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That looks like it will be good. Plus, its a Spielberg film and he generally makes excellent movies.
We tend to forget how valuable and ubiqiuitous horses were. Hundreds of thousands of them, perhaps up to half a million, died in WWI. Large cities like New York were said to be covered in a golden mist during summer from accumulated dried manure.
We tend to forget how valuable and ubiqiuitous horses were. Hundreds of thousands of them, perhaps up to half a million, died in WWI. Large cities like New York were said to be covered in a golden mist during summer from accumulated dried manure.
Really? I did not know that. Interesting.
There's a 17th century Spanish saying: What one shits in winter one drinks and breathes in summer. Remember, chamber pots as well as horse and other animal droppings littered the streets of Madrid and other large cities throughout Europe. One source I read ca. 1860s said he could smell Berlin ten miles out. Natural pollution as opposed to man made smog and such — the burden of living. :'(
People that complain about chewing gum and soda cans on sidewalks have no idea how literally filthy cities and towns were prior to the middle of the 19th century and the beginnings of public hygiene. We have another thread somewhere on here where we talked about how the Public Hygiene revolution in the 19th century dramatically raised average life expectancy. If you want to get a good idea of what it must have been like, go to any third world country, especially India. People still live in largely the same conditions there today.
During my time living in South America some years ago, it would not be uncommon to see gaping holes in the sidewalks, food roasting on open fires, dogs roaming the streets, and guys peeing on sides of walls. A different experience than what we have in the developed world.
When I was stationed in Germany, 1955-56, it was common to see parents hold infants in front of a building wall so they could pee. We were told not to eat vegetables off base because the Germans used “night soil” to fertilize them.Slightly off topic regarding hygeine. One of the GI's asked an attractive “B” girl ( encouraging guys to buy the drinks but getting only tea or colored water) why she did not shave her legs and under her arms. She replied, “Because God gave me hair.” He replied, “But you tweeze your eyebrows.” She then displayed the classic deer in headlight expression. In Rome, my upper class Italian date arranged by an expatriate cousin of mine had more hair under her arms than I and most of the guys I served with.
Some women were shaved tho … but this is less funnyhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/05/women-victims-d-day-landings-second-world-war
When I was stationed in Germany, 1955-56, it was common to see parents hold infants in front of a building wall so they could pee. We were told not to eat vegetables off base because the Germans used “night soil” to fertilize them.Slightly off topic regarding hygeine. One of the GI's asked an attractive “B” girl ( encouraging guys to buy the drinks but getting only tea or colored water) why she did not shave her legs and under her arms. She replied, “Because God gave me hair.” He replied, “But you tweeze your eyebrows.” She then displayed the classic deer in headlight expression. In Rome, my upper class Italian date arranged by an expatriate cousin of mine had more hair under her arms than I and most of the guys I served with.
That is not the case anymore. American TV has been too influential. Now if you see a European women with unshaved legs or armpits chances are they are either old or some kind of pseudo-hippy. They are also seen as strange by the average German woman.Back to the topic:How many of you are aware that over 2/3 of the Wehrmach relied almost entirely on horse transport? The Nazis mobilized almost 2 million horse during the war and remounts became a serious problem as the war dragged on. This was not so much an issue in WWI because the fronts were so stable. In fact, cavalry duty was desirable in the British army because the cavalry seldom saw combat after opening months of the war until the latter half of 1918.
One source quoted Polish Foreign Minister Colonel Beck in 1937: “If the German want to give us trouble, we'll ride into Berlin with our sabres.” The author added, “Unfortunately, when the Poles rattled sabres they meant exactly that.” The Poles were said to have had the finest cavalry on the eve of WWII, and unless it was doctored, I saw a WWII film showing their cavalry attacking the Panzer unit.
I can't remember the exact source, but I think the Polish cavalry attacking tanks with sabres and lances is a myth. They did field plenty of Horse cavalry though. The problem was not the Poles army in September of 39, it was the Polish leadership. If I remember also, the Germans had horse cavalry attached to their regular infantry units for reconnaissance.
Scout is right and I confirm that Polish cavalry charging panzers is a total myth but a nazi propaganda forgery:The column below repeated a myth of the second world war, fostered by Nazi propagandists, when it said that Polish lancers turned their horses to face Hitler's panzers. There is no evidence that this occurred.History is not bunk. It is a glorious seam of human experience from which leaders can seek guidance on their present conduct. But its parallels are never exact and are easy to distort, while its lessons are quarrelsome. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/01/afghanistan-war-on-terror-history Unsurprisingly such cavalry charges were quite successful against infantry unitshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_cavalry#Cavalry_charges_and_propaganda
Some women were shaved tho … but this is less funnyhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/05/women-victims-d-day-landings-second-world-war
I was 11/12 years old when we saw those newsreels in the movie theaters 1944/5, and the audience collectively laughed, jeered, and cheered at the women for being collaborators.
