing double stoppages on scores below the line).

No what I still don't see is what Vad's original posting with the single word "revers" means (unless there is a link I can't see) and therefore the replies meant nothing either - still in the dark.

BTW Mark does your reply suggest that there are uncivilised races in the galaxy that will talk to you? - reminds me of an unfortunate phrase used by at least one US senator and one president on different occasions "America and the civilised world".

-- Edited by Centurion at 13:06, 2007-06-05

Mark Hansen · Legend

Centurion wrote:

...No what I still don't see is what Vad's original posting with the single word "revers" means (unless there is a link I can't see) and therefore the replies meant nothing either - still in the dark.

BTW Mark does your reply suggest that there are uncivilised races in the galaxy that will talk to you? - reminds me of an unfortunate phrase used by at least one US senator and one president on different occasions "America and the civilised world".

-- Edited by Centurion at 13:06, 2007-06-05

The "revers" I think refers to the image below and is the reverse of the card above it.

The "civilised races" was a reference to Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, book 3. The game of cricket is actually supposed to be a corruption of the tactics used by the Krikkit war robots (not sure of the spelling).

Centurion · Legend

Thanks now I (dont) see it - there is no image in Vad's posting at it appears� when I look at it - hence the complete mystification! - I wonder if this is another AOL problem? Anyone else out there who can't see the image?

�Cricket context now understood (I'd thought you were reduced to discussing poetry with the Vogons biggrin

)

Mark Hansen · Legend

I think the missing image problem�must be�an AOL problem, as I can see them just fine.

jellytwig · Lieutenant

Don't think it's an AOL problem. I'm using AOL and can also see the images.

Centurion · Legend

So why the balnk blank bleep can't I? There isn't even a little red cross tent in fact nothing to show that there should be an image.

James H · Legend

I believe that, as a security measure, the Russians printed these photographs in invisible ink.

vad26 · Captain

I apologize for my English...

"James H" it is absolutely right:
- " I think that, since Vad is in Ukraine and English is not his mother tongue, he probably meant to entitle his post something like " This might be of interest..."

But the autotranslator has offered "It can be interesting...". If it is wrong, excuse, but in translation on Russian these phrases have practically one sense.

Mark Hansen · Legend

vad26 wrote:

I apologize for my English...

"James H" it is absolutely right:
- " I think that, since Vad is in Ukraine and English is not his mother tongue, he probably meant to entitle his post something like " This might be of interest..."

But the autotranslator has offered "It can be interesting...". If it is wrong, excuse, but in translation on Russian these phrases have practically one sense.

No need to apologise Vad. You speak better English than I do Russian.

Centurion · Legend

Vad I wasn't in any way criticising your English

Just to satisfy my curiosity could you post that image again ? Perhaps it'll show up for me this time.

vad26 · Captain

http://foto.radikal.ru/(It is Russian-speaking service) :

It - with previewing.

full image

http://s.foto.radikal.ru/0706/c5/40ca8d7896fb.jpg
RRGun

-- Edited by vad26 at 12:55, 2007-06-06

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Not Waffenstillstand (armistice) but Stillstand (stand-still). It refers to the German March offensive (hence Bapaume), only the date is a little bit off-mark. The original text is "bis nicht weiter", but that's no correct German, so I translated it as stand-still.

-- Edited by mad zeppelin at 20:00, 2007-06-06

James H · Legend

Sorry. I see what you mean.�I can't read the writing on the document Vad posted, but it makes sense now. Bis nicht weiter - until no further -sounds OK to me. Isn't it correct?

I've enhanced the image, and I don't think that says Bapaume. It looks like Lorbonne 4 Angriff or something, and the date doesn't tie in. What do you think the original German says?

-- Edited by James H at 23:44, 2007-06-06

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

It actually says "Babome" which how a German might spell it if he doesn't speak French.

James H · Legend

Ah! Of course. French with a German accent. "Ouffrey ou che gasse la borte!" - Prussian soldier as quoted by Guy de Maupassant.

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Must have been a Saxon soldier...

Paul · Sergeant

No jokes 'bout the brave saxons. A bavarian solider won't even speak a better French.

I can't also read this card clearly.�It's too tiny and the red "Original" does not even help to read it. Maybe, Vad, you can post a larger picture.

The man who has written this card was either in a hurry or an illiterate.

MZ is right with his translation, except one little detail.

I guess: "Ein Andenken von der Offensive.
�� Babome 4 August 1918.
�� Somme Gebied.
��bin(?) noch weiter!
�� Ein Andenken von der Offensive.
�� Ardeul (?) 6 Juli 1918.
�� Fla(e?)ndern."

Translation: "A memory of the offensive. [Date/Place] Somme�area.[The solider has written "Gebied" but it's written with a "t" at the end!]�I'm just further!�["nicht weiter" is'nt possible, because there is no "t" at the end of "nicht"]�A memory of the offensive. [Date/Place].�Flandern.[But written�with an added "e"= Flaendern."
I think the an has taken this card around and wrote�first at 06.06.1918 and then at 04.08.1918 on it.�
��

-- Edited by Paul at 13:04, 2007-06-07

vad26 · Captain

"...Maybe, Vad, you can post a larger picture..."

I can not. I "have stolen" this photo.
But there are "links":
http: // www.areeversand.de/ebay_jh/april/1546.jpg
http: // www.areeversand.de/ebay_jh/april/1547.jpg

James H · Legend

Paul wrote:
I can't also read this card clearly.�It's too tiny and the red "Original" does not even help to read it. Maybe, Vad, you can post a larger picture.

The man who has written this card was either in a hurry or an illiterate.

MZ is right with his translation, except one little detail.

I guess: "Ein Andenken von der Offensive.
�� Babome 4 August 1918.
�� Somme Gebied.
��bin(?) noch weiter!
�� Ein Andenken von der Offensive.
�� Ardeul (?) 6 Juli 1918.
�� Fla(e?)ndern."

I've been struggling with this as well. Paul seems to be right; the writer can't have been very literate. I thought the B looked like an L, but now�Bapaume� makes sense. Unfortunately,�the only Ardeuil (full name Ardeuil-et-Montfauxelles) isn't in Flanders. It's in France, between Reims and Verdun. (it's significant for other reasons - black American troops distinguished themselves there in 1918.) However, there is a place in Flanders called Ardooie, about 50km north-east of Ypres. Perhaps if this man was guessing at spelling, he was at Ardooie in July. There is still a German cemetery there.

Does this sound likely?

Paul · Sergeant

Possible, James, that sounds right. But another explanation could be, that the smaller handwriting (Somme and Flandern)�came not from the same person. Maybe the addressee has noted the area that he thought, the places are.

James H · Legend

Mad Zeppelin has made�the interesting suggestion that Flanders used to take in a large part of France, so the writer might have considered himself still in Flanders. However, Ardeuil is in Meuse-Argonne and according to this map mediaeval Flanders didn't extend so far south.

-- Edited by James H at 17:40, 2007-06-07

mad zeppelin · Commander in Chief

Definitely something different, this area was known as "Lause-Champagne" to the Germans, no way of mixing up with Flanders.
But even when considering that "Ardeul" may be phonetic like "Babome" it doesn't become clear.

vad26 · Captain

http://www.brasce.de/bilder/R10/R10-505.jpg

-- Edited by vad26 at 09:31, 2007-07-03

James H · Legend

It seems a long time since we discussed this, but here's a little surprise.

Ardooie, Belgium,�is also known as Ardoye. And there were German troops stationed there in 1918.

One of them did some drawings of the village while he was there. It was his hobby. His name was Corporal Hitler.

http://www.hitlerpages.com/pagina32.html