100 years ago today our great grandfathers were commencing the final advance at

[Burney]

That may well be true of actual soldiers. I suspect it is far less true of conscripts.

Depends how well the conscripts are trained. The German army in both world wars were largely made up of conscripts. They didn't run much.

[Peter]

You realise that whilst 'young working class men' made up the majority of front line troops, it was public school chaps who suffered far the greatest number of casualties, do you?

The reason we are in the absolute state we are in is that the Great War claimed the lives of the bulk of decent young men and left us with an overwhelming preponderance of the weak, the sickly, the mentally feeble - to whom I believe you refer as 'the working classes'.

Any capitalist system requires for its own survival a large underclass. They have to be kept poor and hungry to keep them desperate for work so the likes of you can live it up and look down your nose at them.

I do apologise if not enough of them died and I formally apologise for my own family surviving and going on to breed a new generation of lefties. The lefties that are going to murder you in your bed as soon as Comrade Corbyn seizes power.

You should be scared.

In the meantime, I have a powerful scotch bonnet sauce that I highly recommend. It really clears out the sinuses

[Peter]

Depends how well the conscripts are trained. The German army in both world wars were largely made up of conscripts. They didn't run much.

We are not arguing over whether they run but over why they dont.

All the armies in boththose wars were made up almost exclusively ofconscripts or 'volunteers'. Very few professional soldiers.

Germans deserted in their droves at various stages on the Eastern front and I dont ****ing blame them. Fighting the russians on their own turf is worse than trying to win a test series in India.

[Sir C]

Any capitalist system requires for its own survival a large underclass. They have to be kept poor and hungry to keep them desperate for work so the likes of you can live it up and look down your nose at them.

I do apologise if not enough of them died and I formally apologise for my own family surviving and going on to breed a new generation of lefties. The lefties that are going to murder you in your bed as soon as Comrade Corbyn seizes power.

You should be scared.

In the meantime, I have a powerful scotch bonnet sauce that I highly recommend. It really clears out the sinuses

The lazy fúckers will demand someone else kills me in my bed. Far too much effort for a leftie.

[Peter]

The lazy fúckers will demand someone else kills me in my bed. Far too much effort for a leftie.

Of course, I dont mean it literally. Its more the restructuring of the economy (the many, not the few) that will metaphorically murder your way of life.

[Burney]

We are not arguing over whether they run but over why they dont.

All the armies in boththose wars were made up almost exclusively ofconscripts or 'volunteers'. Very few professional soldiers.

Germans deserted in their droves at various stages on the Eastern front and I dont ****ing blame them. Fighting the russians on their own turf is worse than trying to win a test series in India.

Large-scale desertion didn't start on the Eastern Front until very late in the war. That was because the Germans had started to replace their effective troops with children, crocks and old men who had received minimal training and were led by inexperienced officers and NCOs.

However, for the most part, experienced conscripts fought just as well as anyone else. Not running is about morale, training, discipline and comradeship rather than how one got into the army in the first place.

[Sir C]

Of course, I dont mean it literally. Its more the restructuring of the economy (the many, not the few) that will metaphorically murder your way of life.

You think McDonnell can do worse to me than Cameron and Osborn?

[Peter]

Large-scale desertion didn't start on the Eastern Front until very late in the war. That was because the Germans had started to replace their effective troops with children, crocks and old men who had received minimal training and were led by inexperienced officers and NCOs.

However, for the most part, experienced conscripts fought just as well as anyone else. Not running is about morale, training, discipline and comradeship rather than how one got into the army in the first place.

I would argue desertion started as soon as it began to look like a better chance of survival than staying. I suppose that comes under morale.

[Burney]

I would argue desertion started as soon as it began to look like a better chance of survival than staying. I suppose that comes under morale.

Well for raw troops, the temptation to desert was always going to be higher in Germany purely because it means you've got somewhere to run to. Fùck all point trying to run away when you're on the Russian steppe imo.

[barrybueno]

Flanders, heralding the beginning of the end of one of the stupidest wars in modern history.

Glorious dead my arse

Stoopid Flanders